英語段落學習:The Recall of U.S. Troops

Chris Carlson had been out of the U.S. Army (離開美國陸軍,退伍,復員,英語可以簡單地用(get) out of the army就可以表達)for two years and was working at Costco in California(這説明他目前只是個平民) when he received notice that he was being called back into service(接到命令:召回入伍。was being called back into service,就是召回(入伍),等於was recalled into active duty,或was called back into active duty).

英語段落學習:The Recall of U.S. Troops

The 24-year-old is one of thousands of Soldiers and Marines(海軍陸戰隊) who have been deployed(軍事部署。有一點需要説明的是:一個退伍軍人被召回不等於被deployed,也就是不一定就上戰場,這是recall to active duty和deploy的區別) to Iraq under a policy that allows military leaders to recall troops(還是召回的又一個説法) who have left the service(就是get out of the service,指military service軍隊服役) but still have time left on their contract(在他們的服役合同上依然還有剩餘的服役時間。這點可能就需要對美國的“義務兵制度”要有所瞭解了。美國青年是“義務兵制”,每個人都有8年的服役義務。跟讀大學一樣,不一定像中國那樣,要連續四年讀完,可以分段完成。所以,美國的前軍人“召回”,與其説是熱情,不如説是盡本份。所以,很難想像他們能喊出中國軍人“若有戰,召必回”那樣豪邁的語言來。).

"I thought it was crazy," said Carlson, (Carlson説:我覺得這種召回簡直就是神經病)who has found himself protecting convoys (護衞美國軍車車隊)on Iraq's dangerous roads as part of a New Jersey National Guard unit. "Never in a million years did I think they would call me back(從來沒想過他們會發出召回令)."

好,剩下的英語我們就不一一讀完了。

我們此刻姑且不討論“若有戰,召必回”的英語怎麼説,至少,我們知道世界各國軍隊在戰時都會做同樣的一件事情,這就是:recall a retired soldier into active duty or service.

那你想有能力跟別人談論談論什麼是recall to active duty呀?

Well I know that means a retired soldier or a former soldier will return or go back or is called back into active military service before being deployed for combats.

Or we will say after a soldier gets out of the military, the military can mobilize and call him back into active duty or active service

最後一點,active duty,那麼,什麼是active duty呢?What is active duty?

我們再來練習練習口語表達吧,不要來來回回就只知道説一個英語短語:recall into active duty.

Well when we say a soldier is on active duty, that means you will serve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the military. It is just like working a full-time job. You work 8 hours a day, and five days a week.

記住,這裏用serve一詞,叫做to serve 24 hours a day

好了,具備了這些“語料談資”,有了“英語體驗在先”,下次當“召回”這個話題再次出現的時候,你至少可以説:這個話題或表達我曾經有過大量的英語體驗(在那種語言環境中體驗過),而不是簡簡單單地從中文體驗角度學過recall into active duty這個英語單詞。

最後,至於中國前軍人那句具有中國特色的鏗鏘有力的“若有戰,召必回”英語怎麼説呢?我想我會這麼大概的去表達:

I will definitely show up at a recall.

當然,這只是對“志願兵”而言,如果是未盡完“服役義務”的“義務兵”,就別跟着喊了:你是必須“回”的!