The Dangers of Heavy Schoolbags 沉重書包的 危險(xiǎn)

高齊云

Except studying， homework and after-school activities， going to school may make kids feel like they have the weight1 of the world on their shoulders2. And sometimes， they really do. After parents put a lunch， school things and textbooks—which are more than 1.5 kg each—into childrens schoolbags， it could be too much and dangerous for them to carry. At least 14，000 children get hurt in this way every year in America.

除了學(xué)習(xí)、功課和課余活動(dòng)之外，去上學(xué)可能會(huì)讓孩子感到自己把全世界的重?fù)?dān)都?jí)涸诩缟狭?。有時(shí)，他們確實(shí)是這樣。父母往孩子的書包里放進(jìn)午餐、學(xué)習(xí)用品和教科書（每本重1.5公斤以上）后，書包可能裝了太多東西了，孩子背著有危險(xiǎn)。美國(guó)每年至少有14，000名兒童因此受傷。

Some experts say that the weight of a schoolbag should be less than 10% to 15% of a childs body weight， but that isnt always the case. Too often， children dont wear their bags in the right way， and they will get more hurt. “Carrying schoolbags in a wrong way may hurt muscles3 and joints4 and can lead to back， neck， and shoulder pain， as well as posture5 problems.”

有些專家說，書包的重量應(yīng)小于孩子體重的10%至15%，但實(shí)際情況并非如此。孩子們經(jīng)常沒有正確地背好書包，他們會(huì)因此受到更大的傷害。“以錯(cuò)誤的方式背書包可能會(huì)損傷肌肉和關(guān)節(jié)，并可能導(dǎo)致背部、頸部和肩膀的疼痛，以及姿勢(shì)問題。”

Its easy to find out that the bag is too heavy for a child. If kids say when putting on or taking off the schoolbag， they have red marks on their shoulders from the straps6， or if they say that their shoulders， arms or fingers “cant move”， those bags might just be too heavy.

發(fā)現(xiàn)書包對(duì)孩子來說太重了是很容易的。如果孩子們說在背上或放下書包時(shí)，肩膀上有背帶壓出來的紅印子，或者說他們的肩膀、手臂或手指都“無法動(dòng)彈”，這就說明這些書包可能太沉了。

But dont worry. The problem is not hard to deal with and it is possible7 for kids to carry schoolbags comfortably8. First things first： Go shopping at a sporting goods store because employees9 know how to fit10 schoolbags. Though kids might say no， some experts say it is important to use straps. Shoulders are not used to carry things on. By using the strap， the weight can be carried on the hip bones， rather than on the shoulders.

不過不用擔(dān)心。這個(gè)問題不難解決，孩子們可以舒適地背著書包了。先做重要的事：去體育用品商店購(gòu)物，因?yàn)槟莾旱膯T工知道如何挑選合適的書包。盡管孩子們可能會(huì)拒絕，但專家說使用背帶很重要。肩膀不是用來掛東西的，通過使用背帶，書包的重量可以由髖骨承擔(dān)，而不是肩膀。

（英語(yǔ)原文選自：teenkidsnews.com）

【Notes】

1. weight [? ? ?] n. 重量? 2. shoulder [? ? ? ? ? ] n. 肩膀，肩部

3. muscle [? ? ? ] n. 肌肉? 4. joint [] n. 關(guān)節(jié)

5. posture [? ? ? ? ? ] n. 姿勢(shì) 6. strap [? ? ? ?] n. 帶子，背帶

7. possible [? ? ? ? ?] adj. 可能的;合理的;合適的 8. comfortably [? ? ? ? ? ? ] adv. 舒服地;安樂地

9. employee [? ? ? ? ? ] n. 雇員;從業(yè)員工

10. fit [? ?] v. 使……適應(yīng);使……合身;與……相符

▲Discussion議一議：

1. Have you noticed the weight of your schoolbag？ 你注意過自己書包的重量嗎？

2. Do you want to talk with your parents or teachers about your heavy schoolbag？ 你想和父母或老師談?wù)剷^重的問題嗎？