环球英语 — 169：Hearing Voices

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. 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 3
“Some tragic³ events were happening in my life. First of all, my girlfriend killed herself. It was a terrible shock to me. We had been very happy together. Then, I broke my hip⁴ bone while playing a game of rugby. I had to spend many weeks in hospital. The doctors told me I would never play rugby again. Later, I went back to work. One day, I was in my office. Suddenly, I heard a voice behind me saying, “You did that wrong.” I looked, but there was no one there. The voice spoke⁵ again. And again. As time passed, I began to hear two voices - then three. Finally, there were six different voices. They spoke to me all the time. They told me how weak and useless I was. They only stopped when I drank too much alcohol⁷. I could not think clearly. Soon, I lost my job. And I ended up in a mental hospital.”
Voice 1
This is Ron Coleman’s story. Doctors decided⁸ that Ron was suffering from a mental condition called schizophrenia. His understanding of what was real had changed. The voices he heard seemed real. But they did not actually exist. Doctors advised Ron to take a series¹⁰ of different medicines. They said he would feel better. But Ron’s mental state did not improve. The voices were still as loud as before. He found it difficult to deal with life.
Voice 2
The normal treatment for this condition is tranquilisers. These drugs calm a person’s mind. They help the person feel in control of themselves. But, tranquilisers do not work for everyone. Many people do not improve with this kind of treatment. They continue to hear voices in their heads. So some mental health doctors have been looking for different ways to help their patients.
Voice 1
One of these mental health workers is Doctor Marius Romme. For many years, he was a psychiatrist¹¹ in the Netherlands. One day, Doctor Romme was attending a patient. This patient told him that the tranquilisers did not solve her problems. She needed something more. Doctor Romme wondered what more he could do. So, he started some research. And he discovered some interesting facts. In history, some cultures honoured people who could hear voices. They considered them to have a special kind of mind. Such people were fully¹² part of the community. They lived normal and happy lives. Their lives seemed very different from mental health sufferers today.
Voice 2
Doctor Romme continued his research in the Netherlands. And some of his research surprised him. He found that many people who heard voices in their head actually were living normal lives. They did not think that they had a ‘proper’ sickness. So what was their secret? Doctor Romme talked to many of these people. And he began to think differently about the ‘hearing voices’ condition. In his opinion, the voices themselves were not the problem. It was a person’s fear of not being able to control the voices that made them sick.
Voice 1
This discovery made Dr⁶ Romme change his method for treating people. In the past, he had advised people to take drugs to calm their brains. This helped them to suppress¹³ the voices. But now, he believes that it may be more helpful if people accept their condition. Doctor Romme suggests that his patients learn how to deal with the voices in their heads. This means¹⁴ accepting that the voices are there. But it does not mean accepting what the voices say. For example, a voice may tell someone to harm themselves. The person should speak back to the voices. He could ask the voice, “Why should I harm myself? Do I feel very angry about something? What has made me so angry?” In this way the person can find out more about what is happening in his mind. He can talk to mental health workers about what he discovers. And the person can learn to manage the situation. He can learn to not be afraid of it. Doctor Romme tells of how one businessman in London controlled his condition:
Voice 4
“Every evening, this man would sit in a big, soft chair. Then, he let the voices in his head speak to him. And sometimes he would speak back. But after an hour, the man stopped listening. He got up and continued with his work. This system worked well for the businessman. Before this, he used traditional methods of suppressing¹⁵ the voices. And he had problems managing his life.”
Voice 2
In fact, Doctor Romme believes that hearing voices is not always a mental sickness. It does not always require medicine to cure it. Instead, it often results from a person being unable to operate normally¹⁶ in society. What does the doctor mean by this? Well, we could use Ron’s story as an example. His girlfriend had died. And he had suffered a bad accident. He was in a difficult mental and physical state. He had not talked about his problems to anyone. His company still expected him to perform his work duties as normal. And it was then that the voices started.
Voice 1
Ron was sick for ten [10] years. He felt hopeless. But one day, he heard about Doctor Romme’s research. He attended one of Doctor Romme’s ‘Hearing Voices’ groups. The doctor had started these groups all over Europe. People who suffered from hearing voices gathered together. They shared their experiences. They shared how they learned¹⁷ to accept their voices. And they also talked about the ways that they controlled their voices. Ron shared his story too. And over time, his condition began to improve.
Voice 2
Since then, Ron has helped develop the ‘Hearing Voices Network’ in the United¹⁸ Kingdom. This network is now part of an international ‘hearing voices’ movement. Mental health workers in many different countries receive special training. They learn how to help hearing voices patients manage and recover from their condition.
Voice 1
Firyal Qader Yassin is head nurse at Bethlehem Psychiatric hospital in Palestine. She says:
Voice 5
“We have received very interesting training on how to deal with the patients who hear voices. For me, it was wonderful how the patients reacted¹⁹ to these new methods. I feel that, for the first time, we entered their world. We began to understand what was happening in their minds. We are no longer standing⁹ there watching. Now we are part of their world.”
Voice 1
For Ron Coleman, understanding and working together are the most important elements²⁰ for recovery²¹. He says:
Voice 3
“Recovery from hearing voices is no longer a gift from the doctors. We are all responsible²² for it.”
 

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 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

4 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 Dr   

n.医生，大夫；博士(缩)（= Doctor）

参考例句：

• Dr.Williams instructs us in botany.威廉博士教我们植物学。
• The ward of the hospital is in the charge of Dr.Green.医院的这间病房由格林医生负责。

7 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

8 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。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 suppress   

vt.压制，镇压，查禁，抑制，阻止

参考例句：

• He continued to suppress the people and serve the imperialists.他继续镇压人民，为帝国主义效劳。
• She was struggling to suppress her sobs.她拼命不让自己哭出来。

14 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

15 suppressing   

抑制（感情等）( suppress的现在分词 )； 压制； 禁止发表； 阻止…的生长（或发展）

参考例句：

• They had already posed the obviousquestions he was suppressing. 他们早就提出了他避而不谈的那些明显的问题。
• The guilty president was suppressing the catastrophic news. 应该承担罪责的总统扣压着这个灾难性消息。

16 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

19 reacted   

起反应( react的过去式和过去分词 )； 反对； （对食物等）有不良反应； 物质起化学反应

参考例句：

• He reacted violently only under provocation . 只因为被激怒，他才暴力相向。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

20 elements   

原理，基础； 要素（旧时认为土、空气、火和水是构成一切物质的四大要素）( element的名词复数 )； （化学）元素； 基础； 成分

参考例句：

• Oxygen is one of the basic elements of substance. 氧是物质的基本元素之一。
• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar. 语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。

21 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

22 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。