英语听力—环球英语 1442 Wheelchairs for Jobs and Hope

 　　Voice 1

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Colin Lowther.

　　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.

　　Voice 1

　　Hugo Andrino loves to play the sport of basketball. He moves quickly across the court. His strong arms throw the orange ball. It goes through the round metal hoop². Andrino plays basketball in his home town of Antigua, Guatemala. Some people say Andrino is one of the best basketball players in Central America. But Hugo Andrino is not like most basketball players. Andrino, and all his teammates, cannot use their legs. Andrino is the leader of the Guatemalan National Wheelchair Basketball Team. He also works³ for an organization that makes special wheelchairs. Today’s Spotlight is on the Transitions⁴ Foundation⁵. This organization provides wheelchairs and much more in Guatemala.

　　Voice 2

　　The World Health Organization says that about one percent of the world's population needs a wheelchair. That is over 65 million people! People use wheelchairs when they cannot walk. They push the wheels of the chair to move themselves forward. People who cannot walk are called disabled people. But people in wheelchairs are able to do many things - including playing sports, like Hugo Andrino.

　　Voice 1

　　Andrino plays basketball every weekend, for fun. But during the week he works at the Transitions Foundation. This is an organization that works with disabled people in Antigua, Guatemala. Alex Galvez is the founder⁶ and director of Transitions. Someone shot Galvez with a gun when he was 14 years old. After that, he could no longer feel or use his legs. Galvez had treatments and surgery⁷. He became healthy again. But he had to use a wheelchair.

　　Voice 2

　　Galvez saw that there were many other Guatemalans who also had disabilities. Many of them had gunshot wounds like Galvez. Other people had suffered diseases⁹ as children. These diseases left them disabled. Galvez also saw that no one was providing help for them. He told reporter James Rodriguez that mental and physical recovery¹⁰ is very important. But recovery is more difficult in countries without services for people with disabilities. He said,

　　Voice 3

　　“The results of violence are more than physical injuries. They also greatly affect mental health and living conditions both for the survivors¹¹ and their families. But even with these difficulties, a disability does not mean that life is over.”

　　Voice 1

　　Alex Galvez began Transitions Foundation to help disabled people have better lives. They provide services for disabled people. This includes social activities like the basketball team. Transitions Foundation also provides scholarships for students. Students can use this money to get a university degree, learn English or learn a technical skill.  And Transitions Foundation makes and gives away equipment to help people with disabilities - such as wheelchairs.

　　Voice 2

　　There are few wheelchairs available in Guatemala. And these wheelchairs can be difficult to use in cities like Antigua. There are many rough paths and narrow streets. People must travel over uneven¹² surfaces such as hills and holes. And when traditional wheelchairs break, they often become useless. They are made of many small parts. Local people often do not have the equipment or knowledge to fix their wheelchairs.

　　Voice 1

　　Transitions Foundation produces a wheelchair that solves these problems. This wheelchair was designed by an organization called Whirlwind. Ralf Hotchkiss lost the use of his legs at age eighteen [18]. He is the main designer of the Whirlwind wheelchair. He explains in an informational video:

　　Voice 4

　　“Normal wheelchairs cannot move over soft ground because the front wheel sinks in. But the Whirlwind has very little problem because of the new front wheels. We discovered these on pushcarts¹³ in Zimbabwe. The wheel bends easily, and it rolls over the rocks easily. And it is so wide that it does not sink in the sand and soft ground.”

　　Voice 2

　　The Whirlwind wheelchair is easy to use. It has a strong but simple design. It looks very modern. But there is something else very important about the Whirlwind wheelchair. The Whirlwind is made completely from local parts, such as tubes and metal. This way, if the wheelchair breaks, people can fix it at a local repair place.

　　Voice 1

　　The wheelchairs are also made by local people. This provides business and jobs. Transitions Foundations¹⁴ employs mostly workers who are disabled themselves. Remember the basketball player from the beginning of the program? Hugo Andrino tells MIT student Paul Lazurescu about his job at Transitions Foundation:

　　Voice 5

　　“I am in charge of the workshop. Twelve people work there. I have been workshop manager since the program began in 1997. I enjoy it very much. Of the 12 people in the shop, only two people are not disabled. They can help get things.”

　　Voice 2

　　Workers at Transitions Foundation build and fix wheelchairs. Most of the money for this comes from the Rotary¹⁵ Foundation - an international not for profit organization. Transitions Foundation then gives the wheelchairs to people who really need them. Workers make sure that the wheelchairs fit the exact size and shape of each person. Paulina Atz had the disease⁸ polio at age two. Since then, she has not been able to move her legs. Atz told the news organization Al Jazeera:

　　Voice 6

　　“One day I was given a wheelchair. I was so happy that I did not have to be dragged around anymore. And I want to do the same thing for the children.”

　　Voice 1

　　Atz now has a chance to help people, including children, who need wheelchairs. She works at a wheelchair factory in Guatemala. She said:

　　Voice 6

　　“Other places will not give us jobs. So people think that we are not able to work. But, although we are not able to use our legs, we have our hands, eyes and our minds. Nothing is impossible in life!”

　　Voice 2

　　Transitions Foundation provides hope to many people. The workers joke and talk as they make wheelchairs. And every Friday, Hugo Andrino and Alex Galvez play basketball with the Transitions workers. There are still many difficulties for disabled people in Guatemala. But Transitions Foundation helps them discover and develop their skills.  As Alex Galvez explains:

　　Voice 3

　　“Surgery and therapy¹⁶ healed¹⁷ my body, but sports and art helped me see a future for myself.”

　　Voice 1

　　The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Wheelchairs for Jobs and Hope.’

　　Voice 2

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

　　- See more at: http://spotlightenglish.com/listen/wheelchairs-for-jobs-and-hope#sthash.hRPHzYMY.dpuf

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 hoop   

n.（篮球）篮圈，篮

参考例句：

• The child was rolling a hoop.那个孩子在滚铁环。
• The wooden tub is fitted with the iron hoop.木盆都用铁箍箍紧。

3 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。

4 transitions   

过渡，转变，变迁( transition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Before explaining a workflow, I'll explain a few simple pieces of terminology: states and transitions. 在解释什么是工作流之前，我先来解释几条简单的术语：状态(states)和过渡(transitions)。
• Both ionization and excitation lead to eletronic transitions that may be the emission of light. 电离和激发都将导致可能伴随有光发射的电子跃迁。

5 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。

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 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。

8 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。

9 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

10 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

11 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

12 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

13 pushcarts   

n.手推车( pushcart的名词复数 )

参考例句：

14 foundations   

n.地基

参考例句：

• The builders are now beginning to lay the foundations of the new school. 建筑工人正开始给新校舍打地基。
• The house is unsafe since the foundations were undermined by floods. 这栋房子不安全，因为地基被洪水损坏了。

15 rotary   

adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的

参考例句：

• The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。
• A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。

16 therapy   

n.治疗；疗法

参考例句：

• The doctor said she should be given a physical therapy.医生说她应该进行理疗。
• She will need to have the therapy repeated every few months.她将需要每隔几个月就进行一次治疗。

17 healed   

v.（使）愈合( heal的过去式和过去分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• The surgeon healed the soldier's bullet wound in the leg. 医生治好了那位士兵腿部的枪伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doctor applied an unguent to the wound,which speedily healed it. 医生给伤口涂了些油膏，伤口很快就愈合了。 来自《简明英汉词典》