环球英语 — 248：Seeds of Peace

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“‘Seeds of Peace’ gave me hope that one day we will be able to live in peace - a just peace based on the elements² of respect, dignity³, and basic human rights and values for every Israeli and Palestinian.”
Palestine
Voice 4
“The true power of ‘Seeds of Peace’ is the power to keep friendships alive, even in times of war. This year has been difficult, but Seeds of Peace has helped me remain hopeful⁴ about peace and the future.”
Israel
Voice 1
These are the words of two young people from Palestine and Israel. They are just two of the young people involved in the organization ‘Seeds of Peace’. ‘Seeds of Peace’ believes that peace cannot grow unless someone plants a seed. This is their goal - to plant seeds of peace. They bring young people from many different places together. They train these young people to be peace leaders. And then they send the young people home. The goal is that as these young people grow, peace will grow with them.
Voice 2
‘Seeds of Peace’ started in 1993. When ‘Seeds of Peace’ first began there were only forty-six [46] young people involved. They came from Israel, Palestine and Egypt. Today, ‘Seeds of Peace’ includes three thousand five hundred [3500] young people. They come from areas like South Asia, Cyprus, the Balkans, and the United⁵ States. These are all areas where seeds of peace must be planted - they are areas of great conflict⁶.
Voice 1
All of the ‘Seeds of Peace’ programs start in Maine, in the United States. Here, Seeds of Peace started an international camp for young people. This is a place where young people from conflicting⁷ nations can come together. They leave their homes to meet in a peaceful environment. Arab⁸ Palestinians meet Israeli Jews⁹. Greek¹⁰ Cypriots meet Turkish Cypriots. Indians meet Pakistanis. And, Americans meet Iraqis. Each government chooses young people to represent¹¹ their country at the camp. Their governments believe that they will be important leaders in their countries in the future.
Voice 2
These young representatives¹³ live together in small cabins¹⁴. They share meals together. They learn about each other’s cultures and religions. They have group discussions¹⁵. They are given particular jobs and they complete those jobs together.
Voice 1
Often, it is the first time these young people have come face to face with someone from the other side of the conflict. These young people discover that they are not so different from each other. They build relationships with each other. During their time at camp these young people learn valuable skills. They learn about working together as a team, without fighting. And they learn communication and negotiation¹⁶ skills. These are all important skills for working towards peace. Here is what one representative¹² had to say about the program.
Voice 4
“‘Seeds of Peace’ is the only organization that takes people that want peace from all over the world and helps them become a major part within their community - encouraging others to believe in peace.”
Voice 2
‘Seeds of Peace’ works¹⁷ in many places in the world - the Middle East, the United States, the Balkans, Cyprus, Afghanistan, and South Asia. Young people from each of these areas visit the camp in Maine in the summer. But there are also programs in each area during the year.
Voice 1
In the Middle East, young people are involved in the Advanced Coexistence program. This program is for young people living in Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Some young people meet every week to talk together. Others come together on their holidays from school. They talk about the issues¹⁸ they face at home. They talk about ways to solve conflict. It is one of the only places where these young people, from opposite sides, can come together to talk. One member described this experience in the Middle East program.
Voice 5
“As I looked to the side for a moment, I saw two of my best friends - one Israeli and one Palestinian... At that moment I understood that I love them both the same way. No worries, no limits.”
Voice 1
The Balkans Program started in 2000. It includes young people from Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Croatia and Albania. These nations are still recovering from recent conflict. During this sad conflict community members turned against each other. These neighbours hurt each other greatly. Because of this, it is difficult for the young people to trust each other. So, Seeds of Peace brings them together. Many of the young people go to the camp in Maine. They learn that they can live together peacefully. When they return home they are able to continue their new friendships. They can talk on the phone and through the Internet. And they can write their thoughts in the “Olive Branch.” This is a small newspaper. Young people from ‘Seeds of Peace’ started it together. One member said this about the Balkans Program.
Voice 6
“We are neighbors and have common interests. We should help each other and go forward because that is what neighbors do.”
Voice 2
The newest Seeds of Peace program is in South Asia. It started in 2001. It is for Indian and Pakistani young people. Seeds of Peace describes the meeting between Indians and Pakistanis in this way. “Over the course of the program, insults¹⁹, tears and anger are gradually²⁰ replaced by words of care, understanding and honest attempts at coming together.”
Voice 1
Some people believe that they can achieve peace through war and conflict. But it is clear in the many conflicts²¹ in the world that this does not usually work. Unless, that is, a person is using the right tools. Seeds of Peace is giving their young members the tools of communication, negotiation, and friendship. They hope that these tools will defeat war and conflict. As one member from the United States said:
Voice 3
“If you want peace, you have to go to war. But to go to war, you do not need weapons. You need yourself, your voice, your words. And that’s how ‘Seeds of Peace’ is fighting.”
 

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 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。

3 dignity   

n.尊严，面子，高贵

参考例句：

• Only a truly free person has human dignity.只有真正自由的人才具有人的尊严。
• He considered the job beneath his dignity.他认为这种工作有失身份。

4 hopeful   

adj.有希望的，怀抱希望的，保持乐观的；n.有希望之人，有前途之人

参考例句：

• This is a hopeful news.这是个鼓舞人心的消息。
• We are hopeful about the future.我们对未来抱乐观态度。

5 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。

6 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

7 conflicting   

adj.相冲突的，相矛盾的

参考例句：

• They confused me with conflicting accounts of what happened. 他们对发生的事所作的陈述自相矛盾，使我迷惑不解。
• Another team of scientists has come up with conflicting evidence. 另一组科学家提出了有抵触的证据。

8 Arab   

n.阿拉伯人，阿拉伯马；adj.阿拉伯人的，阿拉伯的

参考例句：

• It's a story about an Arab in the desert.这是一个生活在沙漠地区的阿拉伯人的故事。
• An Arab is travelling in the desert on his camel.一个阿拉伯人正骑着骆驼在沙漠中旅行。

9 Jews   

n.犹太教徒( Jew的名词复数 )；犹太人

参考例句：

• Hitler's original plan was to kill off all the German Jews. 希特勒的最初打算是杀光德国所有的犹太人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 Greek   

adj.希腊(人)的，希腊语的；n.希腊人；希腊语

参考例句：

• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。
• Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.δ是希腊字母中的第四个字母。

11 represent   

vt.表现，表示；描绘，讲述；代表，象征；回忆；再赠送，再上演；vi.提出异议

参考例句：

• I'll represent to him the risk he is running.我要向他指出他所面临的险境。
• We selected her to represent us.我们选她作为我们的代表。

12 representative   

n.代表，众议员，典型；adj.描写的，表现的，代理的，代表性的，代议制的，典型的

参考例句：

• He is a representative for a large steel company.他是一家大型钢铁公司的代理人。
• We have a representative sample.我们有一个代表性的样品。

13 representatives   

代表，典型的

参考例句：

• The country is governed by elected representatives of the people. 这个国家由民选代表统治。
• The representatives pronounced against the decision made at the conference. 代表们对会议作出的决定表示反对。

14 cabins   

n.小木屋( cabin的名词复数 )；（飞机上的）驾驶舱；客舱；（轮船上工作或生活的）隔间

参考例句：

• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hsin-mei and Hung-chien formally thanked Ku and Li for the cabins. 辛楣和鸿渐为舱位的事，向郑重道谢。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

15 discussions   

n.讨论( discussion的名词复数 )；商讨；详述；论述

参考例句：

• Discussions are held on an informal basis within the department. 讨论限于在本部门内非正式地进行。
• Her specialist input to the discussions has been very useful. 她在这些讨论中提供的专家建议很有助益。

16 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

17 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

18 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

19 insults   

侮辱，辱骂，侮辱性的言论( insult的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He shouted insults at the boy who had kicked him. 他大声辱骂那个踢了他的男孩。
• I will by no manner of means put up with such insults. 我绝不会容忍这种侮辱。

20 gradually   

adv.逐渐地

参考例句：

• The roaring sea gradually calmed down.咆哮的大海逐渐平静下来。
• Gradually he became silent.渐渐地他变得沉默寡言了。

21 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