英语听力—环球英语 1440 King Peggy: A Woman Leader

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.

 

　　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

 

　　It is four o’clock in the morning. The city is Washington², DC in the United³ States. Almost everyone in the city is sleeping. The government buildings along the streets are quiet and empty. Few cars are on the roads. And the city is dark. In a home near the middle of the city, a telephone rings. A woman answers. The woman’s name is Peggeliene Bartels.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The man calling Bartels is a family member.  He is from her family’s village of Otuam - in the country of Ghana. He is calling with some strange news. This telephone call will change Bartels’ life forever.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The man explains that the village of Otuam needs a new king. And he tells Bartels that local officials have chosen her. Bartels cannot believe it.  She is tired.  And she thinks it is a joke.  But it is not. Today’s Spotlight is on King Peggeliene Bartels, or King Peggy.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Peggeliene Bartels was born in 1953, in Takoradi, Ghana. As a young adult, she studied in England. When she finished university, she moved to the United States. Bartels began working at the Embassy⁴ of Ghana in Washington DC. There, she is a secretary.  She answers telephones.  She types documents and e-mails. And she serves Embassy officials and visitors.  Bartels enjoys her job.  She has worked at the Embassy for more than 30 years. And in 1997, Bartels became a United States citizen.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　While Bartels lived and worked in Washington, DC, her uncle was king of Otuam.  Her mother’s brother ruled the village for many years.  But in 2008, the king died. And leaders in the village had to choose a new king.  The leaders suggested names of people that might replace the king.  One person suggested Bartels.  This was an unusual suggestion.  Past kings had all been men.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The village leaders performed a ritual⁵ to choose the new leader. This religious⁶ tradition involved pouring liquid on the ground and then saying the name of each possible king.  If the liquid quickly evaporated⁷ after one of the names, the leaders would choose that person to be king.  The ritual confirmed⁸ that Bartels should be king. The village leaders were not sure about choosing a woman to be king.  So, they performed the ritual three times to be sure. Finally, the leaders agreed.  They would offer the king’s position to Bartels.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When Bartels’ family member called, he told her that her uncle had always wanted her to be the next king.  Bartels never knew that.  And she was not sure if she should accept this new job. She had a job in the United States.  And as king she would be responsible⁹ for Otuam’s 7000 villagers.  Bartels thought about the offer for many days.  Soon, she felt like God was telling her to take it. She told the news organization NPR:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“When they told me, I was a little afraid to accept it. It comes with responsibilities¹⁰. And I have a job as a secretary in the United States! I have my own responsibilities and bills to pay! And to become king, you have to be really rich. But then, it was like someone was talking to me. A voice said, ‘Accept it. This is what you are supposed to do. You will have help so you can help your people.’”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So Peggy Bartels accepted the job of king. People usually only use the term “king” for male leaders. “Queen” is the word for female¹¹ rulers. But Bartels did not want her people to call her “Queen Peggy.” She wanted them to call her “king”. She told the news organization, CNN:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Most of the time, a king is the one who has all the power to do things. The queen has power over children’s issues¹². And the queen reports to the king.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Bartels knew that the term “king” would communicate power.  So having this title was important for her.  When Bartels told the men she wanted to be called king, they were surprised. She told NPR:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“When I said this, all the men stood up. They said, ‘A woman is speaking like this?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am serious. Treat me like a man because I am a man…Do not look at me as a woman. If you understand me as a man, then we can move forward. But if you think I am a woman, we are not going to be able to work together.’”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Today, the people of her village respect King Peggy. And she is beginning to change minds. She told NPR:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“They are beginning to accept me for who I am. The women are trying to understand me. They see that as a woman, you can do a lot. You do not have to sit down and wait for a man to succeed in life. If I am a woman and I am doing this, they can also do it.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　King Peggy has worked hard to improve the lives of people in her village. Since becoming king, she has raised money for the village. This money has helped send children to school. It has helped buy computers for the school classrooms. The village now even has an emergency vehicle¹³!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　King Peggy still lives in the United States. And she still works¹⁴ as a secretary at the Embassy. But she remains¹⁵ connected to her people. She visits Ghana for one month each year. And every day at 1:00 in the morning, she calls her representative¹⁶ in Otuam. This family member tells her everything that is happening in the village.  And he tells the villagers what she says.  King Peggy hopes to move back to Otuam when she retires from her job at the Embassy.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　King Peggy did not expect to become King of Otuam.  But now, she believes it is her calling.  She has faith that God meant for her to be king. And she believes God gives her strength to lead her people. She told CNN:

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I recognize that we all have a calling.  We have to be ready to accept it.  Helping my people has really helped me.  I know that I can really touch and change their lives.  I would have really regretted not accepting this calling.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes¹⁷ 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 “King Peggy: A Woman Leader.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can 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 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

3 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。

4 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

5 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

6 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

7 evaporated   

adj. 浓缩的，脱水的，蒸发干燥的 动词evaporate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• Heat until all the water has evaporated. 加热直至水全部蒸发。
• The water soon evaporated in the sunshine. 水在阳光下不久就蒸发了。

8 confirmed   

adj.确认的；坚定的；根深蒂固的v.批准(confirm的过去式和过去分词)；证实

参考例句：

• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
• The truth of his conjecture was confirmed by the newspaper report. 新闻报道证明了他的推测果然不假。

9 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

10 responsibilities   

责任( responsibility的名词复数 )； 职责； 责任感； 责任心

参考例句：

• the disproportion between the extra responsibilities and the small salary increase 额外的责任与小幅增加的薪金之间的不相称
• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。

11 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

12 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

13 vehicle   

n.车辆，交通工具，运载工具；媒介，表现手段

参考例句：

• Air is the vehicle of sound.空气是声音传播的媒介。
• The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel.这家电厂用废弃轮胎作燃料。

14 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。

15 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。

16 representative   

n.代表，众议员，典型；adj.描写的，表现的，代理的，代表性的，代议制的，典型的

参考例句：

• He is a representative for a large steel company.他是一家大型钢铁公司的代理人。
• We have a representative sample.我们有一个代表性的样品。

17 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》