环球英语 — 327：Hope Runs

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. 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 1
Lara Vogel and Claire Williams had spent eight months travelling around the world. They had been to Egypt, Russia, Cambodia, and Spain. Their travels were almost finished. But they wanted to do one more thing. They wanted to climb a mountain in Kenya.
Voice 2
But first, they had to prepare for this climb. So they decided² to rest and recover at the Tumaini Children’s Centre. The Tumaini Children’s Centre is a home for children. These children are orphans³ - their parents have died of AIDS. Over 170 children live at the Centre. The children are from 5 to 22 years old.
Voice 1
Lara and Claire were amazed⁴ by what they saw.
Voice 3
“We had never seen a place so devoted⁵ to community building and well-being⁶. We had experience in many different non-profit organizations. We knew the real thing when we saw it. The Tumaini Children’s home is only a few years old. But they have created something amazing. The children are happy and have a sense of humour⁷. Clearly, the community has invested⁸ love and care into the Centre.”
Voice 2
The Tumaini Children’s Centre was already providing a healthy and safe environment for children. There, they could learn, grow and be a success. The community had started the Centre to care for the many children without caregivers. And the Centre was successful because of the community. But Lara and Claire wanted to get involved too. They wanted to do something more. They wanted to do something different.
Voice 1
Kenya is known⁹ for producing first-class distance runners. In 2007, a Kenyan runner placed first in major marathons in Boston, London, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Often, Kenyan runners filled the top ten places!
Voice 2
Lara and Claire had found what they could do to help the children. They could teach the children of Tumaini how to run. Lara and Claire did not have much running experience in the beginning. But they would not let this lack of experience stop them. This was the beginning of a new program called Hope Runs.
Voice 1
Because the children of Tumaini do not have a lot of money, running shoes are very rare¹⁰. Lara and Claire knew that this was one way they could help the young runners. While developing¹¹ Hope Runs, Lara and Claire returned to the United¹² States. As they got ready to return to Kenya, they gathered running shoes from a local running store. These shoes have become treasures to the children. They wash them with care. Many of the children wear them to church. It helps the children to be proud of themselves.
Voice 2
But running shoes are just the beginning of Lara and Claire’s work. Hope Runs operates within the Tumaini Children’s Centre. Four days a week Lara and Claire lead the children on runs. Many of the children are preparing for the Hope Runs ten kilometre race. But some of the children work toward¹³ running longer races. The children learn about stretching, drinking enough water, and even take part in time trials¹⁴.
Voice 1
Why running? Lara and Claire answer,
Voice 3
“Running is so important for mental and physical health. At Hope Runs, we have loved seeing the influence running has had on the children’s lives. They do better in school and have less behavioural problems. And there has been a marked increase in sense of self-worth among the girls in our programs.”
Voice 2
Running is the beginning of the program, but it is not the end. Hope Runs does more than just teach running. It also develops skills that help the children make a lasting¹⁵ change in their lives.
Voice 1
Some skills have included making things, writing, and learning¹⁶ to use technology. The program considers the natural skills of the children. Every person can do something well - these skills are very important to living well. And they are important in a community! The children see this in the community support for the Tumaini Centre. They see how important every person is!
Voice 2
Hope Runs also works¹⁷ to connect the children with people around the world. One way they do this is through a website. On this website, the children can write about their lives, their running, or ask questions of people around the world. One girl writes -
Voice 4
“My name is Dorcas. I live in Tumaini Children’s Home. I am eleven years old. I am happy when I am in Tumaini. I enjoy playing with my friends and learning. We live in peace at Tumaini. We love one another. I pray every day when I am going to bed. I like to run every day and I live to learn. My favourite subject is mathematics¹⁸, English, and social studies. I like to study all the time. May God bless our home Tumaini. May God bless my hands so that I am able to work hard.”
Voice 1
People from all around the world can answer a question or offer a comment of support. In many of the comments, people encourage the children to keep running, writing and working toward a better life.
Voice 2
A woman named Kim responded¹⁹ to the blog this way,
Voice 5
“Thank you for sharing. That was so beautiful. You are a skilled²⁰ writer. Keep writing! I live all the way in the United States, in the state of Florida, and your words touched me. I hope you feel our prayers²¹ from across the world!”
Voice 1
The Hope Runs program has been a success. It has been expanded to another Children’s Centre in Kenya and two in Tanzania. Lara and Claire are always open to starting another branch in a new country.
Voice 2
It would have been easy for them to return home. They could have forgotten about the children of Tumaini Centre. But they did not forget. They refused to forget.
Voice 1
Lara and Claire did climb the mountain on their first visit to the Tumaini Children’s Centre. What they did was much more difficult. They took a chance on making the world a better place.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes²² have been adapted for this program. This program is called “Hope Runs.”
 

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 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。

3 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

4 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

6 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

7 humour   

n.幽默，诙谐，情绪，体液；vt.使满足，迁就

参考例句：

• We can't always humour the child the way we do.不能总是顺着孩子。
• His new play is a mixture of saddness and humour.他的新剧本融悲哀和幽默于一体。

8 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 rare   

adj.稀罕的，罕有的，珍贵的，稀薄的，半熟的，非常的；adv.非常

参考例句：

• It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
• The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。

11 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

12 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。

13 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

14 trials   

审判( trial的名词复数 )； （对能力、质量、性能等的）试验； 测试； 比赛

参考例句：

• The loss of relatives is among the most frequent trials in life. 失去亲人是人生最常遇到的痛事之一。
• They are doing clinical trials on a new drug. 他们正在做一种新药物的临床试验。

15 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。

16 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。

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 mathematics   

n.（用作单）数学；（用作单或复）计算(能力）

参考例句：

• He has come out in front in the study of mathematics.他在数学方面已名列前茅。
• She is working at a difficult problem in mathematics.她在做一道数学难题。

19 responded   

回答，回报，响应( respond的过去式和过去分词 )； 有反应； 有效果； 有影响

参考例句：

• Most of the staff who responded to the questionnaire were supportive. 回答了问卷的职员大多数表示支持。
• She responded to the news by bursting into tears. 她听到那个消息后眼泪夺眶而出。

20 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

21 prayers   

祈祷( prayer的名词复数 )； 祈祷（习惯）； 祈祷文； 经文

参考例句：

• to say your prayers 祷告
• He says his prayers every night before he goes to bed. 他每晚睡觉前都做晚祷。

22 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》