研究：大多数美国青少年不喝酒不吸烟
📖 逐句对照翻译
Drug use among teenagers has continued to drop since the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large national study says.
一项大型全国性研究显示，自新冠疫情初期以来，青少年吸毒现象持续减少。
The federally financed Monitoring the Future study has been carried out yearly since 1975.
由联邦资助的“监测未来”研究自1975年起每年进行。
However, the study only started measuring abstinence – the practice of rejecting alcohol or recreational drug use – in 2017.
然而，这项研究直到2017年才开始测量戒断行为——即拒绝酒精或娱乐性药物的做法。
This year’s findings are based on answers from about 24,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 in schools across the United States.
今年的调查结果基于全美各地约2.4万名8年级、10年级和12年级学生的回答。
One major finding: About 66 percent of 12th graders said they had not used alcohol, marijuana, and traditional or electronic cigarettes in the previous 30 days.
一项重要发现：约66%的12年级学生表示，在过去30天内未曾使用过酒精、大麻以及传统香烟或电子烟。
That share, or proportion, of students is the largest since the yearly study started measuring abstinence.
自该年度研究开始衡量戒酒情况以来，这一学生比例是最大的。
The study is “one of the best, if not the best” source of national data for substance use by teens, said Noah Kreski.
诺亚·克雷斯基表示，这项研究是“最好，如果不是最好的话”全国青少年药物使用数据来源之一。
Kreski is a Columbia University data analyst who has studied teen drug use.
克雷斯基是哥伦比亚大学的数据分析师，研究青少年吸毒问题。
Among 10th graders, 80 percent said they had not used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes recently, another record.
在十年级学生中，80%的人表示他们最近没有使用过酒精、大麻、香烟或电子烟，这又是一项纪录。
Among 8th graders, 90 percent did not use any of them, the same as was reported in the previous study.
在八年级学生中，90%的人没有使用过其中任何一种，这与之前的研究报告相同。
The only major increase found was in the use of nicotine pouches, small, white containers of nicotine which users place in their mouths.
唯一发现的主要增长是尼古丁袋的使用，这是一种小巧的白色容器，内含尼古丁，使用者将其置于口中。
About 6 percent of 12th graders said they had used that form of nicotine in the past year, up from about 3 percent in 2023.
大约6%的12年级学生表示，他们在过去一年中使用过这种形式的尼古丁，而2023年这一比例约为3%。
Whether that has the makings of a new public health problem is unclear.
这是否会构成一个新的公共卫生问题尚不清楚。
The University of Michigan’s Richard Miech, who leads the study, said: “It’s hard to know if we’re seeing the start of something, or not.”
该研究的负责人、密歇根大学的理查德·米奇表示：“我们很难判断这是否是某种趋势的开始。”
Early in the pandemic, students across the country were told not to go to schools and to avoid parties or other gatherings.
疫情初期，全国各地的学生被告知不要前往学校，避免参加聚会或其他聚集活动。
Alcohol and drug use of all kinds dropped likely because use most often happens in friend group settings.
各种酒精和药物的使用都有所下降，这可能是因为使用最常发生在朋友聚会的场合。
Friends often influence each other to use drugs, experts say.
专家表示，朋友之间常常会相互影响，导致彼此使用毒品。
As lockdowns ended, “I think everyone expected at least a partial rebound,” Miech said.
米耶克说：“随着封锁结束，我想每个人都预期至少会有部分反弹。”
Even before the pandemic, there were decreases in teen cigarette smoking, drinking and the use of several kinds of drugs.
甚至在疫情之前，青少年吸烟、饮酒以及使用几种毒品的情况就已经在减少。
Experts suggested that teens were staying home as opposed to spending time in social settings, in which use of illegal substances is more likely.
专家建议，青少年待在家里的时间多了，而不是花时间在社交场合，因为在社交场合使用非法药物的可能性更大。
But marijuana use was not falling before the pandemic.
但在疫情之前，大麻的使用量并未下降。
And vaping was increasing.
而电子烟的使用量也在上升。
It was only during the pandemic that those activities began to decrease also.
直到疫情期间，这些活动才开始减少。
Some experts wonder if the pandemic lockdowns had a deeper influence.
一些专家怀疑，疫情封锁是否产生了更深层次的影响。
Miech noted that a lot of teens who experiment with e-cigarettes or drugs start in the 9th grade, sometimes because older children are doing it.
米奇指出，许多尝试电子烟或毒品的青少年是从九年级开始的，有时是因为年长的孩子在这么做。
But the children who were 9th graders during the lockdowns never picked up the activity.
但在封锁期间读九年级的孩子们却从未参与这项活动。
And they never had the opportunity to turn into negative influencers of their younger classmates, he said.
他说，他们也从未有机会变成低年级同学的负面榜样。
“The pandemic stopped the cycle of new kids coming in and being recruited to drug use,” Miech said.
米耶克说：“疫情打断了新来的孩子被招募吸毒的循环。”
Mental health may also play a part.
心理健康也可能起到一定作用。
There were increased reports of depression and anxiety in kids after the pandemic began.
疫情开始后，关于儿童抑郁和焦虑的报告有所增加。
Depression is often linked with substance use, but some people with depression and anxiety are very cautious about experimenting with drugs, said Dr. Duncan Clark.
邓肯·克拉克博士表示，抑郁症常与药物滥用有关，但有些患有抑郁症和焦虑症的人对尝试毒品非常谨慎。
Clark is a University of Pittsburgh medical doctor who researches substance use in kids.
克拉克是匹兹堡大学的医学博士，研究儿童物质使用问题。
“Some teens with anxiety are worried about the effects of substances. They may also be socially inhibited and have less opportunity to use drugs,” Clark said.
克拉克说：“有些患有焦虑症的青少年担心物质的影响。他们也可能在社交上受到抑制，使用毒品的机会较少。”
I’m John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
Mike Stobbe reported on this story for the Associated Press.
迈克·斯托布为美联社报道了这一事件。
John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
约翰·拉塞尔为VOA英语学习频道改编了它。
