环球英语 — 434：The Reunion

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Ryan Geertsma. 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
Five people sit around a table in a recording³ studio. One woman is busy preparing for the recording. The other woman and the three men speak quietly to each other. They have not seen each other for a long time! And now, they are going to record a radio programme together. The woman presenting the programme signals for everyone to be quiet. A light in the middle of the table turns red. Music fills the air. The woman presenting speaks into a microphone:  "Hello and welcome to the programme. I'm Sue⁴ McGregor. And this is "The Reunion".
Voice 2
"The Reunion" is a programme on BBC radio. The idea of it is simple. Each week, the programme brings together a group of people to discuss a particular event in recent history. Each of these people were involved in the event in some way. The programme gives them the chance to talk about their memories. And they discuss how the event changed both their lives and the world around them.
Voice 1
In May 2009, "The Reunion" programme brought together four people who had been in the news in the 1980s and 90s. There were three men and a woman. The men were Brian Keenan, John McCarthy and Terry Waite. They had all been hostages⁶ in Lebanon. The woman was Jill Morrell. She was John McCarthy's girlfriend at that time - and she had devoted⁷ her time to fighting for John's release⁸. "The Reunion" programme was a special event for all four people.
Voice 2
In the late 1980s and early 90s, there was civil war in Lebanon. Different groups were fighting against each other to gain control of the country. It was an extremely dangerous place for foreigners to visit.
Voice 1
In 1986, Brian Keenan had gone to Lebanon to teach. He was from Northern Ireland. This part of the United Kingdom was also experiencing civil unrest. Brian could not find a job there. So, he decided⁹ to go and work in Lebanon. Brian was kidnapped by gunmen as he walked to the university one day.
Voice 2
John McCarthy worked for a television company. In 1986, this company sent him to Lebanon's capital city, Beirut for a month. John was kidnapped as he was driving to the airport to catch his flight home.
Voice 1
Terry Waite worked for a Christian¹⁰ organisation¹¹ in Britain - the Church of England. His job was to represent the Church in different countries. He would help negotiate¹² in difficult international situations, especially those where human life was in danger. In 1987, Terry Waite went to Beirut. His aim was to negotiate the release of some hostages. Terry planned to meet a man he knew and trusted. A man came to collect Terry. He put a cloth over Terry's eyes. The man put him in a car. But instead of taking him to see the hostages, he captured¹³ Terry too.
Voice 2
During "The Reunion" programme, each person shared their thoughts about those events. Jill Morrell worked with John at the TV company. She remembered:
Voice 3
"I was at home. We expected John to arrive later that day. So I was just getting up and thinking about what time I would go to the airport and what I was going to wear. And then the telephone rang. It was my boss from work. He said: "Jill, bad news. John has been kidnapped." Everything changed with that telephone call."
Voice 1
Brian Keenan and John McCarthy were kept prisoner in separate places at first. John remembers this as a very difficult time:
Voice 4
"I was kept in an underground prison. I was extremely frightened. And I think I went through a process of examining my life and feeling that I had not achieved much. I was growing more and more frightened. But somehow, I managed to continue and keep going."
Voice 2
The situation improved when John's guards moved him to another place. There, he met Brian Keenan. John continued:
Voice 4
"We spent days talking to each other. We found that we could make each other laugh! I think this was very important as time went on. We understood how being alone had affected¹⁴ us. We had gone to the edge of our being - trying to discover who we were and if we could survive this situation."
Voice 2
After four years as a hostage⁵, Brian was released¹⁵ in 1990. John remained a prisoner until the following year.
Voice 1
Terry Waite was alone for four out of nearly five years as a hostage. He had a particularly difficult experience. He remembers:
Voice 5
"The first year was one of extreme worry. My guards often questioned me about what I knew about a particular political matter. But this period of questioning ended one day when they made me believe that they were going to execute¹⁶ me. My way of dealing¹⁷ with it was to try and take a deep look into my heart - to explore. To try and know myself better - the light and the dark side."
Voice 1
Terry had a deep faith in God. This helped him to survive in such a lonely and dark situation. Also, he could hear hostages in the room next to his. And he developed a system of communicating with them by making sounds on the wall. Later, guards put Terry in the same room as these other prisoners. He was there until his release in November 1991.
Voice 2
For Jill Morrell, the release of the hostages was just what she had been hoping for. Yet it was not an easy time for any of them. Jill remembers:
Voice 3
"What John and I both wanted more than anything was for things to return to normal - or what we remembered as normal. But that was just not possible. And it was very difficult to deal with the effects of that."
Voice 2
Some time later, Jill and John ended their relationship. However, they still remain friends - as do all of the ex-hostages.
Voice 1
The programme presenter¹⁸ turns to each of the people in the studio: "Brian Keenan, Terry Waite, John McCarthy, Jill Morrell - thank you all very much." Music starts up again - and the recording comes to an end. But for these four people, the story continues. And the understanding and care they have for each other will never disappear.
 

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 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

5 hostage   

n.人质，抵押品

参考例句：

• One group claimed to have executed the American hostage.一个组织声称已经处决了那名美国人质。
• Have you read the article about the rescue of the hostage?你看了关于营救人质的文章了吗？

6 hostages   

人质( hostage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The hostages were tied up and blindfolded. 人质被捆绑起来并蒙上了眼睛。
• Fear was the hostages' constant companion. 人质一直都感到恐惧不安。

7 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

8 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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。

12 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

13 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

14 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。

15 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。

16 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。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

18 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。