英语听力—环球英语 795 African American Hair

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. 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
"Do you know why you are lucky to have this head of hair?" a mother asks her daughter. "Because it is beautiful and you can wear it any way you choose." The mother and daughter are African Americans. They are characters in a children's book called "I Love My Hair." Hair is an important part of African American culture. Today's Spotlight is on African American hair.
Voice 2
African Americans are a group of people who live in the United States of America. Their ancestors are from the continent of Africa. Many of their ancestors came to America as slaves. In two thousand eight, African Americans were about thirteen percent of the population of the United States. They are a very important part of the culture of the United States. But African Americans continue to face many problems because of racism². People often judge African Americans by how they look, including skin colour and hair type.
Voice 1
Most Africans have hair that is very tightly³ curled⁴. The hair is round and stays close to the head. But Africans have many kinds of hair. Some people have tight curls⁵. Some have looser curls. And they also wear their hair in many different ways.
Voice 2
African American hair has different styles and traditions than hair on the continent of Africa. This is mainly because of the different history of African people in America. In American history, white American culture had the most power in the country. Many white Americans wore their hair straight. This influenced the hair styles of African American women. In the past, most African American women wore their hair straightened. Many people thought this long straight hair style was the "best" style of hair.
Voice 1
There was a time in the nineteen sixties and seventies when it was popular for African Americans to have a different hair style. The style was called natural. This means that a person did not straighten their hair. At this time in American history, African Americans were fighting to gain equal rights in America. African Americans wanted to show their pride and freedom. They showed this through their hair. Many people wore "afros." This hairstyle is when African hair is combed out around the head.
Voice 2
Some people still wear their hair naturally. The "afro" hair style is less popular now. But people with natural hair often put their hair in braids or other ways of tying the hair back. Many cultures in Africa also do this with hair. There are many traditions of beauty and culture in African hair. Many African Americans want to remain connected to their African culture. One way they do this is by wearing their hair naturally or in a traditional style.
Voice 1
But today long straight hair styles are still popular. Many African American women feel that people will not give them as much respect if their hair is not straight. If you look at modern, famous African American women, they mostly have straight hair! This includes Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles and Michelle Obama.
Voice 2
In general, African Americans spend a great deal of time and money on their hair. This is especially true for women. It is not easy to make African hair straight. There are some different ways to do this. People often use a hair product for styling and to make their hair healthy. Chris Rock is a famous African American actor and film director. In 2009, he made a film about the culture of African American hair. It is called "Good Hair." In the film, Chris Rock looks at the business of African American hair products. It is a 9 billion dollar industry.
Voice 1
One popular product is called "relaxer." It makes very curly⁶ hair straight. Many African Americans use relaxer. This is even though the relaxer contains strong chemicals. These chemicals can burn the users⁷' head and ears.
Voice 2
Another popular product is a "weave". With a weave, people add more hair to their head. A person adds pieces of hair into their real hair to make it look longer. A weave can be over part of the head or over the whole head. It can take many hours to attach a weave and it often costs a lot of money.
Voice 1
Most women go to a hair salon⁸ to have their hair done. This is a place where trained people cut, relax, braid and weave hair. Many people say that a hair salon is the second most important social meeting place for African Americans - after church. Men have their own separate barber⁹ shops. There, people style hair but they also talk and talk with each other. Hair brings families and neighbours together in the African American community.
Voice 2
Most people also spend a lot of time doing their hair at home. Many African American parents, especially mothers, spend a lot of time doing their children's hair. Within the African American community, people consider it to be very important for children to have healthy hair. This time spent combing and braiding is a good time to talk. It is a way for parents to show children that they love and care for them. In a busy culture, this is a very important time to spend with children.
Voice 1
The children's book "I Love My Hair" is about a little girl who has her hair done many different ways. It shows the many beautiful styles of African American hair. She talks about all the reasons why she loves her hair. This is important because some people do not consider very tightly curled hair be "good hair." But like the girl in the book, many people agree that beauty comes in many different forms. This should be especially true for Christians¹⁰. God made each individual person on earth. He put beauty in every person, with every kind of body, skin and hair.
Voice 2
At the end of "I Love My Hair" the little girl is full of hope for the future. And at the end of the film "Good Hair," Chris Rock looks forward to showing his daughters the beauty of their African hair. Hair is socially important for many people. It may be more important for African Americans because it represents their minority culture. It shows the values of pride and tradition. It also lets people express their individuality. African American hair styles will change as the years pass. But hair will remain an important part of African American history and culture.
 

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 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

3 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

4 curled   

adj.卷曲的，卷发状的，卷缩的v.（使）弯曲( curl的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）卷曲；盘旋；缠绕

参考例句：

• She lay curled up in a foetal position . 她像胎儿一样蜷曲地躺着。
• The snake was curled up in the long grass. 在深草中，这条蛇盘着身子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 curls   

n.一绺鬈发( curl的名词复数 )；卷曲物；螺旋状物；（指头发）拳曲v.（使）弯曲( curl的第三人称单数 )；（使）卷曲；盘旋；缠绕

参考例句：

• His hair curls naturally. 他的头发天生鬈曲。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls. 她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 curly   

adj.卷曲的，卷缩的

参考例句：

• The little boy has curly hair.这小男孩长着一头卷发。
• She is tall and dark with curly hair.她高高的个子，黑皮肤，卷头发。

7 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

8 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

9 barber   

n.理发员，美容师

参考例句：

• She asked the barber to crop her hair short.她叫理发师把她的头发剪短了。
• My Mum took me to the barber's.我妈带我理发去了。

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。