环球英语 — 97：Nageeb Mahfouz

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Welcome to Spotlight¹. This programme uses a Special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is a warm night in October, 1994. An old man walks slowly out of his house. He has lived there for many years. He loves being near the Nile. This great river runs through his city, Cairo - the capital city of Egypt.
The old man gets into a car. His friend has been waiting for him. Every Friday they go out to drink coffee in town. They meet together with people who like to talk about books. The old man is a writer. People ask him questions about his books. The night is very warm. The old man opens the car window. All of a sudden a young man puts his hand through the window. The old man is not surprised. Many people want to shake his hand. But the young man does not want to meet him. He wants to kill him. The young man pushes a knife into the old man’s neck. Then he runs away.
The old man’s friend is quick to react. He is a doctor. He knows what to do in a crisis². He places his hand hard over the wound. The bleeding stops. Next, he helps the old man into the Police Hospital. This hospital is just near to the old man’s house. After a few minutes, the old man is lying on an operating table. The doctors manage to save his life.
Voice 2
Who is this old man? His name is Nageeb Mahfouz and he is one of Egypt’s best known writers. Nageeb Mahfouz was born in Egypt in 1911. He studied at Cairo University. He studied philosophy - what humans believe and think. In 1934 he began to work for the Egyptian government. But he also made time to do what he liked best: writing. Nageeb Mahfouz had been writing since he was a child. He once said:
Voice 3
“I started writing while I was at school. I was influenced by modern Arab writers like El-Manfalouti and Taha Hussein. They gave me a great desire to write.”
Voice 2
Nageeb Mahfouz wrote more than fifty books. He also created many short stories and five plays. Nageeb Mahfouz represented the traditional people of Cairo. He had lived in the old city for many years and he knew it well. He liked to describe how people behaved in everyday life. His most famous work is called, “The Cairo Trilogy”.
These are three books about the same family - the Al Jawad family. The story starts in 1917, during the First World War. Many things happen to the family and to their country. The story ends in 1952, when Egypt loses its king. The family has changed and the country has changed. In the first book we meet Mr al-Jawad. He is the head of the family. He is very hard to please. His wife and sons are afraid of him.
Voice 4
“The mother carried in a large tray³ of food. She placed it on the cloth. She withdrew⁴ to the side of the room. She was standing⁵ near a table. The table had a water jug⁶ on it. She waited there, ready to obey any command. Their father ate a lot of food very quickly. His sons did not eat much food. They were afraid to behave normally⁷. Their father would punish them if they did something wrong.”
Voice 1
In 1988, Nageeb became the first Arabic writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He said,
Voice 3
“I felt extreme happiness as well as great surprise. I never expected to win the prize. I had heard that an Arab writer may some day win the Nobel Prize. But I did not believe it would happen.”
Voice 1
Many people in the Arab world were very pleased. One of their own people had received an international prize. More people began to read Nageeb’s books. But not everyone was happy. Some religious leaders did not agree with one of his books. This book was called, “Children of Gebelawi”. It tells the story of a rich man who sends his sons away from his house on the mountain. They live as normal men in the city. But their father still secretly controls them. Many readers believed that this rich man represented God. They believed his sons represented the holy men in Islam. The Islamic leaders decided⁸ that Nageeb had betrayed⁹ his religion. They said that it is wrong to write about a man in a way that represents God.
Voice 2
One particular leader was very unhappy. His name was Omar Abdel Rahman. He did not approve of this story. He even said that Nageeb should have been punished. Omar Abdel Rahman had a lot of influence. One young man listened especially to what he said. He became angry. That is why this young man attacked Nageeb Mahfouz in October 1994.
Voice 1
After the attack, Nageeb Mahfouz was in hospital for seven [7] weeks. The knife had cut a nerve¹⁰ in his right arm. His arm was very weak. He could not even hold a pen. But he exercised hard. And after many months he could use his right hand a little. After the attack Nageeb said:
Voice 3
“Some people are trying to put out the light of reason and thought. This is too extreme. We must be careful.”
Voice 2
Nageeb Mahfouz was a Muslim. But he believed that writers should be able to write what they wanted. He believed in tolerance¹¹. Tolerance is when you accept other people’s rights to have different ideas.
Voice 1
Nageeb Mahfouz was never the same after the knife attack. He continued to have many health problems. In July 2006, he fell in the street. He cut his head and had to go to hospital. He never came out again. Nageeb Mahfouz died on August the thirtieth in the Police Hospital near his home. He was ninety-four [94] years old.
Voice 2
People around the world were very sad when they heard the news. Another Egyptian writer said:
Voice 3
“He came to this world only to write.”
Voice 2
The President of Egypt also praised Nageeb:
Voice 3
“Mahfouz was a cultural light who brought Arabic literature into the world.”
Voice 2
In Cairo the government built a statue in his honour. The street where he used to live is now called “Nageeb Mahfouz” Street. People in Egypt and the whole world will remember Nageeb Mahfouz - the man whose writing influenced the world.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 tray   

n.盘，托盘，碟

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• A waitress came in,carrying tea on a tray.一名女侍者走进来，手端放着茶的托盘。

4 withdrew   

v.取[收]回( withdraw的过去式 )；（使）撤退[出]；提；收回

参考例句：

• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She quickly withdrew her hand from the hot iron. 她很快地将手从火烫的熨斗上缩了回来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

7 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 betrayed   

对…不忠( betray的过去式和过去分词 )； 背叛； 出卖； 泄露

参考例句：

• The shakes of the speaker's hands betrayed his nervousness. 发言者双手颤抖，可见他很紧张。
• He betrayed all his friends on his own account. 他为自己的利益出卖了所有的朋友。

10 nerve   

n.神经；勇气，胆量，沉着，果断

参考例句：

• Did he have the nerve to say that?他竟有脸说这话吗？
• He never got up enough nerve to meet me.他从没有足够的胆量来见我。

11 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。