英语听力—环球英语 697 Woman of Change Josephine Butler

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Mike Procter.
Voice 2
And I'm Nick Page. 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
Today’s Spotlight programme was written by Shelagh Godwin. Forty years ago Shelagh was educated at Cambridge University in England. When she finished, she received a degree from the university. Her degree made it easy for her to find work. She also remembers being happy when she became old enough to vote. She was able to vote for the person she wanted to represent her in Parliament². She could also vote for people to represent her in local government.
Voice 2
One hundred years ago Shelagh would not have been able to do any of this. The reason? She is a woman! And women had no power in Britain one hundred years ago. But many people were struggling to change social ideas about women. Today’s Spotlight celebrates just one such person. Women all over the world who can receive a university education can thank this woman. Women who can make important decisions outside the home can also thank her. Her name was Josephine Butler.
Voice 1
Josephine Butler was born in 1828. Her father was John Grey. Grey was very interested in social reform. He opposed the slave trade. His cousin was Earl Grey. Earl Grey was Prime³ Minister of Great Britain between 1830 and 1834.
Later Josephine wrote:
Voice 3
‘When my father spoke⁴ to us of the great wrong of slavery, I have felt his powerful body shake - and his voice would break. He told us sad stories of the bad treatment of negro⁵ men and women. I say women, for I think their deal was particularly horrible. They were forced to have sex with their masters, or be victimised and die.’
Voice 2
When Josephine was 34 years old, she married George Butler. They had four children, but in 1863 there was a tragedy. Josephine saw her daughter die in an accident. The little girl was six years old. Josephine was very shocked by this. She decided⁶ that she would spend the rest of her life helping⁷ other people. She said she wanted to:
Voice 3
‘Find some pain worse than my own – to meet with people more unhappy than myself’
Voice 1
In cities in Great Britain in the nineteenth century there were many poor children. They needed money, and were willing to do anything to get it. This included young girls offering themselves to have sex for money. They became prostitutes. Sadly, this still happens in many countries. Josephine Butler decided to help these prostitutes. She visited workhouses - places where the poorest people stayed. Later, she bought a large house. It was to be a place where poor young girls could grow in safety and health.
Voice 2
One example of Josephine’s work concerned the case of Eliza Armstrong. Eliza Armstrong was thirteen. She was the daughter of a very poor man. He sold Eliza for five pounds to a woman who worked with prostitutes. Many people protested⁸ about this. Among them was Josephine Butler. Such protests⁹ caused a change of the age of consent¹⁰. The age of consent is the age at which a person can agree to have sex with another person. The age of consent was thirteen. Campaigners like Josephine Butler persuaded the government change it to sixteen. This made having sex with young girls illegal.
Voice 1
Josephine was a campaigner - a person who tries to change unfair laws. One such law was designed to reduce disease¹¹ among soldiers and sailors. These particular diseases¹² were spread through having sex with prostitutes. This law was unfair because it put all the blame on women. Police could arrest women who they thought were prostitutes and make them have a medical test. If the women had the disease they could be locked away. Josephine Butler believed that these women were victims. They had been forced to become prostitutes because they needed money. She was a good speaker. She travelled all over Britain, giving speeches that opposed this law. Many people thought that a woman should not do this. They told her husband that he should not allow her to speak about sex. But he supported her, and she continued. Her campaign was successful. Parliament decided to cancel this unfair law in 1886.
Voice 2
Josephine Butler’s husband was a university professor. Josephine knew that women could not get university degrees. She and her friend Anne Clough began offering higher education for women. Josephine became president of a society which encouraged this in the north of England. Then she began to campaign to persuade the University of Cambridge to permit women to study in the same way as men could. Later, the rules were changed. Women were able to go to lectures in Cambridge, and then a special college was started - just for women.
Voice 1
And, many years later this is where Shelagh studied.
Voice 2
Today, women can attend any college in Cambridge, and there are three colleges in Cambridge for women only.
Voice 1
Yet Josephine did not believe that women were the same as men. She wrote a book in which she said that women should not try to compete with men. She said that they had a different part to play in society. Many other women disagreed with her. They thought that women were the same as men.
However, Josephine believed that women should be able to vote because they were different from men. She believed that women had a special job, to protect and care for weak and needy¹³ people.
Voice 2
Before Josephine died in 1906 many other women were fighting to be given the right to vote. A few years later, some of them even tied themselves to the fence of Buckingham Palace, where the King lived. They were arrested and put into prison. But the women did finally win. In 1918 women in Great Britain were at last allowed to vote in a General Election¹⁴. So Shelagh Godwin will vote this year!
Voice 1
Josephine started her work because she was deeply religious. Her Christian¹⁵ beliefs led her to work to help people who were weak and poor and who were badly treated. Later, she took her work to other countries outside England. She became an international campaigner. Even today, Josephine’s story can encourage women to think, to speak, and to act for what they believe. And it can encourage men to remember that there is nothing good about oppressing¹⁶ women. As Shelagh says, ‘Yes, women can do things too!’
 

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 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

3 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 Negro   

n./adj.黑人；黑人的

参考例句：

• It's impolite to call the black people Negro.称呼黑人为Negro是不礼貌的。
• He was the first Negro ever to enroll there.他是学院招收的第一个黑人学生。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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》

9 protests   

n.[体]抗议；抗议，反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• The protests have forced the government to back-pedal on the new tax. 抗议活动已迫使政府撤销新的税目。
• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。

10 consent   

n.同意，准许；vi.同意，准许

参考例句：

• I agree with you, but yet I can't consent.我同意你的意见，但是我不能答应。
• My father would not consent to my leaving school.父亲不会答应我辍学。

11 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

12 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

13 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

14 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

15 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。

16 oppressing   

使烦恼( oppress的现在分词 )； 压迫，压制

参考例句：

• The regime is accused of oppressing religious minorities. 人们指控这个政权压迫少数宗教信徒。
• The local bully's henchmen were his agents in oppressing the people. 土豪劣绅的狗腿子为虎作伥，欺压百姓。