新西兰英语 685 Child booster seats in cars

 　　New Zealand will change the law to make it compulsory¹ for children up to the age of 7 to sit in a booster seat in a car. At the moment, the law says it is compulsory for children up to the age of 5.

　　Doctors at Starship hospital, which is the Auckland children’s hospital, say that adult seat belts are not right for children. If a young child is not in a booster seat, the seat belt can cause serious injuries to the head, neck, spine² or stomach.

　　The law requires young children to stay in a child seat until the age of 4 or 14kg. It has to be attached to the seat, usually by a bolt behind the back seat. It has a harness over each shoulder, a strap³ between the legs and around the waist, and a buckle⁴ in front which the child cannot undo⁵. After the age of 4, they can use a booster seat.

　　Doctors and Plunket believe that children are safer in a booster seat until they are 148cm tall and for many children, this is between the age of 9 and 12.

　　A booster seat is much cheaper than a child’s car seat and it is easy to take in and out of the car. However, it takes up space on the back seat of the car and this can be a problem for big families.

　　Vocabulary

　　up to the age of 7 – before they are 7

　　boost (v) – increase; booster (adj, n) a booster seat increases the child’s height on the seat

　　compulsory (adj) – you must do this (opposite: optional)

　　spine (n)– back bone

　　requires (v) – says you must do this

　　harness (n) – straps⁶ over the shoulders and buckled⁷ around the waist

　　undo (v) – open (opposite: do up)

　　Question

　　Do you know what the child car seat law is in your country?

　　Why does the law give a weight or age instead of a height? Is this sensible?

1 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

2 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

3 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

4 buckle   

n.扣子，带扣；v.把...扣住，由于压力而弯曲

参考例句：

• The two ends buckle at the back.带子两端在背后扣起来。
• She found it hard to buckle down.她很难专心做一件事情。

5 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

6 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

7 buckled   

a. 有带扣的

参考例句：

• She buckled her belt. 她扣上了腰带。
• The accident buckled the wheel of my bicycle. 我自行车的轮子在事故中弄弯了。