环球英语 — 165：SurfAid International

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Waves of ocean water move along the coast. In the distance people swim out into the water. They are on long flat boards. The surfers stand on these long flat boards to ride on the top of these large waves of water. They love the feeling of riding the waves.
Voice 2
Surfing is a popular sport all over the world. And many surfers travel far distances to find the perfect wave. Doctor Dave Jenkins is one of these surfers. He loved to travel around the world to find good places to surf. In 1999, he travelled to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia. There, he became concerned. The people living on the islands were not healthy. Doctor Jenkins decided² to do something about this problem.
Today’s Spotlight is on Surfaid International. Through this group, Doctor Jenkins works³ to improve the health of people in Indonesia.
Voice 1
Like many surfers, Doctor Jenkins enjoyed surfing in Indonesia. There were very few other surfers. And there were great waves. But he worried about the health of the people living there. Many of the people suffered from malaria⁴, and other preventable diseases⁵.
Voice 2
The Mentawai Islands are on the west coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The warm wet weather is perfect for mosquitos. These insects carry the malaria virus from person to person. According to Surfaid, malaria affects every family in the Mentawai Islands. And in the most affected⁶ villages, twenty-five percent [25%] of the children die from preventable diseases, before they are twelve years old. These villages did not have doctors or good medicines. The people wanted to have better health. But they did not have a way to get the help they wanted.
Voice 1
But Doctor Jenkins saw a way to help. When he returned to his home in New Zealand, he made a plan. He wanted to provide health care to the island communities. So he formed the aid group, SurfAid International.
Voice 2
Another surfer named Andrew Griffiths heard of Doctor Jenkins’ project. He also wanted to help. The two men asked their surfing friends and local business people to help the aid group with money. Together the two men collected a few thousand dollars.
Voice 1
Doctor Jenkins and Mr. Griffiths knew that malaria was a big concern for the island communities. The men used the money to purchase mosquito nets. These are large thin pieces of cloth. People sleep under them. A person can see through a mosquito net. But insects can not get through it. The two men also purchased permethrin to put on the nets. This chemical kills insects. The men gave these items to the people living near their favorite surfing place.
Voice 2
Their first trip went very well. Mr. Griffiths became very excited about the project. He wanted to do more. So he left his job in the United Kingdom and moved to Sumatra. Doctor Jenkins also moved. They built an office close to the Mentawai Islands. From their office in Padang Sumatra, Doctor Jenkins and Mr Griffiths expanded SurfAid.
Voice 1
Surfers and surfing companies still support SurfAid. They want to help the communities they see. This support is very important to SurfAid. But there is a group whose support is even more important - the Mentawai Island communities!
Voice 2
That’s right. SurfAid works with these communities. The Mentawai Island communities tell SurfAid what they need. And then, SurfAid works with them to meet these needs. Without the help of the communities, SurfAid would not work. With the communities, SurfAid can help many people.
Voice 1
In 2004, a tsunami⁷ destroyed many villages in Indonesia. This very large wave damaged the Mentawai Islands. Many people lost their homes. But SurfAid was there. It worked with the villagers to provide health care and safe drinking water. Today, SurfAid is working with communities to prepare for disasters in the future.
Voice 2
And SurfAid is still helping⁸ these communities with health care. Sylvie is a young girl. She was born after the tsunami. She is the youngest child in a family of seven [7] children. Her parents noticed that she had stopped growing at eight [8] months old. Sylvie was smaller and less active than other children her age.
Voice 2
Jati Kumoro, a SurfAid worker, noticed Sylvie at one of the movable health stations.
Voice 3
“As soon as I saw Silvie I knew she was very under-weight. I was very afraid she was going to die. She weighed only five point five [5.5] kilograms when a child her age should weigh ten [10] kilograms. Her weight was at a dangerous level.”
Voice 2
Jati talked to Sylvie’s parents. He learned⁹ that her diet was usually only a porridge made of rice, water, and salt. She was not getting the vitamins and minerals she needed to be healthy. Jati explained that it was important for Sylvie to eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day.
Voice 1
Jati asked local health officials to visit with the family often to observe her growth. Today Sylvie is on a better diet this will help her to grow like a normal, healthy child.
Sylvie’s father is happy that Surfaid is helping his daughter. He says:
Voice 4
“Our greatest fear was that she would die. We are grateful to Jati for telling us how to help her gain weight... We want her to be healthy like all the other children in the village. Happy and healthy and full of energy.”
Voice 2
Sylvie is just one of the many people SurfAid serves. Today, the group has expanded to serve fifty three villages on the Mentawai islands and the island of Nias. They hope that soon, villagers can operate their own health programs in their communities.
Voice 1
When Doctor Jenkins went to the Mentawai Islands, he went to surf. He did not expect that this trip would change his life. He suddenly felt responsible to the communities on the Mentawai Islands.
Voice 2
Christians¹⁰ believe that God wants us to feel this responsibility. God wants the rich to care for the poor, the strong to care for the weak, and the healthy care for the unhealthy. The Bible¹¹ says “There will always be poor people in the land. So, I’m commanding you to give freely¹² to those who are poor and needy¹³ in your land. Open your hands to them.” What ways can you care for people in your community? How can you help those in need?
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

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 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

10 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

11 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

12 freely   

adv.自由地，随便地，无拘无束地

参考例句：

• She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水，痛痛快快地哭了起来。
• A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动，无固定形态。

13 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。