美国国家公共电台 NPR Something New For Baby To Chew On: Rocket Science And Quantum Physics

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

How old were you when you learned the basics of physics or rocket science? Or maybe you never did. Well, if there's a toddler in your house, you can refresh your memory or maybe learn something new. As part of our series on kids' media, NPR's Lynn Neary takes a look at books that introduce some complex concepts to the very young.

LYNN NEARY, BYLINE¹: When Kelly Barrales-Saylor was a new mom, she got lots of kids' books as presents.

KELLY BARRALES-SAYLOR: Basic concept books about shapes and colors and alphabet - and I realized that there wasn't really any science available, nothing about math, nothing about science. And my editorial brain lit up and said, there must be a need for this.

NEARY: Barrales-Saylor is an editor at Sourcebooks. She did some research and found Chris Ferrie, who had self-published some math and science books for kids online. Ferrie is a physicist² and mathematician³ at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. He first created the books for his own children.

CHRIS FERRIE: My children find it easier to pronounce proton and neutron⁴ and electron than they do, you know, aardvark.

NEARY: When reading to his children, Ferrie noticed that most books used animals to introduce kids to words. In today's world, that just didn't make sense to him.

FERRIE: You know, we're not surrounded by animals anymore. We're surrounded by technology.

NEARY: Barrales-Saylor worked with Ferrie to design a series of books aimed at toddlers and babies. These are sturdy board books with bright colors and simple shapes that introduce the basics of subjects like rocket science, physics and general relativity.

All right, let me get the books out for you.

HENRY: I want the rocket book.

NEARY: You want the rocket book?

Six-year-old Henry Nathanson and his 2-and-a-half-year-old sister, Sylvie, live in Washington, D.C. Their mom, Rosie Nathanson, agreed to read the books to her kids.

ROSIE NATHANSON: (Reading) This is a ball. This ball is moving. Air can't go through it.

HENRY: I know because it's - because it's aerodynamic.

NEARY: Henry had learned about flight in school and was excited to hear words he knew in a book called "Rocket Science For Babies."

NATHANSON: The upward force is called lift...

HENRY: ...Lift.

NATHANSON: How'd you know that? This is a...

HENRY: ...When I'm learning about flight.

NATHANSON: Exactly. This is the shape of an airplane wing.

HENRY: I knew that.

NEARY: But while Henry plunged⁵ through the books, his little sister grew restless.

SYLVIE: I need a water.

NATHANSON: Listen - OK...

NEARY: An ABC book about math momentarily caught her attention.

NATHANSON: F is for focus. Do you know that?

SYLVIE: Focus.

NATHANSON: The focus is the...

SYLVIE: ...Focus.

NATHANSON: That's good.

NEARY: But not for long.

NATHANSON: Do you want to read more of this?

SYLVIE: No.

NEARY: At 2 and a half, Sylvie was clearly having a hard time grasping the concepts in these books. Sourcebooks editor Kelly Barrales-Saylor says the books are really just an introduction to scientific and mathematical words.

BARRALES-SAYLOR: We know toddlers aren't going to pick up the exact high-level concepts we're explaining. We're trying to do - introduce the small seeds of information, meant for them to remember years later.

NEARY: Sylvie's mom, Rosie Nathanson, thinks her daughter might be more interested in the books a year from now. As for 6-year-old Henry, he gave the books a qualified⁶ endorsement⁷.

HENRY: I liked it half, and I didn't like it half.

NATHANSON: I have a question for you...

HENRY: ...Half and half.

NATHANSON: OK, half and half. I have a question for you. If I just came up with this book and said, rocket science, and didn't read the, for babies, what do you think?

HENRY: It would probably be better.

NEARY: Henry might shy away from books that he thinks are for babies, but some parents might find these books are at just the right level to start learning about rocket science. Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SCIENCE IS REAL")

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: (Singing) Science is real, from the Big Bang to DNA⁸. Science is real, from evolution to the Milky⁹ Way. I like those stories about...

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

3 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

4 neutron   

n.中子

参考例句：

• Neutron is neutral and slightly heavier than the proton.中子是中性的，比质子略重。
• Based on the neutron energy,the value of weighting factor was given.根据中子能量给出了相应的辐射权重因子的数值。

5 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

6 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

7 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

9 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。