英语听力—环球英语 1373 Florence Nightingale

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Hello. I’m Ruby¹ Jones.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　What do you think of when you hear the name Florence Nightingale? Do you think of hospitals, with nurses caring for their patients? Do you think of a strong woman? Many people remember learning³ about her at school. But who was the real woman behind the stories?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In today’s Spotlight programme we tell of Florence Nightingale. How did her life change the medical world? How did she influence ideas about nursing?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The year was 1820. Florence Nightingale was born into a wealthy English family. Florence’s father wanted her to receive the best education possible. So he decided⁴ to teach her himself. He taught her history, philosophy, mathematics and many languages. Most women did not receive this kind of education.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Florence’s parents were interested in politics. They supported groups that opposed slavery. From an early age she learned⁵ that people could make a difference. But at the time, women did not have many rights in Britain. And women in Florence’s financial position were not supposed to work. They were expected to marry and have children.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Around the age of sixteen, Florence was sitting in a garden. She was enjoying the nature all around her. There in the garden she had a spiritual experience. She described it as the ‘calling’ of God to do his work. She was strongly influenced by the example of Jesus Christ⁶, particularly how he healed⁷ the sick and cared for the poor.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　As Florence became a young woman, she started visiting the poor and sick. She visited many hospitals in England. And she tried to find jobs that were open for women.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　At the age of twenty-five [25], Florence went to her parents. She told them that she wanted to work as a nurse. But in those times most people had a bad opinion of nurses. Many nurses did not care for patients very well. Instead they were famous for stealing from their patients. Often they were desperate women who could find no other work. Florence’s parents were shocked by her request. And they refused it.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Florence had to wait six long years to make some progress with her family. Finally she asked her parents to let her go to a nurse training school in Germany. The school was far away. Her parents’ friends would not know about it. Her parents would not feel any shame. So, they said yes.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It was in Germany that Florence saw how important good nursing could be. When she returned to England, she was excited. She visited many hospitals. And she accepted a position to manage a women’s hospital. This was her first taste of being free to manage her own life.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But historical events would change her life completely. The Crimean War was in progress. England, France and Turkey were fighting against Russia. Injured British soldiers were taken to an army hospital in Scutari, Turkey. In September 1854, a British newspaper reporter told of the suffering of wounded British soldiers there. He told how the medical treatment they received was very bad. He asked:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　‘Are there no women willing to help the suffering soldiers in the hospitals of Scutari? Are no daughters of England ready for such a work of mercy?’

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Florence immediately offered to go. And she had powerful friends who helped her. The Secretary for War was one of them. He strongly believed she should go too. He promised that she would have authority⁸ over nurses, and help from the medical staff. He also promised her the full support of the British government.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So Florence left for Scutari with thirty-eight [38] trained nurses. When they arrived, they were shocked. The hospital was very dirty. And the injured soldiers did not have blankets. They did not have good food. They were still wearing the clothes they had been injured in.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Florence and the nurses cleaned the hospital. And Florence brought many supplies that the hospital needed. But the doctors there did not like Florence. They did not want her to interfere⁹.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This did not stop Florence. She helped to organize the hospital. She organized the food being prepared and the washing of clothes. She sent their pay to their families. She wrote letters for them. And she created reading rooms. At night she walked around the hospital to make sure they were all right. She always carried a lamp to light her way. The soldiers loved her. They called her ‘the lady with the lamp’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Although Florence had been in Scutari for six months, even more soldiers were dying¹⁰. Most were not dying from war injuries. They were dying from diseases¹¹ such as cholera¹² and typhoid. This was because of poor air flow and a poor waste removal¹³ system. Finally a team from England arrived to fix these problems. After this the soldiers started to recover.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Florence returned to England. By this time she had become a heroine to the nation. The public gave her credit¹⁴ for saving¹⁵ the soldiers at Scutari. But Florence did not seek fame. In fact, she hid from the public. She was a very private person.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In England, Florence examined all the evidence from her time in Scutari. She made a careful study of all the facts. All this time she had believed the soldier were sick for the wrong reasons. She had thought it was because of bad food and difficult working conditions. Finally she understood they were sick because of poor hygiene¹⁶ - especially the bad air flow and poor waste removal. Florence decided to use this information to change hospitals all over England. She wrote hundreds of letters to important people about needed changes. And she started the first training school for nursing in England. Florence also wrote the book ‘Notes on Nursing’ the spread her ideas around the world.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Critics of Florence Nightingale say the public has the wrong image of her. They say that history has given her too much of the credit for saving the soldiers. They say she was a strong-minded, controlling person. However, Florence has many defenders¹⁷. They say that through her work, Florence saved many lives after she left Scutari. And later she worked all the time to change hygiene problems in hospitals. They say she had to be strong to make changes happen. Florence was living in a world when men had all the power. She had to be forceful for them to listen.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　To many people Florence will always be a heroine. She changed opinions about nursing. She made it a respected job. She cared greatly about the sick and needy¹⁸. She truly was the ‘lady with the lamp’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer and producer of today’s programme was Rachel Hobson. All quotes were adapted for this programme. The voices you heard were from South Africa and the United Kingdom. Computer users¹⁹ can find our programmes on our website at http://www.radio.english.net This .programme is called, ‘Florence Nightingale’. Goodbye.

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 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。

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 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。

5 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

6 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

7 healed   

v.（使）愈合( heal的过去式和过去分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• The surgeon healed the soldier's bullet wound in the leg. 医生治好了那位士兵腿部的枪伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doctor applied an unguent to the wound,which speedily healed it. 医生给伤口涂了些油膏，伤口很快就愈合了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 authority   

n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者

参考例句：

• He is recognized internationally as an authority in this field.国际上承认他是这方面的一个权威。
• Professor White is looked upon as an authority on mathematics.怀特教授被看成数学权威。

9 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

10 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

11 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

12 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

13 removal   

n.去除，消除；挪走，移走，搬迁

参考例句：

• After the removal of the soup,fish was served.汤撤去后，鱼就上来了。
• The factory announced its removal to another town.这家工厂宣布迁往另一座城镇。

14 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

15 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

16 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

17 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

19 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。