英语听力—环球英语 694 Equal Women, Better Society

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. 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
Around the world, people are searching for and working toward equality. They want to receive equal pay. They want to receive equal rights. One world report follows the way that countries divide their resources between men and women. It is the World Economic Forum² Gender³ Gap Index. In the 2009 report, the country of Syria had a lower position than the year before. The gap between genders⁴ is not getting smaller there. Instead, it is getting larger! Women are suffering.
Voice 2
One organization in Syria is working to change this. They are the Syrian Women Observatory⁵, the SWO. The SWO works to increase awareness⁶ of women's rights in Syria. But there is something that some people find a little strange about the leader of the SWO. He is a man! Today's Spotlight is on the Syrian Women Observatory and their male leader, Bassam Al-Kadi. He says that a fight for women's rights is not just about women. It is about the entire society!
Voice 1
Bassam Al-Kadi has always worked for the things he believes in. As he grew up, he believed Syrian culture was affected⁷ by violence. He especially saw how this violence affected women. He wanted to change things.
Voice 2
When his father died, he left Al-Kadi with some money. Al-Kadi used the money to start the Syrian Women Observatory. The SWO began in 2004. Al-Kadi wanted to use the organisation⁸ to change the way the Syrian government and Syrian culture think about women.
Voice 1
To change the government, the SWO has led many campaigns. These programs work to make changes in laws and society. One campaign began in 2005. It was a campaign against honor killings¹⁰. In an honor killing⁹, a man may kill a woman relative because he believes she has done wrong. He does this because he believes killing her will bring honor back to his family. The SWO's work led to the honor killing law being changed. Before, the punishment for an honor killing was one year in prison. Today it is two years. There is still more work to be done. But this is an improvement!
Voice 2
The SWO has also taken part in campaigns led by other organizations. They were involved in the UN Development Fund for Women's 2008 campaign called "Say No to Violence Against Women." And the SWO takes part in another continuing campaign. They want women to have the right to pass on their Syrian nationality to their children. Currently, if a Syrian woman marries a foreign man, the Syrian government says her children are not Syrian citizens. This is not true if a Syrian man marries a foreign woman. Syrian nationality only passes from a man to his children.
Voice 1
But SWO's influence on Syrian culture has also been very successful! SWO encourages people to get involved. They encourage young Syrians to make a difference for the future of their country. Al-Kadi writes on the SWO's website that each member of the SWO works where he or she already is to make change happen. Each person works in his own workplace, village or family to change opinions and share knowledge. Each member of the SWO is a volunteer. They do not receive pay for their work. And yet, they have been able to expand their work all over Syria.
Voice 2
Al-Kadi and the SWO know that knowledge and education are power. That is, when people know their rights, they are more likely to demand that they receive their rights. They are more likely to think for themselves, and to do what is right. So, the SWO's website is an important resource. It includes articles in Arabic and English. And people from all over Syria can find the information about their rights.
Voice 1
Getting information to society is one thing. But influencing the media - like newspapers, magazines, and television - is another! Al-Kadi says that when he began the SWO he could only find three news articles about honor killings. But today, there are thousands! And many of them have similar opinions to the SWO. Al-Kadi says that this change in the media is one of his biggest successes. He told the Christian¹¹ Science Monitor newspaper:
Voice 3
"The media used to condemn¹² violence against women out of sympathy or because it was not permitted by religion or because it would harm the country's development. We have changed that. Now, most articles and programs treat issues such as honor killings from the viewpoint of human rights or citizenship¹³. This is how we want people to think about it."
Voice 2
And Al-Kadi's work has also begun to influence a younger generation of media writers. Zaina Ernaim is a young news writer in Syria. She told the Christian Science Monitor how she believes Al-Kadi has changed opinions in the news media:
Voice 4
"It is because of him that the coverage¹⁴ of women's issues is no longer only about make-up and raising children. He also taught me and the people my age that we are people. We are not only defined by our gender."
Voice 1
Some people ask why a man would be so concerned about fighting for women's issues and rights. In fact, one person did ask that very question! In an interview with Al-Kadi, Nadia Muhanna asked him why a man would give his life to defending women's rights. Mr. Al-Kadi explained why a fight for women's rights was about more than just women. He said:
Voice 3
"Trying to stop violence and discrimination against women is generally defined as defending women's rights. But I believe that by doing these things, I am also defending men's rights. Women are the first victims of violence and discrimination. But men are also victims. When you violate women's rights, restrict their development and treat them as second- class citizens, you create an unstable¹⁵ marriage relationship. You create an unbalanced family. This has an influence not only on women, but on husbands, children, and the whole of society."
Voice 2
Al-Kadi works hard to make sure that all people in Syria receive equal rights. As he tells the Christian Science Monitor:
Voice 3
"Our society cannot work when we do not treat one another with respect."
 

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 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

5 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 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。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

13 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

14 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

15 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。