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Voice 1
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
A man climbs on the rocky3 side of a mountain. He holds on to a thin rope. He has covered his head and shoulders with a cloth. The man raises a long stick with a sharp point. He is a hunter. But he is not hunting an animal. The man on the mountain side is hunting honey. This sweet food is made by flying insects called bees. The bees fly all around the man. If they sting2 him it would be very painful. If he falls down the mountain, he will most likely die. But if he succeeds, he will bring valuable honey home. The honey hunter is taking a big risk. Today’s Spotlight is on honey hunters.
Voice 2
If you walk through an area with many plants, you may see and hear bees. These yellow and black insects fly from flower to flower. They are collecting a liquid called nectar. The bees take the nectar back to their home - called a bee hive4.
Voice 1
Bees make their hives5 out of wax6. The wax hive hangs down from a tree or high rock. And thousands of bees sit on it. All these bees were born in the hive. They live and eat there. The wax of the hive has many holes in it. The bees put the nectar in these holes. Soon, the water evaporates7 from the nectar, leaving a thick liquid. This liquid is light brown or yellow in colour. It tastes very sweet. It is honey.
Voice 2
Bees make honey to eat as food. But many other animals like to eat honey too – including people. People have used honey as food and medicine for thousands of years. It is a special food in many cultures. People eat honey to help with sickness such as a cough or throat pain. In many cultures, people also put honey on their skin. It keeps skin soft. Honey breaks down bad bacteria8 and helps to heal9 wounds10.
Voice 1
But to use honey, people must first collect it. Some people take care of a bee hive. But in some places, people collect honey from wild bees. This is common in many parts of the world, especially south Asia. Honey hunting is a local tradition in southern India. But this traditional custom is not easy. The bees in southern India are large. They can grow up to the size of the smallest adult human finger. And these giant honey bees build their hives on the sides of mountains!
Voice 2
It takes many years for a honey hunter to learn to collect honey from these hives. From a young age the honey hunter learns everything about bees. He practices climbing hundreds of metres above the ground. Then the honey season arrives. The honey hunter prepares for many days. He does not eat meat. He does not sleep with his wife. He stays by himself. The honey hunter must be calm and full of courage.
Voice 1
The day of the honey hunt arrives. Early in the morning, the villagers say prayers11. And then the honey hunter goes to the edge12 of the mountain. He climbs down with a rope made from small tree branches. He lights some dry branches on fire. The smoke makes the bees leave the hive. They fly around the honey hunter. He reaches a long sharp stick over to the hive. He gently cuts off of pieces of the wax filled with honey. He takes them back to the village in a container made of bamboo.
Voice 2
When the honey hunter returns, the village celebrates! The honey is important to them for many reasons. Simone Gie works13 for the organization Slow Food International. She writes about the importance of honey:
Voice 3
“Tribes15 have been honey hunting in this way for generations. Rock paintings in the area show honey hunters more than 2,000 years ago. Honey was once a valuable resource16 in the trading system between tribes. It still is an important part of their diet, cooking and medicine.”
Voice 1
The hunter takes some honey. But he always leaves some of the hive on the mountainside. He does not take the part of the hive with the baby bees in it. He does not want to destroy the home of the bees. There are also areas of the mountain and forest that are considered holy17. These places are important for the religion of the tribe14. The hunters are careful not to take honey from the holy places.
Voice 2
But this traditional system may not be enough to protect the bees in the future. The forests where the tribes live are changing. People are planting huge tea farms throughout18 the area. They are spraying19 chemicals and cutting down trees. This is not good for the plants and animals in the forest. It can kill the bees and destroy their hives. It is also dangerous for the people who live there.
Voice 1
The Keystone Foundation20 is a local organization in Southern India. It has worked with the honey hunters for fifteen years. They aim to protect the environment and local culture. Robert Leo works for the Keystone Foundation. He tells the organization Slow Food International:
Voice 4
“In the past few years, we have seen many people coming back to forest honey gathering21, particularly young people. One of the reasons is that it is now possible to make enough money this way.”
Voice 2
Many young people in South India leave the tribal22 areas. They can make more money working in the city. But for the tribe to continue and grow, they must have young people. So the honey hunters have made a few changes. They found ways for young people to make money in the village. The tribe still uses traditional tools and skills to harvest honey. But they have a new production center. Here, they clean the honey. Then they put it in bottles. This way the tribe can sell their honey for a higher price.
Voice 1
The Keystone Foundation also helped set up some hives for people to keep. People can harvest honey from these hives at any time of year. Then the honey hunters can make money even when it is not the season for wild honey. They can continue their traditions. This provides a future for the honey hunters. And it protects the creatures that make the valuable honey - the giant honey bees.
Voice 2
The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United23 States. All quotes24 were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Honey Hunters’.
Voice 1
You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. And you can find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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sting
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| vt.激怒，刺痛，刺伤，蛰伤；n.刺痛，刺伤 | |
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rocky
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| adj.岩石的，像岩石的；多岩石的 | |
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hive
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| n.蜂房，闹区，蜜蜂群；vi.进入蜂房，储藏蜜于蜂房，如蜂般群居；vt.使进蜂房 | |
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hives
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| 荨麻疹； 蜂箱( hive的名词复数 )； 蜂巢； 蜂群； 喧闹地区 | |
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wax
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| n.蜡，蜡状物，震怒；vi.变大，增大，月亮满；vt.用蜡涂 | |
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evaporates
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| v.（使某物）蒸发掉( evaporate的第三人称单数 )；消失，不复存在；使脱水 | |
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bacteria
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| n.(单数bacterium)细菌 | |
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heal
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| v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等) | |
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wounds
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| n.创伤( wound的名词复数 )；伤口；伤痕；（心灵上的）伤v.使受伤，伤害( wound的第三人称单数 )；使（心灵）受伤，伤感情；偷盗( swipe的过去式和过去分词 )；卷绕 | |
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prayers
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| 祈祷( prayer的名词复数 )； 祈祷（习惯）； 祈祷文； 经文 | |
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edge
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| n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动 | |
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works
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| n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件 | |
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tribe
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| n.部落，种族，一伙人 | |
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tribes
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| n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群 | |
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resource
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| n.资源，财力 | |
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holy
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| adj.神圣的，圣洁的，至善的；n.神圣的东西 | |
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throughout
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| adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿 | |
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spraying
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| n.喷雾v.喷( spray的现在分词 )；向…扫射（或抛洒），往…上撒；尤指雄猫撒尿（以示领地占有） | |
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foundation
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| n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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quotes
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| 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 | |
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