英语听力—环球英语 516 Mother’s Day for Peace

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Robin² Basselin.
Voice 2
And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
"The heart of a mother is a very large and deep hole. At the bottom of it, you will always find forgiveness." -- Honor³é de Balzac
Voice 4
"A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all other people are not. It never fails." -- Helen Rice
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"Mother's love is peace. It need not be achieved, it need not be deserved⁴." -- Erich Fromm
Voice 1
This Sunday, people from over 70 countries around the world will celebrate Mother's Day. On this day, people honor their mothers. However, celebrating mothers is not a new idea. Today's Spotlight looks the meaning of Mother's Day celebrations throughout history and around the world.
Voice 2
The earliest known celebration of mothers was in ancient Egypt. The Egyptians celebrated⁵ their goddess Isis each year with a special holiday. People believed that Isis was the Mother of the pharaohs, the Egyptian leaders.
Voice 1
Later, in ancient Greece, people celebrated a similar holiday. On the first day of spring, the Greeks celebrated their goddess of Motherhood, named Rhea. People offered fine food, drink and flowers to honor Rhea. In the same way, ancient Romans also later celebrated their goddess of Motherhood. These holidays did not celebrate individual mothers -- as many Mother's Day celebrations do today. Instead, they celebrated mother goddesses, birth and the new life of spring.
Voice 2
Much later in history, during the 1600s, people in England began to celebrate Mothering Sunday. Like the celebrations in ancient Egypt and Greece, Mothering Sunday has a religious history. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of the Christian⁶ season of Lent - usually in March. Originally, the holiday did not celebrate human mothers. The holiday was started for people who worked and lived away from their homes and families. Mothering Sunday was a time for these people to return to their home villages. They would attend their "Mother" church one Sunday during Lent.
Voice 1
Eating a special sweet treat, called a Simnel Cake, has become a Mothering Sunday tradition. However, over the centuries, Mothering Sunday has become less connected with the Church. Instead, it has become more about celebrating mothers. Today, children give their mothers cards, flowers and other presents.
Voice 2
Within the last 60 years, many Middle Eastern countries have also begun officially celebrating Mother's Day. Mother's Day in the Middle East began in Egypt in 1956. The idea for the holiday belonged to two news reporters, Mostafa and Ali Amin. Mostafa and Ali were influenced by stories of mothers. These mothers had sacrificed much for their families. They believed that many mothers, and their important work, were forgotten by their families. So they encouraged their news readers to support the establishment⁷ of Mother's Day. The readers chose to celebrate Mother's Day on March 21st, the first day of spring.
Voice 1
Today, Mother's Day in the Middle East is a time for families to recognize the importance of mothers. Children often buy gifts for their mothers and other important women in their lives. Other countries, like Pakistan and Mexico, celebrate a similar kind of Mother's Day on May 10th.
Voice 2
Today, most countries celebrate their Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May. This holiday was originally established in 1914 in the United States. Like many other Mother's Day celebrations, people usually celebrate by giving their mothers gifts, flowers, food and cards. However, the original idea of this Mother's Day holiday was much different.
Voice 1
The idea of this Mother's Day began in the US women's peace movement. This movement began after the United States' Civil War. The women in this movement desired peace. They united as mothers who did not want to lose any more sons or husbands to war. As early as 1870, women in the peace movement asked for an official Mother's Day for Peace. One woman named Julia Ward⁸ Howe gave a speech about the need for a Mother's Day of Peace. She said,
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"In the name of women and humanity⁹, I ask that a group of women be appointed... They will encourage the joint¹⁰ work of different nationalities to settle international disputes¹¹ and seek general interests of peace."
Voice 2
However, it was not until many years after this speech that the US government officially recognized Mother's Day. During this time, a woman named Anna Jarvis worked to establish a Mother's Day holiday. She wanted a holiday that did not just honor mothers through buying gifts and spending money. She wanted a day for people to remember their mothers in meaningful ways. In fact, she worked so hard to establish a Mother's Day for a very particular reason. She wanted to honor the memory of her own mother - who worked for peace and a better society.
Voice 1
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson finally made Mother's Day an official holiday. However, it was made a holiday simply to celebrate the work of women in the home and family. This WAS a good reason to celebrate mothers. But, it was not the whole reason women like Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis wanted a Mother's Day.
Voice 2
By the end of Anna Jarvis' life, she became sad about how Mother's Day was celebrated. She did not like that Mother's Day had become about buying gifts and spending money. She had wanted a day of meaning - a day that honored¹² mothers and their work for society.
Voice 1
Today, people celebrate Mother's Day all over the world - at many different times of the year. For most people it has become a day about buying gifts and flowers for their mother. However, many women are encouraging people to look back at the original meaning of Mother's Day.
Voice 2
One such person is Queen Noor of Jordan. Queen Noor is a mother and grandmother that works¹³ for social change. She wrote an article about Mother's Day for the CNN news organization. She encouraged people everywhere to re-claim a Mother's Day for Peace. Much like Julia Ward Howe, Queen Noor wrote about the important work mothers can do for peace,
Voice 7
"Mothers prove every day, all over the world, that peace and security¹⁴ require working together and thinking about the needs of other people...Women often bring particular strengths, skills, and ideas for ending conflict and establishing freedom. They are willing to move across ethnic¹⁵, religious, and group barriers, and peacefully do what is best for their families."
Voice 1
How and when do you celebrate your Mother? What do you think Mother's Day should be about? If you celebrate Mother's Day this Sunday or any other day of the year, think about these powerful words from Queen Noor to all mothers,
Voice 7
"So from one mother to many other mothers, let us be quiet no longer in the presence¹⁶ of war and violence. May all mothers and families around the world be blessed with a happy Mother's Day for Peace."
 

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

4 deserved   

adj.应得的，当然的v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的过去式和过去分词 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• Some of you deserved to succeed and others only scraped through. 你们当中有些人成功是理所当然，而有些人只是勉强及格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Don't glare at me like that, you deserved the scolding. 不要那么瞪着我，你本该受到训斥的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 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。

7 establishment   

n.建立，确立，确定；企业，机构；当权人物

参考例句：

• With the establishment of major new markets, the economy is thriving.随着重大新市场的建立，经济越来越兴旺。
• The establishment of the business took several years.创办这个公司花了好几年时间。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 disputes   

n.辩论( dispute的名词复数 )；争端；（劳资）纠纷；罢工v.辩论，争论( dispute的第三人称单数 )；争夺；阻止；就…进行辩论

参考例句：

• a legalistic approach to family disputes 死抠法律条文解决家庭纠纷的方法
• a party riven by internal disputes 由于内部分歧而四分五裂的政党

12 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

14 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

15 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

16 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。