英语听力—环球英语 635 Exploring Culture Through Dance

　　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 1
In Jerusalem, Israel, a woman stands in front of a crowd. She smiles. Her dark hair is very long. It hangs past her waist³. She is wearing brightly colored clothes. She raises her hands above her head. Music begins to play. A man sings a beautiful song in Arabic⁴. The woman begins to turn around and around. Her clothes are flowing out around her. Her hair floats in the air as she turns around faster and faster. The people in the crowd are smiling. They begin to clap their hands to the music.
Voice 2
The woman's name is Miriam Peretz. She is performing a dance from Afghanistan. Peretz is not from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a mainly Muslim country. But Peretz is not Muslim either. In fact, Peretz is Jewish⁵ and she was born in Israel. Today's Spotlight is on Miriam Peretz and her efforts as an ambassador⁶ of culture through dance.
Voice 1
Almost every culture has its own special dances. People use dancing for many important events like naming children, getting married, or even going to war. Dance can help people mourn⁷, or celebrate. It can help people worship⁸. It can also re-tell the stories of history. Peretz believes there is a reason for this. On her website, she writes,
Voice 3
"Dance expresses the deepest parts of our being in a way no words or book could ever do."
Voice 2
Miriam Peretz first started dancing at age 13 or 14. Her father is from Morocco. So Peretz decided⁹ to learn dances from the Middle East. She writes on her website,
Voice 3
"My love of dance and movement has led me on a life-long journey through many different lands and cultures."
Voice 1
Since then, Peretz has studied dance and culture in countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, and Israel. She has become an expert on many dances. But she does not just study and write about dance. She also performs these dances in many places around the world!
Voice 2
Quicker communication and travel have made it easier to connect with people all over the world. It is easier to share music, literature, and dance across cultures. It can feel like the world is getting smaller. But in this process, some people feel like they are losing their cultures and their traditions. However, Peretz believes that by sharing cultural dances, she can help keep traditional cultures alive. She told Jimena, a Jewish organization from the Middle East,
Voice 3
"I feel like I have a job as an ambassador of culture through dance."
Voice 1
There is one culture in particular that is in danger of losing its traditions. This is the Roma culture. Roma people came from northern India thousands of years ago. They now live in many countries in Europe. Roma people are also called Gypsies. Gypsies do not settle¹⁰; they are nomads¹¹. They move around to different places, and they do not become a fixed¹² part of any other culture. Peretz writes,
Voice 3
"The Roma are a people united¹³ in their love for freedom."
Voice 2
At university, Peretz completed a study of Roma dance. She made a special effort to study and perform Roma dances. As part of this study, she wrote,
Voice 3
"My hope is that people will understand and value the artistic¹⁴ gift that the Roma people have given the dance world."
Voice 1
Through Miriam Peretz's dance performances, many people have seen the beauty of Roma culture. Traditional Roma clothing is beautiful. It is made with bright colors and flowing cloth. The dances are playful. They show the Roma desire for freedom. In one dance, Peretz uses wine glasses turned over on the ground. She balances on top of these glasses. In another dance, she throws a bright cloth in the air and dances around it.
Voice 2
Miriam Peretz wants to do more than just keep cultures alive. She also wants to help heal¹⁵ hurt between cultures. Peretz lived in Israel for 10 years. On her website, she describes the hurt and anger between people of different religions.
Voice 3
"During the ten years I lived in Israel/Palestine, I saw the effect of people who did not trust each other. This effect was like poison¹⁶."
Voice 2
This made Miriam Peretz very sad. But she believed that dance could help.
Voice 1
Peretz decided to design and perform a dance that would bring together the three main religions in Jerusalem: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The dance connects the stories of three women named Miriam, Maryam, and Mary. One woman from each of the three religions. Peretz called the dance "Miriam's Well." She writes,
Voice 3
"'Miriam's Well' comes from a deep sadness. . . This pain has grown in my heart from seeing broken relationships between people because of their different religions. My hope is that this dance will show the common ground of these three traditions, offering¹⁷ a path for healing¹⁸."
Voice 2
The name Miriam's Well is from a Jewish legend¹⁹. No one knows if this story is true or not. The legend says that a well provided²⁰ water for the Israelites in the desert. The well followed the Israelites every place they went. They called this well "Miriam's Well." But a well is a special religious²¹ symbol to all three religions in the Middle East. For Muslims and Christians²², Jerusalem and Nazareth are special cities. In both cities there is a well called "Mary's Well." So Peretz feels that the name of her dance connects to all three religions.
Voice 1
For Miriam Peretz, the three religions share the same Creator²³ God. The well in the dance is a symbol of the Creator God's love. In the dance, all three women dance with containers. They place these containers into the well to get water. Then they bow down in worship.
Voice 2
Peretz also believes the well is important because water is a common reason for fighting. Her dance changes water into a reason for healing. She writes,
Voice 3
"The small amount of water in the Middle-East has become a serious crisis²⁴. It could be even worse than fighting over religion and land. The very basic need to share water brings us together. For if we do not learn to share, the well will soon run dry."
Voice 1
Miriam Peretz has given her life to dance. Her interest in Roma cultural dances expresses her desire to help people remember traditional culture. Her dance "Miriam's Well" expresses her desire to help people remember that they have more in common than they think. For Peretz, dance will always be a way of expressing what is deep in her heart without using words.
 

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 waist   

n.腰，腰部，腰身，背心

参考例句：

• The coat is a bit tight at the waist.这件上衣腰身瘦了点。
• The sound is from the waist of a violin.声音是从小提琴的中间部分发出的。

4 Arabic   

n.阿拉伯语；adj.阿拉伯语的，阿拉伯人的，阿拉伯式的

参考例句：

• It is not easy to learn Arabic.学阿拉伯语不容易。
• Arabic script reads from right to left.阿拉伯文是从右至左读的。

5 Jewish   

adj.犹太人的，犹太民族的

参考例句：

• The coin bears a Jewish symbol.硬币上有犹太标记。
• They were two Jewish kids;I was friendly with both of them.他们是两个犹太小孩；我同他们都很要好。

6 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

7 mourn   

v.哀悼，忧伤，服丧

参考例句：

• We mourn over the child's death.我们悲悼这孩子的死。
• When the old woman had died,she had very few to mourn for her.那位老太婆去世的时候，没有什么人哀悼她。

8 worship   

n.崇拜，礼拜；v.崇拜，敬仰；做礼拜

参考例句：

• The Greeks used to worship several gods.过去，希腊人崇奉好几种神。
• Blind worship must be ended.盲目崇拜必须停止。

9 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。

10 settle   

vi.安家；定居；停留；vt.使定居；安排；解决

参考例句：

• I have to settle my affairs before leaving here.离开这儿以前，我得把一些私人的事情安排妥当。
• She has decided how she should settle the matter.她已做出决定如何来了解这件事。

11 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 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。

14 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

15 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

16 poison   

n.毒药；毒害；vt./vi.毒害；投毒

参考例句：

• The bottle is labelled "Poison".瓶上标明“有毒”。
• Don't allow evil thoughts to poison young people's minds.不允许邪念毒害青年。

17 offering   

n.提供，奉献物，牲礼

参考例句：

• What is your competition offering?你的竞争者提出的条件是什么？
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。

18 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 legend   

n.传说；传奇故事

参考例句：

• This is a popular legend.这是一个民间传说。
• According to ancient legend,the river is a goddess.据古代传说，这条河是位女神。

20 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

21 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

22 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

23 creator   

n.创造者，创作者，缔造者；造物主，神

参考例句：

• He was without doubt the creator of the Roman Empire.毫无疑问,他是罗马帝国的创始人。
• One creator cannot have two procedures with the same name.一个创建者不能有两个同名过程。

24 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。