EDUCATION REPORT - International Children's Digital Library

EDUCATION REPORT - International Children's Digital¹ Library
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Thursday, June 17, 2004

This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Education Report.

Looking for a good children's book? Internet users² can find hundreds of them. These books are from around the world. And they are free of charge. The project is called the International Children's Digital Library.

The goal is to offer electronic³ versions⁴ of more than ten-thousand children's books in at least one-hundred languages. We will give the address of the Web⁵ site at the end of this report. So get ready to write it down.

Project developers have been working with children to design easy ways to search the collection and read the books. An image of each page appears on the computer. Users can also print copies on paper.

Officials say the project has been designed for two main groups of users. The first is children between the ages of three and thirteen, along with their teachers and parents. The second group is researchers in the area of children's literature.

The books chosen for the collection are meant to help children understand the world in which they live. Literature is one way to teach young people about new ideas. The idea behind the collection is that an interesting story not only helps children understand who they are. It may also influence their desire to explore the world.

Project organizers⁶ say they have chosen books that show the similarities⁷ and differences in ways of life around the world. The aim is to create a greater understanding of other people's cultures and beliefs. The International Children's Digital Library is also an attempt to use technology to strengthen⁸ libraries around the world.

 
International Children's Digital Library
The digital library is a project of the University of Maryland and the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive is building an electronic library of Internet sites and other digital collections as a cultural record.

The children's library project is supported by the National Science Foundation⁹ and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Library of Congress¹⁰ and other organizations are also involved. The first materials appeared in two-thousand-two.

The goal is to have all ten-thousand books online in two-thousand-seven. So far, the collection contains more than five hundred books.

Here is the address of the International Children's Digital Library: www.icdlbooks.org. Again, www.icdlbooks.org.

This VOA Special English Education Report was written by Nancy Steinbach. This is Steve Ember.

1 digital   

n.数字，数字式；adj.数位的，数字的

参考例句：

• There's a digital watch on the table.桌子上有一块数字式手表。
• The signal will be converted into digital code.信号会被转变为数字代码。

2 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

3 electronic   

adj.电子的；n.[-s]电子学，电子设备

参考例句：

• It is an electronic device with many uses.这是一部具有多种用途的电子仪器。
• Father needs a new electronic shaver.爸爸需要一个新的电子剃须刀。

4 versions   

n.译本( version的名词复数 )；版本；（个人对事件的）描述；（原物的）变体

参考例句：

• There are two versions of the game, a long one and a short one. 这游戏有两个版本，一长一短。
• When both versions of the story were collated,major discrepancies were found. 在将这个故事的两个版本对照后，找出了主要的不符之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 web   

n.网，蛛丝，蹼，织物，圈套，卷筒纸；vi.生蹼，形成网；vt.织蜘蛛网于，使落入圈套

参考例句：

• The spider weaves a web.蜘蛛织网。
• You mean the World Wide Web?你是说国际互联网？

6 organizers   

n.组织者( organizer的名词复数 )；备忘记事本，电子笔记本

参考例句：

• We need fewer organizers and more doers. 我们需要的是少些组织者，多些实干者。
• The organizers of the march were charged with assault and riotous assembly . 游行组织者被控侵犯人身及暴乱性非法集会。

7 similarities   

[ similarity ]的复数形式； 类似( similarity的名词复数 )； 相像性； 相仿性； 类似性

参考例句：

• similarities between human and non-human animals 人和其他动物之间的相似之处
• The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere. 这块嵌板和在其他地方找到的镶嵌图案有明显的相似之处。

8 strengthen   

vt.加强，变坚固；vi.变强，股票上涨

参考例句：

• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。
• You wish to strengthen our forces in the south?你想要加强我们在南部的势力？

9 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

10 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。