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VOA慢速英语2012 EXPLORATIONS - Meet Some Hard-Working Helping Hands

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(单词翻译)

EXPLORATIONS - Meet Some Hard-Working Helping1 Hands

 
FAITH LAPIDUS: I’m Faith Lapidus.
BOB DOUGHTY2: And I’m Bob Doughty with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about interesting and sometimes unusual work provided by volunteers across the world.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: There is an old saying about volunteer work that goes like this: “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
Today, many people volunteer their time and energy to help others. There are a lot of ways to meet other people’s needs, and it seems there is a volunteer group for everything. Some provide education, while others offer adventure. Many do both.
For example, some volunteers provide emergency help after a catastrophic event or disaster. Others are happy to get dirty while repairing homes or planting trees or flowers in poor neighborhoods. Young people see suffering and loneliness around them and find ways to help. And history lovers help archeologists search for ancient objects to help deepen3 knowledge of the past. 
BOB DOUGHTY: Why do people offer their services to others at no cost? Mental health expert Jonathan Crook4 says many volunteers want to return goodness for goodness. The North Carolina man says people sometimes cannot repay5 a person who has helped them. That helpful individual may no longer be part of their lives. But Mr. Crook says they can always offer kindness to someone or something else.
JONATHAN CROOK: “Somebody did something for me, at one point, and [I] cannot pay them back directly. But I can pay them back indirectly6.”
Mr. Crook says this happens often, especially to people with strong religious or spiritual beliefs. Or they may have suffered difficult experiences and are thankful for getting through them.
JONATHAN CROOK: “They just feel like they have been really blessed in their life and they are living this really rich life...There is kind of spiritual motivation, I think, a lot of times.”
FAITH LAPIDUS: He adds that some people volunteer to help find a job or career. For example, young people may serve without pay in a free health center. The main reason may be to help decide if they would want to become a health or social worker. Or, for some, the reason may be more to help themselves. They may give their time to an organization in hopes that their employers will notice their work and improve their career paths.
(MUSIC)
BOB DOUGHTY: Some volunteer workers may offer special skills, like an ability to do rescue and recovery work, or caring for the injured. Others may perform services like passing out clean clothing or bottles of water to storm and fire victims.
The not-for-profit group Habitat for Humanity8 helps communities with projects like “A Brush with Kindness.” Under this program, people in need can ask for home-improvement services like painting and minor9 repairs. Habitat volunteers donate both money and labor10 to the projects.
Its volunteers also work in many areas around the world, including Haiti. More than two years have passed since a seven point zero earthquake shook the nation. The exact number of people who died may never be known. Estimates gave numbers from ninety five thousand to more than three hundred thousand.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Thousands of survivors11 of the Haitian earthquake still live in temporary shelters. Last year, former American President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn joined five hundred Habitat volunteers in the town of Leogane to build houses.
Actor Sean Penn went to Haiti soon after the quake. He provided assistance in a number of ways. Among them, he helped establish the aid agency J/P Haiti. Today, the J/P Haitian Relief Organization is supervising12 the Petionville Camp and nearby Cite13 Maxo camp. Last month, Sean Penn received the Two Thousand Twelve Peace Summit14 Award from a group of Nobel Prize-winners.
About twenty thousand homeless people are still living in the camps. Officials say they need volunteers, especially people with medical training.
(MUSIC)
BOB DOUGHTY: Organizations do not have to be large to get volunteers. An activist15 group in Dharamsala, India is a good example.
Jodie Underhill from England arrived in northern India several years ago. She planned to volunteer for an environmental project. She found a lot to do in the land of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism16. She could almost not believe how much garbage was ruining some of the area’s most beautiful sights.
JODIE UNDERHILL: “It was still shocking, and it is still shocking to me after three years.”
Miz Underhill learned about waste control by cleaning up garbage while taking part in other volunteer projects. But soon enough she formed her own group, Mountain Cleaners.
JODIE UNDERHILL: “I just decided17 to start my own thing. My first clean-up was pretty ambitious18. We had over a hundred volunteers.”
The young Englishwoman says the Indian media started calling her “Garbage Girl.” And she says she was pleased with the name, not insulted.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Since two thousand ten, Garbage Girl and her Mountain Cleaners have been collecting and cleaning up waste at the Triund camp. Thousands of visitors pass through this area in the Indian Himalayas each year. And many leave unwanted evidence of their visits – papers, bottles, all kinds of garbage.
The volunteers work just below clouds that seem to sit on the mountaintops. After they collect the garbage, they load bags of it onto mules19. The animals then take it down the mountain.
Miz Underhill says objects that can be recycled are given to local workers, who can make money from them. Material that cannot be re-used goes to a container specially7 designed to hold waste. Before the Mountain Cleaners arrived, the garbage would have been thrown down the mountainsides. Or it might have been burned, polluting the air.
Miz Underhill says the work is very hard. But she praises the group’s efforts as a wonderful experience. She says she treasures the time around their campfire in the Himalayas.
(MUSIC)
BOB DOUGHTY: American teenagers also volunteer in many ways. Two girls from Illinois found an unusual way to make life more pleasant for sick and homeless people. Sarah Dynia and Bridget Regan love to sew. In late two thousand ten, they decided to make stuffed animals for people who just might need a cheerful gift. The girls took the resulting bears, cats and starfish to patients in nursing homes. They called their products “Stuffed Love.”
That experience was just the beginning. The girls made pillows and other things for military veterans at a treatment center and adults with developmental problems. This past December, they made five hundred stuffed animals. Sarah stayed up all night on the night before Christmas to finish the job. “Stuffed Love” was sent with turkey dinners that a local restaurant was providing for poor people.
The Chicago White Sox baseball team honored the girls’ efforts with an award for their volunteer work.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Every year, many people offer to find or document remains21 of lost societies and communities. These efforts take place across the world. For example, Forest Service experts and volunteers are working in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. They are looking for information about pre-historic22 and historic settlements of native Californians.
This kind of work interests Steven Ortiz of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort20 Worth, Texas. Every other year, he leads an archeological dig in Israel. The dig is at Tel Gezer, halfway23 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Professor Ortiz directs the activities at Tel Gezer with Samuel Wolff, an Israeli archeologist.
The experts, students and volunteers are hoping to learn more about the ancient city of Gezer. The city is linked to King Solomon, who appears in the holy writings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Volunteers for the digs must be eighteen, although children may take part if they are with a parent. The youngest volunteer on the team is Steven Ortiz’s ten-year-old son.
BOB DOUGHTY: The work takes time, patience and often, muscle strength. The ground may be hard and the sun may be hot. Why do people pay to volunteer to work? For some, he said the dig is a religious pilgrimage. But there are a number of other reasons.
STEVEN ORTIZ: “Some just value ancient history, and they want to be a part of unveiling it. I tend to think we attract people who think they want a cross-cultural experience. They want to do something meaningful … a contribution to scholarship. They want to get their hands dirty. And they want to have a fun experience touring a foreign country.”
Steven Ortiz said volunteering for the archeological dig provides all those things, and more.
STEVEN ORTIZ: “You are helping science. You are helping history. But on the weekends, you get to have fun, and you get to travel the country and see sights you do not normally see.”
And, he says, the archeology group becomes like a big family.
(MUSIC)
FAITH LAPIDUS: This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. I’m Faith Lapidus with Bob Doughty. Our producer was Mario Ritter. Join us next week for another EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
2 doughty Jk5zg     
adj.勇猛的,坚强的
参考例句:
  • Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质:脾气倔强,性格刚强。
  • The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。
3 deepen Vxax5     
vt./vi.加深,(使)变深,加重,加浓
参考例句:
  • We'll have to deepen the well if we want more water.如果我们想要更多的水,就得把井加深。
  • Her wrinkles deepen with age.她的皱纹随年龄增长而变深。
4 crook NnuyV     
v.使弯曲;n.小偷,骗子,贼;弯曲(处)
参考例句:
  • He demanded an apology from me for calling him a crook.我骂他骗子,他要我向他认错。
  • She was cradling a small parcel in the crook of her elbow.她用手臂挎着一个小包裹。
5 repay 1VixH     
v.偿还,报答,还钱给
参考例句:
  • I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
  • I must repay her for her kindness.我必须报答她的恩惠。
6 indirectly a8UxR     
adv.间接地,不直接了当地
参考例句:
  • I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
  • They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人,他们进行了间接接触。
7 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
8 humanity Nc4xR     
n.人类,[总称]人(性),人道[pl.]人文学科
参考例句:
  • Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
  • We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。
9 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
10 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
11 survivors 02ddbdca4c6dba0b46d9d823ed2b4b62     
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
  • survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
12 supervising d5279d2ad6a17d3600fa632b054358e0     
v.监督,管理( supervise的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • She had something to do in the house, supervising that native. 她待在家里,究竟还有点儿事情可以做做,可以监视那个土人。 来自辞典例句
  • In addition, nuisance law fails to provide a systematic mechanism for supervising emissions. 另外,妨害法不能提供一个监督排放的系统性机制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
13 cite pqUzn     
vt.引用,引证,举例
参考例句:
  • It would be an endless task to cite such living examples.这样的实例举不胜举。
  • I'll just cite some figures for comparison.我要引用一些数字作比较。
14 summit eHezk     
n.最高点,峰顶;最高级会议;极点
参考例句:
  • They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山,最终达到了山顶。
  • The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。
15 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
16 Buddhism 8SZy6     
n.佛教(教义)
参考例句:
  • Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
  • Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。
17 decided lvqzZd     
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。
18 ambitious GxIzU     
adj.有雄心的,劲头十足的,有野心的
参考例句:
  • One may be poor but never ceases to be ambitious.人穷志不穷。
  • He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。
19 mules be18bf53ebe6a97854771cdc8bfe67e6     
骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者
参考例句:
  • The cart was pulled by two mules. 两匹骡子拉这辆大车。
  • She wore tight trousers and high-heeled mules. 她穿紧身裤和拖鞋式高跟鞋。
20 fort pi3x4     
n.要塞,堡垒,碉堡
参考例句:
  • The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
  • No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证,任何人不得进入要塞。
21 remains 1kMzTy     
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。
22 historic AcNxw     
adj.历史上著名的,具有历史意义的
参考例句:
  • This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
  • We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
23 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。

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