英语听力—环球英语 1462 Listener Mail 131（打印版）

　　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.

　　In today’s program, we look at your comments and questions about Spotlight programs. We look at ways to share your feelings if you are shy. We think about ways to solve traffic problems. And finally, we tell about some exciting changes at Spotlight. Let’s get started!

　　Our first comments today come from the program “The Importance of Translation”. Translating a book from one language into another language is not a simple, easy job. It takes great knowledge, skill, and patience. Translators must keep the style of the original writer. They must also clearly translate the writer’s ideas. Translation is something many of our listeners know about! Nature187_vn told us why she thinks translation is so important.

　　“In learning a different language, we see the importance of translation. The translation helps us very much with studying through reading a book or newspaper in a different language. I admire the person who created this useful achievement. ”

　　“I think that the work of translators is important because they help people learn about other cultures. Without the help of translators or books it would be very difficult to know the real themes.”

　　Thank you for your thoughts! Translations can spread ideas around the world. And they can also connect people around the world.

　　Another place that people can connect is on our discussion boards! You can find our discussion boards on our website. There, you can practice writing in English with other people learning English. Xime, from Ecuador wrote a question to start a discussion there. She wrote:

　　Many people around the world feel shy, or nervous or uncomfortable talking to other people. Are you shy? If you are, how do you solve this problem? Add your voice to this conversation. Log on to our website and go to the discussion boards. There are also other questions there that you can answer, like why people study English, play computer games, and more! Check it out!

　　Our next comments come from a very popular Spotlight program called “Traffic Problems”. In this program we told about some ways governments solve the problem of too many cars. For example, in London, England, cars must pay money to get into the city. But in Quito, Ecuador there is a system called “Pico y Placa”. This system only permits a particular number of cars to drive at a particular time. Jorge lives in Quito, Ecuador. He wrote to us to describe the traffic situation there. But he also described what he thinks is a better solution.

　　“I believe the solution for traffic problems is better public transportation. Because there are many problems with Pico Y Placa, and people are walking or riding bicycles. But this is a problem because the city is near to the high mountains of the Andes. I think it is better to use a bicycle when the city is flat.”

　　“We need to encourage people to use the public transportation system, such as metro, train, buses or even a shuttle. To achieve this goal, we can return tax money to people who have used metro for a year, or a family who has just one family car.”

　　“There are always traffic problems in big cities - especially during rush hour in my country. The roads are narrow. Vehicles crowd the streets more and more. But the government has not started a congestion charge like in London and Quito. The traffic police are in charge of resolving traffic problems. But drivers still wait a long time for the traffic problems to be solved. I hope the government will have a better method for dealing with this problem.”

　　Traffic problems do exist all over the world. And people and governments must do their best to solve these problems. Tell us how people solve these problems in your city. Leave a comment on the script page of this program.

　　Cities do not always have to be known for bad traffic. They can also inspire people with beautiful buildings! That is what we told about in our program “Beautiful Buildings of Brasilia”. In that program, we told about a famous building designer, or architect. His name was Oscar Niemeyer. He designed the city of Brasilia to look like art. Today, it is a World Heritage site. It has inspired people for many years. And it inspired Spotlight listeners too! Nature187_vn wrote:

　　“I knew a lot of symbols of different countries. For example, England has Big Ben, Paris has the Eiffel Tower, and New York has the Statue of Liberty. This is the first time I have heard of the beautiful buildings of Brasilia. It is really great architecture art of the world.”

　　Rossi was also inspired by Niemeyer’s buildings to look back at nature, and God’s creation. She wrote on Facebook:

　　“What a great architect, inspired by nature and its greatness. It makes me think about how much my God’s inspiration is.”

　　Thanks for your comments. We would love to hear from listeners who live in Brasilia, or those who have visited there. Tell us about your experiences in this beautiful city!

　　Finally, we wanted to tell you about an exciting change at Spotlight. You may have noticed that the Spotlight program schedule has changed. Many of our listeners use Spotlight to practice their listening, speaking, and writing skills. So we have expanded the resources we offer! Five days every week, we offer our main program, Spotlight. In our program, you will still hear about many different subjects from around the world. And we still offer our “Word of the Day” too.

　　Now we also offer more, every weekend, on Facebook! First, every Friday you can learn about a new country in “The Country of the Week”. You can see videos and pictures, and read a little information about a different country every week. This week’s “Country of the Week” is Japan.

　　On Saturdays, we offer a new, shorter, program called “Global Life”. In this three minute program, we will look at issues of religion and culture.

　　Finally, on Sundays, look for Spotlight videos. We may share a new word, a favorite English word, or just something interesting.

　　We hope you can use all these resources in your English practice! You can let us know what you think about our new schedule, and our new resources, by writing to us at [email protected]. Or you can leave a comment on the script page of any program. Or, just leave a comment on our Facebook page! Maybe we will read your comment on the next Listener Mail program!

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. 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, ‘Listener Mail 131’.

英语听力—环球英语 1462 Listener Mail 131（在线收听）