英语听力—环球英语 788 Mobile Phones Changing Poverty

　　Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Ruby² Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Marina Santee. 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
It is very early morning. Veejay has been up for many hours. He has been fishing off the coast of Kerala, south India. Today has been a good day for him so far. He is pleased. He has caught a lot of sardine³ fish. Now, he needs to think. He needs to decide where to sell his fish. There are two possible places. He can try to sell them at the local seaside market. However, this may not be easy. He has had a good catch. This means⁴ that the other local fishermen may have also done well. They would also take their fish to sell at the market. Prices would be low. And Veejay may not be able to sell his fish at all.
Voice 2
So, he considers his other possibility. He could sail down the coast to another market. Maybe the fishermen in that area will not have caught so many fish. Then, he would get a better price for his fish. Veejay needs to think carefully. He does not want to do the wrong thing. Fuel is costly⁵. He cannot sail up and down the coast. And even if he could, the markets are only open for two hours before sunrise. It takes that long for him to get his boat from one market to the next! If he cannot sell his fish that day, he will have to throw them back in the sea. They will not be good tomorrow. What should he do?
Voice 1
Veejay decides to go to his home market, as he usually does. It is easier. But sadly, when he gets there he sees that his fears are correct. Other local fishermen have also caught lots of fish that day. The market is oversupplied⁶. He wishes he had travelled to the other market now. In the end, he and others have to throw their unsold fish back into the sea.
Voice 2
Before the late nineteen nineties, this was the situation for fishermen in Kerala. And it still is the situation for some fishing communities across the world. However, in many parts of the world, like northern Kerala, the industry has changed. This is all because of one small device⁷. It has completely⁸ changed many local trades. What device is this? The mobile⁹ telephone!
Voice 1
If you live in a city, you probably cannot imagine life without your mobile phone now. However did you manage to meet people, talk to friends and family? For many people, it is a central part of their social life and business. However, for people in country areas, the mobile phone has a completely different purpose.
Voice 2
The mobile phone first appeared in Kerala in the late nineteen nineties. Fishermen started to buy mobile phones to use at sea. Their mobile phone signals¹⁰ reach up to 25 kilometres from the coast. So while at sea, the fishermen can call different places to find the best price for their fish. Then they can travel there knowing that it is worth the trip.
Voice 1
Robert Jensen is a development economist¹¹ at Harvard University. He studied the market situation in Kerala during the late nineteen nineties. He said that when fishermen were able to use mobile phones, far fewer fish were wasted. The mobile phone also brought in the ‘law of one price.' This means that goods should cost the same wherever they are for sale. This began happening along the coastal¹² markets of northern Kerala. And so profits increased. And prices reduced. Mr Jensen said,
Voice 3
‘Information makes markets work. And markets improve the people's well being.'
Voice 2
The mobile telephone has totally changed the way the local fishing community operates in northern Kerala. And this is just one example from one part of the world. Stories from the east coast of Tanzania show the influence of the mobile phone on the fishing industry there. One fisherman told a researcher how the mobile phone had changed his life completely:
Voice 1
Ahleem has been fishing for almost 20 years. And he is now in charge of a team of 14 people. Their boat and engine size permits¹³ them to stay at sea for up to seven days. The fish stay fresh because of the ice box on the boat. Before a trip, Ahleem orders the ice delivery¹⁴ on his mobile. Ahleem's manager owns the ship. He does not go fishing with them. He phones them to organise¹⁵ when the boat will leave. During the trip Ahleem's manager visits the local markets. He sends market information to Ahleem on his mobile phone. Ahleem tells him if they are catching¹⁶ many fish. His manager tells Ahleem if he should continue fishing, or return. It all depends on the market situation. During the trip Ahleem also communicates with other fishermen. They share information about where to find good catches of fish. Ahleem is also able to communicate with his family if he needs to. And if there is an emergency, he can telephone for help. This is much quicker than his old method - waving his shirt!
Voice 2
Abraham Maragua stands outside his home in Muruguru, central Kenya. Here he grows crops like beans, corn and coffee. He says that the mobile phone is very useful for business. He and other farmers receive text messages, telling them about local meetings. Abraham also uses his mobile phone to communicate with his 12 children who live around the country. He says,
Voice 4
‘We used to write letters. It would take two or three weeks.'
Voice 2
Abraham is 77 years old. He has seen much suffering in his country. But he says that life in his village is finally starting to improve. And, he says that mobile phones are part of that change.
Voice 1
Mobile telephones are changing poverty¹⁷ in a way that most people never imagined. They are empowering people through communication. In another Spotlight programme we will look at one of the men responsible¹⁸ for this. He is responsible for taking the mobile telephone to Africa. His name is Mo Ibrahim. But for now, we will leave you with a quote¹⁹ from the UK's International Development Magazine:
Voice 3
‘Give a man a fish, and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime²⁰. But give him a mobile phone, and you are really talking!'
 

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 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 sardine   

n.[C]沙丁鱼

参考例句：

• Every bus arrives and leaves packed as fully as a sardine tin.每辆开来和开走的公共汽车都塞得像沙丁鱼罐头一样拥挤。
• As we chatted,a brightly painted sardine boat dropped anchor.我们正在聊着，只见一条颜色鲜艳的捕捞沙丁鱼的船抛了锚。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 oversupplied   

v.过度供给( oversupply的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Malnutrition includes undernutrition, in which nutrients are undersupplied, and overnutrition, in which nutrients are oversupplied. 营养不良包括营养低下，即营养素供给不足，和营养过剩，即营养素供给过度。 来自互联网

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

8 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

9 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

10 signals   

n.信号( signal的名词复数 )；（无线电或电视所传送的）讯号；标志；（尤指铁路和公路上的）指示灯v.发信号，用信号传达，用信号通讯( signal的第三人称单数 )；发暗号；示意

参考例句：

• signals transmitted from a satellite 从卫星传送来的信号
• This metal tower is used to relay television signals to distant villages. 这个金属塔是用于向遥远的村子转播电视讯号的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

12 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

13 permits   

许可( permit的名词复数 )； 许可证； 执照

参考例句：

• The building permits are granted by the City Building Department. 建筑许可证由城建局签发。
• This task permits (of) no delay. 这项任务不允许有任何耽搁。

14 delivery   

n.交付；投递；分娩；解救者；演讲的风格

参考例句：

• The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递。
• He was employed at the local grocery store as a delivery boy.他受雇于当地杂货店当送货员。

15 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

16 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

17 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

18 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

19 quote   

n.引用语，语录；vt.引述，举证，报价；vi.引用

参考例句：

• I can quote what he said.我可以引用他的话。
• This is the best price I can quote you.这是我给你开出的最有利的价钱了。

20 lifetime   

n.一生，终身，寿命，使用期限

参考例句：

• He wrote many books during his lifetime.他一生著作甚多。
• During his lifetime his work was never published.他的作品在他的有生之年从未出版过。