美国国家公共电台 NPR Welcome To 'The Cleanest Village In India'

 

LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:

India's remote northeast is a medley¹ of traditional tribes and cultures. Only a narrow corridor connects the area to the Indian subcontinent. And in that secluded² corner, NPR's Julie McCarthy discovered one village unlike any other in India.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE³: Reaching Mawlynnong, population 500, is an adventure, rumbling⁴ down mountain roads, peering into emerald valleys before plateauing into lush vegetation. A sign at the village entrance announces God's Own Garden.

(SOUNDBITE OF SWEEPING⁵)

MCCARTHY: With its bamboo and wooden houses, some crowned with thatched roofs, Mawlynnong is not just picturesque⁶. It is spick and span. Its inhabitants from the Khasi tribe grow beetle⁷ nut and appropriately enough a plant called broomstick.

(SOUNDBITE OF RUSHING WATER)

MCCARTHY: The stream used for washing is crystal clear. Butterfly-filled gardens adorn⁸ almost every one of the 95 homes. Flowers line the lanes of this quaint⁹, one-kilometer-square village. And you can't walk 50 feet without seeing a wicker litter basket - the symbol of what is now known as the cleanest village in India. Indian tourists descend¹⁰ like scientists who have discovered another species.

You came a long way from Kolkata to come to this village. What do you think?

UTTAM DAWN: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: Uttam Dawn and his family traveled over 20 hours to reach this little Eden. It's beautiful - he repeats it for emphasis. We've never seen a place this clean. He says the sense of civic¹¹ responsibility evident here is missing where he's from. A village this spit-polished is a novelty in India. Cities and villages are often unsightly and garbage-strewn. Local villagers are amused that they have become an attraction. And the secret to Mawlynnong's sparkle - a tribal¹² tradition that equates¹³ cleanliness with a beauty of its own. Resident Badapbiang Khongtheim says villagers here don't look at how grand someone's house is but how clean it is kept.

BADAPBIANG KHONGTHEIM: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: "Cleanliness has more value than material wealth," she says. "It's what people see. It's what they talk about. It's what they exchange compliments over."

KHONGTHEIM: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: "From the time we were young," she says, "this village" - which is devoutly¹⁴ Christian¹⁵ - "was told that God is clean." Tour guide Aisuk Lin says there's no escaping it. It's in our genes¹⁶.

AISUK LIN: We love gardening. We love cleaning, especially to make the pots, the utensils¹⁷, the pitcher¹⁸ pots shining.

MCCARTHY: Hosana Mawroh opened a small restaurant in the village where she caters¹⁹ to the army of visitors who come to marvel²⁰ at Mawlynnong. Her kitchen is spotless. A mother of six, Hosana says she's uncomfortable if things are out of order.

HOSANA MAWROH: (Foreign language spoken).

MCCARTHY: "There's not a morning I don't feel like getting up, grabbing my broom and sweeping my compound," she says. "My heart doesn't allow me to be unclean." But make no mistake, Hosana says, all this beautifying is hard work, from the time we wake until we sleep. For those who lack Hosana's gusto, Morgan, the town crier...

MORGAN: (Shouting in foreign language).

MCCARTHY: ...Reminds them every Friday night of their duty.

MORGAN: (Shouting in foreign language).

MCCARTHY: He does it every Friday night. He walks around the village, and he hollers to people outside their door at 8 o'clock at night.

It's a weekly ritual since visitors started coming, creating even more trash.

(CROSSTALK)

MCCARTHY: One recent Saturday drew mostly children who mostly ordered each other to pick up wrappers and litter. Bawan Buhdor is just 11, but the significance of the community service is not lost on him.

Why is it important to have a clean village?

BAWAN BUHDOR: Because if we clean the village, there is no germs, diseases, no pollution also.

MCCARTHY: Mawlynnong has a rigorous recycling program, non-existent in most of India, and fame has brought rewards. Homestays have sprouted²¹ up. Stalls sell local crafts. The village headman says, thanks to the influx²² of tourists, incomes are up 60 percent. Hosana says she now buys her family better food and better clothing - none of it possible without strong social cohesion²³ and the humble²⁴ act of cleaning. Julie McCarthy, NPR News.

1 medley   

n.混合

参考例句：

• Today's sports meeting doesn't seem to include medley relay swimming.现在的运动会好象还没有混合接力泳这个比赛项目。
• China won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.中国赢得了男子200米个人混合泳比赛。

2 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 rumbling   

n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词

参考例句：

• The earthquake began with a deep [low] rumbling sound. 地震开始时发出低沉的隆隆声。
• The crane made rumbling sound. 吊车发出隆隆的响声。

5 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

6 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

7 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

8 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

9 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

10 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

11 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

12 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

13 equates   

v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的第三人称单数 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• He equates success with material wealth. 他认为成功等同于物质财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This equates to increased and vigor, better sleep and sharper mental acuity. 也就是说可以起到增强活力，改善睡眠，提高心智的作用。 来自互联网

14 devoutly   

adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地

参考例句：

• She was a devoutly Catholic. 她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This was not a boast, but a hope, at once bold and devoutly humble. 这不是夸夸其谈，而是一个即大胆而又诚心、谦虚的希望。 来自辞典例句

15 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

16 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

17 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

18 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

19 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

20 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

21 sprouted   

v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• We can't use these potatoes; they've all sprouted. 这些土豆儿不能吃了，都出芽了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rice seeds have sprouted. 稻种已经出芽了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

22 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

23 cohesion   

n.团结，凝结力

参考例句：

• I had to bring some cohesion into the company.我得使整个公司恢复凝聚力。
• The power of culture is deeply rooted in the vitality,creativity and cohesion of a nation. 文化的力量，深深熔铸在民族的生命力、创造力和凝聚力之中。

24 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。