四六级必读美文系列:孩子最爱的玩具是手机

 　　Yesterday, my toddler broke another toy. But this wasn't an inexpensive, plastic doo-dad. It was my husband's iPhone.

　　昨天，我家宝宝又弄坏了一个玩具。但这可不是便宜的塑料小玩意儿。那是我丈夫的iPhone手机。

　　Like many parents these days, my husband and I sometimes band over our smartphones to our son to soothe¹ him or keep him entertained. It's partly laziness on our party---no other toy, it seems, can captivate him like the iPhone or BlackBerry. He's fascinated by the buttons and touchscreen, the sounds and lights. He hold it up to his ear and pretends he's making an important business call (or arranging a playdate with his best friend.) He somehow even managed to reprogram my BlackBerry to autotype in the Catalan language.

　　跟当前的许多父母一样，我们两口子有时会把自己的智能手机给儿子玩，以此来哄他或者逗他。在我们来说这样做一部分是因为懒——似乎没有别的玩具能像iPhone或黑莓一样让他着迷。他被手机上的按键、触摸屏和声光深深吸引。他将手机举在耳边，假装在打一个重要的商业电话（或是跟好朋友约好一起去玩）。他甚至还不知怎么将我的黑莓手机调成了加泰罗尼亚语的输入模式。

　　(1) When we take away the BlackBerry or iPhone he wails²; no other plaything even a pretty realistic toy cellphone satisfies him as much. (The marketing³ copy for the toy phone says "This authentic⁴ looking play phone will surely distract your child from getting a hold of your cell phone!" Ha! I wish.)

　　要是我们拿走黑莓或者iPhone，他就会大哭；别的任何玩具都没法像手机一样满足他，即便是相当逼真的玩具手机也不例外。（这个玩具手机的宣传页上写着“这部看上去跟真的一模一样的玩具手机肯定能转移孩子的注意力，让他们不再染指你的手机！”哈！但愿如此。）

　　We often hide our phones-we don't want him to ruin them or grow too dependent on them but be almost always tracks them down once he hears the ring or the buzz of an incoming message. (Hiding a phone is tough, however, for those parents who need to have phones  handy in case they're on call or the office beckons⁵.) (2) And when we pick up the phone or check messages, that only makes our son want the phone more, since he always wants whatever is in our hands.

　　我们常常将于机藏起来，不想让他给弄坏了或是对手机太过依赖，但只要他听到铃声或信息提示音，他总能找到。（但有些父母需要将手机放在手边以备随时待命或公司有事，在这样的情况下很难藏起手机。）（2）而当我们接电话或是查看信息时，小家伙只会更想拿到手机，因为我们手里不管拿着什么他都想要。

　　Invariably, my son sticks the phone in his mouth and it ends up slobbery and pocked with bitemarks. Or when be eventually tires of the phone, he'll toss it aside, which is how my husband's iPhone met its recent doom⁶.

　　我儿子无可避免地会将手机放进嘴里，最后手机上就会沾满了口水，还满是牙印。或者等他终于玩腻了，他就会将手机乱扔，我丈夫的iPhone不久前就是这样惨遭不幸的。

　　We're not alone in using our cellphones as high-tech⁷ rattles⁹. (3) The AP recently ran a story on how more parents are downloading kid-friendly apps, such as white noise and rattle⁸ sounds and easy video games, to their cellphones. And according to a recent NPR report, one parent to encourage his 11-month-old baby to crawl, waves his Blackberry so the baby will crawl toward the gadget¹⁰.

　　拿手机当高科技玩具的并不是只有我们两个。（3）美联社(AP)不久前的一篇报道称，越来越多的父母往手机里下载适合孩子的应用程序，比如白噪音和铃鼓的声音，还有简单的视频游戏。美国国家公共电台(NPR)最近的一则报道说，一位父亲为了鼓励11个月大的孩子爬，就挥动他的黑莓手机，这样孩子就会朝手机那边爬去。

　　Readers, do you ever resort to handing over your smartphones to your kids? Any horror stories? Any good kid-friendly apps to recommend?

　　读者们，你们有没有拿手机当玩具哄过孩子？有没有什么惨痛的故事？有什么适合孩子的应用程序可以推荐吗？

　　重点解析 Key Phrases/Words

　　1. toddler n. 蹒跚行走的人，幼童装，学步的幼儿

　　2. band over 交给

　　3. soothe v. 安慰，缓和，使平静

　　4. plaything n. 玩物，供消遣的东西

　　5. bitemark 牙印，牙痕

　　【句子解析】

　　1. We often hide our phones-we don't want him to ruin them or grow too dependent on them but he almost always tracks them down once he hears the ring or the buzz of an incoming message.

　　本句是一个复合句，主句是由 but引导的并列的句子。破折号后面 we don't...on them是对we often hide our phones的目的的补充说明。其中 or引导两个并列的动词短语。once引导时间状语从句，其中or连接两个并列的名词短语。

　　语法重点：并列结构，时间状语从句

　　2. And when we pick up the phone or check messages, that only makes our son want the phone more, since he always wants whatever is in our hands.

　　本句是一个复合句，主句是 that only makes our son want the phone more. when引导时间状语从句，since引导原因状语从句，其中whatever引导的名词性从句作want的宾语。

　　语法重点：时间状语从句，原因状语从句，名词性从句

　　3. The AP recently ran a story on how more parents are downloading kid-friendly apps, such as white noise and rattle sounds and easy video games, to their cellphones.

　　本句是一个复合句，其中how引导的名词性从句作on的宾语。such as表示举例。

　　语法重点：名词性从句

1 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

2 wails   

痛哭，哭声( wail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The child burst into loud wails. 那个孩子突然大哭起来。
• Through this glaciated silence the white wails of the apartment fixed arbitrary planes. 在这冰封似的沉寂中，公寓的白色墙壁构成了一个个任意的平面。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

3 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

4 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

5 beckons   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He sent his ships wherever profit beckons. 他将船队派往赢利的那些地方。 来自辞典例句
• I believe history beckons again. 我认为现在历史又在召唤了。 来自辞典例句

6 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

7 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

8 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

9 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。

10 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。