VOA慢速英语--Afghan Women's Writing Project

 

This is AS IT IS. I’m Caty Weaver¹.

On the show today … we tell about some a writing program for women in Afghanistan and a private school in Washington, DC, for poor African-American girls.

The Afghan Women’s Writing Project was founded three years ago. The goal is to change the image of women in Afghanistan. Kelly Jean Kelly reports on how Afghan women are using computer and language skills to tell their own stories.

Zahra is in her twenties. She teaches English to children who live at an orphanage². She also writes about Afghan girls’ life experiences and hopes.

American writer Naomi Benaron helps Zahra write her poems and stories. Ms. Benaron reads from one of Zahra’s poems, called “Daughter of War.”

“…I will try 

I will stand for my right 

I will break the silence 

I will show my power 

And I will bring peace 

In my country once again.”

Zahra is one of about 100 writers in the Afghan Women’s Writing Project. The stories and poems are published on a website. The group also connects Afghan writers with other writers around the world who help them with their ideas and skills. American journalist and writer Marsha Hamilton founded the project in 2009. That was 10 years after her first visit to Kabul.

“It’s important for a certain kind of survival³ to tell your own story, to tell it out loud.”

Recently, the project moved into a building in Kabul. Now, women writers not only can meet on the Internet — 

they can also meet in person. 

“I feel I’m not alone. There needs to be change.” 

That was Mahnaz. She joined the project three years ago. One of 

her poems is called “Legitimizing Inequality.” It describes how women become victims of cultural and religious beliefs.

“They use our body, then Mock⁴ our beauty and call us weak. 

We are not infidel. 

We are different but equal. 

We are women 

Strong in our faith and ability.”

Mahnaz wants to continue writing. She dreams of writing books and becoming a novelist. In Washington, DC, the majority of African-American public school students do not complete their education. Many leave the system before they even reach high school. A private Roman Catholic⁵ school in the city is seeking a different educational experience for African-American girls.

One hundred students attend Washington Middle School for Girls. They come from poor families. Many of the girls are raised by a single parent or grandparent.

Sister Mary Bourdon opened the school 14 years ago. Private donors⁶ pay most of the costs.

The school is in a community where pregnancy⁷ rates among young women are high. Many girls may leave the school early.

Sister Mary Bourdon says her plan was for the school to intervene⁸ in young lives, pointing them toward a happier adulthood⁹.

“One of the first things is to get the teachers who can excite them about learning. They get personal individual attention.”

Class sizes are small, giving teachers like Kelly Lockard a chance to work with students one at a time.

“If I’m able to develop that relationship with them, and if they’re able to feel comfortable with me, that helps with the intrinsic¹⁰ motivation, and it helps with them just relaxing and being comfortable to be able to ask whatever questions they need to ask about math or about life.”

She says this kind of atmosphere helps the girls develop a desire to learn.

A student named Makayla wishes there were more schools like hers.

“It provides you with a good education. It helps you be the best that you can be.”

Ninety percent of the students at the Washington Middle School for Girls finish high school. That compares with less than 50 percent at public schools in the city.

And that’s AS IT IS for today. I’m Caty Weaver.

You have probably heard about the dangers of driving while using a cell phone. Well, apparently¹¹, walking and talking (or texting) is also risky¹². June Simms tells us all about the growing problem of distracted¹³ walkers on tomorrow’s show.

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

3 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

4 mock   

n.嘲笑，戏弄，模仿；adj.假的，伪造的；vt.嘲弄，模仿，轻视；vi.嘲弄

参考例句：

• Those who mock history will be mocked by history.嘲弄历史的人必将被历史所嘲弄。
• The students have done mock A levels at school.学生们在学校参加过模拟高级考试。

5 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

6 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

8 intervene   

vi.干涉，干预，干扰，阻挠

参考例句：

• When riot broke out,the police were obliged to intervene.发生暴乱时，警察有责任干预。
• You don't intervene between those two drunks.你不要在那两个酒鬼之间进行调解。

9 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

10 intrinsic   

adj.固有的，本质的，内在的

参考例句：

• The intrinsic worth of the pen is 30 yuan.这支钢笔本身价值是30元。
• The character is intrinsic.性格是内在的。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

13 distracted   

a.注意力分散的，思想不集中的

参考例句：

• When working, one should concentrate and not allow oneself to be distracted. 工作时要集中精力，不要分心。
• Noise outside distracted her mind from her studies. 门外的噪音使她心神不宁，无法集中注意力学习。