端午节，2014-06-02

【Aiden in English】

        In the world we call home, there are many items we like but harm us, such as drugs. It is unnecessary to do things similar to drugs, and it's crucial to tell us that early in life before it's too late. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program has been created in order to help kids live up to their fullest.

        The world is full of harmful things to the human body like alcohol or tobacco, and the DARE focuses a lot on them since many people are addicted. That's what makes it so scary, considering both cause problems with the brain. Alcohol forces people to lose judgment, memory, coordination and reflexes. Tobacco is just as bad, reduces blood circulation to the brain, and leads to headaches as well as dizziness. Both alcohol and tobacco sound horrible and they really are, but even still, people use them. So convincing us not to take alcohol and tobacco is important as ever.

        Cigars and cigarettes are the same story as tobacco and alcohol, or might even be worse. In cigarettes, there are tobacco and disgusting chemicals. One cigarette may seem harmless. However, it really packs a punch. Over time, cigarettes painfully hurt us and can send us to the grave earlier than usual. A single one has over 200 chemicals, some used in batteries and some to clean bathrooms. A smoker is also basically breathing in burning paper. Worst of all, cigarettes contain nicotine, a substance that makes people addicted. Yet nicotine gives serious health problems. Cigars are even worse than cigarettes due to a higher amount of tobacco. But DARE takes it to another level. Not only has it told us that smoking is off limits, our instructor, Officer Matlack, often advices kids to stay away from smokers because you could breathe in their smoke which is equally as bad. That is called second-handed smoking or breathing in someone else's smoke.

        The biggest danger about drugs is the addicting part. Once kids try beer or tobacco, it hooks them and reels in like a fish on a line until you're totally addicted to it. The DARE is determined to convince us not to take drugs. We have to turn down any offers from friends and popular kids. That's harder than it sounds since if it was your friend, he probably would call you a chicken. So the decision is up to us whether to accept it or not. And I thank DARE for shooting some sense into my mind. Taking drugs is a lot worse than being called a chicken.

        The DARE is not only about drugs, but also shows us how to deal with everyday problems as a student who often encounters stress and bullying. When either of those situations occurs, it is important to tell an adult and maybe even ask your friends for help. All issues have solutions and all we need to do is to simply ask for help.

        In addition, the DARE provides a special treat by bringing in a K9 that gives us demonstration about the abilities of a trained police dog. This year's star was Duke, a German shepherd from the Netherlands. He loves to play and fights for his toys. But when he's told to play times over, Duke really gets to work. He has some vicious teeth that I personally don't want to be anywhere near while he's at work, and he can use them. As much as powerful that sounds, Duke's main theme is his nose because most of the time he has to smell where the enemy is and finds drugs by scent.

        The DARE truly helps us down the right road and makes sure that we live our lives the best it can be, drug free, tobacco free, and alcohol free. It teaches us many ways to deal with situations that come along throughout our lifetime. This is why the DARE is irreplaceable for us. And someday, it may even save a life or two.

【红霞译文】

        在被人类称之为家园的世界，有很多我们喜欢但往往又会加害于我们的东西，譬如毒品。正因如此，与毒品相关的物质都应高度警惕，以免误入歧途，这样一来早期教育非常重要，应运而生的“抵制滥用毒品教育”方案可以有效地帮助少年儿童茁壮成长。

        物欲世界到处充满对自身有害的事物，酒精或烟草便是其中之一，“抵制滥用毒品教育”主要着眼于这些让人上瘾难于自拔的东西，酒精和烟草可以损害大脑，这正是令人担忧的地方。酒精能使人们理智不清，并丧失记忆力、协调性以及灵敏度﹔烟草有过之而无不及，因降低大脑血液循环而导致头痛眩晕。酒精或烟草听起来确实这么可怕，尽管如此，仍有人酗酒吸烟，所以说宣传戒酒戒烟越来越重要起来。

        雪茄香烟与烟草酒精如出一辙，也许更不容忽视。香烟由烟草原料和刺鼻的化学物质组成，看上去好像无害，其实隐患重重，不仅给人带来莫大痛苦，而且还能置人于死地。每根香烟均有超过200种以上的化合物，其中有的化合物可用来制作电池，有的化合物可用来打扫浴室厕所，除此之外，抽烟者同时还吸入灼烧成灰的烟屑尘末。最糟糕的是，香烟中富含尼古丁，它会使人上瘾并严重威胁健康﹔雪茄因烟草成分高于香烟而大大提高其危害性。辅导员马特拉克警官现身说教，将“抵制滥用毒品教育”引向深入，我们不仅应该严防吸烟，而且还要远离烟区，因为常吸二手烟同样使我们深受其害。

        吸毒极易上瘾，烟酒如同钓鱼的诱饵，一旦你喝上抽过，很容易被引诱上钩，直到产生依赖性为止。“抵制滥用毒品教育”想方设法告诫我们不要吸毒，并拒绝来自朋友和热门人物提供的任何毒品，说来容易做来难，因为很有可能你会被视为胆小鬼，但我的人生我做主，本人由衷地感谢“抵制滥用毒品教育”提醒我们警钟常鸣，宁被称作胆小鬼而绝不向毒品低头。

        “抵制滥用毒品教育”不仅仅局限于毒品方面，而且还指导我们如何处理日常生活中所面临的精神压力和受人欺负等问题，无论哪种情况发生，都要及时与大人们进行交流，甚至向同伴朋友求助。任何问题必定有其解决方案，对我们而言，最简单的做法就是寻求帮助。

        此外，“抵制滥用毒品教育”还提供特别节目，让训练有素的搜毒警犬来为我们表演特技。今年的明星叫公爵，是一只来自荷兰的德国牧羊犬，喜欢游戏，好争玩具，当接到指令之后，立刻停止玩耍严阵以待。它长有一些锋利凶狠的牙齿，一旦进入工作状态，我最好躲它远远的，绝不与它较真。搜毒犬的牙齿固然厉害，其敏感的嗅觉才是公爵与众不同的标志。多数情况下，它通过气味发现毒品，稽查坏蛋。

        “抵制滥用毒品教育”像一盏指路明灯，确保我们今后生活在没有毒品、没有烟草、没有酒精的健康环境里，教导我们掌握切实可行的方法应对人生所面临的问题，这就是为什么“抵制滥用毒品教育”无可替代，说不定准哪一天还能挽救若干条生命。