VOA慢速英语: 青少年帮助老年人学习高科技

TeensHelp Seniors BridgeHigh-Tech Generational Gap

青少年帮助老年人学习高科技产品

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

来自VOA英语学习，这里是科技报道。

When most people imagine a classroom, they think of older people teaching younger ones. But when it comes to learning about high-technology devices, the opposite can often be true. That is what is happening through a program in the eastern American city of Columbia, Maryland. The 50 Plus Center offers free technology classes for adults ages 50 and older. The teachers are often teenagers and even younger children.

大多数人想象的是：在教室里，都是年长的老师教年幼的学生。但是说到学习高科技产品时，情况就相反了。美国马里兰州东部的哥伦比亚城市，就有这样一个情况：50岁以上的老年中心为50岁以及年纪更长的人免费提供技术课程，而老师通常是青少年或者更年幼的孩子。

Myra Stafford is 73 years old. She signed up for the workshop to learn how to use her iPad.

玛拉·斯坦福德已经73岁了，她来这个中心是为了学习如何使用她的iPad。

Ms. Stafford says she is learning quickly about the device. She adds that she enjoys learning from younger people.

斯坦福德说她学习使用这个iPad学得很快，而且她喜欢向年轻人学习。

Eleven-year-old Zhion Perkins teaches Ms. Stafford. He says that patience is very important when working with older adults.

11岁的史昂·佩金教斯坦福德，他说教老年人学习过程中，最重要的就是耐心。

"You have to be really, really patient, you know, because some of them might not know as well as others, so you have to be really patient."

“你需要非常、非常地有耐心，因为他们有的人学习的并不是很快，所以你要有耐心。”

Meridy McCague is the director of the 50 Plus Center. She says the center offers many other kinds of workshops for older residents of Columbia. The activities include playing cards and physical exercise classes.

梅里迪·麦卡格是这个中心的主任，她说这个中心为哥伦比亚的老年居民提供其他形式的学习班，这些活动包括：打牌课程和体育锻炼课程。

Ms. McCague added the senior technology workshop last year. She acted after the center received several iPads from a local community organization. Since then, about 100 senior citizens have signed up for the workshop. Ms. McCague says the classes are necessary for seniors to connect with the world around them.

去年，麦卡格增加了老年人技术研习班。因为该中心从当地的一个社区组织收到很多iPad。从那时起，大概有100多名老年人登记参加了这个班。麦卡格说这些课堂对于老年人与世界联系很必要。

Kerry Hannon is a career and retirement expert. She says teaching senior citizens about technology can prove helpful for the economy.

凯瑞·哈南是个职场专家和退休问题专家，她说教老年人这些技能，对经济的发展也有帮助。

"You have a huge growing population over 60 that's just expanding, and offers an incredible opportunity to buy online, to research products that they want to buy, maybe not online, but they research them online. About a third of the Internet users in general are over 50. As seniors get more excited about using the technology, they're going into the market place and buying it. So that's a boom for economy right there."

“现在60岁以上的人口数量在不断扩大，他们为网上购物提供了一个难得的机会，他们可以调查一下要买的产品，也许并不在网上购买，但是他们可以上网调查。大约有三分之一的互联网用户平均年纪都在50岁以上。老年人使用高科技时更兴奋，他们会去商业中心购买，所以说会刺激经济的繁荣。”

Madison Lam is a 17-year-old teacher for the technology workshop. She says she also learns a lot from helping seniors.

马迪森·兰姆是这个科技班的一名17岁的老师。她说在帮助老年人的过程中，自己也学到很多。

"I think I've learned a lot on how to connect with people and work with them because I'm usually a shy person so I'm not good at connecting with others besides my family and friends. So I've learned to be more outgoing."

“我认为在如何与人相联系以及一起合作中，我学到很多，因为我是个害羞的人，除了与家人和朋友之外，不擅长与别人沟通联系。我学到的是要更外向一点。”

Safire Windley is head of the Youth and Teen Center that operates the program. She says young people like Madison gain more than just social skills from teaching older residents.

萨菲尔·温德利是青少年中心的负责人，负责这个项目。她说像麦迪森这样的年轻人在教老年人的过程中学到的不仅仅是些社会技巧。

"I find in this day and age, our younger people, they're trying to explore and find out how they do they add value to life, just trying to find their way. This is something where they're needed and their skill set is valued and it gives them purpose."

“我发现在这个年代，我们的年轻人正在尝试着探索、寻找如何增加生命的价值，找到他们的人生道路。这正是他们需要的东西，他们的技能很有价值，这给了他们目标。”

And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. I'm Jonathan Evans.

这是VOA英语学习的科技报道，我是乔纳森·伊凡斯。