英语听力—环球英语 1287 The Global Soap Project

 　　Voice 1

 

　　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

 

　　As a young boy, Derreck Kayongo was a refugee³ in Kenya. He lived in terrible conditions. Derreck remembers one thing in particular - he did not have soap to wash his hands. Derreck saw how this lack of soap affected⁴ the people around him. The bacteria from human waste or other things they touched travelled on their hands. They did not have soap to kill the bacteria – they only had water to wash. So, bacteria from their hands entered into their bodies. And often this made them very sick. Now Derreck is able to wash his hands with soap many times each day. But he has not forgotten his life as a refugee. Today’s Spotlight is on Derreck Kayongo and his work to give soap to refugees⁵ around the world.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　As a child, Derreck Kayongo lived in Uganda. His father worked two jobs. One of these jobs was making soap. Life for Derreck’s family was very good. But in the 1970s Idi Amin became president of the country. He ruled with oppressive power. Other political groups fought against his government. The country was not safe. So in 1979 Derreck’s family left the country. They became refugees in Kenya. Derreck described his experience in a short film on Fox News.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“When you run as a refugee, you do not prepare yourself. You do not say, ‘we are going to go for a trip’. No, you are being kicked out. So you run and you leave everything behind. No toilets, no sinks. So the conditions are just horrible.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Derreck lived as a refugee for many years. Then, in the 1990s, a religious worker helped Derreck travel to the United States. He arrived in the city of Philadelphia. There he stayed in a hotel. This hotel put three bars of soap in every room. When Derreck found this soap, he was very excited. This was so different than his experience as a refugee. Derreck explained this difference to the CNN news organization.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“You awake every morning thinking, ‘We just want to survive.’ Cleaning yourself to prevent disease⁶ is not a main concern.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Derreck was pleased to have soap. He used one bar of soap that day. He put the other two bars of soap into his bag for later. The next day, Derreck went into the bathroom. Next to the sink, there were three new bars of soap! He wondered what happened to the bar of soap he had already begun to use. He looked for it and could not find it. He became concerned. What if the hotel charged him for the missing⁷ bars of soap?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So Derreck gathered the two bars of soap from his bag. He also gathered the three new bars of soap. He went to talk with a hotel worker. He explained that he had taken two bars of soap. He told the hotel worker he wanted to return the soap he had taken.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But the hotel worker told Derreck that he did not steal the soap! He told him the hotel put new bars of soap in each room every day! Then Derreck asked what happened to the bar of soap that he had been using. The hotel worker informed him that all of the once used bars of soap were considered waste or garbage.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Derreck thought about his life as a refugee. For refugees, soap was very valuable. They knew its power to fight disease. But it simply cost too much. Derreck told CNN,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"The issue is not whether there is enough soap in Uganda. The issue is cost. Most people in Uganda earn $1 a day. Soap costs 25 cents. I am not an expert in mathematics. But I am telling you that I am not going to spend that 25 cents on a bar of soap. I am going to buy sugar. I am going to buy medicine. I am going to do all the things I think are keeping me alive.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Derreck’s experience at the hotel gave him an idea. He did some research. He discovered that there are about 4.6 million [4,600,000]  hotel rooms in the United States. And most were throwing away used bars of soap every day. This research made him wonder about another idea. He explained to Fox News what he was thinking.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“What if we collect those bars of soap? We can turn them into fresh new bars of soap. Then we can bring them home to Uganda. Why do we not do that?”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So in 2009, Derreck started the Global Soap Project. He asked a few local hotels to save used soap instead of throwing it away as garbage. Then he collected it from them. Soon, more hotels agreed to save their used soap for Derreck. Today, the Global Soap Project receives soap from over 300 hotels in the United States.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Volunteers work for the Global Soap Project for free. These volunteers inspect each bar of soap. They cut a thin outer layer off of the soap. Then they melt the remaining soap. The melted soap passes through a filter⁸. This removes any dirt or particles⁹ that cannot be seen. Then the volunteers heat the soap again and let it get hard. Finally, they cut new bars of soap.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　A laboratory¹⁰ tests the soap when it is finished. These tests make sure the new soap does not contain any bacteria. If the test results are good, the soap is ready!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Global Soap Project is a not for profit organization. People give money to the organization to pay for the soap making process. This way, the Global Soap Project can give the soap to people who need it most - for free! The Global Soap Project works¹¹ with many other not for profit organizations. These organizations help bring the new soap to refugees in other countries.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In 2011, CNN honored¹² Derreck. They reported that since the Global Soap Project began, it has made more than 100,000 new bars of soap. And it has given this new soap to people in nine different countries. Even with this great work, Derreck told CNN he hopes for more.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I hope one day to become an expert soap making operation...I want to be a soap company where people who are in crisis¹³ can come...And we can give them soap. I do not want to ever see a child without soap...I want to put a bar of soap in every child’s hand that does not have money for it. That is my goal.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. 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 “The Global Soap Project”.

 

　　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 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 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

6 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。

7 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

8 filter   

n.滤器，过滤嘴；v.过滤，透过

参考例句：

• Foreign influence began to filter into the country.外国势力开始渗透进这个国家。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

9 particles   

微粒( particle的名词复数 )； 颗粒； 极少量； 小品词

参考例句：

• These small particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters. 这些颗粒聚结形成较大的团。
• The nucleus of an atom consists of neutrons, protons and other particles. 原子核由中子、质子和其他粒子构成。

10 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

11 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。

12 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。