新奇事件簿 《芝麻街》新角色关注无家可归儿童

The world-famous children's television show Sesame Street has introduced a new character to highlight the plight¹ of homeless children. The educational TV series, which has been aired since 1969, is helping² to tackle the issue of homelessness via a new character called Lily. She is a 7-year-old girl who was left homeless after her family lost their apartment. Lily's plight mirrors that of over 2.5 million children in the USA who are also homeless. Millions more youngsters around the world are in the same situation. A Sesame Street spokeswoman, Sherrie Westin, hoped the character Lily would reduce the stigma³ associated with homelessness and allow children to identify with her, "and hopefully feel less alone".

世界著名儿童电视节目《芝麻街》引入新角色强调无家可归的孩子们的困境。这部于1969年开始播出的教育电视节目通过一个名为莉莉的新角色帮助解决无家可归问题。她是一名7岁的女孩，她的家人失去了他们的房子后变得无家可归。莉莉的困境反应美国250多万无家可归孩子的境况。全世界还有百万孩子也处于同样的境地。《芝麻街》发言人雪莉·卫斯婷希望莉莉这个角色可以减少关于无家可归的羞耻，让孩子们认同她并“希望她能感觉没那么孤独”。

The iconic, educational show has a long history of raising awareness⁴ of social issues among children. Other tough topics they have addressed include dealing⁵ with parents who are in prison, living with autism, and facing bullies⁶ at school. Ms Westin stressed the importance of reaching out to children who have no permanent home. She said: "We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating⁷ cycle of trauma⁸. As well as the daily hardship of being homeless, those children may suffer due to poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home." She added: "We want homeless children to know that they are not alone."

这个标志性的教育意义电视节目长久以来都在提高人们对儿童社会问题的意识。他们解决的其他难题包括处理入狱父母问题、家有孤独症问题以及校园霸凌问题。卫斯婷强调了给那些没有永久居所的儿童施以助之手的重要性。她说：“我们知道经历无家可归的孩子经常会陷入心理创伤的毁灭性循环。还有那些因贫穷、家庭暴力、或其他导致他们失去居所的遭遇而让孩子们经历的日常苦难。”她还称：“我们想让无家可归的孩子们知道他们并不孤单。”

1 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

2 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。

3 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 bullies   

n.欺凌弱小者, 开球 vt.恐吓, 威胁, 欺负

参考例句：

• Standing up to bullies takes plenty of backbone. 勇敢地对付暴徒需有大无畏精神。
• Bullies can make your life hell. 恃强欺弱者能让你的日子像活地狱。

7 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

8 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。