VOA慢速英语--纽约市为一名津巴布韦妇女塑铜像

Zimbabwean Woman Honored with Statue in New York City

Zimbabwe’s Tererai Trent became famous in the United States after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2009. On the television program, she explained how she overcame great difficulties to get an education. Now, Trent finds herself honored with a bronze statue near one of Oprah Winfrey in New York City. She is reported to be the only African woman to have received this honor.

The life-like statue is one of 10 “Statues for Equality” created by sculptors¹ Gillie and Marc Schattner. Trent’s statue shows her with arms raised, surrounded by the flame lily, Zimbabwe’s national flower.

Gillie Schattner spoke² recently at a ceremony for the 10 statues. She said, “It comes without saying that, by projecting these women into larger-than-life-size sculptures, it will help change our society — a change that will elevate³ the lives of women all around the world.”

The Zimbabwean educator and humanitarian⁴ also spoke at the ceremony. She told the crowd, “I come from a very poor place, and I grew up very poor. I had four babies before I was even 18 years of age, and to think that because of the power of believing in a dream and today I am being celebrated⁵.”

“And to think I have a statue in New York, the most celebrated city in the world? It’s just unbelievable. Even my own grandmother and my mother never dreamt of that,” she said.

Trent was denied an education in her village because she was a girl. She secretly learned to read by using her brother’s books. She was married when she was only 11. She says that her husband abused her.

But Trent did not let her dreams die. She moved to the United States and continued her education. She earned a doctoral degree after 20 years of effort. She taught at Drexel University in Pennsylvania and currently⁶ heads the Tererai Trent International Foundation. The group works to provide education to children in rural Zimbabwe.

Trent is a popular public speaker and writer. “When one woman is silenced, there is a part within all of us women that get silenced,” she said. “But when women are awakened⁷ and recognized in public places, all of us, we get the true joy of knowing that we are all equal with men.”

Trent’s story has motivated people around the world. Oprah Winfrey announced she would donate $1.5 million to assist Trent in building schools. In all, they have built 12 schools in rural Zimbabwe and helped 38,000 children get an education. Some of those children are now going to colleges and universities.

Beatrice Nyamweda is Trent’s friend of more than 35 years. She traveled from Zimbabwe to New York to attend the ceremony. She said Trent’s influence is felt back home in communities where not everyone has an opportunity to get an education.

Nyamweda added, “There are 10 children who went to her school and started studying at the university currently. She has changed the lives of these children who are bright but lack resources. I am proud of her for that.”

Trent said that what makes her happiest is passing along opportunities she received to others. She said she made a decision to end the poverty and oppression that held back the women in her family for generations.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

bronze – n. a metal that is made by combining copper⁸ and tin

doctoral degree – n. the highest degree that is given by a university

elevate – v. to lift something up; to improve the mind or mood of someone

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

resources – n. a supply of something such as money that someone has and can use when it is needed

proud – adj. very happy and pleased because of something you have done, something you own, someone you know or are related to, etc.; feeling pride

1 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 elevate   

vt.提升职位，改善，使兴高采烈，举起

参考例句：

• Reading good books elevate one's mind.阅读好书可提高人的心灵修养。
• Emotional stress can elevate blood pressure.情绪压力可能会导致血压升高。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。