Cocoa Children
People love chocolate. Americans alone buy more than 58 million pounds of chocolate for Valentine's Day, the "sweetest" time of the year. But for the cocoa child workers in the Ivory Coast, chocolate doesn't taste sweet but bitter.
Child labor is a big problem in the Ivory Coast. Most cocoa child workers are between 12 and 16 years old. The farm owners make the kids work 12 hours a day. On the farm, they pick cocoa beans quickly and quietly. They work harder than most adults but only get about 65 cents a day. These little workers work on the farm for years and spend all their time there. They don't have a chance to go to school.
This story is sad. The chocolate companies behind the cocoa farms need to stop using child labor. Now, more and more people are fighting for the children's rights because they need help. Some choose not to buy chocolate from these companies, and others tell the children's stories. Let's join them and make a change.
可可果孩童
人們喜愛巧克力。光是美國人在一年中最甜蜜的時節--情人節當天就買了超過五千八百萬磅的巧克力。但是對於象牙海岸的可可果童工來說,巧克力的滋味不甜,反而很苦澀。
童工在象牙海岸是個很大的問題。大部分的可可果童工介於十二到十六歲。農場的主人要這些孩童一天工作十二個小時。在農場上,他們迅速且安靜地採摘可可豆。他們比大多數成人還努力工作,但一天卻只有領六十五分工錢。這些小小工作者在農場裡工作了很多年,所有的時間都花在那裡。他們沒有機會去上學。
這故事很悲慘。在可可果農場背後的巧克力公司必須停止使用童工。現在,越來越多人在為這些兒童的權益而奮鬥,因為他們需要幫助。有些人選擇不買這些公司的巧克力,而其他人則把這些孩童的故事說出去。讓我們一起加入他們的行列,並做出改變吧。
- American [əˋmɛrɪkən] n.
美國人
Jack's wife is an American.
傑克的太太是美國人。 - million [ˋmɪljən] n.
百萬
There are about 23 million people in Taiwan.
臺灣約有兩千三百萬人。 - pound [paʊnd] n.
磅
The pork is on sale this week. It costs only two dollars a pound.
本週豬肉有特價。一磅只要價兩美元。 - pick [pɪk] v.
採摘;撿拾
When we climbed up the mountain, we picked some flowers along the way.
我們爬山時,一路上採花。 - bean [bin] n.
豆
Roast chicken with green beans is the best dish at this restaurant.
烤雞佐四季豆是這家餐館的最佳菜餚。 - cent [sɛnt] n.
美分
He works very hard, but he only gets 80 cents an hour.
他努力工作,但他只賺取時薪八十美分。 - chance [tʃæns] n.
機會
These kids are poor. They don't even have a chance to go to school.
這些孩童很可憐。他們甚至沒有機會上學。 - choose [tʃuz] v.
選擇
Teresa chose a red dress for the Christmas party.
特瑞莎選了一件紅洋裝參加耶誕派對。