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VOA标准英语2012--Youth Group in Nairobi Illuminates Homes, Schools

时间:2012-01-03 07:39:09

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(单词翻译)

Youth Group in Nairobi Illuminates1 Homes, Schools

A youth group in one of Nairobi's many teeming2 slums has found a brilliant way to light up dark houses. Drawing upon an innovation from Brazil, the young people have installed so-called "water bulbs" in homes and schools. The "bulb" is made from everyday materials and can produce as much light as a 60-watt conventional bulb.

Abbass, 11, can barely read what is in his book. In the middle of the day, the family's windowless tin shack3 feels like the darkest night.

But a few blocks away, members of a youth group called Koch Hope are preparing to change that. First, they fill a two-liter bottle of water, add a little bleach4 and, with the water, bleach, a caulking5 tube, and some tools, make their way to Abbass's house.

Next, they cut a hole in the tin roof as a mesmerized6 Abbass watches.

The bottle containing the bleach is passed through the hole, the hole is sealed with caulking, then tested for leakage7, and

Voila! Abbass and his family are now able to read, learn, and do things that they had struggled to do in the dark.

Abbass' mother, Madina Muhsin, says she will be saving almost half of her weekly income spent on kerosene8 now that her home is receiving the equivalent of around 50 to 60 watts9 of light.

"I'm very happy," said Muhsin. "I can see the light. Before it was all dark, dark, dark. Now I am happy - I am very happy."

The Muhsins are the latest family in the Nairobi informal settlement of Korogocho to receive the so-called "water bulb," in which water and bleach refract sunlight. The bulb also works under a full moon.

Most people living in Korogocho and other Nairobi informal settlements do not have access to electricity, and earn somewhere between $1 - $2 a day.

Community worker Matayo Magalasia grew up in a dark house in Korogocho. His family was too poor to afford kerosene.

As a young adult, Magalasia stumbled onto a YouTube demonstration10 of the technology, first discovered in Brazil.

"I started thinking, can I get the two-liter bottle? Yes, I can get the two-liter bottle, there is the Dandora dumping site on the other side of the slum. Can I get water? Yes, I have water. Can I get the bleach? That one I can buy. Can I get the silicon11? Yes, I can buy that," Magalasia said.

His early struggles motivated him to approach Koch Hope with a plan to spread this innovation around.

Koch Hope picked up the challenge and had installed water bulbs in about 100 Korogocho homes during 2011.

One of those homes belongs to Veronica Wanjiru and her two children. She says her eldest12 son had to repeat a grade at school, because he was not keeping up with his homework.

"I have seen a big difference, especially with my children's education," said Wanjiru. "If they are given homework, they can finish it on time. They do not have to wait for me to come and light the candle or go outside and do their studies outside so that they can finish their homework."

Koch Hope wants to expand the project to other areas, but says it needs help to pay for the relatively13 expensive caulking materials that seal the hole.


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1 illuminates 63e70c844c6767d7f38403dcd36bb8a5     
v.使明亮( illuminate的第三人称单数 );照亮;装饰;说明
参考例句:
  • The light shines on from over there and illuminates the stage. 灯光从那边照进来,照亮了舞台。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sun illuminates the sky. 太阳照亮了天空。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 teeming 855ef2b5bd20950d32245ec965891e4a     
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注
参考例句:
  • The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
  • the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道
3 shack aE3zq     
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。
4 bleach Rtpz6     
vt.使漂白;vi.变白;n.漂白剂
参考例句:
  • These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
  • Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗?
5 caulking 0b2c89fee00d9226ecfc61a11a935eab     
n.堵缝;敛缝;捻缝;压紧v.堵(船的)缝( caulk的现在分词 );泥…的缝;填塞;使不漏水
参考例句:
  • Plumbers caulk joints in pipe with lead,string or a caulking compound. 管子工用铅、绳子或专用填隙材料使管子的接头不漏水。 来自辞典例句
  • Older windows and doors require maintenance -- scraping, painting and caulking. 旧门窗需要一系列维护,诸如,刮磨,上漆,勾缝。 来自互联网
6 mesmerized 3587e0bcaf3ae9f3190b1834c935883c     
v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网
7 leakage H1dxq     
n.漏,泄漏;泄漏物;漏出量
参考例句:
  • Large areas of land have been contaminated by the leakage from the nuclear reactor.大片地区都被核反应堆的泄漏物污染了。
  • The continuing leakage is the result of the long crack in the pipe.这根管子上的那一条裂缝致使渗漏不断。
8 kerosene G3uxW     
n.(kerosine)煤油,火油
参考例句:
  • It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
  • Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电,有煤油灯。
9 watts c70bc928c4d08ffb18fc491f215d238a     
(电力计量单位)瓦,瓦特( watt的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦,我的烤面包器用600瓦。
  • My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。
10 demonstration 9waxo     
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
参考例句:
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
11 silicon dykwJ     
n.硅(旧名矽)
参考例句:
  • This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
  • A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。
12 eldest bqkx6     
adj.最年长的,最年老的
参考例句:
  • The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
  • The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。
13 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

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