VOA标准英语2009年-Twelve-Year-Old Boy Walks to Help Home

Deborah Block | Washington 17 December 2009

 
Zach Bonner

More than one million children are homeless in the United States.  To highlight the problem, 12-year-old Zach Bonner walked hundreds of kilometers from his home city of Tampa, Florida to the U.S. capitol, in Washington, DC.  Along the way, Zach helped out at shelters for the homeless. His efforts were recognized this week by the spirituality website, Beliefnet, whose readers and editors voted him the most inspiring person of 2009. We profile Bonner in this week's Making a Difference series.

Zach Bonner walked across the southeastern United States, a 1,900 kilometer journey to bring attention to the plight¹ of homeless children. 

"I think it's ridiculous that there's any child that doesn't have a home in this country," Zach explains. "I think it's horrible."

He traveled from Florida to Washington, D.C. where he told an audience near the U.S. Capitol that child homelessness in America is real.

"It still amazes me the amount of people still today who don't believe this problem even exists. And the truth is, not only does it exist, but it's getting worse," he asserts².

Zach says the problem has several causes. "Because of the economic crisis³, it's getting worse because of people losing their jobs, and people losing their homes.  And therefore, that's also a reason they become homeless," he says, "And sometimes, the families are abusive toward the child and they run away."
 
Zach did the walk between his studies.  It took him three years to finish his walk, which he began when he was only eight years old.  He averaged 20 kilometers a day.  No matter how tired he got, Zach says he felt he had to keep walking.

"When a child gets tired of being homeless, they don't get to think, 'Well, I'm tired of being homeless, so I'm not going to be homeless anymore.'   So why should I be able to say, 'Well, I'm tired of walking, so I'm not going to walk anymore,'" he states.

Along the way, Zach visited homeless shelters. ". . . helping⁴ plant the gardens - all kinds of stuff, just getting to play with the kids," he says, "hopefully making at least one day of their life better."

Zach has a long history of helping others.  When he was six years old, a powerful hurricane devastated⁵ parts of his home state of Florida.  To help people who had no food or water, he went around his neighborhood with a little red wagon⁶, asking for donations of bottled water and other supplies.

One year later, Zach began the Little Red Wagon Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps underprivileged children.  He and other volunteers fill donated backpacks with food, personal hygiene⁷ products, and small toys to give to homeless children.

Zach has received awards for his volunteer service, including one from President George W. Bush in 2006. 

Next year he plans to put on his walking shoes again for homeless kids. This trip would be almost twice as long -- from Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California.
 

1 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

2 asserts   

声称( assert的第三人称单数 )； 维护； 坚持自己的主张； 生效

参考例句：

• The report asserts confidently that the industry will grow. 报告断言这个产业会发展起来。
• Our new postulate asserts that this is precisely what we cannot say. 我们的新假设恰好断定，这正是我们所不能说的。

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 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。

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

7 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。