环球英语 — 213：William Wilberforce

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. 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
London. The year is 1789. Bright sun shines through the large windows of a beautiful, old building. The Houses of Parliament² — the centre of government for Britain and its colonies³. Inside, government members are busy discussing important matters. The long wooden seats on each side of the main room are crowded. There is a man sitting on a raised chair at one end of the room. He hits the table in front of him. Everyone is quiet. He announces who is to speak next. A young man stands up. He talks for the next three hours. He repeats fact after fact about the evils⁵ of the slave⁶ trade — the buying and selling of people. At the end of his speech he says:
Voice 3
“Now you have heard all this. You may choose not to act. But you can never again say that you do not know.”
Voice 2
This young man’s name was William Wilberforce. He is famous for his part in ending the slave trade. He is famous for his courage and selfless acts. However, this great man did not begin with a desire to save the world. He wanted to be as successful as possible in the world of politics⁷. He became a member of parliament when he was only twenty—one [21]. He was a very popular speaker. The Prime⁸ Minister was one of his best friends. Everyone agreed that he was very skilled⁹ at politics. The future looked great for the young Wilberforce.
Voice 1
But soon, Wilberforce’s opinions about the important things in life changed. A friend had asked him to think seriously about God — to talk about him, to read about him. Wilberforce started to question his own selfish¹⁰ values. He felt that God was showing him a better way to live. So, Wilberforce decided¹¹ to trust God with his life. Political¹² success was no longer important. In fact, Wilberforce worried that he could not serve God well as a member of the government. He thought of leaving parliament. But a friend of his, John Newton, gave him this advice:
Voice 4
“God has raised you up for the good of the church and the good of the nation... Continue in parliament. Who knows? Maybe God has brought you into public life at this time for a reason. Maybe he has a purpose for you.”
Voice 1
Could that purpose be to fight against the slave trade? Wilberforce wondered about this. Slavery¹³ in Britain was illegal¹⁴. But in the colonies, the slave trade was still strong. A group of people formed in Britain. They demanded that the government stop the slave trade. But these people had no power. They needed a member of the government to speak for them. So they asked William Wilberforce. And he agreed. As a Christian¹⁶, he believed that God had created all men as equals. The slave trade was a great evil⁴ that had to be stopped. That was when he made his three hour speech in parliament.
Voice 2
Many members of parliament, or MPs, did not agree with Wilberforce’s speech. They argued that Britain’s wealth depended on the slave trade in its colonies. Also, some MPs said that the slave trade was a helpful thing. They claimed that slave traders¹⁷ were actually rescuing African people captured¹⁸ during conflicts¹⁹ in their country — and that the traders were taking them away to a better life.
Voice 1
Many British people believed these reasons to keep the slave trade. They did not know how much African people suffered as slaves²⁰. So the group against slavery travelled around the country. They told people about the terrible conditions on slave ships. They published stories written by slaves. They persuaded people to stop eating sugar. (Sugar was one of the main crops that slaves had to produce). Slowly, British people began to see that the slave trade was less than human. And this change in public opinion helped Wilberforce’s fight in parliament.
Voice 2
The story moves to 1796 — seven years after Wilberforce had made his first speech against the slave trade. People felt that the government was now ready to vote against the slave trade. But Wilberforce’s enemies had a plan. They found a way to stop members of parliament from voting. They gave away theatre tickets to the MPs. These tickets would admit the MPs to a musical play. The play was the same night as the vote against the slave trade. And some MPs went to see the play instead of voting. The anti—slave trade bill was defeated by only four votes. Wilberforce could not believe what happened. He became very sick after these events.
Voice 1
But around the world, the struggle against slavery was increasing. In the West Indies, slaves were rebelling²¹ against their masters. On the island of Haiti, slave groups even succeeded in taking power from the colonial²² government. These events gave Wilberforce courage. He continued to present his anti—slave trade bill in parliament. He believed that change had to happen soon.
Voice 2
In 1806, one of the anti—slavery group had an idea. James Stephen was a legal¹⁵ expert. He suggested that Wilberforce should present a different bill in parliament. Owning slaves in Britain was already illegal. But transporting and selling slaves outside Britain was still legal. This bill would ban British people from being involved with the slave trade anywhere in the world. This meant that British businessmen could no longer deal with colonies where the owners were still using slaves. So, British traders would have to find different places to trade with. They would not profit from continuing to support the slave trade. So there was no point supporting it any more. Wilberforce did present this bill. And parliament approved it. Wilberforce sensed that victory²³ was near.
Voice 1
On the 23rd of February 1807, Wilberforce presented his anti—slave trade bill once more. All through the night, MPs stood up one by one and declared their support for the bill. Wilberforce sat and listened. Tears flowed down his face. At four o’ clock in the morning, the result came: against Wilberforce’s new law — sixteen [16]. In support of the law — two hundred and eighty three [283]. The capturing²⁴, transporting and selling of African people was, at last, illegal.
Voice 2
However, the battle was not over. Existing slaves in the colonies still needed to gain freedom. Wilberforce was becoming old and weak. But he continued to fight for these slaves too. In 1833, the British government passed a bill to free slaves everywhere that Britain ruled. Wilberforce heard the long—awaited news. Two days later, he died. He had fought a long, hard battle. But now, his work was finished.
Voice 1
The writer and producer of today’s programme was Ruby²⁵ Jones. This programme is called, “William Wilberforce”. You can write to Spotlight by e-mail. Our address is radio @ English . net. Thank you for joining us today, goodbye.

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 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

3 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

5 evils   

n.邪恶，罪恶，祸害( evil的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The knowledge of future evils mortified the present felicities. 对未来苦难的了解压抑了目前的喜悦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The evils we bring on ourselves are the hardest to bear. 自己作的孽最难熬。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 slave   

n.奴隶，附件，卑鄙的人；vi.拼命工作

参考例句：

• Don't be a slave to custom.不要做风俗习惯的奴隶。
• Why should I slave away all my life!我为什么要辛辛苦苦地干一辈子呀！

7 politics   

n.政治，政治学；政纲，政见，策略

参考例句：

• They seldom talk on politics in those days.那时人们很少谈论政治。
• The two brothers differed about politics.这兄弟俩政见不同。

8 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

9 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

10 selfish   

adj.自私的，利己主义的，自我中心的

参考例句：

• You must learn to share and not be so selfish.你一定要学会与他人分享，不要那么自私。
• She is a selfish person.她是一个自私自利的人。

11 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。

12 political   

adj.政治上的，政党的，政略性的，政治的

参考例句：

• He was forced to leave his homeland for political reasons.因为政治原因他被迫离开自己的祖国。
• In ideas those two political parties are worlds apart.那两个政党在思想上有巨大分歧。

13 slavery   

n.奴隶的身分，奴隶状态，奴隶制度

参考例句：

• The Americans abolished slavery in 1863.美国于1863年废除奴隶制度。
• He is in a state of virtual slavery.他实际上处于一种被奴役的状态。

14 illegal   

adj.不合法的，非法的，犯法的

参考例句：

• I don't want to get mixed up with any illegal organization.我不想与任何非法组织有牵连。
• It's illegal for people under 17 to drive a car in Britain.在英国，不满17岁的人驾驶车辆是违法的。

15 legal   

adj.法律的，依照法律的，合法的，法定的，正当的

参考例句：

• He is my legal adviser.他是我的法律顾问。
• This is partly a political and partly a legal question.这个问题部分是政治问题，部分是法律问题。

16 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。

17 traders   

n.商人( trader的名词复数 )；经商者；商船；（证券交易中不为他人作代理而自行交易的）交易人

参考例句：

• Beware of dishonest traders in the tourist areas. 在旅游区一定要谨防奸商。
• Many traders went under during the war. 战争时期，许多商人破产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

19 conflicts   

冲突( conflict的名词复数 )； 战斗； 相互干扰； 矛盾

参考例句：

• Conflicts among the various groups do not augur well for the future of the peace talks. 各派之间的冲突对和平谈判不是一个好兆头。
• Such was the ideal; the occasional conflicts were due to human imperfection. 这样的分工是完美的，偶尔的冲突是人类的缺点所致。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

20 slaves   

n.奴隶( slave的名词复数 )；苦工；完全受（某事物）控制的人；完全依赖（某事物）的人v.奴隶般地工作，做苦工( slave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• fashionistas who are slaves to the latest trends 被潮流牵着鼻子走的赶时髦者

21 rebelling   

adj.叛逆性的v.反抗政府( rebel的现在分词 )；反抗权威

参考例句：

• Consumers are rebelling at steep price increases. 消费者在抗议物价飞涨。 来自辞典例句
• Fourth Master Liu laughed wildly. \" Ha, ha, thinking of rebelling, are you?\" 刘四狂笑起来：“哈哈，你这小子要造反吗？ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

22 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

23 victory   

n.胜利，成功

参考例句：

• Victory will never come if we only wait for it.如果我们光是等待，胜利永远不会到来。
• It can't be questioned that we will win the final victory.我们将最终取得胜利，这是确定无疑的。

24 capturing   

俘获( capture的现在分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Since when is capturing a felon considered interference? 从何时起抓住重案犯被认为是妨碍组员行动？
• Capturing the enemy-held towns is the pivot of our plans. 夺取敌人控制的城镇，是我们计画的轴心。

25 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。