英语听力—环球英语 1258 Living Without Money

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹, I'm Adam Navis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

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

 

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　　"I feel free. My heart is my home now."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Today's Spotlight is on Heidemarie Schwermer. Heidemarie believes that people today have a problem. We place too much value on money and things. She believes that we have started to define² ourselves by what we own. To fight against this, she has been living without money for over thirteen years.

 

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　　In most places in the world, Heidemarie is unusual. Most people use money for everything. It is the way to get what we need. But it is not the only way. There are many situations that can force a person to live without money - situations like war, or natural disasters. And all of these situations are troubling. The people facing this extreme³ poverty⁴ and difficulty⁵ need help.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Heidemarie Shwermer had money. She had a job and a home. She chose to give it all away. She chose to live without money.

 

　　Heidemarie stopped using money because she wanted to help people. She had moved to a new town in Germany. She saw that there were many people living on the streets. Many people did not have jobs or homes. So she started a group that she hoped would help.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　It was called Gib und Nimm. In English this means⁶ Give and Take. It was a place where people from the city could bring goods and services to trade. So, for example, if you were good at fixing electricity you would offer that service. Another person may be good at cutting hair. So you would trade services. People could also trade goods. If you had books you were finished reading, you could bring them in. Another person may have extra clothes. You could trade books for clothes.

 

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　　This is not a new idea. Before money existed, this is how society worked. Everyone would trade goods and services with each other. And this is the way life still works⁷ in places where people have very little money.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Heidemarie hoped that the people living on the streets would come to her Give and Take. But they did not. They did not think that she could understand them. They did not think her new idea would help. But this did not stop Heidemarie. She still wanted to make a difference.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So she started giving away everything she owned. She decided⁸ that she was not going to buy anything. She would only give away or trade. People did not always understand her. But Heidemarie says that the more she gave away, the better she felt.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So how did Heidemarie survive without using money? Heidemarie was trained as a therapist⁹. She would listen to people talk and try to help them with their problems. She was able to give this service for many things she needed, like eye glasses. She believed that all work had value. She did not think that having more education made her better than other people. So she also started doing other jobs, like cleaning and washing.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Finally, in 1996, Heidemarie made a big decision. She decided to give up her job and her house and live without any money for one year. She would move from house to house offering¹⁰ services for a place to sleep. She would get food and clothing by trading. She only carried around a few things.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　She loved this way of life so much that she is still doing it today, over thirteen years later! Here is how she explained her new life to the British newspaper The Times,

 

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　　"Life became much more exciting and beautiful. I had everything I needed. I knew I could not go back to my old life. I had much joy. My body felt better than it ever had. But, living without money was just a first step. I knew that I wanted to change the world. But, I could not change the world just by giving my services for a place to stay. I knew I had to do more."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This is why Heidemarie now travels to many places to talk to people about her life. She wrote a book about her life. And soon there will be a film about her, too. She hopes that people will see her story and think about their own lives. Heidemarie knows that the divide between rich people and poor people is growing. And she hopes that she can plant a seed in people's hearts. She hopes people will ask themselves "What do I need? How do I want to live?"

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Heidemarie also believes that money can get in the way of happiness. She says that all people have value and worth and skills to share. This is more important than money and things. But she also knows that the people who have money feel safe. They do not want to give it up. And she knows that there are many people without money who need food, homes, and health. This is not an easy problem to solve.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The problem of rich and poor has been around a long time. The Bible¹¹ talks about this problem a lot. Christians¹² believe that God cares about the poor. God also warns¹³ people about being rich. He says that being rich in money and wealth can cause many problems. One Bible verse¹⁴ says,

 

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　　"The love of money is the cause of all kinds of evil¹⁵. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith. They cause themselves a lot of pain."

 

　　1 Timothy 6: 10

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Sometimes, people use this saying incorrectly¹⁶. They say that "money is the cause of all evil." But the Bible is saying that the love of money is the problem. The problem with money is that people start to value it more than anything else. But the Bible teaches that God wants us to value people and relationships and service.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Heidemarie believes this, too. She knows that people need money to survive. But she also knows that too many people believe that money is the most important thing. She hopes that her life choices can get people thinking about how they value money. She wants people to feel free.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Sara Leo. The producer was Adam Navis. All quotes¹⁷ were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users¹⁸ can find these programs on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This .program is called "Living Without Money."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　If you have a comment or question about this program, you can email us. Our email address is [email protected]. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Thanks for listening. 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 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

3 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

4 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

5 difficulty   

n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境

参考例句：

• If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难，请迅速通知我们。
• A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。

6 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。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

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 therapist   

n.治疗专家

参考例句：

• My therapist helped me feel my anger.我的治疗专家帮助我感受自己的怒气。
• Family therapists.家庭治疗师。

10 offering   

n.提供，奉献物，牲礼

参考例句：

• What is your competition offering?你的竞争者提出的条件是什么？
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

11 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。

12 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。

13 warns   

v.警告( warn的第三人称单数 )；提醒；告诫；预先通知

参考例句：

• He warns that there are some important safety rules for paragliding. 他提醒说滑翔运动里有一些非常重要的安全规则。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• Cancer expert Barrie Cassileth warns that alternative treatments may pose serious dangers. 癌症专家巴瑞 - 卡西莱斯警告，一些替代性的治疗方法可能导致严重的危险。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 癌症与艾滋病

14 verse   

n.诗，韵文，诗行

参考例句：

• He is good at verse.他善于作诗。
• His book was in parts written in verse.他的书有许多地方是用韵文写的。

15 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

16 incorrectly   

adv.错误地

参考例句：

• The oral message was incorrectly transmitted.口信传达错了。
• I'v filled in this form incorrectly.Can I have another blank?我把表格填错了。再给我一张空白的，可以吗？

17 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》

18 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。