环球英语 — 417：Edith Cavell

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Mike Procter.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This program uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
The terrible sounds of battle. The First World War brought great sadness to each of the countries it affected³. Family after family experienced⁴ injury, loss and death. And yet it was also a time for great courage. Normal men and women performed acts of bravery that are still remembered today. In today’s Spotlight, we tell the story of one of those quiet heroes. Her name was Edith Cavell.
Voice 2
Edith Cavell was born on the 4th of December, 1865. She was the oldest of four children. Her father was a church minister in the east of England. The Cavell family did what they could to serve their local community - sharing their food, teaching⁵ children in Sunday school. This desire to serve stayed with Edith for the rest of her life. When she left school, she became a teacher. She started working at a school in England. Then, in 1890, she became a private teacher for a family in Belgium. During this time, Edith learnt to speak French extremely well. And, it was also during this time that she became concerned about helping⁶ sick people. She decided⁷ to leave teaching and learn how to care for sick people - how to become a nurse.
Voice 1
Edith soon found that she had a gift for nursing. She completed her training without any problems. She then worked at a number of hospitals around England. In 1907, she returned to Belgium to work. A doctor invited Edith to lead a training school for nurses. It was called the Birkendael Medical Institute. At that time, it was not considered acceptable⁸ for young women to have any kind of job. However, a royal accident changed all that! The Queen of Belgium broke her arm. She asked the Birkendael Institute to send a nurse to care for her. The Queen’s interest helped to change people’s opinions about Edith’s school. Its teachers worked hard to provide well-trained nurses for a number of hospitals. And this earned people’s respect.
Voice 2
On the fourth of August, 1914, Germany invaded¹⁰ Belgium. Edith Cavell was in England at the time, visiting her mother. However, she refused to stay at home where she would be safe. She told her mother:
Voice 3
“At a time like this, I am needed more than ever.”
Voice 2
So she returned to serve in Birkendael. By then, it had become a Red Cross hospital. This required its nurses to care for injured soldiers from every country - even enemy soldiers.
Voice 1
German forces marched south through Belgium to invade⁹ France. British soldiers were fighting with the French army to try and keep the Germans out of France. But they were not successful. As a result, many British and French soldiers faced being caught by German forces. But some of them managed to find their way to Edith Cavell’s training school. Here, she took care of them and hid them from the German authorities¹¹. She heard about some local people who were willing to help the soldiers escape. Together, they organized travel for the soldiers out of Belgium to Holland. This was a safe country that remained neutral¹² during the whole war.
Voice 2
The German authorities considered this kind of action to be a very serious crime. There were signs all over Belgium saying: “Any male or female¹³ who hides a British or French soldier in his house will be punished.” And, as a Red Cross nurse, Edith should have remained neutral. But Edith felt she could not behave in any other way. For her, protecting and helping hunted men to escape to freedom was necessary. It was just as much an act of service as caring for sick people. She believed that, in the eyes of God, she was acting¹⁴ correctly. And, she was ready to accept any punishment for her behaviour.
Voice 1
In August 1915, the authorities discovered what was happening at Edith’s training school. And Edith was arrested. The German authorities accused her of aiding the escape of up to two hundred British and French soldiers. She was kept alone in prison for ten weeks. During that time, she admitted to what she had done. She said:
Voice 3
“I had to help those soldiers. If I had not, they would have been executed¹⁶.”
Voice 1
At her trial, the judge found her guilty. The sentence for her crime was the most severe sentence possible - death.
Voice 2
The authorities decided to execute¹⁵ Edith as soon as they could. On the night before her death, the prison officers permitted her to have a visitor. Stirling Gahan was a Christian¹⁷ minister in Belgium at that time. He prayed with Edith and tried to ease¹⁸ her mental suffering. Edith told him:
Voice 3
“I am thankful to have had these ten weeks to get ready for my death...I expected my sentence and believe it was just. Now I stand where God sees me and I see time without end. Now I understand that loving my country is not enough. I must not hate or stay hostile¹⁹ towards anyone”.
Voice 1
Early on October the twelfth, 1915, Edith Cavell was taken to the National Rifle²⁰ Shooting Centre. A prison minister then prayed with her. Her last words to him were:
Voice 3
“Ask Mister²¹ Gahan to speak to my loved ones later. He should tell them that my soul, as I believe, is safe. And, that I am happy to die for my country.”
Voice 1
Some men then tied her to a wooden post. They placed a cover over her eyes. Finally, an army officer gave the command to fire. Two sets of eight soldiers fired their guns at her. And her body fell to the ground without a sound.
Voice 2
News of Edith’s death shocked people in Britain. And the government used it to encourage more and more young men to join the army. But Edith did not want people to think of her as a martyr²². She had died for her country. But she believed that she had only been ‘a nurse trying to do her duty’ - nothing more. People may have different opinions about Edith’s behaviour. But no one can question her courage. And that is what history will remember her for.
 

1 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。

2 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。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 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。

7 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。

8 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

9 invade   

v.侵略，侵犯；闯入，侵扰

参考例句：

• I don't want to invade your private life unnecessarily.我不想过多地干涉你的私生活。
• He ordered the army to invade at dawn.他命令军队在拂晓入侵。

10 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 neutral   

adj.中立的，不偏不倚的；中性的

参考例句：

• Behaviour is never culturally neutral.人的行为从来都受文化的影响。
• They have maintained a consistently neutral stance.他们一直持中立态度。

13 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。

14 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

15 execute   

vt.执行，实行，实现，实施；处死，处决

参考例句：

• Never once did I doubt that I would be able to execute my plan.我从未怀疑过我能执行自己的计划。
• The general gave the word to execute the deserters.将军下令处决逃兵。

16 executed   

v.执行（法令）( execute的过去式和过去分词 )；（按计划或设计）作成；履行；演（戏）

参考例句：

• He was executed for treason. 他因叛国罪被处死。
• He was executed in 1887for plotting to assassinate the tsar. 他因密谋暗杀沙皇在1887年被判处极刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 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。

19 hostile   

adj.不友好的，敌对的；敌方的，敌人的

参考例句：

• The local people are hostile to outsiders.当地人敌视外地人。
• Their hostile looks showed that he was unwelcome.他们怀敌意的表情说明他不受欢迎。

20 rifle   

n.来复枪，步枪

参考例句：

• The soldiers keep a tight hold of the rifle.战士们紧握手中的枪。
• They armed him with a rifle.他们发给他一支步枪。

21 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”。

22 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。