环球英语 — 363：Big Ideas and Small Businesses

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Robin² Basselin. 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
Competition. When people compete, they challenge³ each other. Each person or group seeks victory⁴. And they all want to be the winner. Most competitions are based on skill, strength and size. And most people think of winners as the smartest, strongest or fastest person.
Voice 2
When companies compete, the winners are usually those who produce or sell the most of something. When people think of the world's most successful businesses, they think of huge companies like Coca-Cola, Toyota, Shell⁵, Wal-Mart or PetroChina.
Voice 1
These companies are some of the biggest in the world. But does that make them the best? Are size and profit the most important qualities of a company? There is one global⁶ competition that says "No!" This competition is called World Challenge. Today's Spotlight will be on the World Challenge competition and its support of small, responsible⁷ businesses with big ideas.
Voice 2
The World Challenge competition began in 2005. BBC⁸ World News, Newsweek magazine and Shell are the three organisations that manage and support the challenge. The idea of the competition is to honour special small businesses that help their local communities economically, socially and environmentally⁹.
Voice 1
The business that wins the challenge receives twenty thousand dollars [$20,000]. Two second place winners receive ten thousand dollars [$10,000] each. This money is for investing¹⁰ in and developing¹¹ these small businesses.
Voice 2
Over the years, the competition has received three thousand [3,000] entries. Each year the suggested businesses have been from over one hundred [100] countries. And over three hundred thousand [300,000] people voted on the World Challenge website.
Voice 1
The World Challenge competition is growing in size and quality. Paul Gibbs is the Head of Programmes at BBC World News. He says,
Voice 3
"The quality of entries we have received in the past World Challenge competitions has been amazing. We hope that this fifth year will be the same. The winners leave the competition with twenty thousand dollars [$20,000] in prize money, but also with the knowledge that they have given hope to many other small business people and charity¹² organizations. This is one of the world's most exciting business and community project awards. We at BBC World News are very proud to be continuing with the competition."
Voice 2
In 2008, the Hashoo Foundation¹³'s Plan Bee project won the challenge. Bees are the small, flying insects that produce sweet honey. This project helps female¹⁴ Beekeepers in some of the poorest areas of Pakistan. The project helps the women receive a fair price for their honey.
Voice 1
Bees live together in large groups or colonies¹⁵. Together the colonies produce a sweet and thick liquid that tastes like sugar. People will pay a lot of money for good tasting honey. And many people say the honey in Northern Pakistan is some of the best in the world.
Voice 2
Beekeeping is one of the only ways women can make money in northern Pakistan. The culture in this area does not approve of women working many kinds of jobs. However, through beekeeping, women can help improve the lives of themselves and their families.
Voice 1
The quality of honey depends on the plants that the bees use for food. This area of northern Pakistan has the right kinds of flowers and plants to produce very good tasting honey. However, many of the women have a hard time finding¹⁶ enough local people to buy their honey. They also find it difficult to bottle and transport the honey.
Voice 2
This is where the Hashoo Foundation's Plan Bee project helps the women. The Foundation is international. So, it can communicate with large hotels and businesses in Pakistan and around the world. These hotels and businesses will pay higher prices and buy much more honey than the local communities. So, together, about ninety [90] women from Northern Pakistan supply enough honey for the hotels and businesses. And each woman is able to make a fair profit.
Voice 1
Plan Bee not only helps the ninety [90] women producing the honey. It also helps their six hundred [600] family members. Since the women have been working with the Hashoo Foundation, they have increased their production by twelve percent. The Foundation says that the women's share of the profit will increase by thirty percent [30%] in 2009. And for the first time, these women are becoming leaders in the bee industry.
Voice 2
Sarah Hashwani from the Hashoo Foundation told the World Challenge,
Voice 4
"We are not interested in just helping¹⁷ the women to earn more money - we want to see that their children are better educated¹⁸, that they can pay for healthcare, that they have better waste management and that they have enough good food to be healthy."
Voice 1
The Hashoo Foundation's Plan Bee project is just one of the many amazing businesses that have entered the World Challenge competition. The World Challenge website has many more stories of wonderful small businesses that are helping their communities - economically, socially and environmentally.
Voice 2
Hundreds of businesses will enter the 2009 World Challenge. And on June 24th, the World Challenge judges will announce this year's twelve best entries. These twelve businesses will then compete for the twenty thousand dollar [$20,000] prize.
Voice 1
And people all over the world can help decide which of the twelve final businesses should win. Voting for the 2009 World Challenge begins on September 28th. You will be able to vote on the World Challenge website.
Voice 2
This autumn you can also look for another Spotlight Program on the World Challenge. This program will discuss the 2009 World Challenge finalists.
Voice 1
There are many competitions in the world. However, not many honour things that are ‘small'. World Challenge not only honours small businesses, it honours businesses which are responsible to their communities. In this way, World Challenge encourages small businesses all over the world to care about more than just profits and size. It encourages them to care about their local community.
Voice 2
Rhona Murphy is the Managing Director¹⁹ for Newsweek International. She says,
Voice 5
"Since 2005, World Challenge has proved that when it comes to caring for our communities and the planet²⁰, small changes, continued over time, do matter. By honouring examples of small, community based excellence²¹, World Challenge offers hope that there are solutions - and we can be a part of them."
 

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 challenge   

n.挑战；v.向...挑战

参考例句：

• The job doesn't really challenge him.这项工作不能真正地考验他。
• She looked at me with challenge.她带着挑战的目光看着我。

4 victory   

n.胜利，成功

参考例句：

• Victory will never come if we only wait for it.如果我们光是等待，胜利永远不会到来。
• It can't be questioned that we will win the final victory.我们将最终取得胜利，这是确定无疑的。

5 shell   

n.贝壳，壳，外形；v.去壳，脱落；n.[计算机] DOS命令:安装备用的COMMAND.COM文件，并改变环境尺寸

参考例句：

• Please shell some peanuts for the cake.请为做点心剥点胡花生。
• This kind of beetles have hard shell.这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。

6 global   

adj.全球的；球形的；世界的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• The report takes a global view of the company's problems.这份报告对公司的问题作了综合性的论述。

7 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

8 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

9 environmentally   

adv.有关环境方面

参考例句：

• an environmentally sustainable society 保持生态环境平衡的社会
• Building the proposed new road would be environmentally damaging. 修筑那条拟建的新公路会对环境造成破坏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 investing   

v.投资，花费( invest的现在分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• He was timid about investing money. 他不敢投资。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Europe also caught the excitement of investing in American railroads. 欧洲人对投资美国铁路也极感兴趣。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

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 charity   

n.慈悲，博爱，慈善团体，施舍

参考例句：

• He founded the charity in memory of his late wife.他兴办那个慈善机构以纪念他已故的妻子。
• He gave a handsome sum of money to charity.他向慈善团体捐了一笔相当可观的钱款。

13 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

14 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

15 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

16 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。

17 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。

18 educated   

adj.受过教育的，有教养的

参考例句：

• She was well educated in literature at a university.她在大学里受到良好的文学方面的教育。
• Children should be educated in a correct way.教育孩子要得法。

19 director   

n.主管，导演；主任；理事；董事；处长

参考例句：

• The director has taken the visitors off to his office.经理把客人带到他办公室去了。
• The new director is easy to get along with.新来的主任很好处。

20 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

21 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。