英语听力—环球英语 1154 Going to the Forest

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"Keep close to Nature's heart... break away from your life and climb a mountain or spend a week in the forest. Wash your spirit clean."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　These are the words of John Muir. John Muir was an American writer and naturalist² - he was particularly interested in learning³ about natural places. Through his writing, he shared his love of wild places. But his most important work was in protecting those places for all people. Today's Spotlight is on John Muir.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Muir lived in the late eighteen hundreds. At this time there were also many writers who believed that wild natural places were necessary. They believed that people needed to experience nature. And they were studying the importance of natural environments.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Muir wrote in a different way. He compared the forests to beautiful Christian⁴ churches. He wrote about the mountains as divine⁵ - like God. He spoke⁶ about the glory⁷ of natural light. This spiritual⁸ side of his writing appealed to many readers. He was able to describe the beauty of wild places in fresh ways. His writing has inspired many generations of people to fall in love with nature.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Muir was born in 1838. Muir's father was the leader of a Christian church. His father would require long hours of studying the Bible⁹. But unlike¹⁰ his father, Muir looked to the natural world to understand God. Muir did not like to sit still. He wanted time outside, instead of studying in his house.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　As a young man, Muir invented many things - including a device¹¹ to push him out of bed in the morning. He showed these devices¹² at a state event. Because of this, he met a woman who would influence him later in life. Her name was Jeanne Carr. Mrs. Carr encouraged Muir to go to college. There, he studied biology and geology¹³ - the world of plants and of rocks. He left school before finishing a degree. But he would continue this study for the rest of his life. And he continued to share his ideas and observations¹⁴ with Mrs. Carr in letters. She was an important encouragement to this work.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　After college, Muir used his skill with inventing in several factories. He was successful and popular in this work. But then, in eighteen sixty seven [1867], he had a terrible accident. He was using a tool and it moved suddenly out of his hand. He hurt his eye very badly. He had to live in a dark room for six weeks to heal¹⁵. And he worried that he would become completely¹⁶ blind. This experience forced him to think about the direction of his life. He decided¹⁷ to follow his dreams and study nature. He wrote,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"This terrible time has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So, in September of 1867, Muir began walking. He would walk one thousand miles - nearly 1600 kilometres. He started in the state of Indiana and walked south, all the way to Florida. He later wrote a book about it called "A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf¹⁸." He avoided cities and roads. Instead, he walked the most wild paths possible.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　His plan was to take a boat from Florida to South America and continue walking. However, he became sick with malaria¹⁹ in Florida. Instead, he travelled across the country to California²⁰.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　He arrived in California in March of 1868. He spent a week in Yosemite Valley. This is one of the most beautiful places in the United²¹ States. It has high, snow covered mountains. And it has deep green valleys and forests. At that time, very few people had seen this place. During this week, Muir fell in love with this beautiful place. He wrote,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite... The best of all special temples of Nature."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Muir lived in the valley for several years. He had small jobs, including caring for sheep, and cutting trees. He also built a small house to live in. He built it close to a very small river. This way, he could always hear the sound of water. He also wrote about the Yosemite Valley. He described the beauty of the area. He made scientific observations of the plants and mountains. And he also began to write about the need to protect the valley.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 1903 Muir was visited by President Theodore Roosevelt. They walked together and discussed the value of this natural environment. Muir talked to Roosevelt about protecting the area, as a wild place. Roosevelt then asked Muir to show him the wild parts of Yosemite. The two men stayed out in the wild for the night. In the morning, new snow covered them.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This trip with the president was very important. Roosevelt knew that this beautiful place needed to be protected. The experience led to the development of the National Parks system in the United States. These natural places are protected for people to use and enjoy - the goal that Muir shared with Roosevelt. Muir is often known²² as the Father of the National Parks. He wrote,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"God has cared for these trees, saved them from times without rain, disease²³, heavy snow, and a thousand storms and floods. But he cannot save them from fools."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Muir also started the Sierra Club. This organization continues to be an important conservation²⁴ organization in the United States. They work with government, and other organizations to protect natural spaces. They also work to improve the environment by fighting pollution.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Later in life, Muir married and had children. He worked on his father-in-law's farm. But he could not stay in his house for too long. His wife would send him back to the forests. He had a warm, safe place to live, but he said that the wilderness²⁵ was his real "home." He wrote,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"The mountains are calling and I must go."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Muir continued his work in protecting natural places for the rest of his life. And he continued to write. He wrote twelve books, and more than three hundred shorter stories. This work continues to encourage people to continue his work today.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"Every person needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and spirit."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes²⁶ were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called 'Going to the Forest'.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

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 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 divine   

adj.神的，上帝的，神圣的，如神的，非凡的

参考例句：

• Jesus is believed by Christians to have been divine.基督教徒们相信耶稣是神。
• The despot claimed to be the chosen instrument of divine providence.专制者声称自己是上天选定的统治工具。

6 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。

7 glory   

n.光荣，荣誉；壮丽，辉煌；v.自豪，得意，狂喜

参考例句：

• I was fascinated by the glory of the sunset.落日的壮观把我吸引住了。
• Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom.智者不可夸耀自己智慧。

8 spiritual   

adj.精神上的，神圣的，崇高的，高尚的，鬼的，招魂论的&n.有关教会的事

参考例句：

• His spiritual nature is good.他心灵本质上是善良的。
• Their friendship was strictly spiritual.他们的友情完全是精神上的。

9 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

10 unlike   

adj.不同的，不相似的；prep.不像，和...不同

参考例句：

• She's very unlike her mother.她一点也不像她母亲。
• It's unlike him to be late;he's usually on time.他不是会迟到的那种人，他通常很准时。

11 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

12 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

13 geology   

n.地质学，（某地）地质

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• In his lecture on geology,he touched on the subject of climate.他在关于地质学的报告中，也涉及气候问题。

14 observations   

n.观察资料( observation的名词复数 )；观察力；注意；言论

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion. 他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He made valuable observations on the prices. 他对物价问题提出了宝贵的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

16 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。

17 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。

18 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。

19 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

20 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

21 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

22 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

23 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

24 conservation   

n.保存，保持，守恒

参考例句：

• She is interested in conservation of environment.她对环境保护这个问题十分关心。
• Our community is a leader in the conservation of wildlife.我们社区在野生动物保护方面走在前头。

25 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

26 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》