环球英语 — 408：Women at the South Pole

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Steve Myersco,
Voice 2
And 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 1
Imagine lying in your tent and listening to this. Now imagine it is minus thirty degrees Celsius² [-30oC] outside. Tomorrow you must continue travelling. You have no car, just your own legs to power you. And you have over 800 kilometres to travel.
Voice 2
In December 2009 a team of eight women plan to walk to the most southern place in the world, the South Pole. Each woman is from a different country in the world. Together they come from five continents, have six different faiths, and speak seven different languages. Today's Spotlight is about this exciting trip, this expedition to the South Pole. The programme looks at why they are going and hears from some of the women that are involved.
Voice 3
‘I have never been first in anything. My father always wished this for me. But I never took it seriously enough until now. In everything I do now, I really want to make a difference. I do not think I can explain how honoured I feel - to represent my country in this way. I will be the first woman from Ghana to reach the South Pole. It will be a victorious³ feeling. I can already imagine the pictures. I will be on my hands and knees. I will be thanking God, with icy tears falling down my frozen⁴ face!'
Voice 1
These are the words of Barbara Yanney. She is one of the women who plan to go to the South Pole in late 2009. Like Barbara, many of the other women will also be either the first person or the first woman from their country to reach the South Pole.
Voice 2
The trip is called the Commonwealth⁵ Women's Antarctic⁶ Expedition. The Commonwealth is an organisation⁷ of 53 countries from around the world. Together these commonwealth countries have a population of about two billion people. Each woman on the expedition is from one of these commonwealth countries. These are the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Brunei, Jamaica, Singapore, Ghana, India and Cyprus.
Voice 1
Many years ago, The Commonwealth was known as the British Commonwealth. It was governed by the UK. Today however, every country is an equal member. This change happened in 1949. The women's trip is marking the 60th anniversary⁸ of the creation⁹ of the Commonwealth.
Voice 2
Felicity Aston is leading the women's trip to the South Pole. She is from the UK. She knows the trip will not be easy. She says,
Voice 4
‘We must be prepared for temperatures down to about minus thirty degrees. But they are probably more likely to be about minus fifteen. But even at those temperatures, if your skin is not covered it gets damaged by frostbite. The other danger is holes in the ice. These can be anywhere and can be very very deep. Once you fall into one you will probably die. Then there is general sickness and injury. Other dangers? ... there are lots of them. So it is all about training, training, training and making sure everyone knows the risks.'
Voice 1
The team did much of the training for the expedition in Norway. For example they learned¹⁰ how to travel on the snow using skis attached to their feet. They also learned how to survive in very cold conditions. This was also the first time that all the women had been together. Kim-Marie from Jamaica describes what it was like to be a part of this international group of women.
Voice 5
‘Amazing! It is a whole new family - a family that makes you understand that humans all share things in common. This is different to the more narrow national groupings people usually concentrate on. Our team united really well. We were each other's world - my world was eight people. We learned to trust and depend on each other. We also learned to recognise each other's strengths!'
Voice 2
The team members are now continuing to train in their home countries. One way they are doing this is pulling tyres, taken from car wheels. Pulling these rubber tyres feels like pulling heavy equipment through the snow. Felicity explains how each of the team members has their own way of preparing for the expedition.
Voice 4
‘Kim in Jamaica is pulling tyres along the sandy beaches. Sophia is in Singapore, which does not have any mountains. So she is running up and down the stairs on tall buildings to improve her fitness¹¹. Everyone is looking at where they are and doing what they can.'
Voice 1
The team believes the expedition is important in a number of ways. Barbara from Ghana told Spotlight why she thought the expedition was important. She said,
Voice 3
‘All over the world, young people are looking for more female¹² role models - women that they can live like. I believe that our expedition and projects like ours awaken¹³ the desire for excitement that rests in everyone. It helps people to try to achieve more. As a team of different women, we are the perfect example of the Commonwealth. We are helping¹⁴ people understand that their race, their religion and their sex should not restrict¹⁵ what they can achieve.'
Voice 2
The women also hope that their expedition will show more people how important the environment is. The team believes it is important to protect areas such as Antarctica from global warming. This is particularly important because the climate in Antarctica can affect the weather in many other parts of the world. Barbara is a Christian¹⁶. She believes that the world is a gift from God that humans should care for. She says,
Voice 3
‘God gave humans the responsibility to take care of everything on the land and in the sea. Judging from the amount of pollution and other things we humans have not done very well. This expedition will help people see a part of God's Earth - Antarctica. This is a place that people have not taken care of - and for no real reason.'
Voice 1
The team should arrive in Antarctica on November 10th 2009. A few days later they will begin their walk across the ice and snow to the South Pole. These women from around the world plan to celebrate New Year 2010 together - at the South Pole.
 

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 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

4 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

5 commonwealth   

n.共和国，联邦，共同体

参考例句：

• He is the chairman of the commonwealth of artists.他是艺术家协会的主席。
• Most of the members of the Commonwealth are nonwhite.英联邦的许多成员国不是白人国家。

6 Antarctic   

adj.南极(区)的；n.(the A-)南极洲，南极圈

参考例句：

• The Antarctic is a mountainous area.南极洲是一个多山的地区。
• It is well known that penguins live in the Antarctic.企鹅生活在南极洲是众所周知的。

7 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。

8 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

9 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

10 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。

11 fitness   

n.适合，适当，健康，健身

参考例句：

• They're doing exercises to improve their fitness.他们为增强体质而做体操。
• No one questions her fitness for the job.没人怀疑她能胜任这项工作。

12 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。

13 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

14 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。

15 restrict   

n./vt.限制，限定，约束

参考例句：

• He feels this new law will restrict his freedom. 他觉得这一新法律会限制他的自由。
• Don't restrict her proper activities.不要拘束她的正当活动。

16 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。