China’s Lonely Children
中國孤獨的孩子
Daniel Chen, David Lee
【新聞關鍵字】
1. autism n. 自閉症
2. misfit n. 不適應環境的人
3. playground n. 遊樂場
4. stool n. 凳子
5. breakthrough n. 突破
6. syndrome n. 綜合症狀
7. cope v. 妥善處理
8. thin adj. 薄弱的
9. desperate adj. 絕望的
Autism affects roughly 67 million people worldwide. But in China, families living with autistic children receive almost no help from the communist regime, and parents struggle to care for their children-children who are seen as social misfits.
自閉症在全球影響了大約六千七百萬人。然而，在中國擁有自閉症小孩的家庭，卻幾乎完全沒有獲得共產政府的幫助。父母得很艱辛地照顧他們的孩子－那些被視為社會適應不良的孩子。
A playground race around an old stool might look simple, but for these parents, it’s a major breakthrough.
一個繞著一張張老舊凳子的遊樂場比賽，看起來似乎很簡單，但對這些父母來說，這是一個重大的突破。
“Stars and Rain" was the first school in China to help children with “lonely syndrome," what the Chinese call autism.
「星和雨」是中國第一個致力於幫助 “自閉症候群” 孩子的學校，也就是中國人所稱的自閉症。
The school teaches children simple tasks as well as teaches parents ways to cope.
這間學校教導孩子簡單的工作，同時也教導父母妥善處理孩子的方法。
Autism is still relatively unknown here, and the country’s thin welfare system offers little help.
在這裡，自閉症仍然相對的不被大多數人所瞭解，而且這個國家薄弱的福利系統，所提供的幫助極為稀少。
Friends and neighbors often don’t understand, so the parents are desperate, says school founder Tian Huiping.
學校創辦人唐和平說，朋友以及鄰居通常都不理解，所以父母們都感到很絕望。
【新聞關鍵字】
1. disabled adj. 殘廢的; 有缺陷的
2. firstborn n. 長子; 長女
3. treatment n. 治療
4. vast adj. 巨大的
5. prominence n. 凸出; 顯著
[Tian Huiping, Founder of Stars and Rain]:
“If I have a son and the son marries a wife, then he and his wife will support us when we are older and, if for a family the child is disabled, then the future is very dark."
[唐和平，星和雨創辦人]：
「如果我有一個兒子，這個兒子娶了一個妻子，那麼當我們變老時，他和他的妻子將會扶養我們。如果一個家庭中的小孩有缺陷，那麼未來將是非常黑暗的。」
China’s one-child policy allows parents of disabled children to try for another, but many, like Gao Shufeng’s daughter, choose not to and focus on their firstborn.
中國的一胎化政策允許有缺陷的小孩的父母再生一個，但是，有很多像高樹峰的女兒，選擇不再生了，並且專心照顧他們頭一個孩子。
[Gao Shufeng, Grandmother of Autistic Child]:
“There is no way through it, sometimes they urge the mother to give up the child and try for another. But his mother won’t do it, she won’t give up. She says that if there is advanced treatment in foreign countries then there must be a way here."
[高樹峰，自閉症小孩的祖母]：
「有時候真沒辦法，有時候他們叫母親放棄這個孩子，再試另一個。但是他的媽媽不願意這麼做，她不願意放棄。她說如果在其它國家有更先進的治療方法，那麼這兒也應該要有啊。」
Data suggests over 2 million people of China’s vast population of 1.3 billion may have autism, meaning the issue will likely grow in prominence in coming years.
資料顯示，中國廣大的十三億人口中，超過兩百萬人可能擁有自閉症，這表示在來年這項議題可能日益顯著。
本則影音新聞出處：新唐人電視台英語新聞
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_china/2009-04-02/395324783811.html
【看頭條，學英語】
1. President Ma plans to attend El Salvador presidential inauguration
馬總統計劃出席薩爾瓦多總統就職
2. Indians start voting in month-long elections
印度開始長達一個月之久的選舉投票
3. Taiwan’s credit rating cut to negative
台灣信用評等降至負數
4. Corporate law amendment to lower threshold for firms.
公司法修正案將降低（開設）公司門檻
5. Nobel laureate endorses nuclear power for Taiwan
諾貝爾獎得主為台灣背書核能
【頭條關鍵字】
1. inauguration: n. 就職
2. credit rating: n. 信用評等
3. law amendment: n. 修正案
4. threshold: n. 門檻
5. laureate: n. 桂冠
6. endorse: v. 簽署、背書
【每日一句】
How might I handle this better?
我可以如何處理的更好？
【今日諺語】
You pay your money, and you take your chances.
自己做決定，結果自負