英语听力—环球英语 642 Burial Business

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geertsma
Voice 2
And I’m Robin² Basselin. Spotlight 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 hot day in the town of Teshi, just outside the capital of Ghana. The people are busy. Children are hurrying to school. Market and street sellers compete for customers. Other people own stores, others are traders. But there is one business here that is very unusual. In fact, people visit Teshi just to see the products of this business - unusual burial boxes.
Voice 2
People crowd inside the busy shop in Teshi. Inside, is Isaac Adjetey Sowah. He is the manager of the family business. All around him are brightly coloured wooden boxes. Isaac has made them himself. Carefully, he cuts them out of wood into different shapes. Some are cut into fish shapes, others look like vehicles. A woman and daughter walk into the store. They look at all the different boxes closely. They choose a fish box. They pay for the box and leave the store. The box is large, so Isaac will take it to their house later in the day. The old woman will use this coffin³ to bury her husband’s dead body.
Voice 1
Isaac and his family have designed many different shapes. There are animal coffins⁴ for the farmers, coffee beans for the land workers, elephants, mobile cell phones and many more. So what are the most popular or interesting designs? Fish coffins are popular. There are many fishermen in this part of Ghana. The fishing trade provides money for many families. So when a fisherman dies, his family often choose to bury his body in a fish shaped coffin. Another popular coffin design is the Bible. Many Ghanaians are Christians⁵. Choosing this design helps them during their painful experience - as they remember their hope in Jesus’ promise of heaven. Isaac says that he has even designed a big white angel shaped coffin for one person!
Some people say that the idea of designing specially⁶ shaped coffins comes from an old Ghanaian story.
Voice 2
Local people tell of a man called Atta Owoo. He made fine objects out of wood. One of his best creations⁷ was a beautiful seat. He made it in the shape of a great bird - an eagle. The chief of the village sat on the seat. Local people lifted the seat high into the air. They carried the chief from place to place. It was a good way to travel. It made the chief look very important. In time, another chief saw the seat. And he wanted one for himself. But he did not want an eagle seat. He wanted one in the shape of a cocoa pod. The cocoa pod is a very important crop to the people of Ghana. The chief knew that a seat in the shape of a cocoa pod would make him look very important. But before the cocoa pod seat was completed, the chief died. So, his family decided⁸ to change the seat into a coffin. They then buried the chief in his cocoa pod coffin. And in this way, so the story says, a tradition was started.
Voice 1
Families today choose the design of a coffin carefully. They choose designs that show the dead person’s trade or interests. For example, Isaac made a snail⁹ coffin for a snail seller. He made a coffin shaped like a writing pen for a news reporter. Isaac’s show room is filled with many different designs - from body parts to a bottle of alcohol!
Voice 2
Sometimes families choose a coffin to express their loved one’s desire. For example, one grandmother had never been in an airplane. She would have liked to travel to a different country. But she died before she had the chance. Her family decided to bury her in a coffin shaped like an airplane. But whatever the members of a family choose one thing is sure. They will be paying for the coffin for a long time. These coffins cost over 400 dollars. This could be a year’s wages for many people in Ghana. However, people are willing to pay this. Funerals and burials are very important to the Ga people of Ghana. They have their own beliefs about burials. For them, it is important to show respect to the spirit of their ancestors.
Voice 1
Doctor Aksoua Darkway is a sociologist¹⁰ from Ghana. She said that not everyone believes in life after death today. But the coffin designs are a way of showing respect for a person’s life.
Voice 3
‘Maybe the person was an important carpenter, or teacher. If they were a teacher we bury them in a pen. It is one of the ways we show respect, honour and thanks.’
Voice 2
Isaac Adjetey Sowah is happy that his business does well. But it is not all about the money. He also believes that he is helping¹¹ people. Mourning the death of a loved person is a very difficult time. Choosing a special coffin can help people to deal with their sadness. Isaac is happy to make any sort of coffin that shows respect to the dead person.
Voice 1
So has Isaac chosen his own coffin design? Yes, he says. It will be in the shape of a carpenter’s plane! A carpenter’s plane is hand tool. Isaac uses it to shape the wooden coffins. He will use it to shape his own coffin.
Voice 2
The Ga people’s coffin designs are not only popular in Ghana. The idea has been exported around the world. You can even order one on the Internet! It is a bit like looking inside a children’s play store, or a joke book. One site reads ‘Something to die for.’ ‘To die for’ is an English expression that people use to describe something they really want. People pay up to 1500 dollars for their chosen box. Death has become a costly¹² business. Rightly or wrongly, people are willing to pay the price.
 

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

4 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

7 creations   

创造( creation的名词复数 )； 创造物； （尤指所述由上帝）创造天地； 宇宙

参考例句：

• This artist's creations are worth collecting. 这个艺术家的作品值得收藏。
• The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. 各民族的精神产品成了公共的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

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 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

10 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

11 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。

12 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。