VOA慢速英语2017--金边新交通工具 残疾人士的福音

 

Reaksmey Mary was disabled with a serious illness when she was six months old. She is confined¹ to a wheelchair and lives with her family on an island in the Mekong River in Cambodia.

As a young child, Reaksmey traveled only to see the doctor near her house.

And after age 10, Reaksmey no longer went anywhere.

Her mother, Khem Vy, age 47, told VOA that, at a certain point, "we could no longer take Mary anywhere by motorbike."

The family tried using a regular tuk-tuk – a small, three-wheeled vehicle common in Cambodia – but that was difficult, as well. The drivers struggled to get Reaksmey and her wheelchair onto the vehicle.

"The wheelchair is very heavy. I am alone, and I can't do it,” Khem said. "We stopped taking her out, so she stayed at home on the bed all the time.”

But recently, Reaksmey went with her family for the first time to a shopping mall in Phnom Penh. The trip was made possible by a new service for the physically² disabled. The service is called Mobilituk.

Mobilituks are tuk-tuks that have been modified³ to make transporting the disabled easier. They have a steel ramp⁴ that pulls down to allow a wheelchair to roll up.

Agile⁵ Design Group, known as ADG, a Phnom Penh-based organization, created Mobilituk. The group specializes⁶ in projects that help disabled people have better access to everyday activities.

ADG recognizes that disabled people everywhere face transportation problems. But in developing nations, such as Cambodia, those problems are usually even harder.

Mobilituk has other fans, too. Disability activist⁷ and writer John Morris is confined to a wheelchair. Morris travels the world and then writes about his experiences as a traveler with a disability. He said affordable⁸ wheelchair transport in developing countries means the disabled are no longer trapped at home.

Far-reaching effects

Cambodia’s Ministry⁹ of Social Affairs estimates¹⁰ that at least 50,000 people in Cambodia are physically disabled.

Another organization, the Asian Development Bank, estimates that as much as 15% of the Cambodian population lives with physical and mental disabilities.

To reach them, ADG is working with the International Committee of the Red Cross. The two groups plan to increase the number of Mobilituks in the northern areas of Cambodia.

Keogh Johnston, an ADG engineer, told VOA Khmer that the Mobilituk program has been a rewarding project in many ways.

He said that seeing the happiness of someone who can now visit the city and do exciting things makes him want to help more.

Mobilituks also expand opportunities for tuk-tuk drivers. A month after getting his tuk-tuk converted¹² into a Mobilituk, driver Keo Sarout had two disabled riders, including Reaksmey.

Keo said his disabled riders like the Mobilituk better than a car or other vehicle.

And Keo is happy that he can help. "I think I can help society by helping¹³ disabled persons, as they find it quite difficult to travel anywhere," he said.

He said that other tuk-tuk drivers are now interested in having the steel ramp in their vehicles.

Happiness

The Mobilituk brings increased risk along with increased freedom for riders. The first time she rode in one, Reaksmey got hurt. Her family believes Reaksmey was injured because, before the ride, she had not moved her body for almost 20 years.

After she recovered, Reaksmey tried again. She has since traveled to the Royal Palace, Independence Monument, shopping malls, and the hospital.

With her mother and an aunt along for the ride, these trips are no longer difficult.

“She feels very happy now,” her mother, Khem Vy, said.

Khem asked Reaksmey if she wanted to keep riding in Mobilituks, even after getting hurt.

Reaksmey smiled, signaling her head to say “yes.”

Words in This Story

confined - v. forced to stay in something

wheelchair - n. a chair with wheels that is used by people who cannot walk because they are disabled, sick, or injured

motorbike - n. a small motorcycle

shopping mall - n. a large building or group of buildings containing many different stores

disabled - adj. having a physical or mental disability; unable to perform one or more natural activities (such as walking or seeing) because of illness or injury

ramp - n. a piece of equipment with a slope that is used to join two surfaces that are at different levels or heights

convert¹¹ - v. to change (something) into a different form or so that it can be used in a different way

monument - n. a building or statue that honors a person or event

1 confined   

adj. 被限制的,狭窄的,在分娩中的; 动词confine的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The work will not be confined to the Glasgow area. 此项工作不会局限于格拉斯哥地区。
• It is cruel to keep animals in confined spaces. 把动物关在狭小的空间里是残酷的。

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 modified   

adj.改良的，改进的，修正的vt.修饰v.修改，更改( modify的过去式和过去分词 )；改变；修饰；缓和

参考例句：

• The software we use has been modified for us. 我们使用的软件已按我们的需要作过修改。
• The heating system has recently been modified to make it more efficient. 暖气设备最近已进行了改造，使其效率得到提高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

5 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

6 specializes   

v.专门从事，专攻( specialize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She specializes in obstetrics. 她是产科专家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cinema specializes in Italian films. 这家电影院专门放映意大利电影。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 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》

11 convert   

v.（在形式、状态、用途等方面）（使）改变

参考例句：

• I must convert sorrow into strength.我要化悲痛为力量。
• At what rate does the dollar convert into pounds?美元以什么汇率兑换成英镑？

12 converted   

adj.更换信仰的，修改的v.（使）转变( convert的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）转化；皈依；改变（信仰）

参考例句：

• The hotel is going to be converted into a nursing home. 那家旅馆将被改建成私人疗养院。
• He's living in a converted loft in lower Manhattan. 他住在下曼哈顿的一间改建的阁楼里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。