Jacob Barnett

      A 12-year-old boy is making quite an impression on his classmates, standing out among fellow (adj.同輩的) students in a calculus(n.微積分)-based (adj.以……為主的) physics (n.物理學) class at Indiana (n.印第安那) University-Purdue (n.普渡) University Indianapolis (n.印第安那波利斯).
      Jacob Barnett (n.雅各?狺巴內特) says it's hard for him to share his understandings (n.領悟) with those closest to him. When he tries talking about math (n.數學) with relatives, "they just stare (v.凝望) blankly (adv.木然地)," he said.
      Physics professor (n.教授) John Ross (n.羅斯) said the university wants to move Jacob into a research (n.研究) position, and he will work to find some grant (n.撥款) funding (n.資金) to support Jacob.
      "If we can get all of those creative juices (n.才華) in a certain direction, we might be able to see some really amazing stuff down the road (adv.在將來)," the physicist (n.物理學家) said.
      Jacob's mother said what he's accomplishing (v.完成) now is far beyond what she and her husband once dreamed possible. He was diagnosed (v.診斷) as having Asperger's syndrome (n.阿斯伯格症候群), a somewhat (adv.有點) milder (adj.較輕微的) condition related to autism (n.自閉症).
      Experts concluded that while he struggled (v.出現困難) socially (adv.社交上), he was also showing signs of academic (adj.學業的) skills that were above his age level.
      (Chicago Tribune, March 20)

      在印第安那波利斯普渡大學一個微積分物理學課堂上，一名十二歲男童在同學中鶴立雞群，令他們驚歎佩服。
      雅各 巴內特表示，他難以跟身邊人談論自己的領悟。他說，若他與親戚談論數學，“他們只會木然凝望”。
      物理學教授羅斯說，大學希望安排雅各從事研究工作，而他會尋找一些撥款資金贊助雅各。
      這位物理學家說：“若我們可以把這些創意才華全都引導到某個方向，將來可能會見證到一些非常驚人的事情。”
      雅各的媽媽表示，他現在的成就，遠超過她和丈夫曾夢想過的可能性。他經診斷患上阿斯伯格症候群，那是跟自閉症相似的較輕微疾病。
      專家認為，儘管他在社交上出現困難，在學業能力方面卻顯得比同齡兒童更佳。
      （《芝加哥論壇報》，三月二十日）

      閱讀指引
      1. autistic (adj)　/?瓡:'t?笈st?笈k/，awe-TISS-tick　自閉的、自閉症的
      解讀：文中的名詞autism（讀如AWE-ti-zum）解作自閉症、孤獨症，源自希臘字根auto-，解作自己的、自我的；一種常見的輕度自閉症是文中提到的Asperger's syndrome(阿斯伯格症候群)。
      2. juice (n)　/d?甝ju:s/，JEW-s　資源、才華
      解讀：juice本指果汁、菜汁，以至肉汁、消化液等，英國口語會把汽油叫juice，而美國口語會把電力叫juice；此字因而引申指各種資源、才華，這時常用複數juices，文中便是這樣，又例如artistic juices是藝術才華。
      3. diagnose (v)　/'da?笈?瑆gn?瑆?痸z/，DIE-ug-nose　診斷、斷症
      解讀：若主語是一個人，diagnose可如文中一般，後面用as having帶出是何種疾病，但也常用with帶出，這時沒有having一字，例如diagnosed with kidney disease是經診斷證實患上了腎病。