VOA标准英语2010年-Boy Scouts of America Celebrate 100th

This year the Boy Scouts² of America celebrates its 100th anniversary.  In the hometown of the founder³, William Dickson Boyce, hundreds of Scouts from around the country gathered recently to honor his memory, and to celebrate the values of Scouting⁴ in the United States.

Norlyn "Bud" Allison knows something about commitment.  He's been married for 60 years and he credits his long lasting⁵ marriage partly to the values he learned as a Boy Scout¹, such as loyalty⁶.

He became a scout at the age of 12 and has served the organization for 72 years, first as a member of a troop in Illinois, and later as a career Scouting professional.

"The uniforms have changed, but the ideals have not changed," said Allison.  "The scout oath and law are still as important today as they were 100 years ago when Baden-Powell and Mr. Boyce put the program together."

 The story of the Boy Scouts of America began in 1909, when Chicago publisher William Dickson Boyce found himself lost in a dense⁷ London fog.  A boy, whose identity remains⁸ unknown, offered to help Boyce find his way.

Mollie Perrot, the executive director of the Ottawa Scouting Museum, says Boyce was extremely impressed with the gesture, which the unknown Boy Scout from England called a "Good Turn."

"The boy informed him about the program that had been set up in England in 1907, by Lord Robert Baden Powell, and he eventually took Boyce to Baden Powell's headquarters," explained Perrot.  "They met, and they talked about the movement.  He and Boyce formed a life long friendship.  And Boyce gathered up all the literature he could about scouting in England and brought it back to America."

Upon his return to the United States, Boyce brought together several loosely affiliated⁹ youth organizations, and founded the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910.

100 years later, the Boy Scouts remain one of the leading youth organizations in the country.

"Over 100 million people have been involved in the program over the years, mainly boys," noted¹⁰ Allison.  "And basically at the moment there are three and half million scouts presently involved in the program."

Though Boyce died in 1929, he is remembered in his hometown of Ottawa, Illinois. 

Each year, Boy Scouts from around the United States gather for the "Scout Homecoming" to honor their founder, who was Lee Worthington Mueller's grandfather.

"I think he would be very pleased to see his ideals have withstood one hundred years of history, and I think he would probably look around the country and the world as it were and he would probably say 'It's a good thing I did this,' because there's an awful lot of help they need," said Mueller.

As a young Boy Scout in June of 1939, Bud Allison was present for the dedication¹¹ of the Boy Scout memorial at W.D. Boyce's grave.

71 years later, he returned to pay tribute to the founder, and to impress upon the Scouts gathered for the occasion that what they learn in the program today, will help them become the leaders of tomorrow.

ALLISON: "It's important, it's helping¹² them to keep the values that you and I hold very dear as far as the American ideals and involvement and service to America."

PERROT: "I firmly believe if a boy lives by the Scout oath and law, I really don't believe you will find a find a finer human being.  To be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous¹³, kind, thrifty¹⁴, brave, clean, and reverent¹⁵ and all of those things, how important is that to your child?  Isn't that the way you would want your boy to grow?"

The influence of Scouting is now a worldwide phenomenon.  There are more than 500 different programs for both boys and girls in 185 countries around the globe.

 

1 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

2 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

3 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。

4 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

7 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

12 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。

13 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

14 thrifty   

adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的

参考例句：

• Except for smoking and drinking,he is a thrifty man.除了抽烟、喝酒，他是个生活节俭的人。
• She was a thrifty woman and managed to put aside some money every month.她是个很会持家的妇女，每月都设法存些钱。

15 reverent   

adj.恭敬的，虔诚的

参考例句：

• He gave reverent attention to the teacher.他恭敬地听老师讲课。
• She said the word artist with a gentle,understanding,reverent smile.她说作家一词时面带高雅，理解和虔诚的微笑。