比利时9岁神童将从大学毕业
4岁，普通的孩子还在幼儿园，他却已经上了小学；6岁，普通的孩子刚上小学，他却已经入读高中；如今9岁，普通的孩子仍在读小学，而他却即将完成大学学业。他就是比利时神童劳伦特·西蒙斯。
A child prodigy from Belgium is on course to gain a bachelor’s degree at the tender age of 9.
比利时的一名神童年仅9岁就将获得学士学位。
Laurent Simons is studying electrical engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) - a tough course even for students of an average graduate age.
劳伦特·西蒙斯正在埃因霍芬理工大学学习电气工程，这门课程即使对于寻常年龄的大学毕业生来说也是很难的。
Described by staff as “simply extraordinary,” Laurent is on course to finish his degree in December.
劳伦特将在12月取得学位，教员对他的评价是“太超常了”。
He then plans to embark on a PhD program in electrical engineering while also studying for a medicine degree, his father told CNN.
劳伦特的父亲告诉CNN说，之后劳伦特计划攻读电气工程博士学位，同时攻读医学学位。
His parents, Lydia and Alexander Simons, said they thought Laurent’s grandparents were exaggerating when they said he had a gift, but his teachers soon concurred.
劳伦特的父母莉迪亚和亚历山大·西蒙斯说，起初劳伦特的祖父母说孙子有天赋的时候，他们还以为老人是在夸大其词，但劳伦特的老师们很快就表达了同样的观点。
“They noticed something very special about Laurent,” said Lydia.
莉迪亚说：“老师们注意到劳伦特非常特别。”
Laurent was given test after test as teachers tried to work out the extent of his talents. “They told us he is like a sponge,” said Alexander.
老师们给劳伦特进行了一次又一次测试，以了解他的天资有多高。亚历山大说：“老师告诉我们，劳伦特就像海绵一样吸收知识。”
While Laurent comes from a family of doctors, his parents have so far not received any explanation as to why their child prodigy is capable of learning so quickly.
劳伦特来自一个医生家庭，关于为什么自己的神童儿子能学得这么快，迄今为止他的父母还未找到任何解释。
But Lydia has her own theory.
但莉迪亚有她自己的理论。
“I ate a lot of fish during the pregnancy,” she joked.
她开玩笑说：“我在怀孕期间吃了很多鱼。”
The TUE has allowed Laurent to complete his course faster than other students.
埃因霍芬理工大学允许劳伦特比其他学生更快完成课程。
“That is not unusual,” said Sjoerd Hulshof, education director of the TUE bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, in a statement.
埃因霍芬理工大学电气工程本科学位的教学主管舒尔德·赫尔肖夫在一份声明中说：“这并不是稀罕事。”
“Special students that have good reasons for doing so can arrange an adjusted schedule. In much the same way we help students who participate in top sport.”
“特殊学生有足够的理由可以调整学习进度，就跟我们帮助那些参与顶级运动赛事的学生完成课程的安排一样。”
Hulshof said Laurent is “simply extraordinary” and praised the youngster.
赫尔肖夫说劳伦特“很超常”并称赞了这名少年。
“Laurent is the fastest student we have ever had here,” he said. “Not only is he hyper intelligent but also a very sympathetic boy.”
“劳伦特是我校有史以来学习速度最快的学生，”他说：“他不但超级聪明，而且还是一个非常有同情心的男孩。”
Laurent told CNN his favorite subject is electrical engineering and he’s also “going to study a bit of medicine.”
劳伦特告诉CNN说，他最喜欢的科目是电气工程，他还“打算学一下医学”。
His progress has not gone unnoticed and he is already being sought out by prestigious universities around the world, although Laurent’s family wouldn’t be drawn on naming which of them he is considering for his PhD.
劳伦特的进度有目共睹，他已经收到了世界各地的多所名牌大学的邀请，不过劳伦斯的家人不愿透露劳伦斯考虑在哪所大学读博。
“The absorption of information is no problem for Laurent,” said his father.
他的父亲说：“吸收信息对劳伦斯来说没有问题。”
“I think the focus will be on research and applying the knowledge to discover new things.”
“我认为重点应该放在研究以及应用知识来发现新事物上。”
While Laurent is evidently able to learn faster than most, his parents are being careful to let him enjoy himself too.
尽管劳伦斯显然能比多数人学得更快，但他的父母也注重让劳伦斯享受人生。
“We don’t want him to get too serious. He does whatever he likes,” said Alexander. “We need to find a balance between being a child and his talents.”
“我们不想让他太有压力，他可以做自己喜欢的事情，”亚历山大说，“我们需要在童年和天分之间找到平衡。”
Laurent said he enjoys playing with his dog Sammy and playing on his phone, like many young people.
劳伦特说，他喜欢和他的狗狗塞米一起玩，也喜欢玩手机，和许多年轻人一样。
However, unlike most 9-year-olds, he has already worked out what he wants to do with his life: develop artificial organs.
但是，和多数9岁孩子不同的是，他已经想好自己这一生想做的工作：研发人造器官。
In the meantime, Laurent has to finish his bachelor’s degree and choose which academic institution will play host to the next stage in his remarkable journey.
与此同时，劳伦特必须完成学士学位，并选择下一阶段开启非凡学习之旅的大学。
Before that, he plans on taking a vacation to Japan for an undoubtedly well-deserved break.
在此之前，他计划去日本旅游，享受当之无愧的假期。
