Story text / 故事文字
Bit and Lulu Ask the Bridges
On the windowsill, Bit met a little red ladybird. "I'm Lulu," she said with a sigh. "I want to go to the park tomorrow. But my mum says I can go only if it's sunny and I finish my lunch."
Inside the computer, Bit showed Lulu a little bridge. "A question with a yes or no answer can be a bridge," said Bit. "Yes, the bridge goes down. No, it stays up."
"Your mum's rule has two questions," said Bit. "Is it sunny? And did you finish your lunch? Two questions, two bridges." The rule says "and", so they put the bridges in a row. Last of all, they put a lamp on the road. If the lamp lights up, it means: park!
"Let's test it," said Lulu. "It's sunny!" Down went the sun bridge. "But I haven't finished my lunch." The lunch bridge stayed up. Will the park lamp light up?
No! The dots could not get past the lunch bridge, and the park lamp stayed dark. "Not yet," laughed Bit. "Finish your lunch first!"
Lulu pretended to eat up every crumb. Down went the lunch bridge. Now both answers were yes. The dots crossed both bridges, all the way round, and the park lamp lit up!
"My turn!" said Bit. "The playroom opens if Bit is here, or Lulu is here." This rule says "or", so they put the two bridges side by side, on two lanes. At the end, a playroom lamp.
Bit hid behind the battery. Only Lulu was here, so only her bridge went down. Will the playroom lamp light up?
Yes! The dots went round through Lulu's lane, and the playroom lamp lit up. "Either one of us is enough!" said Bit, popping out.
"Now I see," said Lulu. "We say the rule in words. 'And' puts the bridges in a row. 'Or' puts them side by side. And the lamp gives the answer."
Back on the desk, Bit looked at the glowing laptop. "It asks questions like ours all the time," he said. "Should the screen light up? Only if the lid is open and there is power. Two bridges in a row!"
The laptop had fallen asleep. Lulu pressed a key, and it began to wake. "Should it wake up? If someone presses a key, or touches the pad," said Bit. "Side by side, so either one is enough. Millions of little questions like these, faster than you can blink!"
Then Bit and Lulu made up more rules. "We have pudding if it's dinner time and we're hungry!" "We sing if Bit is happy or Lulu is happy!" Each time, they built the bridges and watched the lamp.
That night, Bit dreamed of a giant machine made of bridges, in rows and side by side, answering big questions. "Will it rain tomorrow? Which song comes next?" Goodnight, Lulu. Goodnight, little bridges.
比比和露露问小桥
比比在窗台上遇到了一只红红的小瓢虫，她的名字叫露露。露露叹了口气说：“我明天想去公园。可是妈妈说，要是晴天，并且我吃完了午饭，才能去。”
在电脑里，比比给露露看一座小桥。“可以用‘是’或‘不是’来回答的问题，就能变成一座桥，”比比说，“是，桥就放下来；不是，桥就翘着。”
“妈妈的规矩里有两个问题，”比比说，“是晴天吗？吃完午饭了吗？两个问题，两座桥。”规矩里说的是“并且”，所以他们把两座桥一座接一座地放。最后放一盏灯。灯亮了，就是说：去公园！
“我们来试试吧，”露露说，“是晴天！”太阳桥放下来了。“可是我还没吃完午饭。”午饭桥还翘着。你猜，公园灯会亮吗？
不亮！小点点过不了午饭桥，公园灯还是黑的。“还不行，”比比笑着说，“先把午饭吃完！”
露露假装把午饭吃得一点不剩。午饭桥也放下来了。两个回答都是“是”。小点点过了两座桥，绕了一整圈，公园灯亮了！
“轮到我了！”比比说，“比比在，或者露露在，游戏屋就开门。”这个规矩说的是“或者”，所以他们把两座桥并排放在两条小道上。最后是一盏游戏屋灯。
比比躲到了电池后面。只有露露在，所以只有她的桥放了下来。你猜，游戏屋灯会亮吗？
亮了！小点点从露露的小道绕了过去，游戏屋灯亮了。“我们俩有一个在就够了！”比比钻出来说。
“我明白了，”露露说，“我们先用话把规矩说出来。‘并且’，就把桥一座接一座地放；‘或者’，就把桥并排放。小灯会告诉我们答案。”
回到桌子上，比比看着发光的电脑。“它一直都在问跟我们一样的问题，”他说，“屏幕要不要亮？要盖子打开，并且有电才行。两座桥，一座接一座！”
电脑睡着了。露露按了一下键，它就开始醒过来。“要不要醒？有人按键，或者摸一摸触控板，就醒，”比比说，“并排放，有一个就够了。好多好多这样的小问题，比眨眼还快！”
比比和露露又想了好多规矩。“到了晚饭时间，并且肚子饿了，我们就吃布丁！”“比比开心，或者露露开心，我们就唱歌！”每一次，他们都搭好小桥，看小灯亮不亮。
那天晚上，比比梦见了一台用好多小桥搭成的大机器，有的一座接一座，有的并排放，在回答大大的问题：“明天会下雨吗？下一首放什么歌？”晚安，露露。晚安，小桥。