VOA慢速英语2019 教孩子们骑自行车（在线收听）

Teaching Children How to Ride Bicycles

On a sunny, spring day, a group of children, four to seven-years-old, sit on their bicycles. They wear helmets to protect their heads and gloves to protect their hands. Their mothers, standing nearby, watch them closely.

在一个阳光明媚的春日，一群四到七岁的孩子坐在自行车上。他们头上戴着头盔保护头部，双手戴着手套保护。他们的母亲站在旁边，仔细地看着他们。

The children are ready to learn how to ride.

孩子们已准备好学习骑自行车。

Rachel Varn still remembers how she felt riding a bicycle for the first time. She says, "It’s probably the biggest confidence booster. It gives kids such a sense of independence and agency."

雷切尔·瓦尔恩仍然记得她第一次骑自行车的感觉。她说：“这可能是最大的信心助推器。它给了孩子们一种独立和主动的感觉。”

Now, her job is helping children experience that moment.

现在，她的工作就是帮助孩子们体验那一刻。

Rachel Varn left her job of selling bicycles to become a trainer for bicycle riding last year. She founded Pedal Power Kids to teach bicycle education.

雷切尔·瓦尔恩去年辞去了自行车销售的工作，成为一名自行车教练。她创立了儿童踏板力量组织，进行自行车教育工作。

Before starting a ride, she teaches the children how to make sure the bicycles are in good condition for safe use. She calls it "the ABC quick check."

在开始骑车之前，她会教孩子们如何确保自行车处于安全使用的良好状态。她将此称之为“ABC快速检查”。

A is for air, she explains. "We have to check our tires before we ride. B is for brakes. We want to make sure our brakes work before we find ourselves on the top of a hill about to go down. And C is for chain."

“A”代表空气，她解释道。“我们必须在骑车前检查轮胎。B代表刹车。我们得确保自己在即将下山的山顶上之前，刹车能够正常工作。C代表链条。”

She says the chain must be clean.

她说链条必须是干净的。

The rest of the training is more fun. The children learn riding skills, from balance and pedaling to turning, starting and stopping. And they learn to keep their eyes up and look ahead while riding.

剩下的训练更有趣。孩子们会学习骑车的技巧，从平衡踏板到转弯，从开始到停止。他们还会学习在骑车的时候要抬头向前看。

Varn says many children struggle to do this. They look down at the pedals instead.

瓦尔恩说，许多孩子很难做到这一点。他们反而总是低头看踏板。

She adds, "Obviously that doesn’t allow them to see what’s going on around them, and it also doesn’t allow them to turn properly."

她补充说，“很明显，这不能让它们看到周围发生了什么，也不能让它们正常转动。”

Varn says watching where you are going helps you turn easier.

瓦尔恩说，观察要去的地方会让骑车变得更容易。

Learning to ride a bicycle can open a whole new world to children. It gives them a sense of accomplishment and freedom. They become more sensitive to their surroundings and better able to make safe, smart decisions going from one place to another.

学习骑自行车可以给孩子们打开一个全新的世界。它可以给他们一种成就感和自由感。让他们对周围环境变得更加敏感，能够在从一个地方到另一个地方时更好地做出安全、明智的决定。

Varn’s goal is to get more children on two wheels. She says, "That’s really a great way for kids to be active and develop healthy habits. It helps reduce pollution and just keep families and communities connected."

瓦尔恩的目标是让更多的孩子坐在这两个轮子上。她说:“对孩子们来说，这真的是一种很好的方式，可以让他们活跃起来，养成健康的习惯。它有助于减少污染，同时让家庭和社区紧密相连。”

Since starting Pedal Power Kids last year, Varn has helped around 250 new riders.

自去年开办儿童踏板力量以来，瓦尔恩已经帮助了大约250名新车手。

Julia Roeling had neither the time nor the confidence to teach her children how to ride. She signed up two of her three children in Van’s bicycling class.

朱莉娅·罗林既没有时间也没有信心教她的孩子们如何骑车。她给她三个孩子中的两个报名参加了瓦尔恩的自行车班。

Varn gets the kids moving, Roeling says.

瓦尔恩可以让孩子们动起来，罗林说。

Now, they can do it safely. And they know how to get around the community and stop at the stop signs and be together on their bikes.

“现在，他们可以安全地骑车。他们知道如何在社区里骑行，知道在停车标志前停车，还会一起骑自行车玩耍。”

Roeling says riding bicycles is a great activity for children. They spend the time outside instead of playing video games all day.

罗林说，骑自行车对孩子们来说是一项很好的活动。他们把时间花在户外而不是整天玩电子游戏。

The children in the classes are happy and excited about their experiences. They have fun riding with their friends. They give names to their bikes.And they enjoy doing the ABC quick check for safety.

课堂上的孩子们对他们的经历感到高兴和兴奋。他们和他们的朋友骑得很开心。他们会给他们的自行车起名字。他们喜欢做ABC快速安全检查。

Varn observes, "We probably wouldn’t be playing lacrosse when we’re 75 or 89, but we certainly can be riding a bike!"

瓦尔恩观察到：“当我们75岁或89岁的时候，我们可能不会玩长曲棍球，但我们肯定可以骑自行车!”

Words in This Story

confidence - n. a feeling that you can do something well

booster - n. something that helps or encourages someone or something

brake - n. a device for slowing or stopping

chain - n. a series of metal links that are connected and used for moving a bicycle

pedal - n. a lever that you push with your foot to move a bicycle

allow - v. permit

properly - adv. in a way that is accurate or correct

accomplishment - n. something done or achieved successfully

lacrosse - n. an outdoor game in which players use long sticks with nets for catching, throwing and carrying the ball