英语听力—环球英语 771 Windmills in Malawi

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier to understand no matter where in the world you live.
Voice 1
How do you solve a problem? Today's Spotlight is on William Kamkwamba a young man who took the power of the wind to solve his family's problem.
Voice 2
William Kamkwamba grew up in the village of Mastala in Malawi. It is a farming³ village of about 60 families. William's family was large, about 20 people. Many of the families in the village made money by growing food and tobacco⁴ plants. William went to school with many other children in the village. And he was a good student. But when he was 14 years old, William's parents took him out of school. They did not have enough money. So he worked with them at home instead.
Voice 1
As William worked, he observed the wind blowing across the countryside. He wanted to put this wind to work. He wanted to find a way to use the wind. He remembered seeing a book about windmills when he was in school. These tall structures⁶ stand in open areas. At the top of the windmill, the wind turns connected pieces of metal. And this makes electricity.
Voice 2
William knew that wind energy was free to use. All he had to do was build a windmill. Windmills create renewable energy. That is, energy that never stops being created. People often create energy by burning things such as oil, gas, wood, or coal. Burning these materials does create energy. But they cost money. And they are gone once they are used - they cannot be re-used.
Voice 1
But renewable energy cannot be completely⁷ used up. There are three main kinds of renewable energy. Water power from flowing rivers and streams. Solar power from the sun, and wind power. Windmills are the best way to control and use wind power. They are also called wind turbines⁸. The wind turns long pieces of metal or wood. These cause another metal or wood bar to turn. This bar turns the parts of a machine called a generator⁹. The generator changes the wind energy into electricity. People can use this electricity in their homes.
Voice 2
William wanted to build a windmill to create electricity for his home. So he went to the local book-lending center, the library. He borrowed some books about windmills. The books explained how windmills worked. They said that the windmills could create electricity or even pump water. But the books did not teach how to build a windmill.
Voice 1
William loved science and engineering¹⁰. He liked to learn how things worked. So William found materials in his own village. He started trying to make his own windmill. He used all the sticks, plastic pipes, and pieces of metal he could find. He worked for two months building his first windmill. It was a tall wooden structure⁵. On the top was part of a two wheeled bicycle. A turning wheel connected to the bicycle wheels. The turning wheel was made with long pieces of plastic to catch the wind.
Voice 2
People in his village did not understand what William was doing. They thought he was going insane¹¹. They could not believe that William could build something that would make electricity. But then they saw that the windmill could power two radios and four electric lights. And they understood that the windmill could be useful. Then people wanted to help William.
Voice 1
The windmill made life better for the Kamkwamba family. They no longer had to buy oil for light. William's sisters could stay awake into the night to study for school, using lights powered by the wind.
Voice 2
When his windmill was finished, William returned the books to the library. He talked to the library worker about the project. And the library worker asked if he could come to see the windmill. But the worker did not come alone. He brought newspaper writers with him.
Voice 1
The writers were amazed¹² that William taught himself how windmills worked. They did not think that a boy who did not finish school could do something so amazing.
Voice 2
Time went on and William built more windmills. He improved his first windmill. He learned¹³ a lot as he built more windmills. He built a windmill for the school in his village. And he used it to teach other people how to build windmills.
Voice 1
More people learned of William and his windmills. And finally, a group of businessmen became interested in William. They invited William to a large technology conference¹⁴ in Tanzania. William talked about his first windmill. Many people were surprised at William's story. They wanted to help him. The first step was to help William return to school.
Voice 2
At the conference, William also used a computer for the first time. He searched on the internet for information about windmills. He was amazed at all the information. He knew there was much more he could do and learn.
Voice 1
Many people gave money to William. William used this for many projects. He repaired the homes of his family and friends. He bought his cousins and sisters their first books. People gave computers that William brought to the school in his village. And now for the first time, William and his family can now go to the doctor to make sure they stay healthy.
Voice 2
Finally, William worked with people in his village to dig¹⁵ a well. William has a dream to build a large windmill that could pump water for his whole village. This water could help all the crops in the village grow better.
Voice 1
William has travelled all over the world learning¹⁶ about renewable energy. He has met with important people. And he has taught them about how renewable energy can be used in poor villages like his in Malawi. A writer is writing a book about William. Film-makers are making a movie about William's life. William continues to attend school and continues to learn about new ways to create electricity. He hopes to someday to start a company that makes windmills. William wants to create free, dependable electricity for people all over the world.
Voice 2
To learn more about William and his work, you can visit his website. William writes about the places he visits, the people he meets, and the work he is doing. You can find a link to his website on the script¹⁷ page for this program.
 

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 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。

4 tobacco   

n.烟草；烟草制品；抽烟

参考例句：

• Tobacco is considered by some to be an evil.烟草被有些人认为是一种祸害.
• A large amount of money is spent on tobacco every year.每年在烟草上花去大量的钱.

5 structure   

n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成；

参考例句：

• Doctors study the structure of the human body.医生研究人体构造。
• A flower has quite a complicated structure.一朵花的结构相当复杂。

6 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

8 turbines   

涡轮机( turbine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These turbines can be broadly split into two basic types, the impulse and the reaction turbines. 这些汽轮机可大致分为两种基本类型，即冲动式和反动式。
• The steam is carried through pipes to steam turbines which drive the electric generators. 蒸汽经过输送管进入汽轮机，汽轮机再带动发电机。

9 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

10 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。

11 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

12 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

13 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

14 conference   

n.（正式的）会议；讨论

参考例句：

• We're having a conference and we'd like you to sit in.我们将举行一次会议，希望你来旁听。
• The conference will come to a close this afternoon.今天下午会议闭幕。

15 dig   

v.挖（洞，沟等）；掘

参考例句：

• It is difficult to dig the ground when it is frozen.地面冻住了就不易挖掘。
• In those days we often went to dig for wild vegetables.那时候我们常常出去挖野菜。

16 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。

17 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。