英语听力—环球英语 1102 Doctor Barry’s Amazing Secret

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Mike Procter.

 

　　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 was July the 25th, 1865. Doctor James Barry was dead. He had been one of the best doctors in the British Army. He had risen to a high position in the military². Now his body would be buried. But the woman preparing his body was about to be very shocked. When she removed his clothes, she discovered that Doctor Barry was NOT a man. Doctor Barry was, in fact, a woman.

 

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　　Today’s Spotlight program is on the amazing story of Doctor Barry. By acting³ like a man, she was able to become a doctor. And as a doctor, she saved many lives and achieved great success.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So who was Doctor Barry? Well, she was born over 200 years ago - as Margaret Bulkley. Her father owned a small business in Ireland⁴. When Margaret was young, the family began to have money problems. Margaret’s father could not pay his debts⁵. So officials sent him to prison

 

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　　After that, Margaret and her mother had almost no money. So they travelled to London.  They hoped to find work and make enough money to keep them alive.

 

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　　Margaret wrote letters to her mother’s brother.  She asked him for help. She hoped her uncle would help her achieve an education. Sadly, he was not very kind to her. But, after his death, some of his friends were kind. They helped Margaret get an education.  And she was an excellent student.

 

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　　It is unclear exactly what happened next. But together, Margaret, her mother and her uncle’s friends prepared a plan. They decided⁶ Margaret would study to become a doctor. But, at that time in Britain, only men could become doctors. So Margaret would need to make people think she was a man.

 

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　　This was a major decision. Margaret would have to lie.  She could not tell anyone her secret. Margaret decided that being a doctor was worth it. So Margaret put away her young woman’s clothes. And she began to wear the clothes of a young man. She and her mother left London. They sailed to Scotland⁷ where no one knew them. There, Margaret would start medical school.

 

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　　Margaret would no longer be Margaret Bulkley. Instead, she called herself James Barry - the name of her dead uncle. Only three other people knew Margaret Bulkley’s secret. And these friends provided⁸ money and support for her medical studies.

 

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　　When Margaret finished medical school, she joined the British Army. There, she became a great surgeon⁹. She skilfully¹⁰ operated on people’s bodies. And she saved many lives.

 

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　　Around the year 1815, the Army sent Doctor Barry to serve in South Africa.  There she made medical history. She became the first British surgeon to perform a Caesarian section. Doctor Barry performed this operation on a woman unable to give birth naturally. She cut open the mother’s stomach and removed the baby. Both the mother and baby survived. The mother named the baby boy James Barry, to honour the skilled¹¹ doctor.

 

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　　Doctor Barry also worked hard to improve living conditions wherever she served. In South Africa she discovered the cause of Cape¹² Town’s bad water. And she worked to get a better water system.

 

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　　Doctor Barry also used her power to reform¹³ the medical system. She made new rules so that only trained people could give out medicines to patients. She also introduced changes for patients in hospitals - like receiving better food and fresh air. And Doctor Barry improved care for soldiers and their families.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Doctor Barry cared well for sick people and soldiers. However, she did not always have good relationships with her Army chiefs. She often got into trouble. When war broke out in Eastern Europe she made a request. She asked to serve in the Crimean War. But her chiefs said No.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, she went without their approval¹⁴. There she met Florence Nightingale. Nightingale was a nurse. She achieved great honour for her work with injured¹⁵ soldiers. But James Barry and Florence Nightingale did not like each other. Barry often got angry quickly. And she often shouted at people. Florence Nightingale later wrote:

 

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　　“I say she was the hardest creature I ever met in the whole Army.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Florence Nightingale and the Army officers never imagined Doctor Barry’s secret. Doctor Barry had a smooth face and high voice, but she acted like a man. She hid her female¹⁶ body under extra clothes. And she did a job that only men did. So no one suspected she was a woman.  She kept her secret for fifty years ... until the day she died.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But even then some mystery remained. The woman who discovered James Barry’s secret did not tell people immediately. She waited until Doctor Barry’s body was buried. So no one could prove if she was telling the truth.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The British Army denied¹⁷ that James Barry was a man. They closed Doctor Barry’s Army records for one hundred years. They did not let anyone see them. Many people talked about Doctor Barry’s story, but there was no evidence¹⁸. Was the woman telling the truth or had she made up the story? No one knew for sure ... until 2009.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　At this time, a South African doctor began researching Doctor Barry. This doctor’s name was Michael du Preez. And he found evidence that Doctor Barry was a woman. Doctor du Preez found letters. Some were written by Margaret Bulkley. And others were written by James Barry. These letters were tested by hand writing experts. And the writing in all the letters was the same. The letters proved that Margaret Bulkley and James Barry were the same person.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Most history books state that Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first female doctor in England.  And they state that she became a doctor in 1865. But Doctor du Preez’s research shows that Anderson was not Britain’s first female doctor. Instead, that honour goes to Margaret Bulkley - a poor, young woman from Ireland who secretly achieved that record, over fifty years earlier.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Alan Harris.  The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁹ Kingdom and the United States. All quotes²⁰ for this program were adapted and voiced by Spotlight.  You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Doctor Barry’s Amazing Secret’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　If you have a comment or question about any Spotlight program you can email us at [email protected]. Or you can leave a comment on the script²¹ page of the program.  You can also find Spotlight on Facebook and Twitter - just search for spotlightradio.

 

　　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 military   

n.军队；adj.军事的，军人的，好战的

参考例句：

• The area has been declared a closed military zone.这个地区已宣布为军事禁区。
• The king was just the tool of the military government.国王只是军政府的一个傀儡。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 Ireland   

n.爱尔兰(西欧国家)；爱尔兰岛(西欧)

参考例句：

• Ireland lies to the west of England.爱尔兰位于英格兰之西。
• Dublin is the capital of Ireland.都柏林是爱尔兰的首都。

5 debts   

债( debt的名词复数 )； 负债情况； 人情债； 情义

参考例句：

• They were behindhand in settling their debts. 他们没有及时还清债务。
• I need to pay off all my debts before I leave the country. 我得在离开该国前偿清所有债务。

6 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。

7 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

8 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

9 surgeon   

n.外科医生，军医，船上的医生

参考例句：

• His injuries were not such as to need a surgeon.他的伤还不是那种需要外科医生治的伤。
• The surgeon is now operating.外科医生正在做手术。

10 skilfully   

adv. (美skillfully)熟练地

参考例句：

• Hall skilfully weaves the historical research into a gripping narrative. 霍尔巧妙地把历史研究揉进了扣人心弦的故事叙述。
• Enthusiasm alone won't do. You've got to work skilfully. 不能光靠傻劲儿，得找窍门。

11 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。

12 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

13 reform   

n.改革，改正，感化；vt.改革，改过，革新，改善，重新组成；vi.革新，改过，重组

参考例句：

• All their efforts at reform have been set back.他们所有的改革努力都遭受到挫折。
• Frankly speaking,I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

14 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。

15 injured   

adj.受伤的

参考例句：

• Our best defender is injured and won't be able to play today.我们最佳的防守员受伤了，今天不能参加比赛。
• The injured men have been dug out of the snow.受伤人员从雪中被挖了出来。

16 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。

17 Denied   

adj.拒签v.拒绝( deny的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝承认；拒绝…占有；否认知情

参考例句：

• Government sources denied there had been a deliberate cover-up. 政府方面否认了有故意掩饰的行为。
• When we confronted him, he denied everything. 我们与他当面对质时，他什么都不承认。

18 evidence   

n.明显，显著，明白，迹象，根据，[物]证据，证物

参考例句：

• The first signs of spring are in evidence.春天的最初迹象已显然可见。
• From the evidence I must conclude that you are wrong.从证据看，我敢断定你错了。

19 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。

20 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》

21 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。