英语听力—环球英语 1123 The Sager Family Foundation

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Nick Page. 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

 

　　Bobby Sager² is a very very rich man. He could live anywhere he wants to live. But he and his family often live in some of the poorest places in the world. Why would they choose this life?  Today’s Spotlight is on Bobby Sager and his organization: The Sager Family Traveling Foundation³ and Roadshow.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When Bobby Sager left university, he set up his own business. He was very successful. By the time he was twenty-eight [28], he was very rich. He had earned enough money to retire. Bobby and his wife travelled all over the world. They enjoyed it so much that they continued travelling for three years. At the end of that time their money was all gone.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So Bobby went back to work. And he earned even more money than before. He often gave away large amounts of money. He gave to organisations that help poor people. But he wanted to do much more. Bobby did not want to just give money to poor people. He wanted to invest⁵ his money in projects that would help them for a long time to come.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So in the year 2000, Bobby Sager retired⁶ again. Bobby and his family went to Nepal. His children were six and nine years old. The whole family spent eight weeks helping⁷ to build schools there. That year, they started The Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow. Bobby and his family now spend several months every year in different countries, working on projects. Bobby explains what his organisation⁴ does:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　The Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow influences people we call leaders. Leaders are people who have the power to influence lots of other people. We give power to leaders in areas of conflict⁸ and in difficult situations. We do this by leading by example and by getting our hands dirty.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bobby and his family are unusual for two reasons. First, they are happy to give away a lot of money away. Second, they do not want to just give money. They want to be involved in the places they give. This is what they mean by “getting their hands dirty.” They want to DO the work, not just give money.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bobby decided⁹ he had to live among the people he was trying to help. That way, he would understand their lives. He would be able to see what they really needed. He would be able to invest his money wisely and get the best results. He believes this method also gives the people he helps strength and self-respect.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But Bobby also asks something of the people he helps. He asks that the people invest something in the project themselves. They may be able to do some of the physical work. Or they may be able to provide some of the building materials. He feels it is important for the people to share in the project in some way.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow has many projects all over the world. For example, in Afghanistan women doctors are trained to teach community health care workers.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In Pakistan, the Sager Family organisation is paying for a teacher training center. The Sager website says:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　We hope to help bring back the education system that was destroyed by the 2005 earthquake.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bobby Sager is good at building relationships. He knows some of the most powerful¹⁰ people in the world. He encourages these people to support his projects. Bobby has had a lot of experience in the business world. He told the Daily Telegraph¹¹ newspaper,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　I am a very good judge of character. I know how to complete things. That is how I made my money. I saw chances where other people did not. It is the same thing when giving money and time to help make life better for other people. I can see chances to make things change.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Bobby knows that his huge wealth could give his children a very easy life. But he wants them to understand how the majority of people in the world live. This is why he took them to Nepal when they were still so young. In Nepal, the children met boys and girls of their own age. These children were very poor. They lived on a mountain but they had no shoes. Bobby believes such experiences helped his children grow into better adults.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Tess is Bobby’s daughter. She is now twenty. And she has already started her own project with the Sager Family organisation. Her project is called Hands Up Not Handouts¹². It supports groups of women in Palestine and Rwanda. These countries both suffer from the effects of conflict. The women make beautiful handmade jewellery¹³ to wear. The project helps the women sell the jewellery to earn money. Tess says that when women make money life changing results follow.

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“When women make money they have more say in their family and their community. More children go to school. And families eat better.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But why does Bobby Sager do all this? Why does he spend months at a time living in difficult hard situations? It is true that he has a kind heart. He honestly wants to improve the lives of people who are poor. And he wants his children to understand that many people live in great need. But there is another reason. Bobby told the Daily Telegraph,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　We found it was a way to live a really full life.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bobby says that making a lot of money gave him the chance to choose how to live. He could do anything he wanted to do. He discovered that helping other people is what makes him truly happy. So in a way, he is just pleasing himself. He suggests other people could discover the same thing.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Very few people in the world can give the same amount of money, or time, as Bobby Sager. But that is not the issue¹⁴. Helping other people is not something only rich people can do. It is about having a kind heart. It is about caring for other people. It is about doing what you can to improve their situation.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bobby Sager believes this way of looking at life is what brings true happiness. He says,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　Be selfish¹⁵. Go help someone.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United¹⁶ States and the United Kingdom. All quotes¹⁷ 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, ‘The Sager Family Foundation’.

 

　　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 sager   

adj.贤明的，貌似聪明的( sage的比较级 )

参考例句：

• Well, I want those yellow gators that Sager wore a few weeks ago. 好了，我想那些人认为是塞奇几个星期前穿的。 来自互联网

3 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

4 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

5 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。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 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。

8 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

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 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

11 telegraph   

n.电报，电报机；v.打电报，显示

参考例句：

• A new telegraph line has been set up between the two cities.那两个城市之间架设了一条新的电报线。
• Telegraph communication was broken off.电讯中断了。

12 handouts   

救济品( handout的名词复数 )； 施舍物； 印刷品； 讲义

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts. 士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Even after losing his job, he was too proud to accept handouts. 甚至在失去工作后，他仍然很骄傲，不愿接受施舍。

13 jewellery   

n.[总称]珠宝；珠宝饰物 (=jewelery)

参考例句：

• She never wears jewellery.她从不戴首饰。
• The police recovered the stolen jewellery.警察追回了失窃的珠宝。

14 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

15 selfish   

adj.自私的，利己主义的，自我中心的

参考例句：

• You must learn to share and not be so selfish.你一定要学会与他人分享，不要那么自私。
• She is a selfish person.她是一个自私自利的人。

16 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。

17 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》