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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Hello, and welcome to Spotlight1. I'm Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby2 Jones. 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
Two men stand face to face on a dry, dusty3 piece of land. They are a similar size and shape. One man wears a special, thick rubber hat. This is to protect his head. The other man wears brightly coloured clothes. A woman sits nearby, watching the men. She calls out: "Ready...go!" Then, the two men start to fight. The man in the colourful clothes hits the other man a number of times. The other man steps back. He is trying to protect himself from the blows. He does not really seem to want to fight. However, the other man continues. And after some time, the man in the rubber hat starts to fight back. He starts to attack the other fighter. And, with one hit, he manages to knock the man in the colourful clothes to the ground.
Voice 2
In fact, the fight was an experiment. The man in the rubber hat is called Michael Portillo. Michael was once a member of the British government. Now, he writes for television, radio and newspapers. Michael always thought of himself as a peace-loving man. But he wanted to discover if there was ever a situation where he would turn to violence4. So, he made a television programme for the BBC5. He called it "How Violent6 Are You?" And, that is how he found himself fighting another man!
Voice 1
The fight took place in Bolivia. Michael had gone to this South American country to examine the custom of Tinku. This is a local word meaning encounter7, or meeting. Tinku is an important and traditional part of life in some native Bolivian communities. It seems almost like a yearly8 celebration9 of violence! People from different villages meet together to settle10 disputes12 through fighting. Anyone can ask another person to fight - men, women, children. But the rules dictate13 that you must only fight a person of the same age and size.
Voice 2
Michael Portillo found this cultural attitude to violence very difficult to understand. When he was growing up, people had told him that fighting was the wrong way to solve a problem. And he was concerned at how Tinku affected14 the children involved. He talked to Doctor Maria Couppis. She is an expert on how violence affects human behaviour. She has studied the native Bolivian community a lot. She said:
Voice 3
"Our minds are shaped by the environment...we learn from relating to our parents and our teachers...As these children have more and more experience of Tinku, they are going to behave like that more often."
Voice 1
Doctor Couppis explained that humans are born being able to be hostile15 and violent when they need to. It is part of their ‘animal' nature. At first, Michael did not accept that he could possibly become violent. His education had taught him how to control his basic animal desires - his instincts17. So, Doctor Couppis organised a Tinku fight for Michael. She even claimed that he would enjoy it! At first, Michael did not fight back. Then his instinct16 to protect himself started to control his actions. He began hitting the other man. He even managed to push him to the ground! But did Michael enjoy his first fight? He said:
Voice 4
"Well, I enjoyed the times when I got a hit on the man's helmet18 or on his body - and when he fell over! I enjoyed that."
Voice 1
So, how can a usually peace-loving man enjoy violence? Doctor Couppis explains:
Voice 3
"Our brains work in a way that make us enjoy being hostile. Usually when we fight, we cause the centres in our brain that deal with pleasant feelings and events to react19."
Voice 2
So, it is in human nature to be violent. But few of us ever perform acts of extreme20 violence. Michael wondered what prevents humans from doing so. To find out more, he visited a school. He watched the teacher give a group of three year old children a toy to play with. Then, the two adults left the room. Soon, a fight developed between two of the children. They both wanted the toy! And fighting was their way of deciding the argument. A few minutes later, the teacher returned. He explained that fighting was not the best way to solve a dispute11. He talked about how important it is to share. The children had to learn from people in authority21 - teachers or their parents - how to control their natural urges22. Only then would they be able to operate better as social beings.
Voice 1
The violence control device23 in our brains develops as we grow older. So the younger we begin training it, the stronger it should become. However in some situations, this device can get damaged. Our violent urges could then start to guide our behaviour. Michael involved himself in another experiment. He had to care for two babies by himself and do a normal job. The babies were not real. Scientists organising the experiment controlled the babies' movements and sounds at a distance by computer. Michael spent the next sixty hours with very little sleep. The scientists made the babies cry a lot at night. And in the day, Michael had to work as a cook's helper24 in a very busy kitchen! As time went on, he felt that he was losing control:
Voice 4
"It is really amazing. When I did not have enough sleep, I felt my character changing. I always thought that my character was fixed25, but it is not! Our sense of self is extremely26 easy to break. A blow to the head - a week's bad sleep - and we could change into someone that we would not recognise! What I have discovered has helped me to understand the possible reasons behind crimes27 of high emotion - why a parent would shake a baby, for example. Any one of us at any time could break!"
Voice 2
Michael learned28 that violence is part of all of us. But most people have learned to control it. But what about people who do lose control of their violent nature? Michael wanted to find out what makes one person choose to kill other people. In the second programme about violence, we look at how Michael Portillo tried to discover the answer to this question.
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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dusty
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| adj.积满灰尘的；无聊的，含糊的，粉末状的 | |
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violence
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| n.暴力，暴虐，暴行，猛烈，强烈，强暴 | |
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BBC
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| abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司 | |
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violent
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| adj.暴力的，猛烈的，激烈的，极端的，凶暴的，歪曲的 | |
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encounter
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| v.遇到，偶然碰到；遭遇；n.遭遇；意外的相见 | |
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yearly
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| adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地 | |
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celebration
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| n.庆祝，庆祝会；典礼 | |
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settle
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| vi.安家；定居；停留；vt.使定居；安排；解决 | |
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dispute
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| n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳 | |
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disputes
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| 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 | |
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dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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hostile
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| adj.不友好的，敌对的；敌方的，敌人的 | |
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instinct
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| n.本能，直觉；生性，天性 | |
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instincts
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| 本能，天性，直觉( instinct的名词复数 ) | |
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helmet
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| n.钢盔；头盔；安全帽；vt.给…戴头盔 | |
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react
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| vi.起反应，起作用；反抗，起反作用 | |
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extreme
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| adj.末端的，尽头的；极度的，极端的；n.极度，最大程度 | |
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authority
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| n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者 | |
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urges
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| n.强烈的愿望( urge的名词复数 )；强烈的欲望；冲动v.力劝( urge的第三人称单数 )；强烈要求；推进；驱策 | |
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device
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| n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计 | |
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helper
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| n.帮助者，帮手，助手 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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extremely
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| adv.极其，非常，极度 | |
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crimes
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| n.罪，罪行，犯罪( crime的名词复数 ) | |
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learned
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| adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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