环球英语 — 449：Scotland

　　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
Scotland - one of the four countries that form the United Kingdom. For this small country, 2009 is a special year. It is the 250th anniversary of one of its most famous writers - Robert Burns. Burns was born in 1759 - 250 years ago. To mark this event, the government decided² to turn the whole year into one long celebration of Scotland and its culture. They have called this project "Homecoming Scotland 2009". They are inviting³ the people of Scotland to attend over 200 different events. But they are inviting the whole world to come and visit too!
Voice 2
But why would people particularly want to visit Scotland? It is a beautiful country. Dark mountains circle deep, long lakes, called ‘lochs'. On the coasts, large areas of white sand edge the cold, bright sea. However, the weather in Scotland can be terrible! The rain can last for weeks. So it may not be the best place for a holiday! But, each year, millions of visitors do go. And for many of them, their visit has a special purpose. They are searching for their Scottish ancestors!
Voice 1
Some people say that Scotland's greatest export has been its people! The country's population is currently⁴ just over five million. But there are many people with Scottish origins who do not live in Scotland. Estimates put the number between twenty-eight and one hundred million! So, why do so many Scottish people live outside the country?
Voice 2
We can find the answer to this question by looking back at Scotland's history. During the 17th century, religion and politics were difficult to separate. And many people were not free to worship God in the way that they wanted to. So, they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in North America. They believed they would find peace there, to live and worship as they pleased.
Voice 1
In the 18th century, a new law united the parliaments of Scotland and England. Even before this, one king ruled over both countries. But many Scots were not happy with this united kingdom. A movement started to bring back a member of the Scottish royal family and to give him the crown of Great Britain. This revolt failed horribly. And the authorities sent many Scots into exile⁵ because they had fought against the king.
Voice 2
Other Scots moved overseas because they no longer had a home or a way of earning a living. This was especially true in the mountains of the north of Scotland - the ‘Highlands'. In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Highland⁶ families were forced out or ‘cleared' from the land of rich farmers. These farmers then used the land for sheep farming. This was a better way of making money than renting small pieces of land to poor families. Some families went to the coast and joined the fishing industry. But more left to go and live in North America and Australia. It was a tragic⁷ period in Scottish history. However, these Scots never forgot their home country. And, generations later, millions of them come back to visit Scotland and discover more about their past.
Voice 1
Scotland's gift to the world may well be its people. And here are Nick Page and Ruby⁸ Jones to tell us about some of them:
Voice 3
Next time you use a telephone, think of Alexander Graham Bell! Bell was born in 1847 in Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh. His mother was deaf - unable to hear. And Alexander was always trying to invent new ways of communicating with her. When he was 23, the family moved to North America. There, Bell continued to experiment. He discovered how to send speech through a wire. And these experiments resulted in the invention of the telephone!
Voice 4
The world of medicine will always be thankful to Alexander Fleming. In 1928, this Scottish doctor made an important discovery. He had left some bacteria to grow in a container in his laboratory while he went on holiday. The name of the bacteria was staphylococcus. When he returned, he saw that some mould was present with the staphylococcus. This growth should not have been there. But the area around it was free from bacteria. Fleming decided that this mould must have released a substance that prevented the staphylococcus from growing around it. He performed some experiments on the mould. And he found that he was right. Fleming named the substance penicillin⁹. And doctors still use penicillin today to fight against infection and disease.
Voice 3
David Livingstone was born in the small Scottish town of Blantyre in 1813. He studied medicine and theology - the study of God. These were the two great influences on his life. And he wanted to share this knowledge with others. He travelled to the centre of Africa to tell the people there about God. As well as that, he wanted to help free people living as slaves. This desire made Livingstone explore a large part of Africa. He wanted to discover how traders took slaves from the heart of the country to the coast. When he returned to Scotland, he told many stories about the terrors of the slave trade. He also spoke¹⁰ of the wonders of nature that he had seen. And he spoke warmly about the people he had met. Many of them had become Livingstone's friends. And they shared Livingstone's love for God. Livingstone died in his beloved Africa in May, 1873. His body was taken to Britain - but his heart remained buried in African soil.
Voice 2
We finish today's programme with a poem that was spoken by Scotland's most famous writer, Robert Burns. This poem may sound strange because it uses a Scottish way of speaking English. It talks about people that have food and cannot eat it. And it talks about people who do not have food, but would like some. It says that people should thank God for the food that they have. People normally say this poem before a meal:
Voice 4
Some hae meat, and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it.
But we hae meat, and we can eat -
and sae the Lord be thankit.
 

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 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。

3 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 exile   

n.流放，被流放者；vt.流放，放逐，使流亡

参考例句：

• After an exile of eight years her uncle returned to Cairo.她叔叔背井离乡8年后返回开罗。
• Napoleon was sent into exile on an island.拿破仑被流放到一个岛上。

6 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

7 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

8 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。

9 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。