英语听力—环球英语 685 Football on Robben Island - Part Two

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Nick Page,
Voice 2
And I’m Mike Procter. 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
Welcome to our second of two programmes about football on Robben Island. Robben Island was a prison in South Africa. Our first programme looked at how the prisoners worked together to change the minds of the prison authorities² and the guards. After years of struggle, they were permitted to play football. Today’s Spotlight looks at how the prisoners developed football in Robben Island prison, and how football developed them. This is the story of the Makana Football Association³.
Voice 3
‘Football kept us alive. Everything was banned on Robben Island. We brought in football books secretly. The teams were divided by people’s political groups. There were days when if one group was angry, there would be no game. But the Makana Football Association was a way of uniting all of us. It ran across all the political barriers. We saw that it was a very important tool for unity⁴ and working together.’
Voice 2
One man describes how football helped to bring the different groups on the island together. The man is Tokyo Sexwale. He was one of the prisoners who played football on Robben Island. Football on Robben Island was more than just a game. For the prisoners it was a chance to work together. It was a chance to show that they could govern well. From the beginning, fairness and freedom were at the centre of the competition. Football was one area where they were all treated with respect.
Voice 1
The prisoners managed the competition just like a real football league. In 1969, they created their own organisation⁵ to manage the competition. They called it the ‘Makana Football Association’. Every person in the Makana FA was a prisoner. If there were any disagreements, a group from the Makana FA would meet to discuss the problem.
Voice 2
The prisoners created seven teams. Each team contained people who shared political beliefs. That is, except for one. The Manong team would accept anyone. It did not matter which political group the prisoner came from. This was an attempt to unite people in the prison. But it was also a huge advantage. The team could invite all the best players. And so Manong quickly became the strongest team in the league. Each team also had a second and third team. So football was not just for the highly⁶ skilled⁷ players.
Voice 1
However, in 1970 football threatened to divide the prison community in two. The problem came when the Makana FA organised a new competition. It reorganised the teams just for this competition. Each prison building created its own team. However, by chance almost all the best players were in the same prison building. This building was Block C4. Its team was called the Atlantic Raiders. In one of their first games they played a team called the Blue Rocks. The Blue Rocks team contained older and less skilled players. They had no chance of winning - well that is what everyone thought.
Voice 2
Sometimes in sport, strange things happen. In this game, the Blue Rocks scored an early goal. This was a huge surprise to everyone, including the Blue Rocks players! For the rest of the game the whole team defended as well as they could. Although Atlantic Raiders were clearly the more skilful⁸ team, they were just unable to get a goal. The Blue Rocks were the winners. There were wild celebrations. It was a huge surprise. But for the Atlantic Raiders players, defeat was difficult to live with. Everyone seemed to be laughing at them. The Atlantic Raiders protested¹⁰ to the Makana FA. They said that the winning goal should not have counted.
Voice 1
The issue quickly became serious. At the beginning of the Blue Rocks’ next game, a group of Atlantic Raiders players walked on to the field. They lay down in the middle of the game. It was a peaceful protest⁹, but it angered many people on the island. The game never started and everyone went back to their prison cells. The Makana FA met to decide how to deal with the situation. They wanted to punish the Atlantic Raiders for their protest. The Raiders wanted to replay their game. The Makana FA cancelled all football games - nobody played football.
Voice 2
It was very important that the Makana FA made a decision that was fair. Each prisoner had the right to appeal to the football authority¹¹. This was at the centre of what the members of Makana FA believed. After five months of meetings and letters between the two sides, they finally made an agreement. The Atlantic Raiders would not play as a team again. But its players were free to play for other teams.
Voice 1
In the following years football on the island changed. Some of the prisoners left the island. A new generation of prisoners came to the island. The prisoners were also able to play different sports. Prisoners competed at rugby, tennis and even in a special Robben Island Olympics competition. The Makana FA had made it easier for prisoners to ask to play sport. Ten years after football was first played on the Robben Island, it was no longer at the centre of life in the prison.
Voice 2
Many of the former Robben Island prisoners now have important jobs in South Africa. Tokyo Sexwale is now a successful businessman. He was also a member of the organising group for the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa. Mosiuoa 'Terror¹²' Lekota was one of the best footballers on the island. He later became the government’s Minister of Defence. Another former prisoner, Jacob Zuma, became the President in 2009. Other former prison footballers are now business leaders, judges, and politicians.
Voice 1
Robben Island prison closed in 1991. The Makana FA closed with it. But that is not the end of the story. FIFA is the group that governs world football. In 2007 FIFA made the Makana Football Association a special member of its organisation. This was in honour of the amazing story of the Makana FA. It was forty years since football first started on Robben Island. Football helped to change the lives of the men on the island. And these men helped to change the future of South Africa.
 

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 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

4 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

5 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。

6 highly   

adv.高度地，极，非常；非常赞许地

参考例句：

• It is highly important to provide for the future.预先做好准备非常重要。
• The teacher speaks very highly of the boy's behaviour.老师称赞这个男孩的表现。

7 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

8 skilful   

(=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的

参考例句：

• The more you practise,the more skilful you'll become.练习的次数越多，熟练的程度越高。
• He's not very skilful with his chopsticks.他用筷子不大熟练。

9 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

10 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 authority   

n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者

参考例句：

• He is recognized internationally as an authority in this field.国际上承认他是这方面的一个权威。
• Professor White is looked upon as an authority on mathematics.怀特教授被看成数学权威。

12 terror   

n.恐怖；可怖的人(事)

参考例句：

• We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
• That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。