英语听力—环球英语 1325 Mechai Viravaidya: Fighting AIDS in Thailand

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Rebekah Schipper. 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

 

　　Five hundred high school teenagers sit in a large school room. A man walks to the front of the room. He stands in a front of a microphone. This man is Senator² Mechai Viravaidya. He teaches the people of Thailand about family planning and safe sex. Today, he is teaching these high school students. He stands in front of the full room.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Today I want you to meet a few of my friends. We will have a little talk about people with HIV. Let’s welcome Nissara and her friends.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Three women join Mechai at the front of the room. They stand next to him. He puts his arm around them. They all stand together. They look happy. Mechai says:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“See? Even with her holding on to my clothes, there is no way I can catch the HIV virus.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The room full of students laughs. Next, Mechai does something a little different. He gives a glass full of water to Nissara.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Take a little drink from the glass. Don’t drink it all!”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Nissara drinks from the glass. She passes the water glass to her friends. They each also drink from the glass. They pass the glass back to Mechai.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Now I will drink from the same part of the glass. See? I am not infected. Remember that.”*

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　AIDS is still a mystery to many people in the world. Many people simply do not know enough facts about the disease. So, Senator Mechai travels around Thailand spreading information to people like these students.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Senator Mechai has been spreading information about AIDS for over 20 years. The first case of reported AIDS in Thailand was in 1984. And the number of HIV infected people in Thailand grew very quickly. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　HIV infections were especially high in two groups of people - drug users and sex workers. Experts say that in one year HIV infections among drug users rose from almost 0 to 40%. In 1989 44% of sex workers in one northern city were infected with HIV. HIV was like an ocean wave covering the people of Thailand.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　And this was only the beginning of AIDS in Thailand. The future looked frightening. Someone needed to do something. And someone did. The future of HIV and AIDS changed in Thailand. The number of new HIV infections in 1991 was 140,000. By 2003, new HIV infections were only 21,000. So, how did Thailand do it? Experts believe that the secret to Thailand’s success included two things: strong leaders and long term political loyalty⁴ to the cause.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 1991 Anand Panyarachun became Thailand’s Prime Minister. He declared that AIDS prevention and control would become his main concern. He increased the amount of money spent on public health. And he brought in Mechai Viravaidya to help him educate the Thai people about AIDS.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Mechai became a strong anti-AIDS activist⁵. He led the fight against AIDS. Mechai believed that education was very important in the fight against HIV and AIDS. And a strong person needed to lead the fight. He knew that he also needed to use many different methods, unusual ideas, and even humour for people to understand his message.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Mechai used television and radio advertisements to inform the people about the AIDS problem. The Thai government owned hundreds of radio and television stations. They asked every station to broadcast thirty seconds of AIDS information every hour.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Mechai also targeted the sex trade in Thailand. He gave sex workers free condoms - thin protective covers. These thin barriers can protect people from getting HIV. Sex workers and their employers could be shut down if they spread HIV. Condom use in the sex trade rose from 10% to 90%!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The fight against AIDS in Thailand was successful because of strong devoted⁶ leaders. Mechai’s work in Thailand effectively cut the number of new HIV infections in the Thai population. But this victory did not last for long. Today, one in every 100 Thai people suffer from HIV or AIDS. More than half a million [500,000] people remain infected. And AIDS is the leading cause of death in Thailand.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In recent years, the Thai government has cut spending money for public health. But, it remains⁷ a strong ally³ in the fight against AIDS.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many Thai people do not seek treatment because of the stigma⁸, or bad ideas, that go along with having AIDS. But the Thai government does offer free anti-retroviral drugs to HIV infected Thai people. These drugs fight AIDS.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　And Mechai continues to lead the fight against AIDS. He continues to inform people about HIV and AIDS. But he also helps the people that AIDS has already affected⁹. Many times, people with HIV are forced to leave their communities. They lose their jobs. They spend all their savings¹⁰ caring for their families.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So, Mechai also started a non profit organization to give loans to people with HIV. People with HIV can use these loans to start small businesses. Mechai’s fight against AIDS earns money through businesses he has started. The money from these businesses goes toward the fight against AIDS.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Today, a new generation of children are growing up in Thailand. Cases of new HIV infections are also growing. Young people think of AIDS as a disease for drug users or sex workers. So they do not always practice safe sex. Mechai knows that every person must know about AIDS. This helps a person to protect himself. So, Mechai travels to high schools and other places to spread his message. He knows that strong leaders must lead the fight. He knows that the government must help to lead the fight. And he will continue to spread this life-saving information for as long as he can.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. Computer users can hear more Spotlight programs on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “Mechai Viravaidya: Fighting AIDS in Thailand.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Most of the information in this program came from a series of television programs. The programs were produced by PBS, a public television channel in the United States. These television programs told about several “World Health Champions” and the communities they work in. If you would like more information about this series of programs you can find a link to PBS on our website. Just look for the script page for this program. If you have a comment or question about this program, you can e-mail us at Radio @ English . net.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Also, keep listening for more Spotlight programs with more details about how Thailand is using creative and unusual ideas to deal with the AIDS crisis¹¹. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program! Goodbye!

 

　　*This conversation was based on a recording¹² from the PBS website, from the program about Mechai Viravaidya.

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 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

3 ally   

n.同盟者，同盟国；vt.使结盟，与...有关联

参考例句：

• In that war England was not an ally,she was neutral.在那场战争中，英国不同任何一国结盟，保持中立。
• She felt she needed an ally so badly.她感到她极需一个支持者。

4 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

5 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。

6 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

9 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。

10 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

11 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。

12 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。