环球英语 — 257：Donkey Sanctuary

　　Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. 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 3
‘It is donkeys that transport the products down the mountains - potatoes, vegetables, corn. These mountainsides are rocky. The Matatu people cannot reach there.’ Kenyan farmer
Voice 4
‘I can earn money with each load of water that my donkey carries to town. Without my donkey, I would have no work or earnings².’ Sudan
Voice 3
‘Without a donkey, my wife and I become the donkeys.’ Ethiopian farmer
Voice 1
In many rural areas of the world the donkey is the most valued animal. Yet to many people in the west, the creature is something to laugh at! Keith Powell knows this from his own experiences. Keith is an animal doctor - a vet³. He specialises in treating donkeys! He said,
Voice 5
‘When I tell people in the west about my work, they often laugh. Or they look at me with sympathy. For them, the donkey is not the most popular creature to work with. Yet, millions of people depend on the donkey. This is true in India, China, Mexico, Sudan, Ethiopia - and many other countries! To most people there, donkey power is more important than the modern vehicle engine!’
‘I work in Ethiopia. This country has experienced famines and wars. Yet Ethiopian farmers consider it worth keeping five and a half million [5,500,000] donkeys. Donkeys not produce food. But ask a farmer why he keeps donkeys. He will tell you, “Without a donkey, my wife and I become the donkeys.” The donkey is the workhorse that powers a farming industry. It is the only transport system here. It can survive heavy workloads⁴ in this difficult environment. The donkeys help farm the land for crops. They carry produce to and from the fields. The donkey is a way of giving effective and long lasting⁵ assistance. One of their most important jobs is reducing the women’s work load.’
Voice 1
It is early in the morning. The sun is still rising. But the local market in Tigray, Ethiopia, is already over-crowded. Mainly, it is women - and donkeys! Many women have walked all night to make the long trip to the market. Their donkeys are loaded with firewood or charcoal⁶. These products earn the women money. They sell them here at the local market. In this way, the donkeys provide the women with a way to survive.
An Ethiopian woman cries if her donkey dies. And she has good reason to. It is her donkey that carries the water every day across the mountains. It is her donkey that transports the firewood. It is her donkey that carries the load. Without it, the woman becomes the donkey.
Voice 2
Farmers depend on donkeys to farm their fields, carry their goods. Some even use donkeys during food shortages⁷. The donkeys are able to carry food supplies from aid centres into mountainous areas. The donkey is an important part of everyday life to the average village farmer.
Voice 1
So caring for donkeys does not seem so strange. It is helping⁸ the helpers of people! And over the past few years, different organisations have discovered how important donkeys are. They are working to help its survival⁹.
Voice 2
The Donkey Sanctuary¹⁰ is an aid group. People do not have to pay for the Sanctuary’s services. The Sanctuary began over thirty years ago. It is based in the United Kingdom. The group began by helping British donkeys. British farmers did not always treat their donkeys well. So, the Sanctuary provided a safe, caring place for these donkeys. In other cases, owners were no longer able to care for their donkeys - because of a change in situation or sickness. So the Sanctuary cared for these donkeys too.
Voice 1
Since these small beginnings, the Donkey Sanctuary has expanded greatly! Today, the Sanctuary works in many places around the world - such as India, Mexico, Kenya, Egypt and European countries. It works to improve conditions for working donkeys. The Sanctuary’s work includes research into diseases that affect donkeys, and their treatment. It manages workshops for donkey owners. And it provides donkey clinics. The clinics are places that treat sick and injured donkeys. Skilled workers transport the clinics from one needy¹¹ area to another. They set up the clinics in areas far from towns. One of the poorest areas that they work is in North Eastern Tigray, Ethiopia.
Voice 2
It is forty-two [42] degrees Celsius¹². The hot sun shines over the dry and dusty village in Tigray. There has not been rain here for many months. In fact, for the last two years, the land has been without enough rain. Around two hundred and fifty [250] households live here. The conditions are extremely poor. The stone houses have one window, a door and a dirt floor. The nearest electricity and running water supplies are over two hundred kilometres from here. The nearest road is over thirty kilometres away. The donkey clinic operates from a special vehicle. It is a Landrover, with four wheel drive. This is the only way the workers could reach the village. Many people wait by the clinic vehicle with their animals. The atmosphere is intense, yet happy. Farmers are hopeful. This clinic can give them back their labour force!
The team of workers begins at sunrise. Ten hours later, the crowd is big. Workers have treated around one hundred and fifty [150] donkeys so far. The local animal doctor also comes to the clinic. She receives training. And she describes the particular problems in the area. While the work continues, people from other villages come. They are not happy. They ask why the medical clinic has not come to their village. Arguments begin between villagers. The medical workers intervene¹³. They promise to go to their village next. It is not unusual to see such emotion over donkeys. For these farmers, donkeys are linked to their survival.
Voice 1
The Sanctuary has been working in Ethiopia for twenty-one [21] years. It operates similar clinics in other countries across the world. The Sanctuary knows that for many people, donkeys are a means of survival. In saving the donkey, they are giving farmers the means to help themselves. This is lasting, or sustainable, development. Experts in the field know that this is the kind of development work has the greatest effect.
 

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 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

3 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

4 workloads   

（某一人或组织）工作量，工作负担( workload的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Project management software can provide such visibility into everyone's skills and workloads. 项目管理软件可以提供这样的能见度到每个人的技能和工作量。
• Doctors have complained of heavy workloads. 医生投诉工作越来越繁重。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

7 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

10 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

11 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

12 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

13 intervene   

vi.干涉，干预，干扰，阻挠

参考例句：

• When riot broke out,the police were obliged to intervene.发生暴乱时，警察有责任干预。
• You don't intervene between those two drunks.你不要在那两个酒鬼之间进行调解。