VOA慢速英语2013 提高儿童创造力的好办法

 

AS IT IS 2013-09-21 Girls Tackle¹ American Football With the Guys 提高儿童创造力的好办法

Welcome to As It Is! I’m June Simms in Washington.

On our show today, we hear about college students who have come up with an imaginative² way to increase creativity among children.

Also, tennis, badminton and table tennis are some of only a few sports in which men and women compete on the same team. Rarely does this happen in American-style football. In fact, many school districts in the United States bar girls from playing football. But today, we hear about an American high school where three girls have joined what is normally³ an all-male sport. We begin with that report from Avi Arditti.

Girls a Rare Sight on Boys’ Football Team

Football season has begun at schools across the United States. This year, one high school football team is a little different than most others. It is the one from TC Williams in Alexandria, Virginia. They have Brianna, Tiffany and Josie on the team. Head coach Dennis Randolph says he did not object when the unusual request came his way.

“About 25 girls that have said you know ‘hey we want to play football,’ and I say ‘well come on out.’ But they don’t show up because this really is not for everybody. It takes a special person to come out here and play football. Tiffany and Brianna and Josie are atypical.”

Brianna Smith is a kicker. This is her third year on the TC Williams team. She once played soccer, but her father asked her to try football. At first, she was not so sure.

“Honestly, I ask myself that every day. Like ‘why did I decide to play a guys’ sport?  But it kind of just grew on me. And then after I made that first field goal, I just knew that it was my sport.”

But there are some restrictions⁴ to playing on a boys’ team. The pre-game locker⁵ room experience is a big part of being on a high school team. But the three young women cannot take part in it.

“It’s sad, but at the same time, there’s nothing we can do because we’re girls -- we can’t go in the locker-room while they’re getting ready. We just have to quickly get dressed and find out what we’re doing next.”

Teammate Jeremiah Clarke says he treats the young women like any other players on the team.

“We don’t treat them any differently than we would if they were just a guy. So when I found out I was like, ‘whoa, a girl can play football?’  I mean you just adapt, and it’s nothing really big.”

Brianna Smith’s father is a football coach for a local college team. He makes sure to be on the field to give his daughter pointers throughout the games. He says her bravery motivates others.

“Male and females⁷ will see a lot in her because she will be able to say to them, ‘Hey, if I’m a female⁶ and I can play football, anything that you choose to do in life, of course you can do it too. All you have to do is be committed, work hard and be disciplined.’”

“Honestly when I’m older I would just like to say ‘oh yeah, I did that.’  I finally can say I finished my high school seasons and I completed something that a normal girl wouldn’t do. And just to tell people that I have actually done something like that is just amazing.”

She now dreams of playing football in college. She has the next two years to gain the attention of college football programs. But for now, it is all about TC Williams -- winning and getting a chance to help the team. I’m Avi Arditti.

You are listening to As It Is, from VOA Learning⁸ English. I’m June Simms.

College Students Help Increase Creativity in Children

Research shows that hands-on learning helps children understand complex, theoretical⁹ ideas. It also helps children perform better in school. But, as some schools cut their budgets, hands-on learning is one of the first things to go. A group of college students wants to do something about that.

Children in a Washington, DC neighborhood are happy about building things they have designed.

The boys and girls are involved in a hands-on learning program offered by SparkTruck. Students from Stanford University in California came up with the idea. Last year, they launched¹⁰ what they call an “educational build-mobile” and took it on the road. They offered classes to almost 3,000 children during a two-month long cross country trip.

SparkTruck is now in its second year. And students from three other California colleges have joined the program. One of them is Benji Kuroda, a student at the Art Center College of Design.

“We are trying to bring creativity and design workshops to kids all over, and bring them prototyping tools and material, and show them that all these things are accessible to them even if they don’t have them at school.”

The children begin by examining different ideas. They then build a model of whatever they have dreamed up. Owen Whitman is taking the class.

“I made a flying Cyclops – just one eye. I had a lot of fun making new stuff¹² and learning how to mind, and electricity works¹¹.

“We are not perfect as we are not all designers, we are not all engineers. But we try to bring in what we feel is important as part of a curriculum¹³ which is thinking creatively and not being afraid to make mistakes”.

Children get to control LEGO robots. They can experiment with high-technology tools, including a laser¹⁴ cutter and a 3D printer, and more traditional workshop tools, like a hammer. Fadilat Adefola Raji is also taking part in the class.

“It is very nice and I never knew about like how things vibrate¹⁵. And it was very cool being here and this is also a cool machine.”

Pieces of paper along the top of the truck document every design made by the students. Phyllis Klein is the owner of “Fab Lab, DC.” She led the class in Washington.

“I think what it does is it sparks¹⁶ their imagination. It gives them a window into things that they can do. It shows them what is possible.”

While the SparkTruck team shares their love of hands-on learning, they are also getting something out of it. So says Brittany Hallawell from Stanford University.

“I have learned¹⁷ about how to work with children. I have seen a lot of kids that were about to give up and then ended up making something, which is just really inspiring for me.”

SparkTruck has received some donations¹⁸ from businesses and money from Kickstarter, a website that raises money for creative projects. The student volunteers admit that being on the road for two months can be difficult. But they hope to share the road with even more SparkTrucks in the future.

And that is As It Is. Thanks for listening.

1 tackle   

n.工具，复滑车，扭倒；v.处理，抓住

参考例句：

• Don't forget to bring your sports tackle with you tomorrow.别忘了明天带上你的体育用具。
• We have gained sufficient experience to tackle this problem.我们已经有了足够的经验来处理这个问题。

2 imaginative   

adj.富有想象力的，爱想象的

参考例句：

• The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
• Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。

3 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

6 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

7 females   

n.雌性动物( female的名词复数 )；女人

参考例句：

• The male birds are more colourful than the females. 这种鸟雄性比雌性更加色彩艳丽。
• The males in the herd protect the females and the young. 兽中的雄性动物保护雌性动物和幼崽。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

9 theoretical   

adj.理论的，假设的；根据理论的

参考例句：

• It's a theoretical matter as well as a practical one.这不仅是个实践问题，也是个理论问题。
• It's only a theoretical possibility.这只是一种假设的可能性。

10 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

11 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

12 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

13 curriculum   

n.课程，（学校等的）全部课程

参考例句：

• Is German on your school's curriculum?你们学校有德语课吗？
• The English curriculum should stress both composition and reading.英语课程对作文和阅读应同样重视。

14 laser   

n.激光

参考例句：

• We keep a laser record.我们保存激光唱片。
• Laser beams are also used in surgery.激光束还可用于外科手术。

15 vibrate   

v.(使)振动，(使)摇摆；vt.摇动，震动

参考例句：

• The rough road made the car vibrate.坑坑洼洼的道路使车颠得厉害。
• Tom's heavy footsteps upstairs make the old house vibrate.楼上汤姆的沉重脚步振动了整幢旧楼房。

16 sparks   

电工，无线电通讯员； 火花( spark的名词复数 )； （指品质或感情）一星； 丝毫； 电火花

参考例句：

• The amplifier exploded in a fountain of sparks. 放大器爆炸，喷射出火星。
• A shower of sparks flew up the chimney. 烟囱里飞出无数火星。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》