环球英语 — 175：Listener Mail 84

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for Spotlight¹’s listener² mail program! I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Welcome to today’s listener mail program! We like to listen to our listeners³! In this program people share questions and comments about Spotlight. Today we will hear from Jen, Diane, Amine, and Donato. So let’s get started answering your mail!
Voice 2
Our first letter today comes from Jen. Jen heard about Spotlight in a very interesting way - we made a program about her! This program was called “Acts of Kindness.” In this program we told about Jen’s website called “Daily Mitzvah.” Mitzvah is a Jewish⁴ word meaning “an act of kindness.” Every day on “Daily Mitzvah” Jen shares ideas on how to perform acts of kindness.
Voice 1
Joshua Leo found Jen’s website. He thought it was a great idea. And he knew Spotlight’s listeners might enjoy Jen’s ideas too. So, he wrote a program about it! Jen noticed that Spotlight had linked to her blog. So, she came to our website to see what we were about. Jen wrote:
Voice 3
“I was so happy to learn that your program “Acts of Kindness” featured my blog, Daily Mitzvah! I clicked⁶ the link and greatly enjoyed the program. It was a lovely discussion⁷ of a project near to my heart. And I think Spotlight Radio’s English method is very cool. Congratulations⁸ on all your good work. And thank you for the kind words.”
Voice 2
Jen, we are so happy you enjoyed the program! People are working to do good things all around the world. Sometimes it is hard to know who these people are or what they are doing. And it can be hard to know how to get involved to make the world better. So we were very happy to share your website with daily suggestions on acts of kindness! Thanks for writing to us Jen.
Voice 1
Listeners, we know that you also have good ideas about acts of kindness. If you would like to share your ideas with us, you can e-mail us at Radio @ English.net. We would love to share your ideas everywhere in the world!
Voice 2
When Jen first saw our link to her website she wondered who we were. But she was not the only one! Diane from France also wrote to us. She asked about the producers of Spotlight.
Voice 1
Three different teams work together to produce the Spotlight program for your local radio station. Two of these teams are in the United⁹ States and one is in England. The team members are all Christians¹⁰. We are able to use voices from different places because these teams are in different places.
Voice 2
You can find out more about who we are and what we believe on our website. Go to http://www.Radio.English.net. Click⁵ on the first link, called “Spotlight.” You can also search our website to find programs about how and why Spotlight began. Thanks for writing to us Diane!
Voice 1
Our next letter today comes from Amine. Amine writes:
Voice 4
“I can speak English and make myself understood. But my problem is that I have a great difficulty¹¹ understanding what a native says when he is speaking quickly. I am looking forward to your advice.”
Voice 1
Thanks for your question Amine. We get many questions like this. As our listeners know, we are not a program that teaches English. But we use English in a way that makes it easier to understand. Many people do enjoy listening to our programs to hear and understand interesting stories and subjects.
Voice 2
Teachers say that when someone learns a new language, it is important to practice listening. By listening more and more, any language learner will begin to understand more and more. Spotlight is especially good to practice with. But you can also practice with other programs. Maybe you can also practice with other English speakers who can speak face to face with you. Maybe you can set up a class or group where people practice together. Or, you can try listening to English news broadcasts on the Internet. You can compare them with news in your own language. In the beginning, it may be difficult to understand people who speak fast. But the more you listen, the easier it will be.
Voice 1
We hope this advice is helpful! But we have another suggestion for you too. In fact, this suggestion comes from another of our listeners, Donato. In his letter, Donato told us an interesting way he listens to Spotlight. He says his English is improving quickly. He likes to experiment with listening to Spotlight at different speeds. To do this, he transfers¹² our programs to an audio¹³ player. Then he speeds up the audio file¹⁴!
Voice 2
He also shares some suggestions for Spotlight programs. Donato writes:
Voice 5
“I would like to suggest something... that I think could be useful to everyone. First, I would like to hear and read some... interview programs. And second, I would like to hear and read a lot about technical subjects. For example, I would like to hear about computers, renewable energy, wind energy and more.”
Voice 1
Thanks a lot for your suggestions Donato! We are always looking for new subjects to write about. And all of these ideas sound very good. In fact, some of them have been in earlier Spotlight programs. The link to search for past programs is at the bottom of the Listen and Read page. But we also produce at least one new science program each week. So we will keep your ideas for the future! Maybe we can use one of them soon.
Voice 2
Your other question is a little more difficult to answer. Interview programs are when we ask people questions and they answer. The problem is that often the English that people use in their answers is not clear enough to use in a Spotlight program. But we are always open to trying new things. Who knows? Maybe in the future we can produce something like this! Thanks for writing to Spotlight!
 

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 listener   

n.听众；收听者

参考例句：

• I'm a regular listener to her show.我经常收听她的节目。
• She became an attentive listener.她变成了一个专心致志的聆听者。

3 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 Jewish   

adj.犹太人的，犹太民族的

参考例句：

• The coin bears a Jewish symbol.硬币上有犹太标记。
• They were two Jewish kids;I was friendly with both of them.他们是两个犹太小孩；我同他们都很要好。

5 click   

n.点击，滴答声，拍答声；v.点击，作滴答声，使...作拍答声

参考例句：

• Click the Allow button on the yellow bar.点击黄色栏中的允许按钮。
• Click on the links for each city for a detailed map.点击连接看城市地区详细地图。

6 clicked   

v.使发出咔哒声，使咔哒（或咔嚓）响( click的过去式和过去分词 )；突然明白；配合默契；在计算机荧光屏上用鼠标器)咔嗒一按

参考例句：

• The cameras clicked away. 照相机咔嚓咔嚓地不停拍照。
• He clicked his tongue to attract their attention. 他咂嘴发出啧啧声以吸引他们的注意。

7 discussion   

n.讨论，谈论；论述

参考例句：

• It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
• After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨，和平协议渐渐有了眉目。

8 congratulations   

n.祝贺；贺词；祝词

参考例句：

• I send you my warmest congratulations on your success. 我对你的成功致以最热烈的祝贺。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Please give her my congratulations when you see her. 见到她时请转达我的祝贺。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

11 difficulty   

n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境

参考例句：

• If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难，请迅速通知我们。
• A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。

12 transfers   

n. 接送服务

参考例句：

• Some proposals to make transfers automatic have been made. 人们已提出了一些自动转让的方案。
• Embryo transfers speed up the process of building a high-quality herd. 胚胎转移加速了培养优质牛群的步伐。

13 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。

14 file   

n.档案，公文箱，锉刀；v.列队行进，归档，申请；[计算机]文件

参考例句：

• Fran came in holding a blue file.弗兰拿着一个蓝色的文件夹进来了。
• The door won't fit;you'll have to file it down.这门关不上，你得把它锉一锉。