兒童氣候教育者讓成人開眼看氣候

河南濮陽縣第一中學(xué) 張艷麗

美國北卡羅來納州立大學(xué)社會科學(xué)家丹妮拉·勞森為孩子們開設(shè)了一個以野生動物為基礎(chǔ)的氣候課程，并讓家長參與，從而讓家長對氣候變化了解得更多。

Avoiding the worst effects of climate change will require action. But it's hard to take action when you don't even know there's a problem. Around the world, only half of adults understand that humans are causing climate change through activities that produce greenhouse gases. But the picture is different for kids. Previous work has shown that children are more engaged and more knowledgeable than adults are about climate change. The question is, can we harness this to make a difference?

“We had come across this idea that kids are capable of influencing their parents. And when we say influence, we really mean just teaching them,” said Daniella Lawson, a social scientist at NC State University. “That's what we set out to really investigate: can we design things in such a way that kids are able to teach their parents about climate change? A parent is willing and able to listen to their children speaking to them instead of just an adult on the street or a different climate communicator.”

To test the idea, Lawson set up a wildlife-based climate course for kids. This approach was based on previous courses, but the team added a twist: involving the parents. First, parents were invited to come along to an event that formed a part of the course. And that's not all. “So we also had students interview their parents. And this interview never mentioned climate change specifically. But it had questions like: how have you seen the weather change over the last five to ten years? Do you believe the sea level is rising? How do you think that could impact our communities?”

The study showed that the course did indeed increase concern about climate change: not just among the kids, but their parents too. And there were some surprising findings in the results. “This process of children teaching their parents really was most effective among those parents who were previously the least concerned about climate change. So that was conservatives and fathers. And then what was also really exciting was that the treatment was particularly effective if the child that was doing the teaching was a daughter.” The study is in the journal Nature Climate Change. These findings come at a time when more kids are becoming climate activists. And Lawson says that her study shows just how persuasive young people's voices can be.

Reading Check

1. What does the underlined word “harness” in paragraph one mean?

A. Review. B. Adopt. C. Control. D. Accumulate.

2. What can be learned from the first paragraph?

A. Adults and children will cooperate to deal with climate change.

B. Effective actions have been taken to deal with climate change.

C. Children better adults in the area of climate change and its effects.

D. Most adults have realized the climate damage caused by themselves.

3. About climate change teaching, which one will Daniella Lawson most probably agree with?

A. Adults can learn from the kids.

B. Kids can be taught by adults.

C. Climate communicators are more professional.

D. Parents are more likely to consult street adults.

4. What can be learned about the course?

A. The course involved is completely new.

B. Adults and kids study separately during the course.

C. The course is relatively effective in climate education.

D. Interviews and questionnaires are necessary in the course.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

And then what was also really exciting was that the treatment was particularly effective if the child that was doing the teaching was a daughter.

【翻譯】_____________________________________________________________________________

【點石成金】這是一個主從復(fù)合句，what was also really exciting是what引導(dǎo)的主語從句，that the treatment was particularly effective是that引導(dǎo)的表語從句，if the child that was doing the teaching was a daughter是if引導(dǎo)的條件狀語從句，其中that was doing the teaching是that引導(dǎo)的限制性定語從句。