英语听力—环球英语 464：Becoming an Adult

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. 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
When did you become an adult? How old were you? Were you twelve or ten - or younger? Maybe you were older when you became an adult. How did you know that you were no longer a child? Were you recognized by your community? Was there a ceremony for you? Or did the law state that you were now an adult?
Voice 2
Coming of age is an important time in any person's life. Coming of age is when the law or a community recognizes a child as an adult. All cultures celebrate the coming of age in different ways. Today's Spotlight is on these ceremonies.
Voice 1
Ted³ Beltrau is a young man in the Amazonian Satere Mawe tribe⁴. He rides in a small boat with four other men. They are all around the same age. They are preparing for a special ceremony. They have painted their bodies. And now, they are travelling to the ceremonial area.
When the young men arrive at the ceremony area they cover their hands with black charcoal⁵ made from burned wood. The tribe leaders then prepare gloves made of grass. These hand coverings hold bullet⁶ ants, a kind of insect. The young men put the gloves on their hands. Inside the gloves, the bullet ants start to wake from sleep. The ants start to sting² and inject⁷ liquid venom⁸ into the young men's hands. The sting from a bullet ant is thirty times more painful than other stinging⁹ insects.
The young men must hold their hands in these coverings for over ten minutes. Their faces must show no pain. The young men's hands start to fill with blood. They can not move their hands. The venom from the ants is very strong and painful. The tribe leaders lead the young men in a dance to keep them from thinking about the pain. After ten minutes is finished, the ceremony is over. But in the Satere Mawe tribe, a young man must do this twenty times before he is considered to be a man. This is their coming of age ceremony.
Voice 2
People celebrate the change from child to adult differently in different parts of the world. Some cultures hold special ceremonies for children who reach adult age. Other cultures do not have ceremonies. The law simply recognizes that person as an adult. They may enjoy adult freedoms, like driving a car or voting in elections¹⁰.
Voice 1
In Northern Canada a twelve year old boy named Apak is on his first hunting trip. He travels with his father and his father's brother. This is the first time that Apak will use his hunting skills. Once he kills a large bearded seal, he will be a man. He has shown that he can provide food for the community.
Voice 2
In a village in Eastern Uganda, boys become men in a very different kind of ceremony. At around the age of sixteen the boys in the village are covered in millet¹¹, a grain mixed with water. The people believe that the millet keeps evil¹² spirits away. The boys walk through the village streets as their friends and family sing.
The boys hold on to a stick above their head. A tribal¹³ leader then circumcises each boy. The boys are not allowed to shout or cry. No medicine is used so the process is very painful. But the boys must show they are men by taking the pain without showing emotion. When the ceremony is over the boys go to a special building where they will stay for days to recover.
Voice 1
Latin¹⁴ American girls celebrate coming of age with a special party. This happens when a girl is fifteen years old. The party is called a quinceanera. Quinceanera means¹⁵ fifteen years in Spanish. The girl wears a special white dress to the party. All her friends and family attend. They will all sing, dance and eat special foods.
After the quinceanera, the girl will be able to do many adult things. She will be able to wear make-up on her face. She will attend social events with her parents. And she will be able to have a boyfriend!
Voice 2
In Japan, all people celebrate coming of age together. The festival of Seijin No Hi happens on the second Monday in January. It celebrates everyone who turned twenty years old in the past year.
In the morning, at local city offices, government officials give speeches. They give small gifts to all the new adults. The young men and women wear traditional Japanese clothes. At the end of the ceremony, the new adults gather together for a party.
Voice 1
The final coming of age ceremony we look at today is very different than most parties. It takes place on the South Pacific island of Pentecost. The ceremony is a way for boys to prove their manhood. Both boys and men join in the ceremony. The ceremony is called Naghol.
Voice 2
Naghol happens between April and June every year. Men from the southern part of the island build large structures¹⁶ out of wood. These towers are twenty to thirty metres high. A trusted village leader cuts vines¹⁷ from trees. These vines are like ropes that grow naturally in the forest. Young men climb to the top of the tower and tie these vines to their ankles¹⁸.
The men then jump off the tower. They fall to the ground. But at the last moment, the vines pull them back. The freshly cut vines stretch and prevent the men from falling to their death. But the jump is not a success unless the men touch their head to the ground. The vines must be just the right length. If the village leader cuts the vines too long, the jumper may die.
Voice 1
These are just a few of the many different ways people celebrate becoming an adult. Some are dangerous, some are painful, and some are just fun. In each case, children prove that they are ready for the responsibilities¹⁹ of adult life. What ways do people celebrate becoming an adult in your culture? Tell us about becoming an adult where you live. You can write to us and other listeners²⁰ on our website. You can also share your stories on our facebook page. Look for a link on the script²¹ page of this program.
 

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 sting   

vt.激怒，刺痛，刺伤，蛰伤；n.刺痛，刺伤

参考例句：

• Most flies do not sting.大多数苍蝇不叮人。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

5 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

6 bullet   

n.枪弹，子弹

参考例句：

• The bullet wound in his shoulder was opened up for treatment.切开他肩上的枪伤进行治疗。
• The bullet missed me by a hair's s breadth.那颗子弹差一点就打中了我。

7 inject   

vt.注射，注入，注满

参考例句：

• We hope to inject new life into our work.我们希望给我们的工作注入新的活力。
• He needs to inject himself once a month.他需要每月为自己打一针。

8 venom   

n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨

参考例句：

• The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
• In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。

9 stinging   

刺一样的，刺人的，激烈的

参考例句：

• My eyes are stinging from the smoke. 我眼睛被烟熏的疼痛。
• On September 24, he wrote a stinging denunciation of his critics. 9月24号，他写了一篇痛斥那些批评者的措词强烈的文章。

10 elections   

n.选举，当选，推举( election的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• He emerged victorious in the elections. 他在竞选中脱颖而出获得胜利。

11 millet   

n.小米，谷子

参考例句：

• Millet is cultivated in the middle or lower reaches of the Yellow River.在黄河中下游地区，人们种植谷子。
• The high quality millet flour was obtained through wet milling.采用湿磨法获得了高品质的小米粉。

12 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

13 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

14 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

15 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

16 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 vines   

n.藤本植物，藤( vine的名词复数 )；葡萄树

参考例句：

• Melons grow on vines. 瓜长在藤上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Grape vines overarched the garden path. 葡萄藤在花园小路上方形成了拱形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 ankles   

n.踝，踝关节( ankle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We had to step in mud over our ankles. 我们必须进入没脚的泥塘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When Mary sprained her ankles, John carried her piggyback to the doctors. 玛丽扭伤了足踝，约翰驮她去看医生。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 responsibilities   

责任( responsibility的名词复数 )； 职责； 责任感； 责任心

参考例句：

• the disproportion between the extra responsibilities and the small salary increase 额外的责任与小幅增加的薪金之间的不相称
• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。

20 listeners   

n.倾听者，收听者( listener的名词复数 )；听众

参考例句：

• the demographics of radio listeners 电台听众统计数据
• The singer's high notes jarred on the ears of her listeners. 那位歌手的高音让听众们觉得刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。