英语听力—环球英语 1048 God’s Golden Acre, Part 2

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Joshua Leo.

 

　　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

 

　　It is the Valley of a Thousand Hills, in KwaZulu Natal², South Africa. A woman drives through this country area. Along the road, there are many graves³ for dead bodies. She sees houses, but many appear empty. They are broken, so that rain comes in. Sometimes she sees a small face. Children live there, without parents. Something terrible has happened here. The disease⁴ AIDS has killed most of the adults. But Heather Reynolds is working to help these children, and this community. Today’s Spotlight is on Heather, and the organization God’s Golden⁵ Acre⁶.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 1993, Heather made a promise:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　‘God, from this day on I will help every child in need, every child that needs a home, every child that crosses my path’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Since then, she and her husband Patrick have developed God’s Golden Acre. This is the name they gave to an area of land in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Heather has developed the land into a home. There, they and other workers care for children who do not have parents.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　For most people, developing⁷ God’s Golden Acre would be enough. But Heather has expanded her work into the communities surrounding God’s Golden Acre. In this part of South Africa 36% of the population is infected. AIDS has destroyed these communities.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This is for a particular reason. AIDS mainly affects young people - mothers and fathers. These are the people who work and make money. They build and care for houses. They raise children.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When the parents die, children have to care for themselves. Sometimes a grandparent can help. But there is very little money. Children in this situation cannot go to school. They do not get enough to eat. They develop health problems. Most importantly, they do not have the encouragement and guidance⁸ of parents and community members.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Heather and Patrick decided⁹ to do something about these things. They did not just want to help a few children. They wanted to help whole communities. In a book about her life, Heather remembers one situation that affected¹⁰ her greatly. She says,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　‘I visited one family living in a village near God’s Golden Acre. They were in terrible need. I took some food and clothes. When I arrived an old woman met me. She had tears in her eyes. She asked for my help. Her husband and many of her children had died. The old woman was caring for her grandchildren¹¹. Only her youngest daughter was left and she was very sick. This young girl was lying inside the home. She had her baby with her. Both were dying¹². They had AIDS. The old woman also had to care for her older sister, who was blind. The woman did not know how she would provide for her family. I looked at her situation. I knew then that we would have to expand our work. We needed to find a way of helping¹³ people like her’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Now, God’s Golden Acre has many projects to help families like this. Each project is designed to support families in need. Project workers show families how to develop their land for food. They teach the families how to make goods to sell. They provide the families with equipment and support. They want to help families help themselves.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Project workers also make sure that every child goes to school. They provide the children with school clothes, books and equipment. They also pay the children’s school bills. Heather believes that education is very important if these children are to have a better life. Each outreach project is supported by money given by many people, in South Africa and around the world.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　AIDS has created another kind of need too - a need for structure¹⁴. In the countryside areas of KwaZulu Natal AIDS has caused a serious breakdown¹⁵ in traditional family and community structures¹⁶. A lack of parents means¹⁷ that children are left to deal with life’s pressures alone. There is no-one to control them, no-one to give them wise words, support and love. As a result many of them turn to alcohol¹⁸ and drugs. These often lead to increased crime¹⁹. Heather and her project workers knew that they needed to do something to help.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　They developed two new ideas. They developed, ‘God’s Golden Acre African Sporting’ and the ‘Song and Dance Training Programme’. Children develop a good sense of belonging and purpose through sport. The project workers put the children into teams. The children learn about football. They learn to kick the ball and win points for their team. Children gain a great sense of self worth. They also get used to obeying rules and living a healthy life. Some of the children have shown great skill. They are very good at playing football. Some older boys now play for South Africa’s national team. They have become heroes to the younger boys. They provide the younger boys with a good example to follow.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the same way, song and dance training gives the children new skills for the future. They are able to express their emotions through dance and song. This is important. Bad experiences have damaged many of these children. They need to deal with their feelings in a safe way. Song and dance gives the children purpose and direction in life. Some of the children get a chance to dance for important people at big events. Sometimes they even go to other countries to perform their shows.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Heather says that she never imagined God would use her in this way. She just simply took one step at a time. She has been through difficult times. She has often wanted to give up. But her faith in God kept her strong. At the end of her book, Heather wrote this message,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　‘My trip through life serving God has shown me the power of prayer²⁰ and the power of love. I truly believe that people of all races can combine their efforts to change this world into a better place. As a united²¹ people let us take responsibility²²; what we invest²³ in the future of a child, we invest in the future of our world’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Elizabeth Lickiss. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes²⁴ were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘God’s Golden Acre, Part 2’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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 natal   

adj.出生的，先天的

参考例句：

• Many music-lovers make pilgrimages to Mozart's natal place.很多爱好音乐的人去访问莫扎特的出生地。
• Since natal day,characters possess the visual elements such as dots and strokes.文字从诞生开始便具有了点画这样的视觉元素。

3 graves   

n.（法国）格拉芙葡萄酒；坟墓( grave的名词复数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符v.坟墓( grave的第三人称单数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符

参考例句：

• He went to visit the graves of his forefathers. 他去拜谒他祖先的墓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were eating themselves into their graves. 他们吃喝过度，在自找死路。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 golden   

adj.金的，含金的，可贵的，金色的，贵重的，繁盛的

参考例句：

• My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
• It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚，是恋人们的黄金时光。

6 acre   

n.英亩，耕地；大量

参考例句：

• The playground covers over an acre in extent.操场的面积超过一英亩。
• They measured off a half-acre plot for a house lot.他们划出一块半英亩的地皮来作房屋地基。

7 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

8 guidance   

n.指导，领导

参考例句：

• Under his father's guidance,he learned how to swim.他在父亲的指导下学会了游泳。
• It is hoped you will give us guidance.请你多加指导。

9 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。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 grandchildren   

n.孙子；孙（女），外孙（女）( grandchild的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He left a bequest to each of his grandchildren. 他给他的孙辈每人留下一笔遗产。
• His grandchildren afforded him his greatest pleasure in his old age. 他的孙子和孙女们在晚年的时候给了他最大的欢乐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

13 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。

14 structure   

n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成；

参考例句：

• Doctors study the structure of the human body.医生研究人体构造。
• A flower has quite a complicated structure.一朵花的结构相当复杂。

15 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

16 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。

19 crime   

n.犯罪，罪行，罪恶

参考例句：

• You'll have to pay for your crime.你得为你的罪行付出代价。
• Crime in our big cities is on the increase.在我们大城市里犯罪率正在增长。

20 prayer   

n.祈祷，祈求，请求，恳求；祷文，祷告者，恳求者

参考例句：

• We heard the calling of the bells to prayer.我们听见了召唤祈祷的钟声。
• Everyone in church knelt in prayer.教堂里每个人都跪着祈祷。

21 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。

22 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。

23 invest   

v.投资；投入(时间等)；授予，赋予

参考例句：

• I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
• The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。

24 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》