EZCNN 易英网

Child Genius 天才儿童

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本 

Twelve-year-old boy tackling a double major – physics and math – in university  十二岁男孩念大学，挑战物理与数学双主修

It’s Friday at Florida International University (FIU), which means a few things for Sky Choi: physics lab, Calculus II – and a trip to the game room. For this 12-year-old, the youngest student ever to attend FIU, college is a long-awaited challenge and a daily adventure.

对崔斯凯来说，「佛罗里达国际大学」的星期五代表几件事：物理实验、微积分II──以及去游戏间。这位十二岁男孩是「佛罗里达国际大学」有史以来年纪最小的学生，对他而言，大学是个期待已久的挑战，而且天天都像是在探险一般。

“We have fun here,” he said as he prepared to start a work sheet on pistons, gases and pressure with his lab partners.

「我们在这里很开心，」他一边说、一边和做实验的伙伴准备有关活塞、气体和压力的工作单。

Welcome to the world of Sky, who is taking a full course load of physics, calculus and Chinese language classes at the university – and still finds time to play pool and table tennis. Sky, who has a third-degree black belt in tae kwon do and is fluent in Korea, was dual enrolled: He officially finished high school at the end of last spring. When he starts classes as a full-fledged college student, he’ll have as many credits as a sophomore.

欢迎来到斯凯的世界，他在大学全时修物理、微积分和中文等学科，而且还能挪出时间来打撞球和桌球。斯凯是跆拳道黑带三段高手，韩语非常流利，也修过双学籍：他今年春末正式自高中毕业。他以正式大学生身分开始上课时，所修的学分会和大二学生一样多。

The preteen, who is classified as “profoundly gifted,” started taking classes there when he was 10. But Sky, whose given name is Sebastian Hanul Choi (his father is Korean, and his middle name means “sky” in that language), says college is a good fit. Middle school, he said, “would be painful. It just wouldn’t be any challenge.”

这位少年（译注：preteen一般指介于九岁至十二岁之间的少年）被认定为「极度资优」（译注：智商界定标准不一，极度资优有时被定义为智商在一八０以上者，但也有界定为一百七十五以上者），十岁就开始在「佛罗里达国际大学」修课。斯凯全名为赛巴斯汀．哈诺．崔（他的父亲是韩国人，中间名Hanul是韩文「天空」的意思）。斯凯表示，大学非常适合他，但中学「就很痛苦，因为不具任何挑战性。」

“He’s really happy,” said his mother, Dana Choi. “It’s made it so much easier because I know he’s being challenged, I know he has room to grow.”

「他真的很快乐，」斯凯的母亲崔戴娜表示，「上大学让一切变得更顺利了，因为我知道他能在大学获得足够的挑战，我知道他会有成长的空间。」

Early indications  早期迹象

When he started fifth grade, Sky’s parents pulled him out of private school, where he had already skipped a couple of grades, and home-schooled him. He took classes online, used home-school curriculum, and went to a learning center for some high school-level classes.

斯凯念小学五年级时，父亲把他转出已经跳了两级的私立学校，让他在家自学，斯凯进修网络课程，也接受在家教育课程，还到学习中心进修高中程度的课（译注：high school前面如果没有加junior，则往往指高中）。

“When you have an 8-year-old begging you to go to college, you wonder: ‘How could that be?’” his mother said.

他的妈妈表示，「当你八岁的孩子求你让他去上大学时，你不禁会心想，『怎么会这样啊？』」

Sky took his first college class – Chinese language – at 10. The next semester was Chinese and pre-calculus. He added more the following semester, and now he’s taking 14 credits. His GPA is 3.83.

斯凯十岁时就修了生平第一堂大学课程──中文课。下学期修了中文和微积分先修课，接下来一学期上的课又更多些。如今他修十四个学分，学业成绩平均点数是三点八三（译注：GPA是grade point average的缩写，美国大学一般都采用四点制，亦即满分是四）。

单词发音

More Information

calculus [ˋkælkjələs] n. 微积分

long-awaited [ˋlɔŋəwetɪd] adj. 盼望已久的

work sheet 工作单；作业单; 电子表格

piston [ˋpɪstn] n.【机】活塞

pool [pul] n. 撞球

tae kwon do 跆拳道 a Korea martial art similar to karate that also includes chops, punches, jabs and a wide variety of powerful, leaping kicks

dual enrolled 双学籍的; 双学位的 officially listed as a member of two courses of study, schools, universities or groups at the same time

credit [ˋkrɛdɪt] n.【美】学分

sophomore [ˋsɑfmor] n.（大学，高中的）二年级学生

preteen [ˋpriˋtin] n.【美】十三岁以下的孩子（尤指）九岁至十二岁)

home-school 自主学习; 在家教育

school [skul] n. 教育，训练

curriculum [kəˋrɪkjələm] n.（一门）课程; 学校的全部课程

GPA 平均分数 grade point average

课文朗读

课文讲解

‘Insatiable need’  「求知若渴」

Students who are profoundly gifted are known to learn at a rapid pace and understand complex ideas at an early age. They fall in the 99.9th percentile or higher on standardized and IQ tests.

众所周知，极度资优的学生在年纪很小的时候，学习速度即相当快速、而且能理解复杂的概念。他们在标准化及智商测验中，百分等级（PR值）在九十九点九以上（译注：亦即在一百个人之中，嬴过九十九点九以上的人。）

“They just have thisinsatiable need for constant mental stimulation,” said Jill Adrian, director of family services at the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. “Which can make it tricky as a parent and an educator of these students.”

「戴维森天资发展学院」家庭服务部主任吉尔．艾德里安表示，「他们对持续性的心智刺激的需求，简直永无止尽，对这些学生的父母及教师来说，这可能有点棘手。」

The plan  计划

Sky plans to graduate from FIU with a bachelor of science in physics and mathematics when he’s 17. In addition to the double major, he also plans to minor in astronomy. He could finish earlier, but his family isn’t in any rush for Sky to leave home for graduate school. He’s set on the California Institute of Technology.

斯凯计划在十七岁时，从「佛罗里达国际大学」取得物理及数学的双学士学位，而除了双主修外，他还打算修天文学为辅系。他可以早点完成学业，可是他的家人对于斯凯离家去念研究所这件事，可一点也不急。斯凯的目标是到「加州理工学院」继续深造。

Charity work  慈善志业

Sky devotes about two weekends a month to a charity he started called The List Kids, which supports children who are refugees from Iraq. His mom represents refugees through The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies, which aids those who are endangered because they helped the United States.

斯凯每个月都会利用两个周末抽空到他发起的「名单上的孩子」慈善机构服务，这个机构专门援助从伊拉克来美国的难民儿童。他妈妈则为「重新安顿伊拉克盟友名单项目」机构代表难民出面（译注：斯凯的妈妈是位律师），该机构专门帮助那些因为曾经向美国伸出援手而导致身陷危险的人。

“Here he is doing something that few others are doing, and he’s doing it as a leader at such a young age,” said Kirk Johnson, founder of The List Project.

「名单项目」创办人科克．强森表示，「斯凯做的是很少人在做的事，而且他年纪这么小，却是以领导者的身分带头做。」

The future  未来

Back in the game room at FIU, Sky fit in like one of the gang when he joined a pool tournament with his lab partners and then squeezed in some table tennis before Calculus II.

在「佛罗里达国际大学」游戏间这里，斯凯和实验伙伴一起打撞球赛时，自然而然和大伙儿打成一片。然后还在微积分II上课之前，把握空档打桌球。

For now, Sky doesn’t know what he wants to do as a physicist. He just knows the job would answer a lot of questions.

目前斯凯还不知道当了物理学家以后要做些什么，他只知道这个工作能够为许多问题找出解答。

“When you learn physics, you know what’s going on in the world,” he said. “I’m very curious about how everything works.”

「学物理的时候，就会了解世界上发生的事，」他表示，「我对于万事万物运作的原理，感到非常好奇。」

－by Hannah Sampson

单词发音

More Information

percentile [pɚˋsɛntaɪl] n.【统】百分位数；百一分段值

IQ 智力商数 intelligence quotient

tricky [ˋtrɪkɪ] adj. 困难的; 复杂的; 棘手的 needing careful and tactful handling

minor [ˋmaɪnɚ] v.【主美】副修，兼修[（+in）]

ally [ˋælaɪ] n. 盟友，同志，同伴

fit in 相处融洽, 适应环境; 使适应 adapt, blend in

squeeze [skwiz] v. 榨出，挤出

单词发音

Vocabulary Focus

full-fledged [ˋfʊlˋflɛdʒd] adj. 完全合格的; 经过充分训练的 having full status or being fully qualified

profoundly [prəˋfaʊndlɪ] adv. 极度地 to an extreme or the greatest possible degree

a good fit 很适合; 很合适 the right match for a particular situation or occasion

insatiable [ɪnˋseʃɪəb!] adj. 永不满足的；贪得无厌的 too great to be satisfied

stimulation [͵stɪmjəˋleʃən] n. 刺激；兴奋；激励；鼓舞 an action that causes activity by sparking enthusiasm and interest

set on 决定 determined to do something

refugee [͵rɛfjʊˋdʒi] n. 难民；流亡者 a person who leaves his or her country to find safety, especially during a war or for political or religious reasons

Aspiring 12-year-old physicist pursues degree at FIU