英语听力—环球英语 1439 Mine Kafon: Clearing Land Mines

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Colin Lowther. 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

 

　　The five minute film begins with a slow explosion². The words “Mine Kafon” slowly appear. The film begins to show a desert. There is a clear wide blue sky. A man begins speaking.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“My name is Massoud Hassani. I was born in Afghanistan. We lived near the city of Kabul, on the edge³ of a desert. Back then there were many militaries⁴ from foreign countries. They would train there with guns and explosives⁶. When they went home, they left lots of explosives and mines behind.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This short film is by Callum Cooper. The film tells a little about Hassani’s history. It shows beautiful images of Afghanistan. And it tells about the Mine Kafon. This is Hassani’s device⁷. It clears some of these explosive⁵ devices⁸ - landmines¹⁰. Today’s Spotlight is on Massoud Hassani and his device for destroying and clearing landmines.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Hassani was born in Afghanistan, but he did not stay there. In the 1980s, a rocket attack killed his father. His family escaped Afghanistan. They travelled until they were accepted as refugees¹¹ in the Netherlands.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In the Netherlands, Hassani studied at a design school. As a design student, Hassani remembered his past in Afghanistan. Landmines are a big problem for people living there. These devices are buried under the ground. A person does not know a landmine⁹ is there until he steps on it. Then it explodes. On his website, Hassani remembers how the landmines affected¹² him. He writes:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“My brother, Mahmud and I played every day on the fields. We were surrounded by the highest mountains in our neighbourhood. When we were young, we learned¹³ to make our own toys. One of my favorites was a small rolling object that was wind-powered. We used to race our toys against the other children on the fields around our neighbourhood. There was always a strong wind waving toward¹⁴ the mountains. While we were racing¹⁵ against each other, our toys rolled too fast and too far. Mostly they landed in areas where we could not go rescue them because of landmines. I still remember those toys I had made that we lost. I remember watching them just beyond where we could go.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Landmines are still a problem in many parts of the world, including Afghanistan. The United¹⁶ Nations estimates¹⁷ that there are about 110 million buried active landmines. They are in over 70 different countries. Many countries do not permit¹⁸ use of landmines. But the UN says people still use them illegally¹⁹.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Organizations across the world work to get rid of landmines. But getting rid of landmines costs a lot of money. Landmine experts say that clearing just one mine can cost thousands of dollars.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Hassani had an idea to clear the landmines in the area around his childhood home. During his last month at design school, Hassani had to produce a final project. He thought about the wind-powered toys he had made as a child. And he thought about the problem of landmines. So for his final design project, he combined these two ideas. He made the Mine Kafon. The design for the Mine Kafon is similar to the design of Hassani’s toys from childhood. But it is much larger. And it is designed to blow up landmines.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Mine Kafon is made from bamboo and plastic. It looks almost like a large ball. It begins as a small round base inside the ball. Thin pieces of bamboo come out from the base in all directions. Each piece of bamboo is about the length of an adult’s leg. At the end of each piece of bamboo there is a round piece of plastic. The Mine Kafon is light enough so that the wind can move it. But it is heavy enough to make the landmine explode.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When a land mine does explode, it blows up one or two bamboo pieces from the Mine Kafon. But even if it explodes a landmine, the Mine Kafon can continue. Hassani writes on his blog that it could survive up to four landmine explosions²⁰ in one journey. The Mine Kafon can also communicate where it has already gone. Hassani explains:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“The Mine Kafon also has a GPS chip in it. You can follow its movement on the website and see where it went. You can see the safest paths to walk on and how many landmines are destroyed in that area.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But one of the best things about the Mine Kafon is that it costs very little money. All the materials together cost about 50 US dollars.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Some mine experts have expressed concern about the Mine Kafon. They say that it is not an organized way of getting rid of landmines. Its movement depends on the way the wind is moving. It will not clear a whole area of bombs. Adam Komorowski works²¹ at the Mine Advisory²² Group. This group works to remove land mines and other weapons left after war. He told CNN:

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“It looks to me that there is also a huge problem in terms of land. I cannot see it working on hills or areas with a lot of plants.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Hassani knows that his design can be improved. In December 2012, Hassani posted his video on the internet to ask for money. He explained how he would use the money to improve his design. He would use it to test the improved Mine Kafon in Morocco. He hoped that he could employ engineers. These engineers could help him make more Mine Kafons, in a better way.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　By January 2013, Hassani had raised more money than he asked for. People around the world gave money to help produce the Mine Kafon. He will use the money to begin improving his design. Hassani will also be showing the Mine Kafon in the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the United States. The Mine Kafon is useful and beautiful. But Hassani’s main goal is not to raise money or to show his art. He wants to save lives. His low-cost, wind-powered device could change the lives of people around the world. In his video he says:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“They say Afghanistan has 10 million landmines. In truth there are far, far more. Every destroyed land mine means²³ a saved life. And every life is important.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Liz Waid. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. 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 http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Mine Kafon: Clearing Land Mines’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. And find us on Facebook - just search for Spotlight Radio. 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 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

3 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

4 militaries   

n.军人，军队，武装力量( military的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• During the 1990s, PMCs trained militaries in some 42 countries. 20世纪90年代，私营军事公司曾为约42个国家训练了军队。 来自互联网
• METHODS Analyse the amino acid content of Cordyceps militaries by amino autoanalyzer. 方法采用氨基酸自动分析仪对经盐酸水解北虫草进行分析。 来自互联网

5 explosive   

adj.爆炸的，爆发的；极易引起争论的；n.炸药

参考例句：

• Where's the rest of the explosive?剩下的炸药在哪里？
• Gelignite is a high explosive.葛里炸药是一种烈性炸药。

6 explosives   

n.爆炸物，炸药( explosive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They caved in the roof of the underground passage with powerful explosives. 他们用强大的炸药把地下通道的顶部炸塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slightest spark can set off the explosives stored here. 一点点火星就能够使储存这里的火药爆炸。 来自《用法词典》

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

8 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

9 landmine   

n.地雷

参考例句：

• A landmine is a kind of weapon used in war.地雷是一种运用于战争的武器。
• The treaty bans the use,production and trade of landmine.那条约禁止使用生产和交易雷。

10 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

11 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

12 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。

13 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。

14 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

15 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

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 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 permit   

n.许可证，许可，执照；vt.允许，容许；vi.容许

参考例句：

• The doctor will not permit mother up until her leg is better.在母亲的腿好些之前,医生不允许她起床。
• The soldiers had orders to permit no stranger through.士兵们接到命令不许任何陌生人通过。

19 illegally   

adv.不法地

参考例句：

• We were alleged to have brought goods into the country illegally. 我们被指控非法携带货物入境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The landlady found they had been illegally subletting the flat. 女房东发现他们一直在违法转租公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 explosions   

爆炸( explosion的名词复数 )； 爆发； 激增； （感情，尤指愤怒的）突然爆发

参考例句：

• Soon afterwards five explosions were heard from the area. 此后不久从那个地方传来五次爆炸声。
• They were monitoring the upper air to collect evidence of atomic explosions. 他们正在检测高空空气以收集原子爆炸的证据。

21 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

22 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

23 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

24 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》