英语听力—环球英语 577 Peace and Progress

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹, I'm Mike Procter.
Voice 2
And I'm Nick Page. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Many years ago a man received a prize. It was a bottle of wine. It was very special because the wine had been put into the bottle almost one hundred years before! He said that he would drink it when he had something to celebrate, for example, when there was no fighting in any place in the world.
Voice 1
We do not know if that man has drunk² that bottle of wine. But now there is a day each year when people all over the world stop fighting. That day is the 21st of September, the International Day of Peace. In another programme, we told of the origins of this 'day without fighting'. We told how it was the dream of a film-maker and actor named Jeremy Gilley. We told how he made a film to spread the idea - to make it known³. We told how, in 2001 the countries in the United⁴ Nations decided⁵ to make the 21st of September a day when all fighting would stop.
Jeremy Gilley started an organisation⁶ called 'Peace One Day'. 'Peace One Day' supports the International Day of Peace by encouraging famous people, companies, and people everywhere to do something for peace on this special day.
Voice 2
In our other programme we told how Peace One Day uses sport to bring communities together in peace. In this programme we consider another side to Peace Day. It is not just the fact that people stop fighting that makes the day special. When fighting stops, help can happen. Help can reach people in areas normally⁷ cut off by fighting. In this programme we tell two stories from Peace One Day. They both show how a day of peace can help fight disease⁸ and poverty⁹.
Voice 1
Afghanistan is a country that has known very little peace in recent years, and yet Peace Day has made a difference, even here.
Voice 2
It started with Peace Day 2007. Over a million children in the south and the east of the country received vaccinations¹⁰ – medicines that would prevent them from getting polio. In the west, the United Nations Children's Fund¹¹ and the Red Crescent organised a peace walk through the city of Herat. Young people were encouraged to think about ways of making peace work. And a large area of land that had been cleared of bombs was returned to the community.
Voice 1
The following year, the number of security¹² incidents¹³ fell by seventy percent on and around Peace Day. And one-and-a-half million more children were vaccinated¹⁴ against polio. So more lives were saved.
Voice 2
On the 21st of September 2009, it seemed that peace had come to Afghanistan, if only for one day. The United Nations Assistance¹⁵ Mission¹⁶ had organised peace programmes on television and radio during the month before so that people would know about Peace Day. In Kabul happy people waved Peace Day flags as they waited for famous Afghan singers to perform their favourite songs. The United Nations Children's Fund organised games and other activities for children. Government soldiers stopped fighting for the day and the Taliban promised not to stop or harm the fourteen thousand health workers who were travelling round the country. The health workers could go to parts of Afghanistan that are most difficult to reach, such as Helmand, Kandahar, and Uruzgan. Over one million children were vaccinated against polio.
Voice 1
In the Peace Day events of those three years, over four million children received protection¹⁷ from polio.
Voice 2
Our other story comes from West Africa. In some places here, the lack of clean water is a severe¹⁸ problem. There are not enough wells. Wells have often been destroyed during fighting. People can die through drinking unclean water.
In Liberia, an organisation called Pump Aid did a wonderful thing on Peace Day, 2009. Pump Aid sent workers to a village called Johnsonville to help the villagers to build a water pump. It took just one day to make the pump work.
Voice 1
You have probably heard stories about water pumps before. You may ask what links this particular pump to Peace Day. One answer concerns the Pump Aid workers who built the well. They were former child soldiers. They were forced to be fighters when they were children. They had seen war. They had seen death. But by 2009 there was peace - and Pump Aid had trained these young people to build water pumps to help people. One young man said that helping¹⁹ to build the pump helped him and the other child soldiers to return to a normal life. He said that while he was a soldier he had been made to kill and injure people. He hoped that those whom he had hurt would be able to forgive him. The work he did in building the pump is now helping to save lives.
The close link between peace and progress works²⁰ both ways. When fighting stops, help can happen, progress can happen. But it is also true that when basic human needs are met, peace can grow.
Voice 2
Ten years ago, the United Nations agreed to a set of 'Millennium²¹ Goals'. These are eight targets that the international community promised to meet before the year 2015. The Millennium Goals concern issues²² such as poverty, health, human rights and the environment. This year, world leaders are meeting to improve progress towards the Millennium Goals. The meetings last from the 20th to the 22nd of September. Peace Day is the 21st, right in the middle of these meetings. This is not an accident. It is designed to show how peace and progress go together. The UN Secretary General is Ban Ki-moon. He said:
Voice 3
"This year, the International Day of Peace is at the same time as our meetings working towards the eight Millennium Development Goals. Achieving the goals is very necessary for ending armed conflict²³ and building lasting²⁴ peace."
Voice 1
So, world leaders are meeting on this International Day of Peace. Organizations like Peace One Day are trying extra hard on this special day. But Peace One Day wants every one of us to do something for peace today. It says:
Voice 4
"Make your own personal promise to do something for Peace Day. It could be bringing your family together, saying sorry or holding an event. Be as creative as you can."
 

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 drunk   

adj.醉酒的；(喻)陶醉的；n.酗酒者，醉汉

参考例句：

• People who drives when they are drunk should be heavily penalised.醉酒驾车的人应受重罚。
• She found him drunk when she came home at night.她晚上回家时，经常发现他醉醺醺的。

3 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

4 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

5 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。

6 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。

7 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

8 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

9 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

10 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 fund   

n.基金，资金，存款，财源，贮藏；vt.提供资金，积累

参考例句：

• They decided to set up a fund for this purpose.他们决定为此专立一项基金。
• This fund may not be drawn on without permission.这笔钱非经批准不得动用。

12 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。

13 incidents   

发生的事( incident的名词复数 )； 小插曲； 敌对行动； 骚乱

参考例句：

• They ingeniously conflated other characters and incidents to provide an opera-comique setting. 他们巧妙地把一些人物或事件揉合到一起编出一幕喜剧。
• These incidents could seriously undermine support for the police. 这些事件会严重影响对警方的支持。

14 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

15 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。

16 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

17 protection   

n.保护，防卫，保护制度

参考例句：

• The protection of the country is the duty of everyone.保卫国家是每个人的责任。
• The young in our society need care and protection.我们社会的年轻人需要关怀和照顾。

18 severe   

adj.严格的，凶猛的，严肃的，严重的，严厉的，朴素的

参考例句：

• The severe storm did for most of the crops.猛烈的暴风雨毁掉了大部分庄稼。
• The pace was too severe to be kept up for long.跟上这步伐太难了，无法持久。

19 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。

20 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。

21 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

22 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

23 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

24 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。