环球英语 — 255：Listener Mail 89

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. 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 7
My name is Maria - I’m Venezuelan. I’m learning³ English. Spotlight seems to be a great tool for learning this important language.
Voice 8
I am from the beautiful southern island of Phu Quoc. My favourite Spotlight programme was “The Children of Colombia.
Voice 7
I am from Yacapani, Bolivia. You have great topics. The programme that touched my soul was, “A Father’s Love”...
Voice 1
Welcome to our listener⁴ mail programme! We begin with a letter about Teachers’ Day. In an earlier Spotlight programme, we spoke⁵ about World Teachers’ Day. This is on October the 5th each year. On this day, people celebrate good teachers. The aim of the day is also to encourage support for teachers. This support helps teachers to meet the needs of future generations. Santiago from Quito, Ecuador wrote about Ecuador’s national Teaching⁶ Day:
Voice 3
‘I would like to share that in my country, we celebrate Teacher’s Day on April the thirteenth [13th]. On that date, some memories come to my mind of when I was a child. I remember when I had to give a speech about teacher’s day. I felt so nervous!’
‘I remember my first teacher. He is a priest⁷. His name is Mariano Cruz. We call him ‘Brother Cruz.’ He was a good teacher. And he was a good person too!’
Voice 1
Thanks Santiago. Yes, giving speeches is not easy - especially when you are young! Teachers’ Day was a good subject to talk about. Good teachers are very important. Their teaching can influence the whole of children’s lives as they grow older. I can still remember my first teacher, and some of the things she said. And that was a long time ago now!
Voice 2
While we are on the subject of teaching - how about some idioms? Our next letter comes from Serdar Alagoz. He writes:
Voice 4
“I want to improve my English by idioms... I want to learn idioms. What must I do for this? Will you help me?”
Voice 2
Well, Serdar, the aim of Spotlight programmes is to communicate English clearly to our listeners⁹ around the world. An idiom is an expression of speech. Individual words in an idiom may mean something different from their usual meaning. They can make English more difficult to understand! So, you will not find many idioms in a Spotlight programme script¹⁰. However, there are many good websites that are all about idioms. Look for some links on the script page of this programme.
Voice 1
But in today’s Spotlight, we will break our rules about idioms. Today’s hodgepodge is all about idioms! And not just any idioms. We are looking at idioms to do with...money.
Voice 2
“That car costs a pretty penny¹¹!” This does not mean that the car costs one beautiful coin! Just the opposite - the car costs a lot of money.
Voice 1
Someone may call a business or product, a “cash cow”. For example, "That coffee store is a real “cash cow!” They are not talking about an animal that produces money. They mean that the coffee store is very successful. It makes a lot of money.
Voice 2
Here is another idiom. “Where did you buy that watch? It looks as cheap as chips!” In other words, your watch did not cost very much money!
Voice 1
You may hear someone say, “money does not grow on trees!” They say this when they think someone is spending money too easily. “It does not grow on trees” means¹² you cannot get money easily. So, you should be careful how you spend it.
Voice 2
And now a letter from Phuong. Phuong writes to tell us some cultural information about his country: Vietnam¹³.
Voice 5
‘Vietnam is a beautiful country. The people are friendly and welcoming. We have a long history, and beautiful places to visit. We also have tasty food. Have you ever eaten ‘pho?’ This is a good traditional food for us!’
Voice 2
Thanks for sharing this information, Phuong. I read that people have been eating pho for around one hundred years. And it began as boiled meat - beef, broth⁸ and noodles! Is that right?
Voice 1
Phuong also writes about a problem with Spotlight!
Voice 5
‘I cannot listen to Spotlight on the radio in my country. We do not have it on any station here. So, I can only listen on my computer.’
Voice 1
Well, it is great that you can listen to Spotlight on the Internet. But you are right. Spotlight is not on the radio in Vietnam. Do you know any radio stations near where you live? You can share Spotlight with those stations. We would be happy to help you with this. Just e-mail us: [email protected].
Voice 2
Our final letter comes from Andrey Lopatin in Saint¹⁴ Petersburg, Russia. He writes:
Voice 6
“Recently I watched a Russian television show. It was about...transgene engineering¹⁵...This issue¹⁶ has interested my mind. I would like to learn more about it. So I have written to you..."
Voice 2
Thank you for writing to us about this subject, Andrey. Transgene, or genetic¹⁷, engineering is a very difficult issue. People usually have very strong opinions either for or against it. Genetic engineering involves very complex¹⁸ technology. And it gives scientists a degree of control over the development of life. For example, they can take the genes¹⁹ from one kind of creature and move them to another. Or, they can take the genes from an animal and put them into a plant. This gives the plant or animal new characteristics²⁰, and new abilities. It can make them more useful to people. But there are no barriers²¹ with genetic engineering. And that is what many people struggle with. They ask, how will this work affect the natural balance of the world? And if scientists can change plants and animals, how long before they start to “improve” on basic human design?
Voice 1
Andrey finishes his e-mail by saying:
Voice 6
"I am sure that this kind of programme on transgene engineering would be interesting not only for me but for many other listeners too.”
Voice 1
Well Andrey, there are several programmes on our website that deal with this subject. Here are 3 of them: “Pandora’s Box, “Cotton for Lunch” and “Saving Crop Diversity”. And look out for future programmes on this issue soon!
 

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 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 listener   

n.听众；收听者

参考例句：

• I'm a regular listener to her show.我经常收听她的节目。
• She became an attentive listener.她变成了一个专心致志的聆听者。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

7 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

8 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

9 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。

11 penny   

n.（英）便士，美分

参考例句：

• I will not lent you a penny.我一便士都不愿借给你。
• Sugar has risen a penny a pound.糖价每磅涨了1便士。

12 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

13 Vietnam   

n.越南

参考例句：

• Vietnam is suffering from food shortage.越南正遭受食物短缺之苦。
• Laos is on the west of Vietnam.老挝在越南西面。

14 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

15 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

16 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

17 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

18 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

19 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

20 characteristics   

n.特性，特征，特色，[数]（对数的）首数( characteristic的名词复数 )；独特性；性质

参考例句：

• the textural characteristics of the rocks 岩石的纹理特征
• Men have ascribed their own characteristics to their gods. 人们认为他们的特性属于诸神。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 barriers   

n.障碍( barrier的名词复数 )；屏障；栅栏；分界线

参考例句：

• The crowd had to stand behind barriers. 人群只好站在障碍物后面。
• the dissolution of barriers of class and race 阶级和种族隔阂的消除