环球英语 — 388：Ben Carson

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Adam Navis.
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
Doctor Ben Carson is one of the best brain doctors in the world. He is the head of brain surgery² at Johns Hopkins Hospital. People come there from all around the world to receive treatment. Ben Carson also writes books. He travels around the world speaking to doctors and to school children. He is a caring and skilled³ professional⁴. But his life could have been very different.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight looks at the life and work of Doctor Ben Carson. We will see how even if someone’s life starts in one place it can end in another.
Voice 1
Ben Carson was born in 1951. When he was eight years old, his father left. Ben’s mother, Sonya, became a single parent, with two young boys. They did not have much money. His mother worked three jobs to provide for them.
Voice 2
During this time Ben began to fall behind in school. When he was eleven years old, he was at the very bottom of his class. Other students called him stupid. And he agreed with them. Ben did not have a good self image. He did not believe he was intelligent or ever would be.
Voice 1
Like many good things, change came because of a mother. Sonya Carson found out her son Ben had dropped to last place in school. She decided⁵ her boys were watching too much television. So she limited the amount they watched. She made them do their extra homework from school. But she also made Ben and his brother read two other books each week. She then made them write a report on each book.
Voice 2
Years later, Ben learned⁶ that his mother could not read these reports. In fact, Sonya Carson could not read at all. But she knew that education was important. She knew that it would be the way out of poverty⁷ for her boys.
Voice 1
With his mother’s help and his own effort, Ben slowly moved to the head of the class. One day, he shocked his classmates. He answered the teacher’s questions. And he was correct! Soon, the same students who had insulted⁸ him were asking Ben for help.
Voice 2
Now Ben was doing better in school, but he still struggled with his anger. Little things would make him so angry. One day, he and a friend were arguing over which radio station to listen to. His friend changed the station. Ben could not control himself. He took out a knife and attacked his friend.
Voice 1
Ben’s friend was not hurt, but Ben was frightened. He entered the bathroom and locked the door. For the next several hours he read the Christian⁹ Bible¹⁰. He looked for the knowledge and control he wanted. He knew that he needed this for the future. Finally, he left the room. He knew he would never again let another person’s words or acts control him. He would no longer be controlled by his anger.
Voice 2
By the time he finished high school, Ben Carson was at the top of his class. With financial aid he began at Yale University. But Yale is a difficult school. He was once again at the bottom of his class.
Voice 1
One night he was studying for a test. He needed to do well on the test to stay in school. He was tired and he did not know what to do. He turned to God and prayed about it. But he went to bed without any hope. He wanted to become a doctor, but he did not think it would ever happen. As he slept, he dreamt he was taking the test. He saw each problem. He awoke from sleep, and solved the problems from his dream. The next morning he went to class and opened his test. He saw the very problems that were in his dreams!
Voice 2
He thanked God for this miracle¹¹. He passed the test. He promised God he would work hard to be a doctor. And he remembered that he learned better by reading than by listening. He changed his study patterns to spend more time reading.
Voice 1
Ben did finish at Yale. He then went on to medical school. While there, he decided to become a brain doctor. He even developed something new - a method to find a hole in the human skull¹², the head bone.
Voice 2
But Doctor Carson became best known¹³ for his attempts to separate¹⁴ conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are children born connected to one another. They share some body parts. Doctor Carson worked on twins joined at the head. Separating¹⁵ conjoined twins is rare¹⁶ and complex¹⁷. Most doctors may see it once in their life-time. Doctor Carson has done it several times.
Voice 1
Doctor Carson’s faith in God is an important part of his life and work as a brain doctor. Here is what he says about his faith.
Voice 3
“I look into the human brain and am amazed¹⁸ by its complex nature. I think about how wise our God is. When I am looking into a baby’s head I sense God. I am hit by the miracle of life and the miracles¹⁹ possible within life. I have seen children die and children live. Whatever the result, I see God as the one who wants the best from us. God asks us to trust Him. In the end, I am just a brain doctor. I can not know everything. I believe that we need to know that God is in control.”
Voice 2
Ben Carson’s life could have been very different. He could have stayed at the bottom of his class. He may have continued to believe he was stupid. But he used education as the key to his future. He says this,
Voice 3
“Knowledge is the key that unlocks²⁰ all the doors. You may have green skin with yellow dots and come from another planet²¹. But if you have knowledge that people need, instead of beating you, they will beat a path to your door.”
 

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 surgery   

n.外科，外科手术；手术室

参考例句：

• What time does surgery finish?门诊什么时间结束？
• Your condition is serious and requires surgery.你的情况很严重，需要动外科手术。

3 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。

4 professional   

adj.专业的；职业的；n.专业人员；职业运动员

参考例句：

• He is a professional tennis player.他是一名职业网球运动员。
• I need a professional to sort out my finances.我需要专业人士为我管理财务。

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 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

8 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。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

11 miracle   

n.奇迹，令人惊奇的人或事

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• It is simply a miracle that rice should grow in such a place.稻子竟能在这样的地方生长，这实在是个奇迹。

12 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

13 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。

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 separating   

adj.分开[离，裂]的v.分开( separate的现在分词 )；（使）分离；区分；隔开

参考例句：

• In ancient mythology there was no impassable gulf separating the divine from the human beings. 在上古神话中，神与人之间没有不可逾越的鸿沟。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Once again, the key is separating the storage and retrieval systems. 关键是分离存储系统和检索系统。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

16 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。

17 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

18 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。

19 miracles   

n.奇迹( miracle的名词复数 )；奇事；令人惊奇的事；非凡的事

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers. 他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This tonic will work miracles for your depression. 这种补药对治疗你的忧郁症十分有效。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 unlocks   

v.开锁( unlock的第三人称单数 )；开启；揭开；开着，解开

参考例句：

• Appropriate and thoughtful self assertion unlocks talent, setting achievement in motion. 适当和周到的自我主张解锁人才，设置运动的成就。 来自互联网
• Then, the specific IP address unlocks the services and temporarily grants access. 然后，特定的IP地址解锁服务，临时同意访问。 来自互联网

21 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。