英语听力—环球英语 1289 Donald Watson: A New Way to Eat

 　　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 1

 

　　What do you eat? Do you eat fruit and vegetables? Do you eat meat and fish? Do you think about the food you eat? Or do you just eat it and enjoy it?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Donald Watson was a man who thought very much about the food he ate. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in September 1910. And he died in November 2005, at the age of 95. That is a very great age. Donald Watson had an explanation for his long life. He said that it was because he would never eat meat or fish, or any food that had been made from animals. Today’s Spotlight is on Donald Watson and his ideas about food.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When he was a small boy, Donald Watson stayed on a farm. His mother’s brother owned the farm. This man was his Uncle George. The young Donald loved to see the animals. He said that they gave so much to people. Cows and chickens gave people milk and eggs. Horses helped the farmer carry heavy loads. And all the animals were so friendly. Then, one day, he saw a man killing² a pig. Then, Watson understood that animals also gave people meat. He was very sad. In an interview with George Rodger, Watson said,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　‘I still remember the whole process, including the pig crying out. My Uncle George took part in the killing. I was shocked, because I respected Uncle George very much. I decided³ that it was necessary to think again about the whole business of running a farm. It seemed to me that a farm was nothing more than a death camp. When a creature was no longer of service to people, it was killed. Something more surprised me. I had many sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles. But nobody told me that we must take care of the creatures that God had made.’

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When he was 13 years old, Donald Watson made an important decision. He said that he would never again eat meat or fish. He became a vegetarian⁴. Twenty years later he decided to take another step. He would not eat anything that had passed through an animal. He would not eat milk, cheese, butter or eggs. These are foods that have been made from animals.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Watson formed a group of people who, like him, would not eat food from animals. They called the group, ‘The Vegan Society’. While other people slept at night, Watson would stay awake and write a newspaper called Vegan News. In this newspaper, the Vegan Society developed its ideas about food. In the first issue, Watson wrote:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“We can see clearly that our present nation is built on the unfair use of animals. This is just like in the past; nations then were built on the unfair use of slaves. We believe that in time, people will hate the idea of feeding on the products of animals’ bodies. They will think that it is terrible and wrong.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When Watson became a vegan, there were not many people who agreed with him. People criticized⁵ him, including people who did not eat meat. These vegetarians⁶ thought it was insane⁷ to avoid all animal products. Most people thought it was too difficult, and not healthy.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　However, over time, more and more people began to agree with Watson and the Vegan Society. Vegans are still a very small group. But the number continues to grow!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　People become vegans for many reasons. Watson and his friends stopped eating meat because they loved animals. They believed that it was morally wrong to kill animals for food. It was wrong to hurt another living thing. They also believed that there was no good way to get other kinds of food from animals. Getting milk and eggs was also a way of using animals. And that was wrong. They wanted people to treat all living things with respect.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Now, people also become vegans for environmental reasons. Caring for animals takes a lot of resources, including water and grain. For example, to produce one kilogram of meat, a cow must eat five kilograms of grain. Instead, people could eat this grain directly! By using less of these resources, there could be more food for more people.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Also, in some places, people are cutting down trees to create more land for cows. However, these forest areas often protect wild creatures and many important plants. They also protect the world from climate change. By avoiding these animal products, vegans hope to protect these forest areas.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Finally, just like Donald Watson, some people believe that a vegan diet is healthier. They believe that meat and other animal products cause heart problems, a high body weight, diabetes⁹, cancer and many other health problems.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But what do you think? Do you think it is right to eat meat and fish? And does what you believe affect what you eat? Donald Watson chose to avoid meat because he felt strongly about the animals. However, this moral⁸ position did not come from religion. He said that he did not have a deep religious belief.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But for many people, religion is an important guide on meat eating. If you are a Hindu, you will probably not eat meat, especially from the cow. If you are a Jew or a Moslem¹⁰, you will not eat meat from the pig.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Christian¹¹ Bible¹² does not teach clearly about diet. However, late in the Bible, there is a letter from a teacher named Paul. He wanted to teach Christians¹³ how to live. He said that it was possible for a Christian to eat anything he or she liked. But Paul asked the Christians to consider the feelings of other people. There were people who felt that they could not eat meat or fish or drink wine. Paul said:

 

　　‘When you are together, with these people, it is better if you do not eat meat or fish or drink wine. You must consider their consciences¹⁴. And, above all, you must show them that you love them. And, if you eat and drink food that they do not think they should eat, you are not loving them.’

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Some Christians choose not to eat meat, or other foods from animals. For some Christians, this may be for religious or cultural reasons. For other Christians, it may be because they agree with Donald Watson. Others just try to follow Paul’s teaching¹⁵ - to respect and love the people, and animals, around them!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Do you agree with Donald Watson? Tell us about your diet choices on our website: www.radioenglish.net.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Michio Ozaki. 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 www.radioenglish.net. This program is called ‘Donald Watson - A New Way to Eat’. 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 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 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。

4 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

5 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

6 vegetarians   

n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。

7 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。

8 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

9 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

10 Moslem   

n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的

参考例句：

• Moslem women used to veil their faces before going into public.信回教的妇女出门之前往往用面纱把脸遮起来。
• If possible every Moslem must make the pilgrimage to Mecca once in his life.如有可能，每个回教徒一生中必须去麦加朝觐一次。

11 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。

12 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。

13 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。

14 consciences   

良心( conscience的名词复数 )； 内疚； 愧疚； 凭良心

参考例句：

• They took for guides the Bible and their own consciences. 这些人以圣经和自己的良心作指针。
• It'salved his people's consciences; it compounded the problem for all other peoples. 它安慰了他的国家的人民的良心，却加重了其他国家人民的问题。

15 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。