Welcome to Spotlight’s Listener Mail program. I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　In today’s program we share your thoughts and opinions about recent Spotlight programs. Join us as we talk about choosing a name, finding an ancient city, and a very old man who goes to school for the first time! Keep listening!

 

　　Our first comments today are about a subject everyone knows something about – names! In our program “Choosing a Name”, we told about the meanings of names. Sometimes names have sad or unusual meanings. Or, sometimes, parents choose a name for their child just because they like how a name sounds. Many listeners commented on their own names. Here are some of their comments:

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　“In our country, we name our children after people from history. My name is Batool. That is one of our Prophet’s daughter’s names. It also has a good meaning. It means virgin.”

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I think it is so important for parents to give their child the right name. My mother wanted to name me Aleksandra. That was my grandmother’s name. But my father said his grandmother said to name all girls Tatiana. It means sovereign. It is a strong name! And so many girls in our family have the same name as me – Tatiana.”

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“I am from Vietnam. My parents named me Xim, but I do not understand what that means. I wish they gave me another name. In my country, the names of children must be different from the names of their ancestors. I think names influence people’s lives, but they cannot decide all things.”

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“I am from South Korea. Most people in my country have a name made up of two words. Each word has a different meaning. They are combined to make one full meaning. For example, my name is Ji-Eun. Ji means wisdom. And Eun means grace. Together, it means to live wisely and full of grace.”

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“My name, Jelena, is international. I can use Ellen or Hellen in the United Kingdom or the United States. My name comes from the Greek language. It means ‘one that shines’.”

 

　　Voice 7

 

　　“My name, Patrick, comes from the Ancient Romans. And it also comes from the television program Bob Esponja. I am from Ecuador.”

 

　　Voice 8

 

　　“I do not believe that names have an influence on a person’s life or on his or her behaviour. If it does happen, it is just chance. By the way, my name is Denis.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Thanks for all your comments! Our next comments come from the program “The Lost City”. In this program we told about the ancient city of Machu Picchu. The Inca people built this city over 600 years ago. After a short time, they stopped using the city. But in 1911, Hiram Bingham found this city. Many people believe that Bingham was not the first person to find Machu Picchu. But some people say his discovery was still important. He showed the city to the rest of the world. Augusto enjoyed this program. But he also had some questions about it.

 

　　Voice 9

 

　　“It’s interesting to know about a historic and famous place in the world. Thanks to the American researcher, it came to be very famous. The Inca Empire was so big. The organization, the building skills, how did they build the big walls? How did they carry huge stones to the top of the terraces? Think of how many people had to work to lift each stone and put it into place. It’s amazing! And 100 years to discover it!”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　There are many mysteries that surround Machu Picchu. Even experts do not know how the Inca used all the buildings in Machu Picchu. They do not know how the Inca made them. Another commenter, Kris, was also sad that people may never know about this ancient city.

 

　　Voice 6

 

　　“I like the Inca civilization. I think that the European citizens destroyed a beautiful tribe, a beautiful country, and beautiful life. The Inca civilization had many mysteries. But we will never understand these secrets.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　It is sad that we will probably never know the answers to these mysteries. But people can still enjoy wondering about the city!

 

　　Lenskiy had a simple question about the program. In our program we told about the Inca Trail. The Inca used this road to transport goods and to send messages. They walked or ran on the road. Lenskiy asked:

 

　　Voice 8

 

　　“What, the Inca did not use horses?”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Actually, no, they did not use horses! Traditionally, the Inca people used llamas for transportation. These animals are similar to camels. But they have a lot more hair, called wool. However, the Inca did not ride on the llamas. Instead, they walked beside them. Historians believe the Inca may have never seen people riding on animals.  When the Spanish arrived in Peru, the Inca saw them riding on horses. Some historians believe that seeing the Spanish ride on horses may have been extremely frightening to the Inca. This may have helped the Spanish defeat the Inca.

 

　　Our final comments today are about a very old man - Kimani Maruge. We told his story in the program “The Oldest First Grader”. Maruge began going to school when he was 84 years old! Some people were inspired by Maruge’s story. Julie Ppark wrote:

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“'A person is never too old to learn'. What a great saying! My mother is still learning many things such as playing the piano, playing the cello, and speaking in English. I think she is really great and I would like to model myself after her.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　And Augusto shared a story about his own life.

 

　　Voice 9

 

　　“This is a great example for all of us. Even without comfortable conditions to study, he was excited to learn. And with kids, it was hard, but he did it. I did not finish University in business management because I did not like that career. And when I was 27 years old I wanted to begin to study a new career that I liked. My family members and office workers at the University told me it was too late to begin a new career. They told me I was too old and that students were younger than I was. They said the educational system was only for young people. But now I am studying at a University with the distance method. I am 40 years old and I continue receiving negative comments about why I am studying. But I say I deserve it and it is my life.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Thanks for sharing that story with us! It is wonderful that you can do what is best for your life. We hope that you find a career that makes you happy!

 

　　That is all for today’s listener mail program. If you have thoughts or opinions that you want to share with Spotlight, you can leave your comments on the script page of any program.

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes have been adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can find our programs on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “Listener Mail 121”.

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.