VOA慢速英语:A Living Science Exhibit Grows at a Museum

 Outdoors, in the open air, seems like a natural place to study natural science. It also makes sense in a place like Southern California where people like to be outside a lot. Now the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is working to bring the indoors to the outdoors for its visitors.
户外、露天似乎是一个学习自然科学的天然场所。这也使得在南加州这种人们更喜欢户外的地方变得有意义。目前，洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆正为游客把展览从室内带到户外。

 The museum has redesigned an outdoor space into a living exhibit. This is a big change for the one and a half hectare area. It used to include a parking lot. Now, instead of cars, it welcomes birds, butterflies and other living things.
该博物馆将一个户外空间重新设计成一个生动的室外展馆。对这1.5公顷土地来说，这是个巨大变化。它曾经包括了一个停车场。而现在，它开始迎接鸟类、蝴蝶和其它生灵，而不是汽车。

EVA ENG: "What else do the plants need, Jaime?"
EVA ENG：“Jaime，植物生长还需要什么？”

CHILDREN: "Sunshine!"
CHILDREN: "阳光!"

Teacher Eva Eng and her young students recently visited the museum's outdoor campus. Ms. Eng says they enjoyed their experience. The children were learning about plant science in school.
EVA ENG老师和她年轻的学生们最近参观了这家博物馆的室外园区。Eng女士说，她们很享受此次参观。孩子们在学校里正学植物科学。

 EVA ENG: "They really like hands-on things, getting their hands in the mud, and planting seeds, watering them, watching them grow."
EVA ENG：“他们真的很喜欢动手实践，接触土壤，播种、浇水并看着它们成长。”

 Scientists who work at the museum come outside to describe plants and insects in the natural setting of this outdoor laboratory.
在博物馆工作的科学家们来到户外，讲解这个户外实验室天然环境中的植物和昆虫。

 Greg Pauly specializes in studying turtles, like the western pond turtle. He tells the students how development has changed its natural habitat. He says these turtles are happiest around small bodies of water that grow and shrink with the seasons.
Greg Pauly专门研究海龟，像斑石龟。他告诉学生们人类发展如何改变了其自然栖息地。他说，这些海龟最喜欢围绕随季节变化规模扩大或缩小的小水体。

 GREG PAULY: "You know, one hundred fifty years ago, before there were very many people here, all the streams were just seasonal streams. And the western pond turtle loved that habitat. And with people, we have changed the habitat."
GREG PAULY：“你知道的，150年前，在这里有很多人之前，所有的河流都是季节性河流，斑石龟喜欢这种生态。而人们改变了这种生态。”
 Today, he says, there is a lot more permanent water, like a pond at the Natural History Museum itself. And he says the changing habitat is one reason why western pond turtles are shrinking in number.
今天，他说，这里有很多永久性的水体，像自然博物馆本身的池塘。他说，不断变化的栖息地是斑石龟数量不断萎缩的原因之一。

 In addition to science lessons, the open-air exhibit can provide contact with nature in a way that some city children rarely get.
除了科学课程，露天展览还可以为城市的孩子提供一种难得的接触到自然的机会。

 Landscape architect Mia Lehrer says children can get real-life answers to questions they may be wondering about.
景观建筑师Mia Lehrer说，孩子们可以得到现实生活中他们可能会想知道的问题的答案。

 MIA LEHRER:  "What does it mean to see what strawberry plants look like, that they do not come from a container in the store?  And a tomato -- children have been asked, 'Where does ketchup come from?' They do not know."
MIA LEHRE：“看看草莓植株长成什么样子意味着什么？意味着草莓不是来自商店里的容器。再说西红柿，孩子们曾经问，‘番茄酱是从哪来的？’他们不知道。”

 Only parts of the new outdoor campus are open now. But Karen Wise says more changes are coming. Ms. Wise is the museum's vice president for education and exhibits.
目前，这个新的户外园区只有部分区域开放。但Karen Wise说未来会有更多变化。Wise女士是博物馆负责教育和展览的副馆长。

 KAREN WISE: "Now we are opening up the whole museum, making it an indoor-outdoor experience, so that our visitors can be a part of the experience."  
KAREN WISE：“现在，我们正在开发整个博物馆，使其成为一个室内外相结合的体验。这样我们的游客能够成为体验的一部分。”

 The work is expected to be completed by June of twenty-thirteen. Next year is the museum's one hundredth anniversary.
这项工作预计将于2013年6月完成。明年是该博物馆一百周年纪念。