VOA慢速英语2016--10000个女孩探索科学事业

AS IT IS 2016-05-23 10,000 Girls Explore Science Careers 10000个女孩探索科学事业

A science museum in Denver, Colorado is working to increase the number of American girls who grow up to be scientists.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science recently held a “Girls and Science Day.” The event gave over 10,000 girls the chance to meet women in science and to listen to them talk about seeking a science career.

In the United States, most scientists and engineers are men. Compared to boys, the number of girls who grow up to be scientists is low.

American educators have long noted¹ the importance of the four fields known as STEM² -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Experts believe that increasing the number of women in the STEM fields needs to start early, when girls are in middle school or when they are even younger.

For “Girls and Science Day,” the Denver Museum of Science and Nature invited more than 300 women to the museum. All of them work in science-related fields, but have different areas of expertise³.

The women volunteered their time to talk with the girls and demonstrate what they do. One of the volunteers was Daniela Castaneda, an environmental engineer. She used a model to show how the city of Denver makes sure its water is safe to drink.

“And so you’ll see how the water that comes out the bottom is pretty clean. And this is what we’ll do in water treatment plants, is we’ll use filters...”

The museum gave the girls a chance to capture toy birds. Volunteer Emily Snode-Brenneman is a field biologist. She told girls and their families what she does with real birds to study their behavior.

“We actually put this little device called a radio track on them and then we actually glue it to the back, then we can track their movement.”

Another volunteer was Tinesha Ross, an aerospace⁴ engineer. She showed the girls a computer circuit board from the International Space Station. The equipment, she noted, was in need of repair.

"I’m going to put this board under the microscope, and then you let me know if it helps you see the part better, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright, here we go.”

Boys were also welcome at the Girls and Science Day. The museum wants girls and boys to know about the opportunities they have to become scientists.

Words in This Story

water treatment plant – n. a facility where water is cleaned before it is drunk or placed into a river or ocean

filter – n. a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it

device – n. an object, machine or piece of equipment that has been made for a special purpose

glue – v. to make (something) stick to something else by using glue

track – v. to watch or follow the progress of (someone or something)

circuit board – n. a board that has many electrical circuits and that is used in a piece of electronic equipment (such as a computer)

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。