2017考研英语拓展阅读：美国买枪比买狗还容易

　　(CNN)The way our laws are written, guns are easy to get in this land of the free.

　　(CNN)根据我们的立法，在这片自由的土地上，买枪比买狗容易。

　　Buying from a gun store? Background checks and waiting periods might slow you down -- but only a little.

　　到一家枪支商店买?背景检查和等待的时间可能会耽误一点时间——但只有一点点。

　　Buying from a private seller? In all but a handful of states, there’s really no hoops to jump through at all.

　　到一家个体户去买?除了少数几个州，简直没有什么困难就能买到。

　　In fact, it’s easier to get a gun than …

　　事实上，买枪比以下几项都容易的多。

　　A driver’s license

　　比考驾照容易

　　License: Submit proof of your identity. Pass vision and written tests. Drive around a couple of weeks on your learner’s permit. Then pass the driving test. Depending on the state, it takes completing all that to get your first ever driver’s license. Also, some states, like Maryland, put you under a probationary status for a few months when you get your driver’s license.

　　驾照：提交你的身份证，通过视力和书写测试。根据学习许可驾驶几周后，通过驾考。不同的州情况有所不同，你得完成所有的流程取得第一个驾驶执照。同样，在一些州，比如马里兰，你得通过几个月的试用期后才能拿到驾照。

　　Gun: You don’t need a knowledge or proficiency test. You usually don’t need a license or permit to buy a gun, unless you live in one of 13 states (and D.C.) that force you to get one. And there’s no probationary period after you get a gun.

　　枪支：无需任何相关知识或资格考试。一般来说，买枪不需要任何证明或者许可，除非在其中13个州(以及华盛顿特区)。并且，买枪后没有任何的试用期。

　　A passport

　　比申领护照容易

　　Passport: You have to prove you’re a citizen, submit paperwork and a photo and usually wait about six weeks to get your hands on your first U.S. passport.

　　护照：你得证明你是美国公民，提交文书和照片，通常等待六周后才能领到你的第一个美国护照。

　　Gun: A gun store runs your name through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System; you put your money on the counter and the gun is yours. Takes just a few minutes. If you’re buying from a private seller, you don’t even have to go through a background check in most states.

　　枪支：枪支商店通过联邦调查局的国家实时犯罪背景检查系统确认你的名字，你把钱放在柜台上，枪就是你的了。只需几分钟而已。如果你是从一个私人卖家购买，在大多州，甚至不必进行背景调查。

　　Cold medicine

　　比买感冒药容易

　　Medicine: There’s a limit on how much of some cold medicine you can buy every month. That’s because the active ingredient in those cold medicines is pseudoephedrine. It’s also a key ingredient in making meth. So, the feds want to make sure the medicine isn’t used for something else.

　　药物：每月最多可以买多少感冒药是有限制的。这是因为，这些感冒药中的所含的活性成分是伪麻黄碱。它也是制造冰毒的主要成分。因此，政府要确保药物不是用来做其他的事。

　　Gun: There’s no federal law that limits how many you buy.

　　枪支：立法并未限制购买枪支的数量。

　　A divorce

　　比办离婚容易

　　Divorce: In some states, waiting for your divorce to be final will have you cooling your heels for up to six months.

　　离婚：在某些州，离个婚有时得等上六个月才行。

　　Gun: Whether you buy online or in person, there are no waiting periods for gun purchases -- unless you live in the nine states (and D.C.) that require it. But even then, it’ll keep you from your gun for no more than a handful of days.

　　枪支：不管你是在网上购买还是私人购买，除了在特定的9个州外(以及华盛顿特区)，都没有等待期。但即便如此，也不过是几天的功夫。

　　A pet

　　比狗好买

　　Pet: In most cases, you must be 21, show ID and you may be asked to provide personal references. In some cases, the adoption agency may do a home check before handing over the pet.

　　宠物：在很多情况下，必须得年满21岁，出示身份证，并可能会被要求提供个人资料。有时，领养机构还会做家庭背景调查，之后才能领到宠物。

　　Gun: No personal references. No home visits.

　　枪支：无需个人资料，无需家庭调查。

　　U.S. home to a third of the world’s mass shootings

　　全球有三分之一的枪击案都发生在美国。