今天也要是元气满满的一天吖！
源自可可英语，翻译详见原网页https://www.kekenet.com/Article/202001/603939.shtml
Genie's Story
杰妮的故事
Thank you for joining us fortoday's Spotlight. I'm Joshua Leo.
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses aspecial English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understandno matter where in the world they live.
In the autumn of 1970, a womanwalked into a service office in Temple City, California. She brought herdaughter with her. The woman wanted to receive money because she was goingblind. A woman working in the office noticed the woman's daughter. She thoughtthe woman's daughter was about six years old. She also thought that the girlhad a mental disability. But then she discovered that the woman's daughter wasreally thirteen years old! The woman in the office knew something was wrong.She quickly called the police. The police arrested the girl's parents. Theywere charged with the crime of child abuse.
Today's Spotlight is on Genie, and herstory of abuse.
Genie is not the girl's real name.People use this name to protect her real name and identity. When Genie wastwenty months old, her parents brought her to a doctor. The doctor told Genie'sparents that she had mental problems. The doctor thought Genie might not beable to live a normal life.
Genie's father reacted to the newsbadly. He believed that Genie had serious problems. Genie's father was mentallyunbalanced. He suffered from depression. He put Genie in a room alone. Herparents never let Genie out of her bedroom.
During the day, Genie's parentsleft her tied to a seat made for human waste. She wore only diapers, clothesmade to collect human waste. At night Genie slept in a bed with bars and ametal top. Often, Genie's parents would forget to put her in the bed at night.Genie would have to sleep sitting on the seat.
Genie's father beat her. He shoutedand barked like a dog to keep her quiet. He told Genie's mother and brother tonever talk to her. Genie lived alone in that small room for years. Genieweighed only twenty-seven kilograms when authorities rescued her. She wasthirteen years old.
Many people became interested inGenie. Doctors and scientists wanted to learn more about her. They wanted toknow if she was able to learn like a normal person. They wanted to know ifloving care could help her.
After a few months, Genie knewover one hundred (100) words. The scientists would take her for walks. She hada strong desire to learn about the world around her. Slowly, she learned to putwords together into simple sentences.
Genie learned how to make simplesentences but nothing more. Scientists worried that Genie could not pass thissimple language level. Most children learn more complex sentences as they growolder. The scientists wondered if Genie had a mental disability. They wonderedif she was born with it or if she developed it.
Genie was improving but manypeople worried about her. They worried about how scientists treated Genie inthe hospital. They did not think that scientists could care for her and studyher at the same time. People did not want scientists to treat Genie like ascience experiment. They wanted them to treat Genie like a person.
Scientists studied Genie becausethey wanted to learn about how children develop. They wanted to learn howfamily, love, and human care affect children. Genie began to become emotionallyclose to some of the scientists. But The scientists did not love her. They wereonly interested in studying her. Genie never had one person to love her. Shehad only scientists.
The National Institute for Mental Health,in the United States, paid for the scientist’s research. Scientists studiedGenie for years. They discovered that Genie was not mentally disabled. Insteadthey discovered that the abuse affected Genie’s brain. Studying Genie helpedthe scientists learn more about child development. They learned more about howthe brain works. For example, the language part of the brain develops when aperson is very young. Genie did not learn language when this part of her brainwas developing. So when Genie grew older, she was unable to learn complexlanguage. Today, many teachers learn about Genie to understand more about howchildren learn.
But the Institute stopped payingfor the research in 1974. In 1975 Genie went to go live with her mother. Buther mother found caring for Genie too difficult. Her mother put her in a fosterhome. Genie lived with other children who had no parents. Genie lived in sixdifferent foster homes after 1975. In some of the homes, people hurt her. Theyshouted at her and hit her. Genie reacted to this abuse by hiding. She talkedless. She was afraid of more abuse. Today Genie lives in a foster home foradults somewhere in California. Her mother died in 2002.
Genie's story is very sad. Nochild should ever experience abuse. But Genie's story is also important. Itshows how much people, especially children, need love and care. Abuse canaffect children in many ways. In Genie's case, the abuse affected her body. Shedid not grow correctly. It affected her ability to use language. It affectedher ability to live a normal life.
People can find healing from thedamage done by abuse. Some people find healing by talking with other peopleabout their experiences with abuse. Talking to someone in a church can be agood way to start the healing process. All children need to feel love. It isthe job of parents to provide that love.If no one cares for the child, he willnot grow up correctly. What can you do to protect and care for children in yourcommunity? What can you do to help stop child abuse?
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