英语听力—环球英语 1057 Somali Hospital

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I'm Adam Navis. 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

 

　　May 5, 2010. The sun has just come up. It is spreading light on a large area of land filled with small simple houses. The light touches small family farms. It falls on a two-story hospital.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Violence and terror² are common around this area of Somalia just outside of Mogadishu. This country has experienced³ war for over 20 years. Guns and fighting in the streets are common. Much of the country has been destroyed. People everywhere have lost their homes. It is difficult to find food. And it is difficult to find health care.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But inside this group of buildings there is peace. The sun is rising on Hawa Abdi Village. Here, people can find food and water. They can find free health care. Their simple houses are on Dr Hawa Abdi's land.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Today's Spotlight program is on Dr Hawa Abdi. Today we tell how Dr Abdi created a community for people who needed her. And we tell how she defended her community against a violent group of men with guns.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　On this morning, May 5, 2010, violence enters this small area of peace. 750 men invade⁴ the group of buildings. They surround the hospital. They are carrying and shooting guns. The owner of the hospital is Dr Hawa Abdi. She hears gun shots in this early morning. She looks out her window and sees the violent group. The group sends in their youngest members. These are boys about 15 or 16 years old. These boys push through the hospital. They cause much damage. They shoot medical machines. They smash⁵ windows. And they tear up hospital records. The leaders of the group gather the employees of the hospital. They kill two of them. They demand that Hawa Abdi give them control of her hospital. But Dr Hawa Abdi will not give in to their demands.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Mohammed Ibrahim and Jeffrey Gettleman told Dr Abdi's story in the New York Times newspaper. The violent men were part of the extreme Islamist group Hizbul Islam. They are one of the most violent and dangerous groups fighting for power in Somalia. Dr Abdi is Muslim. But Hizbul Islam believed that she should not be operating the hospital because she is a woman. Ibrahim and Gettleman write that the men from Hizbul Islam shouted: "Why are you running this hospital? You are old. And you are a woman!" But Dr Abdi did not back down. She remembers:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"I told the gunmen 'I am not leaving my hospital.' I told them 'If I die, I will die with my people and my dignity.' I shouted at them, 'You are young and you are a man, but what have you done for your society?'"

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The men took Dr Abdi into a private room. They kept her apart from everyone else for five days. During this time Dr Abdi was able to use the telephone. This way, she was able to talk to news sources. News of the attack on Dr Abdi's hospital spread around the world. Somali people living in other areas of the world protested⁶. The women living in Dr Abdi's camp protested. Hundreds of them gathered near the hospital. Finally, Hizbul Islam began to back down. They said they would leave. But they demanded that they become the directors of the hospital.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Still Dr Abdi refused to give in to their demands. In fact, instead she demanded that they pay for the damage to her hospital. And she demanded that Hizbul Islam apologize to her.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Finally, Hizbul Islam left. They did apologize to Dr Abdi. But they did not pay for the damage to the hospital. Dr Abdi told journalist Eliza Griswold:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"The windows, the doors, the operating tables, the hospital beds, the cleaning equipment, they destroyed it all. Every, every, every, instrument they took or they broke."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Dr Abdi has always been a strong woman with big dreams. At the age of 12, Dr Abdi watched her mother die during child birth. She decided⁷ then to become a doctor. She told Ibrahim and Gettleman:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"I used to think and dream that one day I, myself, could save lives so no other mother would die helpless⁸."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　At the age seventeen, Dr Abdi won a scholarship. This money was to help her study medicine in Kiev, Ukraine. She studied gynecological medicine - the medical study that deals with the health of the female⁹ reproductive system. She was the only female student in a group of 91 students.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　After studying in Kiev, she returned to Somalia. She worked in government hospitals. And in 1983, she opened her own one-room clinic. She opened the clinic on her own land. It was for women and children. She began by helping¹⁰ nomadic¹¹ women give birth. These women had no permanent homes. Her clinic grew more and more popular. And when the government of Somalia fell, Dr Abdi continued to offer health services.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In fact, Dr Abdi provides all medical treatment for free. No one is ever denied treatment. Donations¹² of money from people all over the world help Dr Abdi to run the hospital. Today, her one-room clinic has grown into Hawa Abdi hospital. It has 400 beds and three operating rooms. The hospital has also expanded to include other forms of care for people. Here, children and adults can also increase their education. 800 students attend the school there. And Dr Abdi also teaches women about nutrition so they can feed their families better meals.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But there are also rules in Hawa Abdi village. She tells Hiiram Online that people cannot continue connections to their tribe¹³ inside the village. If a person brings this kind of thinking inside the village, he or she must leave. Also, inside the village, Dr Abdi does not permit any violence. For example, if a man hits his wife, he must go to a special room. It is like a prison.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Somalia is a dangerous place. But Dr Abdi can see hope here. She believes this hope begins with the women of Somalia. She believes that women can lead Somalia out of violence. She knows they can help to improve everyone's lives. She told [journalist] Nicholas Kristof,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"We are trying an experiment. We women in Somalia are trying to be leaders in our community."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users¹⁴ can find more Spotlight programs on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This .program is called "Somali Hospital."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　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 terror   

n.恐怖；可怖的人(事)

参考例句：

• We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
• That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。

3 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

4 invade   

v.侵略，侵犯；闯入，侵扰

参考例句：

• I don't want to invade your private life unnecessarily.我不想过多地干涉你的私生活。
• He ordered the army to invade at dawn.他命令军队在拂晓入侵。

5 smash   

v.粉碎，打碎；n.轰动的演出，巨大的成功

参考例句：

• We heard the smash of plates breaking in the kitchen.我们听到厨房里盘子破碎的声音。
• The gifted author wrote one smash after another.这个天才作家创作了一篇又一篇轰动一时的作品。

6 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 helpless   

adj.无助的，无依无靠的；不能自力的

参考例句：

• The other team was helpless and we had a real field day.对方队很弱，我们轻易取胜。
• They felt helpless to do anything about it.他们对这事感到无能为力。

9 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

10 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。

11 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

12 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

14 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。