英语听力—环球英语 849 Building Houses, Making Homes

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.
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
Ann Smith stands next to her house. She has not moved her things in yet. But she is already is planning on having people come over to celebrate with her. Next spring she hopes to plant some flowers. She may even plant a few vegetables. For her whole life, Ann has rented a place to live. She has not been able to buy a house. She did not have the money or the knowledge. But one organization helped her with both of these. And the smile on her face shows that the help was not wasted.
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on the Inner² City Christian³ Federation⁴, or ICCF. ICCF works⁵ in Grand⁶ Rapids, in the United⁷ States, to help get people a place to live. They do this because they believe God cares about the place a person lives. But ICCF also believes that a home is more than walls, doors, and windows. This is why ICCF rebuilds simple, yet beautiful homes. They believe everyone deserves⁸ a beautiful home.
Voice 1
The Inner City Christian Federation began in 1974. It started because someone gave a house to a church in Grand Rapids. People from the church worked together to fix the house. Then they gave the house to a family who needed a place to live. This was such a good experience that they wanted to keep fixing houses. At first, ICCF only connected people with houses. But the new home owners showed ICCF that they needed more help. They needed to know how to take care of their homes. So in 1985 ICCF employed a person that would teach people about the work of owning a home.
Voice 2
In 1990 ICCF opened an emergency housing⁹ building. It was called Fair Haven¹⁰. Fair Haven was the first step to getting people into a home of their own. A few years later, ICCF was able to purchase some homes to rent. Now the organization is able to help people with different housing needs. ICCF can help someone who is living on the street, or renting, or having trouble paying for their home.
Voice 1
ICCF does not only give financial help. They are also involved with people's lives. One of the organization's values is "respect." This is part of their Christian values. The ICCF website says:
Voice 3
"ICCF believes all persons are created in God's image. They exist in the light of his love. In response, each resident¹¹, staff member, director¹² and all whom we serve will be treated with respect."
Voice 2
ICCF does not just work FOR people. They work WITH people. ICCF works with people for a long time. People who use the programs are expected to work hard. They are part of the process. They are part of the solution.
Voice 1
Buying and owning a home is a big responsibility¹³. ICCF has created a series¹⁴ of educational programs to teach these skills. They offer classes on home ownership¹⁵, financial management, fixing a house, and family wellness. This is a lot of work for the workers of ICCF. But it is all part of a long-term¹⁶ a solution. On ICCF's website, it reads:
Voice 3
"We believe education is the base for strong communities. Education is what prepares families for owning a home. Then they are ready for what is to come. We do not want families to be out of control because they own a home. We want it to be exciting! Education helps create strong homeowners and a strong community."
Voice 2
Remember Ann Smith from the beginning of the program? She knows the value of education. She said this to writer Cami Reister. Reister is a writer for the Grand Rapids Press.
Voice 4
"Once I did those ICCF classes, it gave me a whole new way to see things. This is my dream home because I invested¹⁷ in it. When you work hard for something, you are more thankful for it."
Voice 1
In her words, you can hear how proud Ann is of her home. She worked hard, but she is seeing the results of her work. And she is also proud because her house is beautiful. Beauty is another important value for ICCF. A short-term¹⁸ solution may give a person a place to live. But a long-term solution will consider how people will feel about their house.
Voice 2
For this reason, ICCF works to design houses that fit with the houses around them. They use high quality materials and skilled¹⁹ workers. It would be bad if a house broke apart in a few years. And it does not help anyone if a family cannot pay to fix, paint, or improve their house. When people have a beautiful house, they feel proud. In recent years, ICCF has even opened their own building to hold art and music shows. They do this because they believe that everyone should be able to enjoy good art and good music. Even if they do not have lots of money.
Voice 1
The head of the ICCF is Jonathan Bradford. He spoke²⁰ to writer Terri Finch²¹ Hamilton of the Grand Rapids Press. He spoke about how being a Christian influences his work. He spoke about the importance of beauty, being safe, and keeping costs low.
Voice 5
"Beauty has become only for the rich. When we can bring beauty into the lives of poor people, there is a chance at justice. God says there is work to do out there. When a broken wall falls on a child's head it makes God angry. When a mother has to choose between food and rent, that makes God angry. That is not the way it is supposed to be."
 

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 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

3 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。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 grand   

adj.豪华的，宏伟的，壮丽的，主要的，重大的；n.(美俚)一千美元

参考例句：

• The pianist played several pieces of music on a grand piano.钢琴家在一架大钢琴上弹了几首乐曲。
• Come on,I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.跟我来，我带你去后院来一次盛大的旅游。

7 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

8 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

10 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

11 resident   

a.居住的，居留的；住校的，住院的

参考例句：

• I've been resident in this place for five years. 我已经在这个地方住了五年。
• They engaged a resident tutor. 他们聘用了一名住家的家庭教师。

12 director   

n.主管，导演；主任；理事；董事；处长

参考例句：

• The director has taken the visitors off to his office.经理把客人带到他办公室去了。
• The new director is easy to get along with.新来的主任很好处。

13 responsibility   

n.责任，职责

参考例句：

• The safety of the ship is the captain's responsibility.确保船的安全是船长的责任。
• The matter is outside my area of the responsibility.此事超出我的责任范围。

14 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

15 ownership   

n.所有(权)，所有制

参考例句：

• The house is under new ownership.那栋房子已易新主。
• He claimed ownership of the house.他声称那幢房子归他所有。

16 long-term   

adj.长远的，长期的

参考例句：

• It isn't a long-term policy.这不是长久之计。
• We must calculate on a long-term basis.我们要作长期打算。

17 invested   

v.投资，花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
• He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 short-term   

adj.短期的

参考例句：

• The short-term training class has been run three times.短训班办了三期。
• For this they are running short-term courses and evening classes.为此，他们办了短训班和夜校。

19 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

20 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。

21 finch   

n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀，金丝雀等)

参考例句：

• This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
• In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚，它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。