环球英语 — 154：The Loneliness Question

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Mrs. Singh* is a wealthy woman who lives alone in Delhi, India. For many years she lived with her husband and five children. She looked after her children. And they all went to university. But then they found good jobs. And they all moved away from home. Then, Mrs. Singh’s husband got sick. He had to stay in bed all the time. So she took care of him. She did this for fifteen years before her husband died.
Voice 2
Mrs. Singh felt very sad living alone. But her children did not move back into her house. They were all adults by then. Those who lived far away could not move back. And those who lived near her did not want to move. Now, she says that her children give her financial support. But they are too busy to spend time with her. She misses her husband. She feels very lonely. Loneliness is becoming a problem among wealthy people in India. They are often like Mrs. Singh’s children. They have to work long hours to get a high position at work. So they may not see their friends or family very often.
Voice 1
But India is not the only place where people are lonely. Loneliness is a growing problem in the world today. People are asking the question “How can I deal with loneliness?”
Voice 2
Rick Warren is a famous Christian³ leader and writer. He tries to help people who are emotionally⁴ hurting. People ask him difficult questions. One common question is about loneliness. So Rick researched this problem. And he wrote suggestions to help people who are lonely. In today’s Spotlight we look at Rick’s suggestions. But first we look at some of the causes of loneliness.
Voice 1
There are many reasons why people are lonely. A change of situation is one reason. Mrs. Singh experienced⁵ a big change in life when her husband died. The death of a husband or wife causes extreme⁶ loneliness - even for people who live with their children.
Voice 2
Moving to a new place to live can also cause loneliness. Yangsheng Guo is from China. He moved to Canada to go to university. He had to leave his family and friends at home. He did not know anyone at the university. He said:
Voice 3
“I have been in [Canada] for two months. I do not know the other students at university. I try to return smiles with students that I meet in the university buildings.”
Voice 1
Many people have to move for an education. They know life will be different in the new place. But more and more people are going to universities in other countries. They are separated⁷ from their families and their culture. Separation⁸ is a big cause of loneliness.
Voice 2
But maybe the worst reason to feel lonely is rejection⁹. For example, friends can become enemies. They may argue over something small. And the situation can get worse. Later, one friend may apologise¹⁰. This friend wants peace. But the other friend may reject the offer of peace. This person rejects the friendship too. This kind of rejection hurts. Anne* is a girl who experienced rejection from her school friends. She said:
Voice 4
“The time between our studies was the worst. [A] group of girls used to [sit] under the trees. At first the girls were nice to me. I was new. So I was thankful that they let me be a part of their group. Then, they wanted me to give them some money to buy cigarettes. I said I did not smoke cigarettes. And that is when it started. They persuaded other girls in my classroom to stop talking to me.”
Voice 1
Anne had a bad experience. She needed help to get through the situation. Rick Warren wants people like Anne, Mrs. Singh, and Yangsheng Guo to find help. First he suggests that people use their time wisely. During lonely periods people may not take care of themselves. They may not eat enough food. They may not exercise. And they may not care how they look. Rick says:
Voice 5
“Resist the [desire] to do nothing. Loneliness can make you paralysed¹¹ - frozen¹² by fear. Do what you can do to fight loneliness.”
Voice 2
Part of fighting loneliness is to try new things. Some people join local interest groups. Other people learn new skills. They may learn how to use a computer, how to cook or how to speak another language. And some people may work a few hours a week for free - they volunteer. This way they get out of the house. And they can be around other people.
Voice 1
One woman decided¹³ to fight loneliness by volunteering for a hospice. A hospice is a special hospital for dying¹⁴ people. The woman’s name is Marilyn. She was experiencing a lonely time in her life. Volunteering had a strong influence on her. Marilyn said:
Voice 6
“Volunteering for [a] hospice is a good experience. I have turned long lonely hours into productive¹⁵ time helping¹⁶ others. Volunteering changed my feelings about problems in my life”
Voice 2
When people are alone, they may start to think too much. Rick suggests that people do not think about their loneliness all the time. They will become sad if they only think about their problems. Thoughts like ‘poor me, poor me’ make people unhappy. For some people the sadness turns into deep anger or bitterness¹⁸. They may be bitter¹⁷ at their family for not spending time with them. This anger can build and build. Sadness and anger are normal feelings. But a person who thinks good thoughts will feel better. And most people do not want to be with someone who is always sad or angry. People want to be with a happy peaceful person.
Voice 1
Rick Warren talks about how God can help people find peace and happiness. He says:
Voice 5
“There is no place where God is not. He is in all places at all times. And you can talk with him often. Prayer¹⁹ is a great tool for lonely times. Talk to God. And let him speak to you.”
Voice 1
Finally, Rick talks about how lonely people can support their community. He suggests that they help other needy²⁰ people. Showing love to other people in this way can be powerful²¹. Then, they stop thinking about their own problems. Rick says:
Voice 5
“Love is the [cure] for loneliness. Instead of waiting to be loved, we need to give love. Then we will receive love back in a plentiful²² [amount].”
Voice 1
Loneliness is just one of many problems that people ask Rick about. Listen for more of his advice on other problems in future Spotlight programmes.
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 emotionally   

adv.感情上，情绪上，冲动地

参考例句：

• a special school for emotionally disturbed children 为精神异常儿童开办的特殊学校
• A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. 多种令人情绪紧张的事情都可能引起旧病复发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

6 extreme   

adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度

参考例句：

• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。
• His views are rather extreme.他的见解相当偏激。

7 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 separation   

n.分离，分居，缺口

参考例句：

• After a long separation,they held a glad meeting.阔别多年之后，他们举行了一个令人愉快的聚会。
• Separation from his friends made him sad.与朋友们分离使他伤心。

9 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

10 apologise   

vi.(=apologize）道歉

参考例句：

• You forgot to apologise.你忘记道歉了。
• I must apologise that if I offended you I didn't mean to.我必须向您道歉，如果冒犯了您，我不是有意的。

11 paralysed   

使瘫痪[麻痹]( paralyse的过去式和过去分词 )； 使不能正常活动

参考例句：

• The accident left him paralysed from the waist down . 那场事故使他腰部以下都瘫痪了。
• The country was paralysed by a series of strikes. 一系列的罢工使那个国家陷于瘫痪之中。

12 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

15 productive   

adj.能生产的，有生产价值的，多产的

参考例句：

• We had a productive meeting that solved some problems.我们开了一个富有成效的会议，解决了一些问题。
• Science and technology are part of the productive forces.科学技术是生产力。

16 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。

17 bitter   

adj.激烈的，苦涩的，辛酸的，厉害的，悲痛的；n.辛酸，苦味，苦酒

参考例句：

• The bitter winter was coming.寒冬到了。
• The two countries fell out in a bitter wrangle over imports.这两个国家在有关进口问题的激烈争吵中闹翻了。

18 bitterness   

n.苦味；痛苦；悲痛；酷烈

参考例句：

• She was full of hatred and bitterness. 她满腔仇恨和辛酸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her cup of bitterness was full. 她历尽了苦难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 prayer   

n.祈祷，祈求，请求，恳求；祷文，祷告者，恳求者

参考例句：

• We heard the calling of the bells to prayer.我们听见了召唤祈祷的钟声。
• Everyone in church knelt in prayer.教堂里每个人都跪着祈祷。

20 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

21 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

22 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。