英语听力—环球英语 1183 Charles Dickens: Writing for the Forgotten

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Colin Lowther.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Anne Muir. 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 evening at the workhouse.  Here, poor boys without families worked all day.  But now, the boys stood in their places.  The master of the workhouse put on a cook’s uniform.  He stood behind a cooking pot.  He and his assistants served dinner to the boys…Quickly, the food disappeared.  Some of the boys spoke² quietly to each other. They closed one eye and winked³ at Oliver.  Then, the boys on each side of Oliver pushed him. Oliver was a terribly hungry child. His sadness made him wild.  He stood up from the table. He walked forward to the master.  He held his dinner bowl and spoon in his hand. He was a little afraid of his own courage. He said:

 

　　“Please, sir, I want some more.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This is the beginning of the famous story, Oliver Twist. It was written by one of England’s greatest writers, Charles Dickens, almost two hundred years ago. Even today, Dickens’ books are still very popular! Today’s Spotlight is on the writer Charles Dickens.

 

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　　Charles Dickens was born in 1812. As a small boy, Charles had a happy life. He had many younger brothers and sisters. He went to school. And he loved to read.

 

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　　But when Dickens was eleven, his life changed. His family was living in London at the time. They began to have financial problems.  His father could not pay the family’s bills. Finally, authorities⁴ sent his family to a special prison for people with debt.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Charles Dickens did not go to the prison with the rest of his family.  Because he was older, he lived on his own.  He had to support himself. So, he left school. He worked in a factory. And he made very little money. The work was hard, and he was lonely. This time in Dickens’ life affected⁵ him very much.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　After two years, Charles Dickens’ situation changed again. His grandmother died. She left money for Dickens’ family.  It was enough money to pay the family’s bills. The rest of the Dickens’ family left prison, and Charles left the factory.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　A few years later, Dickens began working again.  This time, he chose to work.  He was 15 years old and he began working for a court official.  Soon, Dickens’ began writing for newspapers and magazines. He also began writing stories. In April 1836, he published his first book called the Pickwick Papers. This book was very successful.  But it was only the first of many of Dickens’ stories.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　During his life, Dickens published fifteen books, and hundreds of short stories. He also continued his work as a news reporter. Everyone in England knew Charles Dickens.  He was a famous celebrity⁶.  People even paid money to see him read the most exciting parts of his books. And people bought many, many copies of his books.

 

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　　Dickens was extremely successful during his life.  However, his fame did not end when he died.  Even today, people continue to read and love his writing.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Readers love Dickens’ books for many reasons. They are exciting and funny. They contain interesting mysteries and problems to solve. But the thing people love most about Dickens’ stories is his characters. Dickens created characters that seem very real.  The characters struggle with problems that people continue to understand even today. ? People also easily remember Dickens’ characters because of their unusual names - like Wackford Squeers, Ebenezer Scrooge, or Mr. Mickawber.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Dickens got his ideas for characters from many places. Many of his characters were based on people he knew in life. Dickens used his father as a model for characters with money problems. His own experience of being alone as a child appears in many of his books.  The most famous example was his character Oliver Twist.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, some of Dickens’ characters came completely from his imagination.  Dickens’ often had trouble sleeping. So he would walk through the city all night. Claire Tomalin wrote a book about Dickens. She told the news organization NPR,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“He did these great walks. He would walk every day for many kilometres. Sometimes I think he was feeding his imagination as he walked. He was thinking of his characters. And he built his stories through the voices of his characters.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Dickens’ books were also popular because they showed the social conditions of England during his time.  It was a time when many people were moving from farms to cities. He wrote about the problems of city life - including crime, bad health, and factory work. His stories also showed the terrible effects of poverty, and debt.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Dickens was concerned about poor and forgotten people in society. He knew what it was like to be a poor boy like Oliver Twist. So, he wanted to write to influence society and politics. But Dickens also worked to directly help the poor and forgotten.  After he became wealthy, he opened schools for children and young women.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In 1870, Charles Dickens died.  He was 58 years old.  The English government honoured Dickens by burying him in Westminster Abbey.  Here, he is buried among kings, leaders and many of England’s greatest writers.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 2012, England celebrated⁷ Dickens’ two hundredth birthday. Many famous people attended celebrations for him, including the Prince of Wales. In a letter he wrote for the celebration, the Prince said:

 

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　　“Charles Dickens remains⁸ one of the greatest writers of the English language. He used his creativity to work intensely⁹ for social justice…His characters are as alive and real today, as they were on the day he wrote them.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It has been almost two hundred years since Dickens last wrote.  However, he continues to encourage both readers and writers.  Simon Callow is a famous English actor, musician, writer and director.  In the Guardian¹⁰ newspaper, he wrote an article called “My Hero: Charles Dickens.”  In it, he explains Dickens’ lasting¹¹ appeal,

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“This is the reason I love Dickens so deeply.  He experienced¹² the deep pain of poverty and suffering.  Because of this, he never stopped working to bring justice to a broken society. He gave the forgotten and the poor a voice.  From the moment he started to write, he spoke for the people. The people love him for it. And so do I.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this programme was Shelagh Godwin. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted 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, ‘Charles Dickens: Writing for the Forgotten’.

 

　　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 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 intensely   

adv.强烈地

参考例句：

• I was intensely curious to know more about him. 我迫不及待地想更多地了解他的情况。
• Her parents were intensely ambitious for her and her younger sister. 她的父母对她和她妹妹有着很高的期望。

10 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

12 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。