英语听力—环球英语 1429 The Desert Flower: Waris Dirie

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geertsma.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. 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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　　A young girl walks the land in Somalia.  She is part of a nomadic² tribe³.  They travel with their animals – goats, sheep and camels. She watches the natural world, and the animals. She lives a traditional life.

 

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　　But the girl is worried.  Her marriage is coming soon.  She is to be married to a man as old as her grandfather.  Her father is forcing her to marry the man.

 

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　　But this young girl will not be married.  Instead she is going to have a very different life.  She will travel the world.  She will help children who are being harmed.  She will be famous.

 

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　　Today’s Spotlight is on this woman.  Her name is Waris Dirie.

 

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　　The name Waris means “desert flower.”  A desert flower can live and grow where nothing else can. It can survive bad times with no water.  It flowers again when it has water.  This name describes Waris Dirie well. She has survived many bad times and situations.

 

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　　When Waris was 13, she was supposed to marry a much older man.  Her father had prepared this marriage.  But Waris did not want to marry such an old man. She wanted to decide for herself. Several years before, her sister had also escaped a marriage like this. Her sister had gone to the capital city of Somalia, Mogadishu. So Waris told her mother that she also did not want to marry.

 

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　　One night, her mother woke her and said “Go now!” Waris ran into the desert. She had no shoes and no food or water. She was only wearing light clothing. She ran for days in the direction of Mogadishu. At first, her father chased⁴ her. But after some time, he stopped. He knew she would run forever to be free.

 

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　　Waris arrived in Mogadishu, and her sister’s house. But she did not stay for a long time. Soon, she left for the city of London.  She travelled there to work for a Somali family - friends of her family. When the family returned to Somalia, Waris stayed. She began to work at a McDonald’s restaurant to pay her rent. She earned very little money, but she was making a new life.

 

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　　One day, a man saw her working at McDonald’s. He was a photographer. He believed she could be a model. And he was right. He took pictures of her. And soon, Waris was working as a clothing model. Waris had her first modelling job in 1987. When people working in fashion and design saw the pictures, Waris got lots of work.  Major companies like L’Oreal, Levi’s, Revlon, and Chanel all wanted her to model for them.

 

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　　By 1997, Waris was very well-known.  She was a model for many different companies. Writers and journalists wanted to hear about her life. She had talked about some things. But finally, Waris decided⁵ to talk about a very difficult subject. Waris first talked about her past to a writer from Marie Claire magazine. Waris began speaking about female⁶ circumcision.

 

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　　The World Health Organization estimates⁷ 150 million women are affected⁸ by female circumcision. This is most common in 23 African countries. But it also happens in other parts of the world, including Western countries.

 

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　　These women have had their external⁹ sex organs removed. These are the sex organs on the outside of the body. After they are removed, the opening is sewn closed. Female circumcision usually happens in dirty conditions. People do not use clean instruments to operate. Infection and even death are common after a circumcision. And many women continue to experience serious pain from the circumcision for the rest of their lives. Circumcised women are still able to have children. But it is dangerous. They may have problems each month when they menstruate. And usually, they cannot enjoy sex.

 

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　　Waris spoke¹⁰ about female circumcision because she was circumcised.  Waris was circumcised when she was only five years old. Waris spoke of the serious pain she felt when she was circumcised. The woman who circumcised her used a dirty, rusty¹¹ knife blade¹². Waris did not get any medicine for pain. She told Bazaar¹³ magazine,

 

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　　“I consider female circumcision to be the worst torture¹⁴ that can be done to a woman.  It is impossible to describe the pain.”

 

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　　Families often circumcise their daughters at a young age.  They believe that this prevents the girls from having sexual¹⁵ partners before marriage.  Parents believe that circumcision means their daughter will be pure. This way she can marry a good man.

 

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　　Like many experts, Waris calls female circumcision by the name female genital mutilation, or FGM. This name means that the female sex organs are mutilated, or destroyed. They use this name to show that this tradition is wrong and dangerous. It damages women.

 

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　　People all around the world heard about female circumcision because of Waris Dirie.  She shocked the world by speaking about how common circumcision is. The United Nations appointed Waris Dirie an ambassador¹⁶.  She now travels the world talking to politicians, writers, famous people, and health organizations.  She speaks about the danger of female circumcision.

 

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　　Waris also started The Desert Flower Foundation¹⁷.  The foundation concentrates on telling people about the dangers of female circumcision.  Many poor communities do not know how dangerous it is. People do not know the problems it can cause women.

 

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　　The foundation also helps victims of female circumcision.  It provides for a healing¹⁸ operation if the victim would like it.  The foundation also provides mental and emotional¹⁹ help to women. They train women to prevent female circumcision in their own communities. Waris told the BBC,

 

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　　“You deal with what you have experienced²⁰.  You make the best of it.  For me, the Desert Flower Foundation is the best I can do.”

 

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　　In 1998, Waris wrote a book called Desert Flower.  She told her story of struggle, success, and help.  Her book Desert Flower was a bestseller.  Millions of people bought the book.  It was also made into a movie.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Waris did not see any of the film until it was complete.  Her life had been very difficult.  But it was much different now.  However, the pain of her childhood was still real. She told Bazaar magazine,

 

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　　“I was moved and shocked when I saw my childhood as a film.  It brought back all the memories.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　At the age of 13, Waris Dirie could not have imagined the life she has now.  Now, Waris Dirie, the desert flower, has flowered from her difficult past.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. 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 Desert Flower: Waris Dirie".

 

　　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 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

3 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

4 chased   

vt.追捕（chase的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

7 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 external   

adj.外部的，外面的，外来的；与外国有关的

参考例句：

• External causes become operative through internal causes.外因通过内因而起作用。
• The external features of the building are very attractive.这座建筑物的外观是很吸引人的。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

12 blade   

n.刀刃，刀片；叶片

参考例句：

• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。
• He is a good blade.他剑术高明。

13 bazaar   

n.集市，商店集中区

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• We bargained for a beautiful rug in the bazaar.我们在集市通过讨价还价买到了一条很漂亮的地毯。

14 torture   

n.折磨；v.折磨，使痛苦；使苦恼，使为难

参考例句：

• No torture would make him speak.任何严刑拷打都不能使他开口。
• Through those long years of imprisonment and torture,he remained faithful and unyielding.在那些遭受囚禁和酷刑的漫长岁月里，他始终坚贞不屈。

15 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

16 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

17 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

18 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。