环球英语 — 395：Water for Sudan

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby² Jones. 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
It is not easy for people in Southern Sudan to find good water. It is most difficult for people in far country villages. Many of these people walk for hours to find any water at all. Often, the water they do collect is dirty. It contains bacteria and diseases⁴. These diseases make people very sick. Some people even die from the diseases they get from drinking dirty water.
Voice 2
Sometimes a whole village keeps moving until the people can find water. So, many of the country villages have not established schools or businesses. However, this is no longer the case in the village of Aliek.
Voice 1
“Water for Sudan” is an aid organisation⁶. In 2006, workers from this organization came to Aliek to dig a well. Aliek already had a small school. The community leaders asked the workers to dig the well near the school. They asked for this because they believe the children are important to the future of the village. But this well serves the whole community of Aliek, over six thousand [6,000] people.
Voice 2
Two years after the village received the well, Aliek has a large school. Before, only sixty [60] of the children in Aliek were able to attend school. Most children spent all of their time finding⁷ water for their families. Now that there is a well in the village, nearly six hundred [600] children attend school.
Voice 1
The head school teacher in Aliek says the school is successful because now the village has a well. He says,
Voice 3
“The water is clean. It protects the children from sickness. When they are healthy, they are good students.”
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight is on Water for Sudan and the man who began it, Mister⁸ Salva Dut.
Voice 1
Salva Dut is a “lost boy.” In the 1980’s, the civil war in Sudan caused him to flee from his home. He was only eleven [11] years old. For five years, Salva lived and travelled with many other lost children. First they went to Ethiopia. Then they moved to a refugee⁹ camp in southwest Kenya. Salva stayed at this camp for about six years. At that time, three thousand eight hundred [3,800] of the boys went to live in the United States. Salva was one of those boys.
Voice 2
In the United States, Salva went to college. And he began working for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in New York. However, Salva still did not know if his family was alive. His home village in Sudan did not have telephones or mail. So, there was no way to find out. But Salva continued to try. Later, he said:
Voice 4
“I did try. The Red Cross said that if my parents were not in the refugee camps, it would not be possible to find them.”
Voice 1
Four years after arriving in the United States, Salva received a message from his cousin. The message said: “I found your father.” Salva’s father had arrived at a United Nations hospital in Southern Sudan. He was very sick. His body contained organisms¹⁰ called Guinea Worms, and other parasites¹¹. You may have heard another Spotlight program about this sickness called “Stopping Guinea Worm Disease³.” In this disease, the guinea worms live in a person’s body. When these parasites try to get out of the body, they cause much pain. Salva’s father got the Guinea worms from drinking infected water.
Voice 2
Salva knew this could be his last chance to see his father. He made the trip back to Sudan. His church helped to pay the cost of his travel. Salva’s father had treatment to remove the parasites from his body. He survived! But he could not return to his village. The water there was infected. Salva says,
Voice 4
“The doctor told him that he needed to start drinking clean water. If he did not, he could get sick again. He could get diseases from the water again. And he could die.”
Voice 1
When Salva was in Sudan, he also got sick from drinking infected water. His trip showed him the truth about every day life for the people in Sudan. Salva knew he had to do something. He wanted to use the education he received in the United States to ease⁵ the suffering of his people in Sudan.
Voice 4
“When I went back to the United States, I said I should do something to help my father and all the people who are in the same situation. That’s why I formed this not-for-profit organization. I called it ‘Water for Sudan’.”
Voice 2
Salva knew exactly what to do. He would bring clean water to his father’s village and other villages like it. Salva got help from some people in his church. Then he began his organization. Water for Sudan builds wells in local villages. These wells bring life to the community.
Voice 1
Water for Sudan uses the whole community to build a well. Everyone in the village moves rocks and grass away from the ground where the workers will dig the well. Then Salva and his crew bring in a drilling machine. This machine digs a hole by turning in circles as it enters the ground. They drill deep. They are looking for water contained in rocks deep in the ground. When these rocks break, clean water is released¹².
Voice 2
Once they find water, Salva and his crew place pipes into the ground to direct the water. Then they put a hand pump on top. This lets the people in the village control the flow of the clean water. Finally, people from the village are trained to operate the well and keep it in good working condition.
Voice 1
In 2005, Water for Sudan built its first well in the village of Salva’s father. Good things happened after the village received a well. Now his father’s village has a market for trading goods. And another aid organization from Germany opened a medical center.
Voice 2
Water for Sudan continues to dig wells in more villages. In 2007, Salva and his crew drilled ten new wells. For the next several years, they hope to drill twenty-four [24] new wells every season. Salva believes that bringing water to the villages of Sudan is just the beginning. He says,
Voice 4
“The people in Southern Sudan are catching¹³ up with the world. They need someone to open the door for them. But that is the only thing they need. From there, they will do the rest.”
 

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 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。

3 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

4 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

5 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

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 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

9 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

10 organisms   

n.有机物( organism的名词复数 )；有机体；生物；有机体系

参考例句：

• The organisms can be divided into discrete categories. 有机体可分为许多互不相联的种类。
• The cell is the unit of which all living organisms are composed. 细胞是构成一切生物的单位。

11 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

12 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

13 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。