From Barbie dolls programmed to say "math class is tough" to ministers of state who will parse and analyse a sentence but refuse to answer "what's half of three-quarters?", maths-phobia is everywhere.

从一个通过编程说出“数学课很难”的芭比娃娃到一个能够分析句子语法但拒绝回答“四分之三的一半是多少”的首相，数学恐惧症在生活中处处可见。

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Then, in this class, I learned the story of Barbie.

在这个班上，我了解到了关于芭比的故事。

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The other children in his middle-class suburb teased him by calling him Barbie because of his looks, which reminded them of a Ken doll.

因为他金发碧眼， 所以郊区中学同班的孩子们都嘲弄的叫他“芭比”。

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A well-known example was when women's education groups objected to a talking Barbie that declared, among other things, "Math class is tough!"

VOA: special.2009.04.06