Approximately how many people in the world are living with a

Approximately how many people in the world are living with a disability of some kind?
世界上大约有多少人有这样或那样的残疾？
Yvonne: Hi, I'm Yvonne Archer¹ and this is '6 minute English'. And joining me today is William Kremer. Hello William!
William: Hello Yvonne!
Yvonne: Now recently, I heard an interesting report about how, in South Korea, only people who are blind are legally allowed to do a certain type of work.
William: Oh – but what type of work? And is that law fair to everyone else – especially to people with other types of disability?
Yvonne: Well, they're all good questions William – but before we find out a few answers, I've got a question for you. Are you ready?
William: As ever…
Yvonne: Good! Approximately how many people in the world are living with a disability of some kind? Is it a) two percent b) ten percent OR c) twelve percent
William: I don't know but I'm guessing B – ten percent. Because there's a lot of old people obviously, and old people very often have disabilities of one

kind or another. And there's unfortunately, there're a lot of wars and that leaves people with a lot of disability. So ten percent…
 
Yvonne:  Good answer -ten percent. Okay, we'll find out whether you're right or wrong at the end of the programme. Since 1963, people in South Korea who are

blind have been the only ones allowed to work as massage² therapists（临床医学家）. William, what type of job that?
William: Certainly. A 'massage therapist' is a person who mainly uses their hands and fingers to rub different areas of the body, head, arms or legs to help

stop pain or to help people move more easily. So someone who's been in an accident, for example, might have 'massage therapy'.
Yvonne:  And people in South Korea, especially those who've recently become blind, are really happy that the law keeps those jobs for them. But people who

aren't blind want that law changed so that they can also earn money in the same way. In today's report, we'll come across the expression 'to cope with

demand'. William, what's that mean?
William: Yes, if a person or a company 'copes with demand', they provide what their customers need when they need it. So for example, a dressmaker（裁缝）who

can't sew all her customers' dresses on time has more work than she can manage and she can't 'cope with demand'.
Yvonne: Great – and what does 'awash with' mean?
William:'Awash' literally³ means covered with water. But here, it means that there's lots of something. So for example, if you said 'London is awash with

tourists in the summer' it means that there's lots of tourists in London in the summer.
Yvonne: Excellent. Now in his report, the BBC's John Sudworth explains that there are about seven thousand massage therapists who are blind in South Korea.

But how many people who aren't blind would like to be legal massage（按摩） therapists too?
JOHN SUDWORTH
There may be seven thousand, but they can't cope with demand. South Korean cities are awash with massage parlours（客厅，会客室）, barbers' shops and bath

houses – all offering massages⁴ by unlicensed, sighted practitioners⁵. An estimated half a million of them in total.
Yvonne:So the cities in South Korea are awash with all kinds of businesses which offer massages. But William, how many sighted people – people who can see -

are breaking the law by providing those massages?
William: Well, John says that there are about half a million people who are working illegally – without a licence.
Yvonne:That's right – and they've asked the courts to change the law because they believe it's unfair to stop them from earning money and it actually makes

them into criminals by doing massages. Now the massage therapists who are blind aren't happy either…
JOHN SUDWORTH
Now blind masseurs and masseuses have been taking to the streets to defend their monopoly⁶（垄断，专利）Some massage therapists have even jumped off bridges

into the Han River.
William:Wow – that's a powerful protest. They really do want to keep their legal right to be the only group of people who can become massage therapists;

they're desperate to hold onto their 'monopoly'.
Yvonne:They certainly are and luckily, so far, no-one has been seriously hurt in the protests（抗议，反对）. Now even though there's more than enough work

for everyone, blind people are worried that this won't always be the case - and say it would be really difficult for them to find other types of work. But

here's a final question from John which gives us all something else to think about:
JOHN SUDWORTH
So is massage work a valuable protection for a vulnerable⁷ minority（少数，少数民族）, or a patronising excuse for a lack of equality? Yvonne: Hmmm, a

question the courts will have to answer. But William, what are your thoughts - should certain jobs be kept for people with disabilities?
William: Umm…I don't know – that's a very, very difficult question. Umm – maybe. Maybe that's the fairest thing until everyone can apply for every job. I

don't know.
Yvonne: Well, there's a lot to think about and discuss after the programme. But for now, let's get the answer to today's question: William, approximately how

many people in the world are living with a disability of some kind?
William: I said ten percent…
Yvonne: You're absolutely right.
 
William:Yeah!
Yvonne: It's an extraordinary number, isn't it?
William: It is actually. It's a much higher number than a lot of people would think, I believe.
Yvonne: Anyway, that's all we've time for today – but do join us again next time for more '6 Minute English' from BBC Learning English.
W/Y: Goodbye! （本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

2 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 massages   

按摩，推拿( massage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At present the doctor is giving him daily massages to help restore the function of his limbs. 目前医生每天在给他按摩，帮助他恢复腿臂的功能。
• His father massages his nose and chin. 他爸爸揉了揉鼻子和下巴。

5 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

6 monopoly   

n.垄断，专卖，垄断物（商品），专卖商品

参考例句：

• His monopoly of shipbuilding in that country has been established.他对那个国家造船业的垄断已经建立起来。
• In many countries,tobacco is a government monopoly.在许多国家，烟草由政府专营。

7 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。