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Passage Eighteen (The Military Is In) Things have really changed. Not only is the military standing1 tall again, it is staging a remarkable2 comeback in the quantity and quality of the recruits it is attracting. Recruiters, once denounced by antiwar students as “baby killers” and barred from campuses, are welcomed ever at elite3 universities. ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) programs, that faltered4 during the Viet Nam era, when protesters were fire bombing their headquarters, are flourishing again. The military academies are enjoying a steady increase in applications. Certainly, the depressed5 economy has increased the allure6 of the jobs, technical training and generous student loans offered by the military. Students know that if they go in and become, say, nuclear weapons specialists, they can come out and demand a salary of $60,000 a year. Military salaries, while not always competitive with those paid for comparable jobs in the private sector7, are more than respectable, especially considering the wide array of benefits that are available: free medical service, room and board, and PX (Post Exchange) privileges. Monthly pay for a recruit is $574; for a sergeant8 with four years services it is $906; for a major with ten years’ service it is $2,305. The services’ slick $175 million-a-year advertising9 campaign promising10 adventure and fulfillment has helped win over the TV generation. Kids are walking down the school hallways chanting ‘Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines,’ just like in the commercials. And many military officials feel that the key difference is the enhanced patriotism11 among the nation’s youth. There is a return to the view that the military is an honorable profession. The days of a judge telling a miscreant12 to join the Army or go to jail are over. Recruiting for all four services combined is running at 101%of authorized13 goals. And the retention14 rate is now so high, that the services are refusing some re-enlistment applications and reducing annual recruiting target. The military academics are also enjoying halcyon15 years, attracting more and better-qualified students. Compared to private colleges, where tuition and expenses have been climbing sharply, the service schools are a real bargain: not only is tuition free, but recruits get allowances of up to $500 a mouth. It is reported 12,300 applicants16 are for the 1,450 positions in this year’s freshman17 class. Military academies are now just as selective as any of the best universities in the country. Nationwide, ROTC enrollment18 exceeds 105,000,a 64% increase over the 1974 figure. In the mid19 70’s, the ROTC students refused to wear their uniforms on campus because they suffered all sorts of ridicule20, if they did. Now if they wear them to class no one looks at them twice. To them, Viet Nam is ancient history, something the old folks talk about. 1. What is the main idea of this passage? [A]. The Military is in [B]. The Military is up [C]. The Military is down [D]. The Military is on 2. What was the attitude of the students in 1970’s towards the military? [A]. Approval. [B]. Indifferent. [C]. Distaste. [D]. Scolding. 3. The phrase “come out” is closest in meaning to [A]. “become visible”. [B]. “begin to grow”. [C]. “be made public”. [D]. “gain a certain position”. 4. Which one of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason to attract students. [A]. Free tuition. [B]. Spacious21 room. [C]. Considerate allowance. [D]. Technical training. Vocabulary 1. stage a comeback 再度走红，卷土重来 2. standing tall 站得高 3. babykiller 杀婴犯人 4. denounce 谴责 5. elite 杰出的，名牌的 6. ROTC=Reserve Office’s Training Cope (美)后备军官训练队 点击  收听单词发音
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