环球英语 — 353：FilmAid

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight². 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
People are gathered together. The atmosphere is exciting. The children quieten. The film is about to start! Watching a film is the last thing people thought they would do here. These people are refugees⁴. They live in Kakuma camp, northern Kenya.
Voice 2
On a normal night around four thousand [4000] people gather at the Kakuma camp. The refugees travel from different areas to watch the film. They watch the film on a huge flat screen. The screen hangs from the side of the truck. It measures around three and a half metres by five. The crowds gather around it. All eyes are fixed⁵ on the screen. The people enjoy the films very much. Many of them come here three of four times a week to see a film. To them, the films are like a gift from God. There are not many ways to enjoy time in the refugee³ camp. The bright screen images and sounds fill people’s minds. For many, it is a welcome change from their usual mental images - of war and pain.
Voice 1
The films come from an organisation⁶ called ‘FilmAid.’ Caroline Baron⁷ started this aid group. She had the idea for ‘FilmAid’ in 1999. She was listening to a radio report one day. It was about refugees from Kosovo. And she heard how difficult their lives were. There was not much to do in the refugee camps. Their lives were hard. Caroline remembers;
Voice 3
‘I thought, what can I as a film producer do? What can the industry do? Something that was not just about raising money to send food and shelter. I could bring them what we create, what we live for, what we love, what is so universal’.
Voice 1
Caroline started work. She began telephoning people in the film industry. But she did not find it easy to persuade people to join her. Some questioned if her plan was a good one. Surely, they should be sending food and aid - not films?
Voice 2
So, Caroline spoke⁸ to the United Nations ambassador⁹ for Bosnia. And she spoke to the United Nation’s High Commissioner¹⁰ for Refugees. He told her that more than half of the refugees were children. Many had witnessed mass killings¹¹ and burials. He told her about one camp with a television. The television was small. There was limited space around it. And the atmosphere was hot. But still people had crowded around, in great numbers.
Voice 1
This was all that Caroline needed to hear! She went ahead with her plans. And in 1999, they were ready! They showed their first film. It was in Neprosteno refugee camp, Macedonia. Many children and adults came to watch. Caroline and the film team smiled. They had spent months working for this!
Voice 2
Today, FilmAid works in East Africa, Afghanistan, the USA Gulf¹² Coast and Macedonia. They reach more than one million [1,000,000] people spread across seven camps. Some of the films provide education as well as enjoyment¹³. In Tanzania the films address issues such as human rights, sex education, and health. These programmes have reached over two hundred thousand [200,000] refuges¹⁴. FilmAid has also worked to train local people how to use filming equipment. A Somali Community Leader from Kakuma Refugee Camp said this;
Voice 3
‘The program is very important to this refugee camp. It is helping¹⁶ to change people’s behaviour in good ways. First of all, FilmAid brings unity¹⁵ to the camp. Secondly¹⁷, it provides education in a situation where there is not enough. We have learned how to improve our relationships. And we have new ideas on how to solve problems.’
Voice 1
So, it seems the films are bringing education, enjoyment and hope to many. And for a short time, they bring a sense of normality to the camps. However, not everyone is able to concentrate on the films - even for a few hours. Hidagete Ismalie is a woman who was there when FilmAid first went to Kosovo. She stood in the refugee camp with her ageing father. Behind them, people watched an old film with the popular actor Charlie Chaplin. They laughed at the actor’s funny ways. Children clapped their hands. But Hidagete’s mind was too busy to watch the film. She was worrying about what to eat and where to sleep. She was wondering if her house still existed, if members of her family were still alive. ‘Maybe the films are nice for the children,’ she said.
Voice 2
Was Hidagete voicing the opinion of many? Should FilmAid put all its efforts into the usual, ‘practical’, aid? Caroline Baron said this,
Voice 3
‘People ask me, "How can you raise money for films when people clearly need food?" I ask the same question to the refugees. They say the film is like food for them. If their minds are not well, the food does not help.’
Voice 2
Similarly, A UN Refugee Agency worker said;
Voice 4
‘When people are in situations of this sort, it is not only the body that needs caring for. It is the mind and spirit as well.’
Voice 1
Refugees come together under a starlit sky. A young child smiles. Her eyes light up as she watches the exciting images across the screen. Somewhere in the back of her mind are adult images - of killings and blood. But for now, new images fill her young mind. It is a long time since this little girl has laughed. It is a long time since she acted like this - like a child.
Voice 2
At the back of the camp, a young man steps onto a truck. He is a refugee. But today, he is returning home. The truck will take him to the border. What does he think of FilmAid’s projects? He shrugs¹⁸ his shoulders as if he has no answer to the question. He apologises. He had not even noticed the film screen in his camp. His mind is too full for any new images. All he can see is the long road ahead.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

4 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

8 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。

9 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

10 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

11 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

13 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

14 refuges   

n.避难（所，处）( refuge的名词复数 )；避难所；庇护者；慰藉

参考例句：

• But, anyhow, there will be two refuges left for civilization. 但无论怎么说，世界还会给文明留下两个庇护之所。 来自名作英译部分
• In the summer heat these refuges must be especially grateful. 在炎热的夏天，这些避暑的地方一定特别受人欢迎。 来自辞典例句

15 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

18 shrugs   

n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
• She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网