新奇事件簿 热饮是造成儿童烫伤主要原因

Hot cups and mugs are the biggest causes of burns in children. This is according to research from Cardiff University in Wales, U.K. The lead researcher, Professor Alison Mary Kemp, said parents needed to be more aware of the dangers to children of everyday objects in the home. She said the most dangerous time for toddlers to burn themselves is from nine months of age. This is when babies begin crawling¹ and walking. They start exploring the rooms around them. Of course, babies do not know what is dangerous and what is not, so they touch everything they can reach up to. Dr Kemp said: "Parents may underestimate² the potential reach height of their toddler."

滚烫的杯子是造成儿童烫伤的主要原因。这是英国威尔士卡迪夫大学的研究结果。首席研究员Alison Mary Kemp教授表示，家长需要更加警惕家中日常物品对儿童带来的危险。她表示，幼童容易烫伤最危险的时间是九个月以后。这时候婴儿开始爬行和走路。他们开始探索周围的房间。当然，婴儿不知道辨别危险，所以他们会触摸能够拿到的所有物品。Kemp博士表示：“家长或许会低估幼童能够触摸到的高度。”

The researchers looked at data from three leading burns departments in U.K. hospitals, as well as five emergency departments. Almost 75 per cent of children treated for burns were under the age of five, with most burn injuries happening to one-year-olds. Most of the burns were because the child reached up and pulled a cup or mug containing a hot drink on top of themself. The researchers warned that any hot drink could burn a baby, even 15 minutes after it has been made. This is because a baby's skin is much thinner than an adult's skin, so it is easier to burn. The researchers advised parents to have a rethink about where they place hot objects and keep them out of reach of small children.

研究人员查看了英国医院领先的三个烫伤科和五个急诊科的数据。接受烫伤治疗的75%的儿童年龄在五岁以下，大部分烫伤发生在一岁左右的幼童。大部分烫伤是因为幼童从头顶上方拿装有热饮料的杯子。研究人员警告称，任何热饮料都可能烫伤婴儿，甚至在制作完成15分钟后仍有可能。这是因为婴儿的皮肤比成年人的皮肤薄的多，所以更容易烫伤。研究人员建议家长认真考虑放置滚烫物体的位置，放在幼童接触范围之外。

1 crawling   

n.表面涂布不均v.爬( crawl的现在分词 )；（昆虫）爬行；缓慢行进；巴结

参考例句：

• You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that. 你那样巴结董事，应该感到羞耻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Stubborn, self-confident Guo Zhenshan has never gone crawling to anyone. 坚强、自信、有气魄的郭振山，实在说，永远也不会向人低三下四啊！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 underestimate   

vt.对...估价过低，低估

参考例句：

• Don't underestimate the role of theory.不要轻视理论的作用。
• I think a lot of people still underestimate him.我觉得很多人仍然低估了他。