VOA慢速英语2016 高科技为肯尼亚盲人学校提供新工具

AS IT IS 2016-01-18 Technology Provides New Tools for Blind Students in Kenya 高科技为肯尼亚盲人学校提供新工具

In Kenya, blind students and those with poor eyesight were still using Braille books for their studies until recently.

直到最近，肯尼亚一些盲人学生或者视力差的学生学习时仍然使用布莱叶盲文书籍。

Their books used the Braille system of raised dots to represent words and numbers.Those with limited or no eyesight can "read" by touching¹ those markings.

这些书籍采用布莱叶凸点系统，代表文字和数字。盲人学生或者视力较差的学生通过触摸这些圆点“阅读”。

But Kenyan schools for the blind are now beginning to use technology that provides material in an audible form.This has expanded possibilities for the students and taught them new ways to interact² with technology.

肯尼亚盲人学校目前已开始采用高科技教学，此种科技以声音形式提供材料。该科技拓展这些学生们的可能性，并教给他们与科技互动的新方式。

Seventeen-year-old Lucas Mwanzia is visually impaired³.For the past two years, he has been attending computer classes at the Thika School for the Blind.

17岁的Lucas Mwanzia视力受损。过去两年间，他一直在锡卡盲人学校上计算机课。

Lucas Mwanzia is in eighth grade.He started school at a later age because of his poor eyesight.But using the new technology, he can search the Internet for biology class.He says the technology has opened doors that once were closed.

Lucas Mwanzia现在是八年级。由于视力差，他年纪较大时才开始上学。但是通过使用新科技，他能够在网上搜索生物课程。他表示科技为他打开了一直关闭的门。

He says that Braille books are costly⁴ and you have to spend a lot of money to buy one.With computers, he says, the books are available at little or no cost."So we download the books to read and when are done we just close the program," he says.

他说道布莱叶盲文课本较贵，买一本就要花很多钱。有了电脑，便可以以较低价格或免费获取这些布莱叶书籍。他说道：“因此我们可以下载这些书来读，用完之后就关闭程序。”

The school started using assistive technology six years ago.It enables blind and visually-impaired students to get information from computers and iPads.

六年前，学校开始使用这项辅助技术。该项技术让盲人学生或者视力受损的学生能够从电脑或者iPad上获取信息。

Zachary Muasya was born blind.He is now one of the school’s teachers.He has been teaching the students how to use the technology for about two years now.

Zachary Muasya天生失明。目前是这所学校的一名老师。两年来，一直教授学生如何使用该技术。

He says the technology opens up possibilities that can level the playing field for his students.

他表示科技为他的学生打开人人平等的局面。

Assistive technology equips the learners with very many skills that really make them independent in life, says Muasya."They can read materials like books, magazines, newspapers by themselves.And apart from that -- assistive technology equips them with employable skills."

Muasya 说道：“辅助技术让学习者具备多项技能，这些技能让他们在生活中真正独立。他们可以独立阅读书籍、杂志和报纸。此外，辅助技术还能为他们提供就业技能。”

The assistive technology costs $1,000 to set up.But a non-governmental organization called InAble has provided it to the schools at no cost.

安装该辅助科技花费1000美元。但非政府组织InAble已经免费为学校提供了该项技术。

Peter Okeyo, the program manager at InAble, says blind students using the technology may still face difficulties when they move to higher education.

InAble的项目经理Peter Okeyo表示，使用这项技术的盲人学生接受高等教育时可能会面临困难。

He says students who have used the technology up through high school might not have it at the university they attend.Those students might have difficulties if they have to go back to braille, he adds.

她表示利用这项技术完成高中学业的学生上大学之后，可能无法再使用该技术。他又补充道，如果这些学生再重新使用布莱叶盲文，也会有困难。

Four of Kenya’s 11 schools for the blind are using the technology. InAble says it will provide the financing⁵ for the remaining schools to join the effort.

肯尼亚11所学校中有4所学校采用了这项技术。InAble表示将提供资金帮助剩下的这些学校加入此项活动。

Words in This Story

dot – n. a raised surface or marking

audible – adj. able to be heard

assistive – adj. meant to help someone do or learn something

impaired – adj. limited in a specific ability, not fully⁶ operating

level the playing field – idiom. to bring a person’s chances of success up to the same level as others

1 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

2 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

3 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。