英语听力—环球英语 1307 Changing a Face: Bryon Widner

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Colin Lowther. 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

 

　　The tattoos² covered Bryon Widner’s face. The marks were thick, black and permanent. They were also a warning. They told everyone that Widner was dangerous. And Widner had been a dangerous man. For many years, he was a gang³ member, and a violent criminal. But now, Widner was different. His life had changed. But his tattoos remained. Today’s Spotlight is on Bryon Widner and his attempts to change his life.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bryon Widner was just 14 years old when he joined a gang. The group accepted Widner. It became a new family for him. Like all gangs⁴, it was a violent criminal group. It was also racist⁵. This gang thought that the value of people could be seen by their race – their ethnic⁶ background and skin colour. They were called skinheads, because they cut off all their hair. They attacked people who were not white. They also spread hate filled opinions and ideas.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Widner accepted these beliefs. He took part in attacks on many people. At the age of twenty seven, he even led a gang. He was an angry, dangerous man. And he showed this on his face and body. He covered his face and body in tattoos. The tattoos showed white supremacist symbols, weapons, and blood. Letters on his fingers spelled the word “hate”.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But as Widner got older, his life changed. He got married. His wife, Julie, had children already. Widner loved being a father. Soon, they had a child together. Widner wanted to be a good father. He did not want his children to live in an angry, violent situation. His opinions about other races had also changed. So he and Julie decided⁷ to leave the gang. Together they let go of their hate filled life.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This was not easy. The gang did not want him to leave. Gang members threatened Widner and his family. Many times, the family had to leave their home and hide.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But something else made leaving the gang more difficult. Widner’s tattoos marked him as a gang member - even after he left the gang. When normal people saw him, they saw frightening, racist images. Widner could not get a job. In stores and restaurants, people treated him badly. His family loved him. But no one else wanted to get involved with him.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Widner needed to get rid of the tattoos. But it is difficult to remove tattoos, especially from the face. It also costs a lot of money. He began to feel desperate, worried, and sad. He even considered using acid⁸ on his face. This chemical would burn his skin. It would damage his face - but it would remove the tattoos.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Instead, Widner asked for help from a surprising place: the Southern Poverty Law Center. This organization works⁹ against hate groups, like the groups that Widner had led. Workers there find information about hate groups. Then they gather it together and publish it. This way, hate groups cannot work secretly. The organization also works with the legal system, like the police and law courts. Leaders at the SPLC knew about Bryon Widner. They had written about his crimes. But now, they saw a changed man.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Joseph Roy is the main investigator¹⁰ for the SPLC. He meets many people who have left hate groups. Sometimes they are trying to trick the SPLC. At other times, they are not serious - they return to their groups and gangs after a short time. At first, Roy did not trust Widner. He told the Associated Press,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“It is very rare for us to meet a reformed racist skinhead. No one was more violent and more well known than Bryon Widner.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Roy and the Widners spent several weeks together. They told Roy details about the gangs they had been in. They gave Roy a lot of information. Slowly, Roy began to trust them. He saw that they felt shame and regret about their past. And he saw that they wanted to change their lives. He asked the Widners to tell their story at SPLC events for police. This way, more people would learn how to stop violent hate groups. But Roy also made a promise. He said that he would help to remove the tattoos.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The SPLC found a doctor who could remove the tattoos. They also found someone to pay for the treatment. It would cost $35,000. Widner agreed have the treatment to change his face. He also wanted to change the way he thought and felt. He agreed to return to school, and get emotional¹¹ help from a trained counsellor. He wanted the change on the outside AND inside of himself to be permanent.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Dr. Bruce Shack¹² agreed to do the surgery¹³. He is an expert on plastic surgery. This is the medical area that deals with people’s appearances. Dr. Shack had worked with many people. But he was shocked when he saw Widner’s tattoos. There were so many, and they covered so much of Widner’s face. But Shack still wanted to help Widner.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The treatments were not easy. Shack used a laser¹⁴ to break up the dark ink on Widner’s skin. Each treatment burned Widner’s face, like a burn from the sun. It was much more painful than getting the tattoos. After each treatment, Widner’s face swelled¹⁵ and got larger. He got large painful blisters¹⁶, filled with fluid¹⁷. At first, they planned to do just seven or eight treatments. But it took 25 treatments. After 16 months, and a lot of pain, Widner’s face was clear. He and Julie were free to start again.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This time, and the pain, were important to Widner. It was like he was paying something for his crimes. He told the SPLC that he deeply regrets the hurt he caused. He removed the tattoos from his face, but he cannot remove this hurt.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Widner has found a way to help other people to reject hate and racism¹⁸. He shares his story about his life of violence. He told filmmaker Bill Brummel,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“I want to prevent other young people from making the same mistakes I did. I want to prevent other families from going through the same terrible situations as my family. Then maybe I can redeem¹⁹ myself.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Christy VanArragon. 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 ‘Changing a Face: Bryon Widner’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　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 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 gang   

n.一伙，一帮；结伴的朋友

参考例句：

• The gang live abroad,beyond reach of the British police.这帮匪徒住在国外，英国警方鞭长莫及。
• Some gang came in and shot the place up.有股匪帮进来对这个地方开枪扫射。

4 gangs   

n.（罪犯有组织的）一帮( gang的名词复数 )；一伙；（闹事青少年的）一群；（工人有组织的）一队

参考例句：

• Gangs of youths went on the rampage in the city yesterday. 成群结伙的年轻人昨天在城里横冲直撞。
• a vicious turf war between rival gangs of drug dealers 对立贩毒团伙之间的猛烈火并

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 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。

8 acid   

n.酸；酸性物质；adj.酸的，酸性的

参考例句：

• Handle with care,or the acid may get out.小心轻放，否则酸会溢出来。
• The acid has been eating away the sides of the container.酸腐蚀着容器的四壁。

9 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。

10 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

11 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

12 shack   

adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚

参考例句：

• He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
• The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。

13 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

14 laser   

n.激光

参考例句：

• We keep a laser record.我们保存激光唱片。
• Laser beams are also used in surgery.激光束还可用于外科手术。

15 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

16 blisters   

n.水疱( blister的名词复数 )；水肿；气泡

参考例句：

• My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 fluid   

n.流体，液体；adj.流体的，流动的

参考例句：

• Fluid includes both gasses and liquids.流体包括气体和液体。
• The weather is fluid in summer.夏天天气多变。

18 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

19 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。