英语听力—环球英语 582 The Gilgel Gibe Dam Project

　　Voice 1
Hello, and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Adam Navis. 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
Clouds of dust fly up into the bright afternoon air. Large machines move earth slowly, one behind the other, each carrying heavy loads. A group of men walk around wearing hard hats and bright orange clothes. They are surrounded by huge walls of stone. These walls are hundreds of metres high! The men are in a deep, man-made³ valley. From the top of the walls, they look like small insects! The men are helping⁴ to build the tallest dam of its kind in the world. It is the Gilgel Gibe⁵ Dam on the Omo River, Ethiopia!
Voice 2
Hundreds of kilometres south, some men direct⁶ a flat wooden boat through the long, wet grass. These tribesmen are hunting fish on Lake Turkana. The Omo River flows into this lake. The men try to catch some of the few kinds of fish left in the water. These tribesmen used to be farmers. But a reduced water level soon changed that. There are too few plants left on the land for their cows to eat. Also, the salt levels in the lake are rising. And when the Gilgel Gibe Dam starts operating, it will reduce the flow of fresh water into the lake even more. The tribesmen are afraid that their traditional way of life will disappear forever.
Voice 1
The main aim of the Gilgel Gibe Dam Project is this. It will provide Ethiopia with a continuous⁸ supply of electricity. Builders hope to complete the dam by 2012. Once finished, the dam will produce over one thousand eight hundred [1,800] megawatts of electricity. This is a huge amount - more than enough to meet the needs of Ethiopia. And it will leave extra power for the government to sell to countries nearby, and make a profit!
Voice 2
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. At present, the city often experiences power cuts. This angers the many people living there. Nazret is an Ethiopian news website. Here, some local people wrote their opinions about the Gilgel Gibe Dam Project. The project is dividing public opinion in Ethiopia. But on this website, most writers praised the new development. One girl wrote:
Voice 3
"It is good to see a project that has a chance of being a success, for a change. And praise goes to the Ethiopian people. They have survived with little or no electricity. As an African capital city, Addis was a joke! Over the past few years, there has been power cut after power cut.  I hope that the government will put Ethiopian electricity users⁹ first instead of exporting it all."
Voice 1
Having electricity all the time would improve the lives of Ethiopians living in country areas too. Dejene lives in the village of Boleboboula, near Addis Ababa. He is concerned about his children's education. He says:
Voice 4
"It is very important for children to study. We need the light. We are just waiting for the time when light will come to this village. It would change our lives very much! Most of the children go to schools far away from here. When they come back home, it is dark. And they have to study in the dark."
Voice 2
Few people would question Ethiopia's need for electricity. But not everybody is sure that the Gilgel Gibe Dam is the best way to answer that need. They believe that in the long-term¹⁰, the dam may have a negative effect on the country. They are especially concerned about the Omo River Valley. This area lies to the south of the dam project. And it depends on the river's yearly¹¹ movement - when it floods and when it goes back. A number of different tribes⁷ live by the side of the Omo River. Their way of life has not changed for hundreds of years.
Voice 1
The Mursi people are one of these traditional tribes. Over time they have developed farming¹² methods that work well with the life and movement of the river. Marco Bassi teaches anthropology¹³ at Oxford¹⁴ University. He has studied the Mursi people for a number of years. He explains that during the wet season, the Mursi people move to higher ground. There, they wait for the flood to come. The higher the flood, the more fertile¹⁵ the land will be when the flood goes down. When this happens, the dry season begins. Then the Mursi move their cows on to the fertile land. And they plant their crops in the rich, wet soil. Marco Bassi said:
Voice 5
"To a person on the outside, it looks very basic. But when you investigate¹⁶ it, you discover that these people have a very detailed¹⁷ knowledge of the land and how fertile it is... They know how to plant in a way that makes sure they have food - whatever happens throughout¹⁸ the year."
Voice 2
Tribal¹⁹ leaders fear that the dam will prevent the usual flooding that is so necessary to their way of life. The government has promised that the floods will continue as normal after the dam is built. In fact, they say that the dam could improve on nature - by managing when and how big a flood could be. But their words do not persuade the Mursi leaders. And the Mursi do not believe government promises to provide water if the dam causes negative effects in their area.
Voice 1
In a village near Addis Ababa, a child does her schoolwork by the light of an old oil lamp. It is not very bright. And she has trouble reading the small, black words in her book. She cannot wait for the day when she will have a powerful²⁰ electric light to read by!
Voice 2
In the Omo River Valley, the Mursi people wait for the river to flood. They fear that the flood will be low this time. How will they feed their cows? Will there be enough fertile land to plant their crops? What does the future hold for their ancient way of life? Two different pictures, the same country. But will they both exist in the years to come?
Voice 1
What do you think about the Gilgel Gibe Dam project? Write and tell us. Our email address in Radio @ English . net.
 

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 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。

3 man-made   

adj.人造的，合成的，人为的

参考例句：

• Nylon is a man-made fibre.尼龙是一种人造纤维。
• Many countries have sent up man-made satellites to circle the earth.许多国家已经发射人造卫星围绕地球运转。

4 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。

5 gibe   

n.讥笑；嘲弄

参考例句：

• I felt sure he was seeking for some gibe. 我敢说他正在寻找一句什么挖苦话。
• It's impolite to gibe at a foreign student's English. 嘲笑外国学生的英语是不礼貌的。

6 direct   

adj.直接的；直达的；v.指挥；知道；监督；管理

参考例句：

• This train is direct,you do not have to change.这辆火车是直达的，你不必换车。
• The army is under the king's direct command.军队由国王直接统帅。

7 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 continuous   

adj.继续的，连续的，持续的，延伸的

参考例句：

• She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后，她终于当选了。
• We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。

9 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

10 long-term   

adj.长远的，长期的

参考例句：

• It isn't a long-term policy.这不是长久之计。
• We must calculate on a long-term basis.我们要作长期打算。

11 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

12 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。

13 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

14 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

15 fertile   

adj.肥沃的，富饶的；多产的，丰产的

参考例句：

• The district is fertile of wheat.该地区盛产小麦。
• Plants grow well in fertile soil.植物在肥沃的土壤里长势良好。

16 investigate   

vt.调查，调查研究；vi.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• Police investigate the cause of car accident.警察调查车祸的原因。
• The government of the United States began at once to investigate the case.美国政府立即开始调查此案。

17 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

18 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

19 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。

20 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！