A Street like No Other 寓教於樂的芝麻街

 Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Kids around the world know exactly what this question means and why people love going there. As a children's television program, Sesame Street brings learning into people's homes every day. In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett came up with the idea to use TV to help prepare children for preschool. A few years later, Jim Henson and his Muppets joined to bring the iconic characters of Sesame Street to the American audience in 1969.
　　The leader of the Sesame Street gang is Big Bird. Always ready to share, play, and sing, Big Bird is a kindhearted, yellow giant who is friendly to everyone. Next comes Cookie Monster. Even though he speaks with bad grammar, he delights audiences with his silly ways. Watch out if there are cookies nearby because they drive him crazy. Elmo, who joined the Sesame Street gang later on, has gone on to become a huge hit with young kids everywhere. Any toy you can think of can likely be found with Elmo on it. Other loved characters are the Count－who loves numbers, Grover－who longs to be a superhero, and Bert and Ernie－a great example of best friends.

@中文翻譯

你能告訴我怎麼去芝麻街嗎？世界各地的孩童都完全懂得這個問題的意思，也知道為什麼人們都喜愛到那裡。作為一個兒童電視節目，《芝麻街》每天把學習帶到民眾家中。1966年，瓊安‧岡茲‧庫尼和洛伊德‧摩里塞特想出利用電視來幫助兒童準備上幼稚園的這個點子。幾年後，吉姆‧韓森和他所創造的布偶同心協力，於1969年把《芝麻街》的代表性角色帶到美國觀眾眼前。
　　《芝麻街》一幫布偶的老大是Big Bird。對人友善又擁有一副好心腸的這隻黃色大鳥，總是準備好要和大家共同分享、一起玩耍和唱歌。接著登場的是Cookie Monster。雖然他講話不照文法，但是他卻能以搞怪的方式來逗樂觀眾。不過要注意附近是否有餅乾喔，因為餅乾會讓他愛到抓狂。後來才加入《芝麻街》一夥兒的Elmo，爾後則受到各地年輕孩子的歡迎而成為非常成功的角色。任何您能想到的玩具，上頭都可能出現Elmo的身影。其他深受喜歡的角色還包括熱愛數字的the Count，渴望成為超級英雄的Grover，以及一對好朋友的最佳典範──Bert和Ernie。
@Words & Phrases
1. come up with...　　想出……
Robbie is creative, so it is easy for him to come up with many interesting ideas.
羅比很有創意，所以很容易就能想出許多有趣的點子。
2. iconic　 a. 代表性的，指標性的
One of the most iconic landmarks in the world is the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
世界上最具代表性的地標之一就是巴黎的艾菲爾鐵塔。
3. audience　n. 一群觀眾（『一位觀眾』要說 an audience member 或 a member of the audience）
The dancers amazed the audience with their graceful movements.
舞者們用他們優雅的舞姿讓觀眾為之驚嘆。
4. kindhearted　a. 好心腸的；仁慈的
Zack is a nice young man who is very polite and kindhearted.
柴克是個很不錯的年輕人，不但有禮貌而且心腸又好。
5. delight　vt. 使愉快，使高興
The author delights her readers with stories full of joy and humor.
作者用充滿喜悅和幽默的故事逗樂了她的讀者。
6. drive + 人 + crazy　　把某人逼瘋
The referee's bad call drove the losing team crazy.
裁判的糟糕判決把落後的那隊逼瘋了。
7. hit　n. 成功並風行一時的事物
Harry Potter became a hit as soon as it was published.
《哈利波特》一出版就蔚為風尚。
8. long to + 原形動詞　　渴望（做）……
As a big fan, I long to go to that band's concert.
身為那個樂團的超級粉絲，我渴望去他們的演唱會。
@Extra Words
1. sesame　n. 芝麻
2. preschool　n. 幼稚園；育幼院
3. gang　n. 一幫人，一夥人
4. count　n. 伯爵；計數
@More to Know

帶給大家歡笑與知識的芝麻街
《芝麻街》是由瓊安‧岡茲‧庫尼和洛伊德‧摩里塞特所創的美國兒童電視節目。由於當時他們發現美國很多學齡前兒童，尤其是家境不好的小孩都沒有去念幼稚園，再基於孩子們喜歡在家看電視之故，所以便想用生動有趣的電視節目來替他們提供文化和智力的啟蒙。《芝麻街》於 1969 年 11 月 10 日首次播出，該節目運用布偶、動畫及真人表演來教授兒童基礎閱讀、算數、字母等基本知識，節目一推出即深受觀眾喜愛。由於節目內容寓教於樂、角色和藹可親，讓兒童可以在輕鬆的氣氛下學習各種知識，因此《芝麻街》也從此成為兒童教育節目的典範。