环球英语 — 225：World Teachers’ Day

　　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 3
“Education is the great engine that helps people to develop. Education makes many things possible. Through it, the daughter of a poor man can become a doctor. The son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine. A child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we do with what we have that is important.”
Voice 1
These are the words of Nelson Mandela. Mandela became the first president of the new South Africa. And he knew the truth of these words in his own life. He used the education he received to change his country’s history.
Voice 2
Education is one of the basic human rights. That is, it appears in the UN Declaration³ of Human Rights. And on the fifth of October 2007, the world is celebrating the people who provide education – teachers! World Teachers’ Day is a time for students to thank their teachers for all the hard work they do. And it gives teachers a chance to talk about matters that concern them. Teachers’ Day 2007 is concentrating⁴ on “Better working conditions for teachers”. The organisers believe that this will lead to better learning⁵ conditions for learners.
Voice 1
So what do the organisers of World Teachers Day mean when they talk of ‘better working conditions’ for teachers? They mean a positive working environment, with safe classrooms, a good supply of resources⁶ and the right number of students in the class. Male and female⁷ teachers should receive the same amount of money. And this amount should be enough to live on. Teachers should also help decide education policies⁸. And they should have the chance to receive more training if they want it.
Voice 2
These conditions would be the best for teachers to work in. But around the world, conditions in real life are often very different. Here is Nadia’s story. Nadia is a teacher in school number seven in Sliven. Sliven is a town in Bulgaria. Many of the students in her school are gypsies, from Roma families. The Roma people have a tradition of moving around from place to place. They have no permanent⁹ home. This makes it difficult for children to attend school for the whole school year. Nadia says,
Voice 4
“Sometimes it feels like I am building on sand. You work hard with a group of students. And you start to think that they are making progress. Then, half the group disappears for several weeks. Why? Well, many Roma work on farms during the harvest season. And they often take their children with them to work too. So, we try to negotiate¹⁰ with the parents. We make sure that the children take their school tests before they leave school ...
‘It is the Romani girls who have the most problems. Often their parents remove them from school when they are twelve or thirteen. The parents may have chosen a man for their daughter to marry. And they want to prepare her for that new kind of life.”
Voice 1
But for Nadia, there are also positive sides to her job:
Voice 4
“I feel like this is real life. I feel like I must give the children all the help that they expect from me. This involves being many things: carer, adviser¹¹, teacher! In the classroom we have many problems. Language is one – the younger Romani students cannot speak Bulgarian. We do not have a teacher who can speak the Romani language. So the older Romani children have to translate for them. Also, children from different groups and areas do not like each other. Their parents do not want them to be in the same class. But I love to try and find solutions to these problems. And the children finish their early school years with a good set of skills. That is very satisfying¹²!”
Voice 2
Nadia has been a teacher in school number seven for twenty [20] years. Some of the Romani mothers were her first students. And they now send their children to Nadia’s school. They have seen how she fights for them to have a good education. They know that Nadia cares about her students. And so they trust her with their children. The link between teacher and students is a very strong one.
Voice 1
There have been many famous teachers all through history – teachers who have influenced people’s lives. For many people, one of the best examples of a good teacher is Jesus Christ¹³. The Bible¹⁴ talks about how he spent a lot of time with his followers¹⁵. He created a positive learning environment. How? Well, he was always willing¹⁶ to answer his followers’ questions. And, he loved to use stories from the world around him. This often helped his followers to understand his teaching¹⁷ better. Jesus set a good example in everything that he did. And he prepared his followers for the time when he would no longer be with them.
Voice 2
What about you? Do you remember any of your teachers? Did any of them have a big influence on you? Some time ago, I visited one of my old teachers. He helped me a lot with my studies at college. I was sure that I was going to fail. But he encouraged me to keep trying. And in the end, I passed my exams. During my recent visit, I thanked him again for his help. I told him that I remembered something he had said a long time ago: “Teaching is an act of love.” Later, I worked as a teacher. Then I understood what he meant. Teaching is not simply filling up an empty child with information! You have to care about your students – to relate to them in a meaningful¹⁸ way. You have to win their trust and be a good example to them. This can be a long process. But the results are usually worth it.
Voice 1
Few teachers would claim to be as good at teaching as Jesus Christ was. But World Teachers’ Day is a time to celebrate all teachers – to remember the good work that they do and to say a big ‘thank you’ to them for it!
Voice 2
How are you celebrating World Teachers’ Day? Do you have any stories about your teachers? Write and tell us! Our address is radio @ english . net.
 

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 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

4 concentrating   

v.专心于( concentrate的现在分词 )；注意；集中；聚集

参考例句：

• Many firms are concentrating on increasing their markets overseas. 许多公司正在集中精力开拓它们的海外市场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The audience is all concentrating with rapt attention on taking notes. 人们都在全神贯注地记笔记。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

6 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

7 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

8 policies   

n.政策( policy的名词复数 )；策略；政府；策略性

参考例句：

• The Chancellor was forced into a humiliating climbdown on his economic policies. 财政大臣被迫狼狈地承认他的经济政策存在失误。
• an angry denunciation of the government's policies 愤怒谴责政府的政策

9 permanent   

adj.永久的，不变的，固定的

参考例句：

• The coat gives permanent protection against heavy rain.这种防雨衣经久耐用。
• It's difficult to find a permanent cure for this disease.这病很难除根。

10 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

11 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

12 satisfying   

adj.令人满意的，令人满足的v.使满意，满足( satisfy的现在分词)

参考例句：

• It's satisfying to play a game really well. 一种游戏玩得特别好是一桩惬意的事。
• The book is more satisfying if you read each chapter in sequence. 这本书依次读各章会更好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

14 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。

15 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

16 willing   

adj.愿意的，自愿的，乐意的，心甘情愿的

参考例句：

• We never lack food and clothing if we're willing to work.如果我们愿意工作,就不会缺吃少穿。
• He's quite willing to pay the price I ask.他很愿意照我的要价付钱。

17 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

18 meaningful   

adj.意味深长的；富有意义的

参考例句：

• They exchanged meaningful looks.他们彼此意味深长地交换了一下眼色。
• The article has a meaningful ending.这篇文章的结尾意味深长。