环球英语 — 312：Storytelling

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Marina Santee. 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 2
Kwesuka sukela - once upon a time - there lived a woman named Manzandaba - and her husband Zenzele. They lived in a traditional home in a small Zulu village. At night they sat around their open fire with their children. ‘Mama' the children cried. ‘Sifuna izindaba! We want stories! Seefoo-nah ezee-ndah bah! Tell us some stories, mother!'
Voice 1
Welcome to our programme for International Storytelling day! The opening story is from the Zulu people of Southeast Africa. It is a well known² imaginary³ story. It tells how all stories began - as a gift to a mother long ago.
International Storytelling Day began as a way to celebrate stories and storytelling. People around the world celebrate it on March the twentieth. So today, we will celebrate this day with you! We will share three different stories - from the past and the present.
Our first story follows the central idea of the day - ‘Dreams.' David Bast brings us ‘Footprints⁴.'
Voice 3
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking with God along a sandy beach. Across the sky he saw pictures. They showed the different periods of his life. Behind him, he saw two sets of footprints in the sand. They showed the paths that he walked. One set of footprints belonged to him. And the other set belonged to God.
The last part of his life showed before him. He looked back at the footprints in the sand. He saw that many times there was only one set of footprints. He also saw that these were the very saddest times in his life.
He questioned God about it: "God, you said that once I decided⁵ to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But I have seen that during the most difficult parts of my life there is only one set of footprints. I do not understand why. I needed you during those difficult times. Why would you leave me?"
God answered; "My son, I love you and I would never leave you. Yes, during the hard times of your life you see only one set of footprints. But you were not alone. During those times, I was carrying you."
Voice 1
Story telling day is not just a celebration⁶ of good stories. It is a celebration of the art of story telling. Throughout⁷ history there have been many famous story tellers⁸. Often great leaders used stories to advise the people of their time. Jesus Christ⁹ is famous for this kind of storytelling. He used stories to teach his followers¹⁰. Tony Ford¹² re-tells one of Jesus' stories: The wise man and the foolish man.
Voice 4
A wise and a foolish man each decide to build a house. The wise man chooses to build his house on rock. He wants his house to last! He works¹³ hard. And finally he finishes. He stands back and looks at his house. He smiles. It is a good strong house.
Near by, the foolish man builds his house. He builds his house on the sand. He stands back and looks at his house. He smiles. His house looks good too!
Later in the day, the sun lowers¹¹ in the sky. The moon rises. The two men sleep in their separate¹⁴ houses. Strong winds begin to blow. Heavy rain falls. And the house on the sand begins to shake. The foolish man gets up and runs out of the house. He stands outside. The cold rain falls on his shoulders. The man watches his house fall to the ground! He looks across at the wise man's house. Inside, the wise man is still sleeping. The storm cannot shake his house. It stands firm on the strong rock.
Jesus told this story to encourage people to follow his teachings¹⁶. He said people who do, are like the wise man. They build their lives on strong teaching¹⁵. So the troubles of life will not defeat them. People who do not follow his teaching, are like the foolish man. They build their lives on weak teaching. Troubles will defeat them.
Voice 1
Our final story also has a moral¹⁷ meaning behind it. It comes from Nigeria. Ruby¹⁸ Jones brings us; ‘The Two Coloured Coat.'
Voice 5
Two boys were great friends! They promised that they would remain that way forever. When they got older, they built their houses opposite each other. A small path formed a border between their two farms.
One day a trickster came from the village. He decided to play a trick on the friends. He clothed¹⁹ himself in a two colour coat. One side of the coat was red. And the other side was blue. The trickster walked along the narrow path between the houses of the friends. The two men were working opposite each other in their fields. The trickster made noise as he passed. He wanted to make sure each man looked up, and saw him passing.
At the end of the day, one friend said to the other;
‘Did you see that man today with his beautiful red coat?'
‘Do you mean the blue coat?' The other replied.
‘No. His coat was red. I saw the man clearly as he walked between us!' said the first.
‘You are wrong!' said the other man. ‘I saw it too. And it was blue!'
‘I know what I saw!' said the first man. ‘The coat was red!'
‘You do not know anything!' the second man replied, angrily. ‘It was blue!'
The two men argued over and over. They insulted²⁰ each other. And then, they began beating each other!
The trickster returned. He watched the two fighting men. He listened to their shouts. ‘Our friendship is over!'
The trickster laughed. And he showed them his two-coloured coat. The men were angry! They shouted;
‘We have lived side by side all our lives - like brothers! Now you have started a war between us!'
The trickster replied,
‘Do not blame me for the fight. Both of you are wrong. And both of you are right. What each one saw was true. You are fighting because you only looked at my coat from your own side of the path. You did not think that there was another way of looking at the situation.'
 

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 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

3 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

4 footprints   

n.（尤指软地上的）脚印( footprint的名词复数 )；（地板上的）脚印；（建筑物或设备，尤指计算机）占用的空间；（尤指来自卫星的）广播信号覆盖区

参考例句：

• footprints in the sand 沙地足迹
• He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 celebration   

n.庆祝，庆祝会；典礼

参考例句：

• The celebration passed off successfully.庆祝活动圆满结束。
• The celebration of Christmas is a custom.庆祝圣诞节是一种习俗。

7 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

8 tellers   

n.（银行）出纳员( teller的名词复数 )；（投票时的）计票员；讲故事等的人；讲述者

参考例句：

• The tellers were calculating the votes. 计票员正在统计票数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The use of automatic tellers is particularly used in large cities. 在大城市里，还特别投入了自动出纳机。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 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。

11 lowers   

v.（使）降低， （使）跌落( lower的第三人称单数 )；削弱；削减；减少

参考例句：

• The reduction in white blood cell counts lowers resistance to disease. 白细胞总数的减少，会降低对疾病的抵抗力。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sun lowers in the west. 太阳从西边落下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

13 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。

14 separate   

n.分开，抽印本；adj.分开的，各自的，单独的；v.分开，隔开，分居

参考例句：

• Are they joined together or separate?它们是合在一起还是分开的？
• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering.洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。

15 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。

16 teachings   

n.教学( teaching的名词复数 )；教学工作；教诲；学说

参考例句：

• We must never be unworthy of our teachers' untiring and sincere teachings. 我们决不要辜负老师的谆谆教导。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Party's teachings were ringing in her ears. 党的教导在她耳边回响。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

18 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。

19 clothed   

v.clothe的过去式和过去分词；穿…；授以adj.穿…衣服的；覆盖著…的

参考例句：

• a man clothed in black 黑衣男子
• Her partially clothed body was found in woods nearby. 在附近的小树林里发现了她半裸的尸体。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 insulted   

侮辱，冒犯( insult的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I have never been so insulted in my life! 我一生中从未被如此侮辱过！
• These boys insulted a girl by spitting at her. 这几个男孩向一个女孩吐口水侮辱她。