2007年VOA标准英语-Australian Lifeguards Get a New Look

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
24 January 2007

For decades the bronzed, blond and blue-eyed lifesaver has been an Australian icon¹. Now the face of the Australian lifesaving is changing drastically, thanks to a concerted effort to broaden the membership base. In the wake of the Cronulla race riots in Sydney in December 2005 Muslims are being encouraged to join up. Muslim girls can wear specially² designed outfits⁴ called burqini, a play on the words bikini and burqa. The outfit³ preserves modesty⁵ but is light enough to enable freedom to maneuver⁶ to rescue troubled bathers. Phil Mercer reports from Cronulla Beach.

 
Mecca Laallaa
REPORTER: "Just explain the costume you have on. We understand it's called the burqini.

MECCA: The 'burqini, yep, and it's just a swimming outfit that's just extended to cover my hair and just long and it enables me to swim freely within the water."

Mecca Laalaa is one of a pioneering group of young Muslims training to become lifeguards in the name of racial harmony. The burqini is her two-piece outfit of stretchy material which covers her hair, as some Muslims wish, and exposes only her hands, feet and face.

"Because I'm Australian and my parents are Lebanese so I'm hopefully trying to integrate both of them together," she explains.

The race riots that erupted here at Cronulla just over a year ago showed how far apart sections of the Middle Eastern community are from mainstream⁷ Australian society. Groups of Lebanese men fought running battles with gangs of young white Australians.

This lifesaving program is all about building bridges after that shocking time.

 
Young Muslim lifeguards
Another young Lebanese-Australian Malaak Mourad is happy to do her bit.

"This riot had to happen for people to see that there are problems between different nationalities and different cultures," he said. "It's not so much a good thing that it happened but it's let people understand that there is tension and it has to be resolved. It's a good feeling to know that you're helping⁸ and breaking these stereotypes⁹ and these barriers between the cultures."

The mistrust that caused the Cronulla disturbances¹⁰ still remains¹¹. Back then, young Muslims who came to the beach from other parts of Sydney were often seen as trouble-makers and some locals are unhappy to see them volunteering as lifeguards.

Other beachgoers welcome the new lifesaving recruitment.

"I think it's great. I think it's good that everyone is embracing the Australian culture and I think that we should all work harder to embrace each other's culture."

Suheil is a young Palestinian student who moved to Australia seven years ago. He loves being a trainee¹² lifesaver but some of his Arabic friends and relatives have reservations.

"There's been different sort of reactions to it," she says. "Other people are like, you know, 'oh, why are you going over there to help them for.' You know, that sort of attitude, but it's more the previous generation not sort of our age, but as far as the Arabic community - yeah - just mixed and people don't think that they're allowed to come in."

Trainees¹³ with a Lebanese, Egyptian, Syrian and Palestinian heritage have all been involved in this unique plan.

Islamic community leader Dr. Jamal Rifi believes the program can foster greater harmony.

"First of all we, as Australian Muslims suffer from being superficially labeled as extremist or terrorist-lovers or even ideologically¹⁴ hard-liners," he says. " At [the] same time the Cronulla community has been labeled as being racist¹⁵, separatist and insular¹⁶. Through this project we are hoping to actually dislodge that image."

As for the training, these recruits from Middle Eastern families have to pass the same physical and first aid tests as everyone else. When they qualify they will be able to wear the lifesavers' distinctive¹⁷ red and yellow uniform - one of Australia's most iconic and respected symbols.

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 specially   

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。

3 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

4 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

5 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

6 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

7 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

8 helping   

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。

9 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

11 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。

12 trainee   

n.受训练者

参考例句：

• The trainee checked out all right on his first flight.受训者第一次飞行完全合格。
• Few of the trainee footballers make it to the top.足球受训人员中没有几个能达到顶级水平。

13 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

14 ideologically   

adv. 意识形态上地，思想上地

参考例句：

• Ideologically, they have many differences. 在思想意识上，他们之间有许多不同之处。
• He has slipped back ideologically. 他思想退步了。

15 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

16 insular   

adj.岛屿的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• Having lived in one place all his life,his views are insular.他一辈子住在一个地方，所以思想狭隘。

17 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。