名人轶事:Doctor Spock

 By Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: October 3, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we

tell about the world's most famous doctor for children, Benjamin Spock.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

Benjamin Spock's first book caused a revolution in the way American children

were raised. His book, "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care," was

published in nineteen forty-six. More copies of it have been sold in the

United States than any other book except the Christian² Bible. The book gave

advice to parents of babies and young children. The first lines of the book

are famous. Doctor Spock wrote: "Trust yourself. You know more than you think

you do".

VOICE TWO:

This message shocked many parents. For years, mothers had been told that they

should reject their natural feelings about their babies. Before Doctor

Spock's book appeared, the most popular guide to raising children was called

"Psychological Care of Infant and Child." The book's writer, John B. Watson,

urged extreme firmness in dealing³ with children. The book called for a strong

structure of rules in families. It warned parents never to kiss, hug or

physically⁴ comfort their children.

VOICE ONE:

Doctor Spock's book was very different. He gave gentle advice to ease the

fears of new parents. Doctor Spock said his work was an effort to help

parents trust their own natural abilities in caring for their children.

Doctor Spock based much of his advice on the research and findings of the

famous Austrian psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud. Doctor Spock's book discusses

the mental and emotional development of children. It urges parents to use

that information to decide how to deal with their babies when they are

crying, hungry, or tired.

For example, Doctor Spock dismissed the popular idea of exactly timed

feedings for babies. Baby care experts had believed that babies must be fed

at the same times every day or they would grow up to be demanding children.

Doctor Spock said babies should be fed when they are hungry. He argued that

babies know better than anyone about when and how much they need to eat. He

did not believe that feeding babies when they cry in hunger would make them

more demanding. He also believed that showing love to babies by hugging and

kissing them would make them happier and more secure.

VOICE TWO:

"The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care" examined the emotional and

physical growth of children. Doctor Spock said he did not want to just tell a

parent what to do. He said he tried to explain what children generally are

like at different times in their development so parents would know what to

expect.

Doctor Spock's book did not receive much notice from the media when it was

published in nineteen forty- six. Yet, seven hundred fifty thousand copies of

the book were sold during the year after its release. Doctor Spock began

receiving many letters of thanks from mothers around the country.

VOICE ONE:

Doctor Spock considered his mother, Mildred Spock, to be the major influence

on his personal and professional life. He said his ideas about how parents

should act were first formed because of her. He reacted to the way in which

his mother cared for him and his brother and sisters.

Doctor Spock described his mother as extremely controlling. He said she

believed all human action was the result of a physical health issue or a

moral one. She never considered her children's actions were based on

emotional needs.

Doctor Spock later argued against this way of thinking. Yet, he praised his

mother's trust of her own knowledge of her children. In his book, "Spock on

Spock," he wrote about his mother's ability to correctly identify her

children's sicknesses when the doctors were wrong.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Benjamin Spock was born in nineteen-oh-three. He was the first of six

children. The Spock family lived in New Haven⁵, Connecticut. His father was a

successful lawyer. Benjamin was a quiet child. He attended Phillips Academy,

a private school in Andover, Massachusetts. Later he attended Yale University

in New Haven. He joined a sports team at Yale that competed in rowing boats.

In nineteen twenty-four, he and his team members competed in rowing at the

Olympic Games in Paris, France. They won the gold medal.
VOICE ONE:

1 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。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 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。

4 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

5 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。