THIS IS AMERICA - World of Babies

THIS IS AMERICA - World of Babies
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, December 13, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. This week on our program, we explore the world of babies.

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VOICE ONE:

 
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About four million babies are born each year in the United States. Some mothers give birth at home. But most babies are born in hospitals or birthing centers.

Traditionally, new parents might have read a book or two about babies. But most of their advice probably came from their own parents.

VOICE TWO:

Today the newest, and smallest, Americans are at the heart of many industries. Some needs are still the same. Babies still need diapers to cover their bottoms. But diapers are just one thing on the shopping list.

Babies and young children are big business. They have many needs, judging by one book from Parents Magazine. The book is called "Parents Baby Gear²: Everything You Need to Clothe, Feed, Transport, Protect, Entertain and Care for Your Baby from Birth to Age Three."

There is enough advice to fill more than one hundred seventy pages, from the right clothes to the right toys to the right car safety seats. There is even advice about how to choose a three-wheeled bicycle.

VOICE ONE:

Parents now have more choices of equipment to help keep their child safe. One example is the baby monitor. This device lets a parent listen to a child sleeping or playing in another part of the house.

Another example is the automobile³ safety seat. In the past, babies often rode in the arms of adults. Or they wore adult seat belts.

Now, all fifty states require that babies under eighteen months of age ride in safety seats to protect them. Some states require special seats for children up to a few years old.

 
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There are booster seats for older children who are still not big enough to wear seat belts.

Safety seats have reduced the number of children killed or injured in road accidents. But special care is needed to make sure that the safety seat is placed correctly in a vehicle.

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VOICE TWO:

There is no shortage⁴ of advice about pregnancy⁵ and raising children. Radio and television programs and Web sites provide all kinds of advice. There are many books, magazines and videos. Parents can get suggestions from publications with names like "Parents," "Parent and Child," "Parenting" and "Exceptional⁶ Parenting."

A number of magazines in the United States began as small publications created at home by mothers. These women wanted to share information about having and raising children.

VOICE ONE:

Two teachers from the Washington, D.C., area started one such a publication in nineteen eighty-two. Deborah Benke and Ann Byrne each had young children at the time. They and some friends produced the first copies of Washington Parent from their homes.

Educators, doctors and mental health experts wrote stories about caring for babies and children. Each month, someone produced a list of local events of interest to families. Soon libraries and stores asked for copies. So did doctors offices and hospitals.

Over time, Washington Parent kept growing. Today, this publication started by friends is thick with stories, color pictures and advertisements.

VOICE TWO:

Not all publications for parents were started by mothers. In nineteen seventy-nine, Jack⁷ Bierman became interested in establishing a parents magazine for the Los Angeles area. At the time, Mister Bierman was studying journalism⁸ and heading a college newspaper. He was not a father yet. But he said friends with children showed him how hard it was for parents to get important safety advice.

The next year, he and other writers started a publication. It was called Pony⁹ Ride: The Magazine for Parents in Southern California. It started small. It had just eleven pages. Mister Bierman had ten thousand copies published. He and his other writers took copies to libraries, stores and offices of children's doctors.

But there were still copies left. So Jack Bierman placed the remaining ones on cars. He knew that many of the cars belonged to parents. How did he know? He chose the parking area of the Los Angeles Zoo.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen eighty-three, Pony Ride was renamed. It took a more businesslike name: L.A. Parent. Two years later, Mister Bierman and other publishers established a trade group, Parenting Publications of America.

More than one hundred local publications in the United States, Canada and Australia belong to this organization. The group brings publishers together to develop guidelines¹⁰ for their industry. Jack Bierman also created an organization that offers suggestions about children's products.

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VOICE TWO:

Children also have lots they can read. The Children's Book Council, a trade group, says four thousand to five thousand new children's books are published in the United States each year. These include picture books and young adult literature, and everything in between.

Two books that have been popular for many years are "Pat the Bunny" and "Goodnight Moon." "Pat the Bunny," by Dorothy Kunhardt, contains soft material that feels like a real rabbit.

A rabbit also stars in "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown. The rabbit is in bed. Before it goes to sleep, it says good night its room, the moon and more...

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VOICE ONE:

In many homes, books compete for time with electronics¹¹. Even children too young for school often play computer games. Some games are designed to be educational. Some parents also buy videos like the "Baby Einstein" series.

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This German nursery rhyme is from a language video in the "Baby Einstein" series.

But Americans are still buying many traditional toys for their children.

The Toy Industry Association says dolls topped the popularity¹² list of traditional toys in two thousand three. Then came toys for babies and children under school age. Arts, crafts, games, puzzles and sports and outdoor toys followed.

VOICE TWO:

Parents can choose to spend a lot of money on toys. Two little girls who live in Virginia are proof that children often like the simplest things best.

Daisy Bracken is two years old. She plays with dolls and likes to throw balls. Fiona McMichael is three. She likes to pull her wagon¹³ around. She fills it with other toys.

Then there is one-year-old Benjamin Watson of Encino, California. One of his favorite toys is very soft, but a lot bigger than him. Benjamin likes to play with the family dog, a yellow Labrador retriever named Crouton.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Benjamin's grandmother, also known as Jerilyn Watson. Caty Weaver¹⁴ was our producer. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

Before we go, a correction to our program last week on books about the immigrant experience: We said that Sandra Cisneros was the only one of the four writers we talked about who was born in the United States. So was Francisco Goldman, although he also lived in Guatemala as a child.

I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 gear   

n.齿轮，传动装置，设备，衣服；vt.使适应

参考例句：

• We have to gear our lives to the new changes.我们必须使自己的生活适应新的变化。
• The teeth of the wheel gear into each other.齿轮互相啮合。

3 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

4 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

9 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

10 guidelines   

n.指导方针，准则

参考例句：

• The government has drawn up guidelines on the treatment of the mentally ill. 政府制订了对待精神病人的指导方针。
• Planners seem a little uncomfortable with the current government guidelines. 规划师似乎不太接受现行的政府指道方针。

11 electronics   

n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术

参考例句：

• About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。
• He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。

12 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

13 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。