英语听力—环球英语 1285 Freedom for Thinking

 Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

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　　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.

 

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　　It is a hot day near Kolkata, India. The children are at school. They are learning² poems and songs. But they are not inside a building. The students are sitting outside under large trees.

 

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　　Is this a good way to learn? Writer and activist³ Rabindranath Tagore believed that it was. Today’s Spotlight is on Tagore’s life and the school that he started in India.

 

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　　Tagore was born in 1861 in Kolkata, India. He was born into a wealthy and well educated family. Tagore did many great things in his life time. He travelled around the world. He was friends with many famous people. He wrote the national song for both India and Bangladesh. Millions of people love his poems and music. More than one hundred years later, his writing continues to influence Indian culture.

 

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　　However, as a boy he did not like school. He did not want to sit in a school building. So Tagore’s older brothers taught him many things at home. He learned⁴ about music and painting. But he enjoyed writing most of all. Tagore wrote his first poem when he was seven years old. His first book of poems was published when he was only 17. He wrote poems about many things including love, life, spiritual matters, and politics.

 

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　　Tagore also wrote about education. He believed that there are many different ways to learn. And each child must learn in his own way. In one of his poems, he said:

 

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　　‘Do not limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.’

 

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　　In the early 1900s the government of Britain ruled the country of India. During this time very few Indian children went to school. All the schools were like the schools in Britain. Children were expected to sit inside a classroom. They had to listen to the teacher all day long. Then, they were tested on how much they could remember.

 

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　　Tagore remembered that he did not learn well in this kind of school. So he decided⁵ to create his own school. He wanted this school to be a different place for learning. Tagore’s school opened in 1901. He named it Santiniketan. This word means “house of peace” in the Bengali language. Santiniketan began with just five students. It also had five teachers! Tagore’s aim was to have a school where children enjoyed their learning.

 

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　　Rabindranath Tagore believed that the children should feel connected to nature. The students were encouraged to play and spend time in nature. Their classes met outside. This way they learned more than just information. They learned to live at peace with the world.

 

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　　Tagore also wanted the students to be connected to their local culture. Most other schools in India were taught in English. At Santiniketan, teachers used the local Bengali language. The students also learned songs and dances from their local area. They learned skills in arts and crafts⁶ such as making shoes and dying⁷ cloth. But Tagore also wanted his students to understand the world. They studied many other cultures. The school even had teachers from other countries.

 

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　　Students at Santiniketan were encouraged to spend time thinking about spiritual and religious issues. India is a nation with many different religions. Tagore believed in respecting all religions. He thought spirituality was an important part of searching for truth. During a speech in the United States he said:

 

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　　"The object of education is to give man the unity⁸ of truth. I believe in a spiritual world that is not separate from this world. It is the most important truth. With the breath of life we must always feel that we are living in God."

 

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　　Tagore wanted the children at his school to have the same goal. He was not concerned about tests and results. He believed that it was more important for the children to learn about the world around them. He believed that children needed freedom to think and explore.

 

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　　Tagore’s school was a success. The students there did not always get the best results on tests. But they studied many different subjects. They learned many important skills. And the school made them very creative.

 

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　　Many students from Tagore’s school become famous as adults. The former Prime⁹ Minister of India, Indhira Gandhi, went to Tagore’s school. So did economist¹⁰ and writer Amartya Sen. Sen received a Nobel Prize in Economics¹¹ in 1998.

 

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　　Famous Indian film maker¹², Satyajit Ray also attended Tagore’s school. Ray even made a film about Rabindranath Tagore. He believed Tagore’s school had a big influence on his success. He told the Guardian¹³ newspaper:

 

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　　“The years I spent at Santiniketan were the most productive¹⁴ of my life…It was there that I first saw how wonderful Indian art was. Until then I was only influenced by western art, music and literature. Santiniketan made me the combined product of East and West that I am.”

 

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　　In 1913 Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He received the award for his book of poems called Gitanjali. He was the first non-European person to receive a Nobel Prize. This achievement was important to Tagore. But it was not the most important thing.

 

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　　The most important thing to Tagore was thinking. He believed all children should have the freedom to think. This idea was very new and different at that time. Even today, Tagore’s school is very different. In one of his poems from Gitanjali, Tagore explains his ideas for education. He wished these things for the people of his country:

 

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　　“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into pieces by narrow walls… Where the clear river of reason has not lost its way into the desert sand; Into that heaven of freedom, My Father, let my country awake.”

 

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　　This dream of Rabindranath Tagore is still alive today. It lives on through Santiniketan school. What do you think about Tagore’s school? Do you think this different kind of education is good? Email us your thoughts at [email protected].

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Freedom for Thinking’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can leave your comments on our website. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. 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 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。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 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。

5 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。

6 crafts   

n.工艺( craft的名词复数 )；行业；飞机；飞行器

参考例句：

• traditional crafts like basket-weaving 像编篮子之类的传统工艺
• an arts and crafts emporium 工艺品商店

7 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

8 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。

9 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

10 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

11 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

12 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

13 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

14 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。