英语听力—环球英语 712 Education and Leadership Training

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geertsma.
Voice 2
And I’m Robin² Basselin. 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
Mario Matos is a minister of a local church in the Dominican Republic. But he does more than lead his church. He is married and has two children. And he works in his community. His goal is to start positive change and improve life in the whole Dominican Republic. He believes he can do so through education and training leaders in the local community.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight is on Pastor³ Matos and his goal of developing the next generation of leaders in the Dominican Republic.
Voice 3
"We are working with organizations and teams who often work with the least, the last and the lost – people who live in extreme poverty and often experience violence.”
Voice 1
That is how Pastor Matos described his work to writer Chris Meehan of CRC Communications. Matos works with a few Christian⁴ organizations. He works with these organizations to improve the lives of people living in poverty.
Voice 2
One of the areas Matos works to improve is education in the Dominican Republic. Over forty percent of the people in the Dominican Republic live on less than US $1 per day. This number is greater in areas away from the cities. As a result, many children move to the cities to earn money for their families. They often leave school at age twelve or thirteen to work. Working replaces school. Matos told CRC Communications that in the end many of these children are street children.
Voice 3
"Many of the children are living on the streets. They ask for free money. Many are abused and some become sex workers or drug sellers … many of these young people cannot read or write. They have no skills and few choices.”
Voice 1
The lack of education causes poverty to continue. Without education, children who live in poverty usually stay in poverty. Matos is working to improve the lives of these children and their families. In this effort, he has joined with an organization called Colegio Christianos Reformados or COCREF.
Voice 2
This organization now has 26 schools in the Dominican Republic. It serves more than five thousand students. Many of the students at these schools come from uneducated families. As a result, there is often a history of poverty in the family.
Voice 1
The COCREF schools are Christian. That is, the teaching follows the example of Jesus Christ. This is true in what the students learn. But it is also important in how the schools support each other. The COCREF schools support each other. The cost of each school is based on the economy of the local community. Schools in wealthier areas help support schools in the poorer areas.
Voice 2
Students at COCREF schools receive a very good education. Many of the students go on to study at universities. Some students even return home to teach new students or act as leaders in the community. This is just what Julio Vilches decided⁵ to do.
Voice 1
Julio told his story to the Banner, a magazine. You see, Julio’s mother worked cleaning houses. She did not make very much money. But, he was able to attend a COCREF school. By age fourteen [14], he was already teaching younger students. After university, he became a school manager and a Christian minister. Now he is studying for another advanced degree.
Voice 2
Mario Matos is helping⁶ teachers like Julio in the COCREF schools. First, he develops better teaching materials for the schools. These materials help the teachers do their jobs better.
Voice 1
He also helps the schools and teachers find new ways to reach more students. He believes that young people in the Dominican Republic need what these schools have to offer. He believes they need education and a Christian understanding of the world and of life. He sees his work as building God’s kingdom. He wants to see justice and growth and a full life for kids and their families.
Voice 2
Pastor Matos does not just work with his church and the schools of COCREF. He also works to train new leaders in the community. To do this training, he has joined with another organization, The Center for Transforming Mission.
Voice 1
This center believes that the power for changing a community already exists in that community. However, finding the resources for change in a poor or crime filled community can be difficult. But finding the resources in the community provides the greatest possibility of lasting⁷ and permanent effects.
Voice 2
Community change started by local leaders is usually the most successful kind of change. Sadly, many of the leaders who already exist in a struggling community are tired and over-worked. So, often what is most needed in the community is training and encouragement for the leaders that are already there.
Voice 1
Pastor Matos and the Center for Transforming Mission work to provide such training and support. They work to do this by creating systems of connected people. These systems of people work together. Together they care for families and communities in the Dominican Republic. Pastor Matos manages a system of connected people including over 75 pastors⁸ and youth leaders.
Voice 3
"Some organizations in our system work on starting new churches and spreading the Christian message. Other organizations start Christian schools. And others work to develop the community. They work with at-risk street children and young people. And they help sex workers find new ways to live.”
Voice 2
Pastor Mario Matos works in many ways to improve the lives of the people in the Dominican Republic. Through his work, he is giving individual people the tools they need to improve life in the Dominican Republic. Matos believes some of those necessary tools are the values and teachings of the Christian Bible.
Voice 1
Pastor Matos believes the Christian message will help all people who are hurting. But he knows that to care for the needs of their spirit, he must help improve their physical situation.
Voice 3
"Where there is pain, God is there. This is all about Heavenly work, and doing it from the bottom up. We want to model Jesus…We want to help people get connected to power, to connect the powerful with the powerless."
 

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 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网