EDUCATION REPORT - Liberty's Kids Television Show

EDUCATION REPORT – September 12, 2002: 'Liberty’s Kids' Television Show

By Jerilyn Watson

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A new public television program is helping¹ American children learn how their nation began.
The Public Broadcasting Service is offering forty half-hour programs about early American
history. Public television stations in the United States are showing the program, called
“Liberty’s Kids.” The stories tell about the period from seventeen-seventy-three to
seventeen-eighty-nine. That is when thirteen American colonies demanded and won
independence from Britain.

Artists drew the characters that appear in the animated² cartoon program. Live actors and
famous Americans speak the words. For example, former television reporter Walter Cronkite
reads the part of inventor and independence activist³ Benjamin Franklin. Franklin operated the
Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper.

“Liberty’s Kids” is about four young people who observe historic events. One character is Sarah Phillips, a
young British girl. She is loyal to England. Another character is James Hiller. He helps Benjamin Franklin print
his newspaper. James wants America to be independent.

The two teenagers try to report the events taking place for the newspaper. They compete to tell their sides of the
story and get the truth to people all across America. Sarah and James share the action with two other young
people. They are a former slave who bought his freedom and an eight-year-old boy who has no parents.

The four young people have exciting experiences as they live through revolutionary events. For example, one
program tells about the Boston Tea Party. This took place in Boston Harbor in Massachusetts in seventeen-
seventy-three. Independence fighters dressed as Indians invaded British ships carrying tea and threw the tea into
the ocean. They were protesting British taxes on tea for the colonies. Sarah gets angry at the rebellious⁴ colonists⁵.
But James supports them.

Another program tells about the acceptance of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental⁶
Congress in seventeen-seventy-six. This document declared America’s freedom from Britain.

Historians studied the programs to make sure they contain correct information. American educators hope
“Liberty’s Kids” will teach children more about the time when their nation was established.

This VOA Special English Education report was written by Jerilyn Watson.

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1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

5 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。