英语听力—环球英语 1145 The Prison Angel

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Robin² Basselin.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I'm Ryan Geertsma. 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

 

　　There is a dark and crowded prison in Tijuana, Mexico. On the third floor of this prison, there are 16 men. Guards have separated these men from the rest of the prison. They are receiving extra punishment. The conditions in this part of the prison are terrible. Some of the men have been there for many weeks.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But on this day, these 16 prisoners begin to fight back. They shout at the guards. They steal a weapon and keys that unlock³ their small rooms. And then this fight becomes a riot⁴. The prisoners have guns they have secretly moved into the prison. The guards leave and turn off the electricity.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Then, a small woman walks into the prison. She is not afraid of the prisoners or of the guns. She asks the prisoners to drop their guns, but the guns are already gone. The prisoners got rid of the weapons as soon as they heard that this woman was in the prison. These prisoners want the woman to be safe.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Who is this woman? Her name is Mother Antonia. Many people call her "The Prison Angel." Today's Spotlight is on the life and work of Mother Antonia.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Most people would not want to even visit a prison. But Mother Antonia lives in one. She is a Christian⁵ nun⁶ - a woman who gives her whole life to serving God. She does this by serving, loving, and helping⁷ the prisoners each day.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But how did Mother Antonia end up in a prison in Mexico? Well, that is a long story. Mother Antonia did not always know that she wanted to be a nun. But she always loved serving other people.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　As a young girl, Mother Antonia's name was Mary. She was born 1926 in the United States. Mary's mother died when Mary was only three years old. Her father, Joseph, loved his family and worked hard to take care of them. Even though Joseph became wealthy, he never forgot about the needs of the poor. And he made sure his children learned from his example.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Mary travelled with her father and often visited people who were sick or suffering. She continued this work as an adult. She donated shoes, sent supplies to hospitals, and visited children who did not have families. She worked with churches, private groups, and hospitals. She worked with organizations in the United States, Peru, and the Philippines. It did not matter where people lived; if they needed help, Mary wanted to help them.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Mary married twice and had 8 children. She devoted⁸ much of her time to her family. However, she also always found time to continue serving the poor. She met many famous people through her work, like actors and musicians. But one of the most important men she ever met was a priest⁹.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　There is a book about Mother Antonia's life called The Prison Angel. In this book, the authors write about the special relationship between Mary and Father Anthony Brouwers. This friendship changed Mary's life forever.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Mary and Father Anthony met in 1957. Like Mary, Father Anthony served the poor. Father Anthony devoted his whole life to serving other people, and he encouraged Mary to do the same.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Seven years after Mary met Father Anthony, he became sick with cancer. Before he died, Anthony said something special to Mary. These words are recorded in the book The Prison Angel. He said,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"Do you see why you are where you are? You say that you want to go away to your own house, and take care of yourself. But that was not meant for you. You are standing¹⁰ with the poor. That is where you belong. God put you in that place, Mary."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In 1965, one year after Father Anthony died, Mary met another man who changed her life. Father Vetter was a priest who worked in Mexico. He had heard about the work Mary did, and he invited her to come to La Mesa prison in Tijuana, Mexico. This was one of the worst prisons in Mexico. There, she saw more need than she could have imagined. In The Prison Angel, she explained what she saw that first day:

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　"The prisoners just looked like sick people. Poor, yes. But I did not see anyone I would be afraid to talk to. I thought, this is a poor place - not fearful, not dark, not dangerous. Just poor."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For the next two years, Mary continued to visit La Mesa. She did not speak Spanish, but she communicated with the men through motions. In The Prison Angel, she said,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　"Kindness shows you care. A smile shows you care. Reaching out and holding a hand shows you care."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Mother Antonia loved the prisoners so much that she decided¹¹ to move into the prison. She wanted to serve as a nun. But at that time, the Catholic¹² Church did not accept divorced or older women. However, this did not stop Mary. She decided to become an independent nun. So on March 19th, 1977, at the age of 51, Mary became Mother Antonia. She chose the name Antonia in honor of her friend, Father Anthony. This kind of name change is common for nuns¹³. Twenty years later, church leaders permitted her to form a religious community. They are called the Servants of the Eleventh Hour. They accept all women who want to serve, whether they are widowed, divorced, or older.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Life in a prison is hard, but Mother Antonia believes La Mesa prison is where God wants her to live. Even now, in her 80s, she continues to serve with a smile on her face. Sometimes she serves by making big changes. This includes her work with prison authorities to get better treatment for prisoners, including protesting beatings. But most of the time, she serves in small ways – like listening, bringing a blanket, or making a meal. The prisoners love her. And the guards love her too. This is because she always shows love to them. When people tell her she is special, she does not understand why. In The Prison Angel, she said,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　"People think what I do is special. But look at me. What am I doing? Anyone can do it. There are so many things people can do. It does not have to be big. It is the little things that matter. Anyone can make a meal."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Lauren Anders. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called "The Prison Angel." 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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 unlock   

v.启示，揭示，开...的锁

参考例句：

• The border police required the traveler to unlock his luggage.边防警察要求旅客打开行李。
• We heard somebody unlock the door.我们听见有人开门锁。

4 riot   

n.暴（骚）乱，（色彩等）极度丰富；vi.聚众闹事

参考例句：

• They had to call the police in order to put down the riot.他们只得叫来警察以平定骚乱。
• Flowers of all sorts are blooming in a riot of colour.百花盛开，万紫千红。

5 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。

6 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

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 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

9 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

10 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

11 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。

12 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

13 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句