环球英语 — 156： Red to the Rescue

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Mike Procter.
Voice 2
And I’m Elizabeth Lickiss. Welcome to Spotlight¹. 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
The battle was fierce and terrible. Almost forty thousand [40,000] men died in the fighting, or later from their wounds. All over the battlefield men cried out for help. Jean Henri Dunant was deeply shocked by the terrible things he saw.
Voice 2
Henri Dunant was a rich businessman from Switzerland. He went to Paris to work on a business deal with Emperor Napoleon the third. But Napoleon was away in Italy, fighting a war. Henri Dunant went to find him. He arrived just in time to see the battle of Solferino. It was a day that changed his life forever. The year was 1859.
Voice 1
Men lay dying² on the battlefield in the fierce sun. There was no one to care for their wounds or even to bring them a drink of water.
Dunant did what he could. He persuaded local people to help. But four days after the battle, he discovered five hundred [500] more wounded men - men he had not seen before.
Voice 2
He said, ‘I succeeded in getting together some women who helped me as best they could. These men needed food and drink. Their wounds needed treatment. Their bodies needed washing. All this happened in a hot, dirty atmosphere with terrible smells and cries of pain all around’.
Voice 1
Dunant finally returned to his home in Geneva in Switzerland. But he could not forget what he had seen. He wrote about his experiences in a book called ‘A Memory of Solferino’. He suggested forming an organisation³ for the purpose of caring for soldiers wounded in battle.
Voice 2
Dunant sent the book to all the political and military leaders in Europe. Many people supported his idea. In 1863 the first steps were taken to form what is now the Red Cross. The next year, sixteen [16] countries signed legal documents that established rules for military conflicts. This was the first Geneva Convention⁴. Together, the Geneva Convention and the Red Cross provide for the care and protection of men and women wounded in battle. Doctors, care workers and hospitals are also protected from attack under the terms of the agreement.
Voice 1
The Red Cross and the Geneva Convention have both grown and developed in order to provide for the needs of the modern world. Now, almost every country has its own Red Cross organisation although they are not all called by the name ‘Red Cross’. This image was chosen because the organisation began in Switzerland. The Swiss flag is a white cross on a red background. The Red Cross just reversed⁵ the colours and put them the other way round.
Voice 2
Switzerland is a neutral⁶ country. It never takes sides in a military conflict. The main idea behind the Red Cross organisation is that all people are equal. They should all receive the same level of care and protection when they are in trouble.
Voice 1
Dunant was a Christian⁷. His ideas came from the Bible⁸. Jesus said, ‘There is a saying, “Love your friends and hate your enemies. But I say: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who hurt you. In that way you will be true sons of your Father in heaven.’
Dunant treated soldiers from both sides of the conflict. The Red Cross and the Geneva Convention both have this same purpose. They try to make sure that everyone receives care and respect no matter from what nation, race or religion they come.
Voice 2
But some people thought the image of a cross on the flag represented Christianity. They were not willing to work under that image. In 1906, several countries decided⁹ to use the image of a Red Crescent instead. In 2005 - the Red Crystal¹⁰ - was added. These other images now make it easier for every country in the world to join in. Each country is free to choose which image they will use.
Voice 1
Each country organises its own version¹² of the Red Cross, Crescent or Crystal. Their work has expanded into many new areas. These days, the organisations work in peacetime as well as in war. Some countries organise¹¹ health care programmes, special care for babies or homes for children who have no parents. The national organisations try to prevent human suffering wherever it is found. The trouble may be floods, earthquakes, fierce winds or people who are starving. Both the local and international parts of this great organisation come to the rescue.
Voice 2
But what happened to Henri Dunant, the man who made it all possible? It is a sad story. When Dunant returned to Geneva, he spent all his time working on his new plans. He did not return to his work. He did not look after his business interests. The result was that his business failed and many of his friends lost a lot of money. His friends turned against him. Dunant had to leave the Red Cross and Geneva. He went on supporting the work of the Red Cross for as long as he could. But he soon became very poor. He had no money, no food and no home. People forgot all about him for many years.
Voice 1
In 1895, a newspaper reporter discovered Henri Dunant. He was a sick man, living in a free care home. The newspaper reporter wrote about him. Suddenly, Dunant was famous again. People sent money to help him from all over the world. He received many honours. One of them was the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. And the Red Cross remembered what they owed him. They sent a message from Geneva, ‘There is no man who more deserves¹³ this honour. Without you the Red Cross would probably have never been started’.
Voice 2
But Dunant remained in the same room in the free care home. He gave all the money he had received to the home and to other organisations that were helping¹⁴ the poor. He said, ‘It seemed to me that I had something to do, a sacred duty that would have an important effect on the human race’.
Dunant died peacefully in his sleep in 1910. But the great organisation he started still honours him every year on his birthday, May the eighth. That day has become Red Cross, Crescent and Crystal Day.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

4 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

5 reversed   

v.（使）反转( reverse的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）颠倒；（使）翻转；推翻adj.颠倒的

参考例句：

• The new president reversed many of the policies of his predecessor. 新任总统彻底改变了其前任的许多政策。
• The appeal court reversed the original verdict and set the prisoner free. 上诉法庭撤销了原判，把那个犯人释放了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 neutral   

adj.中立的，不偏不倚的；中性的

参考例句：

• Behaviour is never culturally neutral.人的行为从来都受文化的影响。
• They have maintained a consistently neutral stance.他们一直持中立态度。

7 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。

8 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

9 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。

10 crystal   

n.水晶，水晶饰品，结晶体；最好的玻璃器皿

参考例句：

• It used to be a crystal stream.那曾是条清澈见底的小溪。
• Those fine wine glasses are made of crystal.那些漂亮的酒杯是用水晶做的。

11 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

12 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

13 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 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。