环球英语 — 285：The Amish

　　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 1
It was October 2006. A man entered a small school. It was in Pennsylvania, in the United States. He tied up ten school girls. Then he pulled out a gun. And he shot them. These girls were between the ages of six and thirteen years old. They were Amish girls.
Voice 2
The Amish people are a particular group of Christians². They believe they should live simple lives. Most of them do not use electricity, watch television or drive cars. Many of them are farmers. Or they make goods that they sell in their own stores. Their clothes are simple too. They usually wear dark colours - black, blue and brown. The women wear white hats. They also wear white aprons³ over their clothes. The men wear wide hats made of straw. Married men grow their facial hair, but unmarried men have no beards. The Amish believe that they should separate themselves from the world. They do not want the ideas of the world to influence them.
Voice 1
The Amish are very peaceful. They do not fight in wars. And they do not believe in violence of any kind. So why would anyone shoot an Amish person? It is a mystery.
Voice 2
The man responsible for shooting the girls was Charles Carl Roberts. His job was to drive a milk truck. Mr. Roberts got milk from Amish farms. He lived near the Amish school. Mr. Roberts was a troubled man. He had a difficult past. And he was angry about it. He had no anger towards the Amish. But he still chose to hurt the innocent⁴ little girls. After he shot the children, he used a gun to kill himself. The police and ambulance drivers arrived at the school. They tried to help. But it was too late. Ambulance drivers took the girls to hospital. Several of the girls died.
Voice 1
This tragic⁵ event shocked the world. But the Amish remained calm and peaceful. Their reaction created international interest in the Amish way of life. People began to ask questions. Who were the Amish? And what were their values?
Voice 2
Ancestors of the Amish came from Switzerland and Germany. In the seventeen hundreds, they moved to the United States. They left their home country to have religious freedom. But they kept their tradition and culture. Today, most Amish live in three states: Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. There are around one-hundred and fifty thousand [150,000] Amish in the United States and Canada.
Voice 1
Among the Amish, there are several different groups. The older groups limit the use of modern technology the most. For example, they will use only gas lights. And they will not permit telephones in their houses. The newer groups permit more technology such as modern farming machines. And they can even own cars. All these groups may have different ideas about technology. But they are linked by language. At home, most of them speak an old form of German. But they learn English at school to communicate with their neighbours. They even call non-Amish people ‘the English’ or ‘Englishers.’
Most Amish families have many children. They want their sons to be farmers. But farm land is becoming difficult to buy. Land is costly⁶. And many other people are moving to the areas where the Amish live. So land is hard to find. The Amish farming lifestyle is being threatened. So the Amish are finding⁷ new ways of surviving. They have opened stores that sell hand-made furniture. They are working in factories. And some are permitting visitors to come to their houses. They cook delicious fresh meals for the visitors for a reasonable price.
Voice 2
Families are very important to the Amish. Communities are important too. The people work together. For example when one family needs a farm building, the others help to build it. When one family suffers, the other families support that family. So the shootings of October 2006 affected⁸ the whole community. The community immediately came together to support the girls’ families. But this is not all they did. They also offered support to the killer⁹’s family - the Roberts. This shocked many people around the world.
Voice 1
Daniel Esh is an Amish man. He had family members in the school. But he was not angry at the Roberts family. In fact, he wanted to help them! He said,
Voice 3
“I hope they stay around here. And I hope they will have a lot of friends and support.”
Voice 2
The Amish had funerals in their homes for the young girls. Hundreds of Amish went to each funeral. They rode to the funerals in their horse-pulled vehicles. The bodies of the girls lay in hand-made coffins¹⁰ - wooden burial boxes. The coffins were open. The dead girls were wearing white dresses and white hats. The Amish did not talk about death. Instead they talked about life in the next world. After the funerals the people went to the cemetery¹¹. There they buried the bodies.
Voice 1
The killer, Mr. Roberts also had a funeral. About seventy-five [75] people attended. This included his wife Marie, family members and friends. However, almost half of the people at the funeral were Amish! They did not know Mr. Roberts. But they wanted to show respect to his wife Marie. They knew that she must be very sad. And that she must now raise three children alone.
Voice 2
Many people sent money to help the Amish families. Usually the Amish do not accept money or help from other groups. But they have agreed to keep this money. They want to show that they accept other people’s kindness. They will use the money to pay for the hospital costs of the girls. But the Amish did not forget about Marie Roberts. They asked people to send her money. They want to make sure that she has help.
Voice 2
Tom is an Amish storekeeper. He explains how they were able to forgive,
Voice 4
“We are not unemotional. There is sadness. But we have to follow our faith. Jesus told us to love our enemies. He can turn your enemy into your best friend. That is faith.”
Voice 1
Through forgiveness the Amish are able to find peace. They have lived peaceful lives for hundreds of years. And they will continue their way of life in the years to come.
 

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 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。

3 aprons   

围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份）

参考例句：

• Many people like to wear aprons while they are cooking. 许多人做饭时喜欢系一条围裙。
• The chambermaid in our corridor wears blue checked gingham aprons. 给我们扫走廊的清洁女工围蓝格围裙。

4 innocent   

adj.无罪的，清白的；无害的；天真的，单纯的

参考例句：

• I'm not quite so innocent as to believe that.我还不至于简单到相信那种事的地步。
• I was very young,and very innocent.我那时非常年轻，幼稚无知。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

10 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

11 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。