Pinkfong, a South Korean children’s educational brand, released its version of the children’s song “Baby Shark” on YouTube in 2016. It probably had no idea how __1__ the song would ultimately become. By January 2022, it had surpassed 10 billion __2__, making it the most-watched video on the platform. While many people consider “Baby Shark” to be __3__, experts in children’s development claim the song is actually very beneficial for toddlers.
According to these experts, there are a number of reasons why children love the song “Baby Shark.” First and foremost, the __4__ is very catchy, with simple and repetitive lyrics. This makes it relatively easy for toddlers as young as two or three years old to learn the song and sing along since it does not take much to remember the words: “Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.”
In addition, the video __5__ two young children making hand motions in front of an eye-catching, animated background. Kids become even more engaged in the song by __6__ the hand gestures and body movements they see on the screen. Child development researchers say that the __7__ of all these elements makes for the perfect children’s song.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock 照片：Shutterstock 提供
The musical repetition and physical activities involved in “Baby Shark” are not the only advantages. On top of that, the song takes children on an exciting __8__ with a complete story from beginning to end. The fact that the characters in the story are baby shark, mommy shark, daddy shark, grandma shark and grandpa shark makes them __9__ to most children. After all, their main __10__ at such a young age are their family members. It seems that “Baby Shark” is indeed a perfect song for kids, as its widespread popularity suggests.
南韓兒童教育品牌「碰碰狐」（Pinkfong）於2016年在YouTube發行了自己版本的兒歌《鯊魚寶寶》。它大概沒想到這首歌最後會變得多成功。截至2022年1月，這首歌的觀看次數超過了一百億，使之成為該平臺上最多觀看的影片。雖然很多人覺得《鯊魚寶寶》很惱人，兒童發展的專家卻宣稱這首歌其實對學步兒大有裨益。
根據這些專家的說法，兒童會喜歡這首《鯊魚寶寶》是有一些原因的。首先，其旋律朗朗上口，且有著簡單又重複的歌詞。對於小至兩、三歲的學步兒來說，這首歌相對容易學會，也比較能跟著唱，因為要記得「Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo doo.」這些字也不難。
此外，這部影片是以兩個小孩子在吸睛的動畫背景前做手部動作為特色。兒童藉由模仿他們在螢幕上看到的手勢和身體動作而更投入在歌曲中。兒童發展研究人員說，這些要素的結合造就了這首完美的兒歌。
《鯊魚寶寶》所包含的音樂重複性及肢體活動並不是唯一的優點。除此之外，這首歌帶領孩子們進行一場刺激的冒險，是個從開頭到結尾的完整故事。故事裡的角色是鯊魚寶寶、鯊魚媽媽、鯊魚爸爸、鯊魚奶奶和鯊魚爺爺，這一事實能夠讓大部分的孩子對這些角色有共鳴。畢竟，在年紀這麼小的時候，主要影響他們的人就是家庭成員。《鯊魚寶寶》如其廣大的受歡迎程度所示，好像對孩子們來說確實是一首完美的歌曲。
What Did You Learn?
(A) copying
(B) influences
(C) relatable
(D) tune
(E) views
(F) combination
(G) annoying
(H) adventure
(I) successful
(J) features
答案：
1. ( I ) 2. (E) 3. (G) 4. (D) 5. (J)
6. (A) 7. (F) 8. (H) 9. (C) 10. (B)
Words in Use
1. benefit n. 好處，利益
A benefit of being a bookstore member is that you’ll get coupons on your birthday.
成為書店會員的一個好處是你會在生日時拿到折價券。
2. release vt. 發行
The singer promised his fans that he would release at least one album this year.
那位歌手跟粉絲保證他今年至少會發行一張專輯。
3. ultimately adv. 最後地，最終地
After years of effort, the soccer players ultimately won the championship.
經過多年的努力，那群足球員終於贏得了冠軍。
4. repetitive a. 重複的，反覆的
Harry was tired of his repetitive work, so he quit and started his own business.
哈利厭倦了重複性的工作，所以他辭職並自己創業。
5. relatively adv. 相對地，相當地
Since the cold wave has passed, the weather today is relatively warm.
因為寒流已經過了，所以今天的天氣相對暖和。
Practical Phrases
1. First and foremost, S + V
以……的形狀，首先，……
It takes time to write a thesis. First and foremost, you need to come up with a topic.
寫一篇論文很花時間。首先，你得想出題目。
2. become/be engaged in. . .
投入／從事……
We have been engaged in this project for weeks and will be finished by the end of the month.
我們已經投入這個專案好幾週了，月底前會結束。
3. make for. . .
使……成為可能
The actors’ efforts and the director’s professionalism made for the success of the movie.
演員的努力和導演的專業造就了該電影的成功。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
>> Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構
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