VOA慢速英语2021 美国小女孩卖柠檬水筹钱做脑部手术

Liza Scott is a seven-year-old girl in the southern U.S. state of Alabama. Like many young girls, she became interested in earning money. So, she created a small table where she sells a cold drink made from lemon juice, water and sugar.

丽莎·斯科特是美国南部阿拉巴马州的一名7岁女孩。像很多小女孩一样，她对赚钱产生了兴趣。因此，她摆了一张小桌子，出售由柠檬汁、水和糖制成的冷饮。

This is called a lemonade stand. The stand is at her mother's bakery, a business that sells baked goods like bread. Her mother, Elizabeth Scott, runs Savage's Bakery, near the city of Birmingham.

这就是所谓的柠檬水小摊。这个小摊摆在她妈妈的面包店里，这是一家出售面包等烘培食品的商店。她的妈妈伊丽莎白·斯科特在伯明翰市附近经营萨维奇面包店。

At first, the lemonade stand was something to do for fun. Liza sold the drinks for 25 cents a glass. She was going to use the money to buy toys and pretty shoes.

最初，这个柠檬水小摊是出于乐趣。丽莎每杯饮料卖25美分。她打算用这些钱买玩具和漂亮的鞋子。

But then the stand became much more important.

但是随后这个小摊变得更加重要。

Liza has a health problem that will require surgery¹.

丽莎患上了一种需要手术治疗的疾病。

She suffers from seizures³ because part of her brain did not grow correctly. Doctors in Boston will work to fix the problem during several visits.

因为她的大脑有一部分发育不好，她患上了癫痫症。波士顿的医生将在几次诊疗中努力解决这个问题。

Elizabeth Scott said she has good health insurance, which will help pay for some of the treatment. But the trips to Boston will be costly⁴ and the insurance will not pay for them.

伊丽莎白·斯科特表示，她买了健康保险，这将有助于支付一些治疗费用。但是去波士顿的旅费很昂贵，保险不会承担这部分费用。

Now, instead of just being a way to raise money for fun things, the money from the lemonade stand will help pay for the treatment.

现在不仅仅是为了攒钱买喜欢的东西，柠檬水小摊赚的钱还有助于支付治疗费用。

Selling cold drinks for less than a dollar will not actually raise much money. So instead, the stand is a place where people can visit to give money that will help Liza with her medical treatment.

以不到一美元的价格出售冷饮实际上筹集不到太多钱。于是，这个小摊成为人们可以前去捐款帮助丽莎进行治疗的一个地点。

So far, people have come to the bakery to buy lemonade and given Liza some extra money, too.

到目前为止，人们到面包店购买柠檬水，并且还额外给了丽莎一些钱。

"I've got a $20 bill, and a $50 bill and a $10 bill and a $5 bill and a $100 bill," Liza said, counting donations⁵.

丽莎数着这些捐款说：“我有一张20美元、一张50美元、一张10美元、一张5美元，还有一张100美元。”

So far, people have given over $12,000.

到目前为止，人们已经捐赠了超过12000美元。

But Elizabeth Scott also created an internet fundraiser where people from anywhere can donate⁷ money to Liza. It has gathered over $300,000 so far.

但是伊丽莎白·斯科特还发起了一项互联网筹款，任何地方的人们都可以给丽莎捐款。到目前为止，它已经筹集到了超过30万美元。

"I can't fund⁶ that by myself," Elizabeth said about the extra medical costs for her daughter. She called the costs "pretty exorbitant⁸."

伊丽莎白谈到女儿的这笔额外医疗费用时表示：“我自己承担不起这笔治疗费用。”她称这笔费用“相当高。”

Critics⁹ of the U.S. healthcare system say they do not think a child who needs a brain operation should have to raise money to fund her own care.

美国医保系统的批评者表示，他们认为一名需要做脑部手术的儿童不应该需要自己来筹款治疗。

Liza said she thinks running the lemonade stand makes her feel like she is helping¹⁰. "It's better than just begging," she said.

丽莎表示，她认为经营柠檬水小摊让她觉得自己有所帮助。她说：“这比单纯乞讨要好。”

The family did not find out about Liza's problem until late January. She had a seizure² that lasted 45 minutes, her mother said.

直到一月下旬，这家人才发现丽莎的疾病。她妈妈说，她癫痫发作持续了45分钟。

If Liza's brain problem is not treated, doctors say she could suffer a more serious brain injury, like a stroke¹¹.

医生表示，如果丽莎的大脑疾病不进行治疗，她可能会遭受更严重的脑部伤害，例如中风。

Liza's first surgery will be on March 8, but she could need additional¹² visits for another 25 years.

丽莎的第一次手术将在3月8日进行，但是她可能需要再进行25年的随访。

Liza said she tries not to think too much about her brain problem.

丽莎表示，她尽量不去多想自己的大脑疾病。

"I'm not worried, but I'm afraid," she said.

她说：“我不担心，但是我害怕。”

1 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

2 seizure   

n.没收；占有；抵押

参考例句：

• The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
• The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。

3 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

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 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》

6 fund   

n.基金，资金，存款，财源，贮藏；vt.提供资金，积累

参考例句：

• They decided to set up a fund for this purpose.他们决定为此专立一项基金。
• This fund may not be drawn on without permission.这笔钱非经批准不得动用。

7 donate   

v.捐赠，赠予

参考例句：

• They used to donate to the Red Cross every year.他们每年捐钱给红十字会。
• She is willing to donate money to a worthy cause.她愿为高尚的事业捐款。

8 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

9 critics   

n.批评家( critic的名词复数 )；评论员；批评者；挑剔的人

参考例句：

• He felt no animosity towards his critics. 他对批评他的人并不心怀怨恨。
• The move was widely seen as an attempt to appease critics of the regime. 普遍认为，这一举措是试图安抚批评政权的人。

10 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。

11 stroke   

n.笔画，击打，连续的动作，中风，心跳；vt.奉承，轻抚； vi.击打，心跳...

参考例句：

• He drove in a nail with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把钉子敲进去了。
• He broke the lock with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把锁砸坏了。

12 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。