环球英语 — 171：Easter Island

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Rebekah Schipper.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. 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
Can one small island serve as a model for all of planet² earth? Today’s Spotlight will look at the history of Easter Island. This small island experienced³ the fall of a very special culture. Could what happened to the people of Easter Island happen to us?
Voice 2
Easter Island is in the South Pacific. It is the loneliest piece of populated land in the world. It sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, all by itself. The closest people live over one thousand six hundred [1600] kilometres away.
Voice 1
But Easter Island’s distance from other land did not keep people from populating it. In the middle of the first millennium⁴ the first people arrived on Easter Island. They settled⁵ there. And their population began to grow.
Voice 2
For many years, Easter Island was a perfect place to live. It was beautiful. Clear blue water surrounded it. A thick palm⁶ forest offered many resources⁷. There was a wide coastal⁸ plain with rich soil. The people could grow their main vegetables: sweet potatoes and yams. And more than thirty [30] different kinds of seabirds made the island their home. The birds’ songs filled the air with music.
Voice 1
The people of Easter Island, the Rapanui, created wonderful stone structures⁹ that still stand on Easter Island today. In fact, Easter Island is known¹⁰ for these structures. They are called “Moai.” Moai look like large stone heads. There are hundreds of Moai on the island. They face the land. Their backs are turned away from the sea. The Moai served as the peoples’ gods.
Voice 2
Over the years the Rapanui created a complex¹¹ social system. They became one of Polynesia’s most advanced cultures. Different chiefs led eleven [11] different Rapanui tribes¹². The tribes lived together peacefully. But, over time something started to threaten that peace.
Voice 1
At first the Rapanui population grew slowly. And then it began to grow more quickly. The Rapanui population reached its highest around the middle of the second [2nd] millennium. There were between ten thousand [10,000] and twenty thousand [20,000] Rapanui people at this time. But, beginning around the year 1600 their culture began to fall apart. And by the middle of the nineteenth century the Rapanui had almost disappeared completely¹³!
Voice 2
Many scientists have studied Easter Island. They had many questions about the Rapanui people. The scientists did not understand how such a complex society could just disappear. But now, after many years of research, scientists believe they have solved the mystery. They have theories about what happened to the Rapanui people.
Voice 1
No one can be completely sure what happened to the people on Easter Island. But, the scientists’ theories may be important to our world today. In effect, the scientists believe that Easter Island may serve as a small model. What happened on Easter Island may represent¹⁴ what could happen to our planet.
Voice 2
The scientists believe that the Rapanui culture rose and fell with the island’s trees. You see, the Rapanui used the same word for “tree” as for “riches” or “wealth.” Scientists studied the remains¹⁵ of trees on the island. And they found that the Rapanui used the island’s trees for everything. They ate the fruit the trees produced. They also ate the birds that lived in the trees. They used the leaves to build the tops of their houses. They used the trees’ outer parts to make clothes. They burned the wood to cook their food and to keep warm. They used the trees tall centres to make small boats for fishing in deep water. And they used fibre¹⁶ from the wood to create ropes. The Rapanui used every part of the island’s trees.
Voice 1
Scientists believe the Rapunui soon started clearing the tree forest. They cut many trees down all at once to make room for their crops. The theory is that the lack of trees soon had a serious effect on the island and its people.
Voice 2
Scientists think that without trees the Rapanui suffered greatly. The food from the trees disappeared. And the Rapanui could no longer make wood boats to hunt big fish in deep water. Instead, they had to eat the smaller fish they found closer to land. After a short time, they had eaten most of those small fish. The people became very hungry.
Voice 1
The lack of trees may have also changed the climate on the island. Fewer trees meant less rain fall. Soon, the Rapanui’s crops started to die from lack of rain. And the soil became hard and dry.
Voice 2
The chiefs believed building more Moai structures would save their people. Their gods would surely¹⁷ help them. But the people were too tired. They did not have enough to eat. They could not build more Moai. And their old stone gods did nothing for them. Scientists say that a civil war began on Easter Island. The Rapanui tribes began to fight each other for resources.
Voice 1
During this time, explorers¹⁸ from different nations also came to Easter Island. They brought new diseases¹⁹ with them. The people were not used to these diseases. And, by 1872, the number of Rapanui fell to just one hundred eleven [111] individuals.
Voice 2
So, can Easter Island serve as a model for the future of our planet? Does what happened on the island represent what could happen to us? Many situations on Earth today are similar to the situations on Easter Island. For example, the earth’s population is rising. Some of the earth’s resources are starting to disappear. Many of the earth’s animals are dying²⁰ out. Too many people in the world do not have enough food to eat. And war threatens to destroy many societies. Will we soon start to lose whole cultures?
Voice 1
Scientists believe that people should think seriously about the events on Easter Island. Jared Diamond, a scientist, has studied the history of Easter Island. He said,
Voice 3
“Thanks to globalization, international trade, airplanes, and the Internet, all countries on Earth today share resources. We affect each other, just like Easter Island’s eleven [11] tribes. Polynesian Easter Island was as lonely in the Pacific Ocean as the Earth is today in space. When the Easter Islanders²¹ got into difficult times, there was nowhere they could go, or nowhere they could turn for help. Nor will we modern people on Earth have a place to go for help. Those are the reasons why people see the fall of Easter Island society as a model, a worst-case situation for what may lie ahead of us in our own future on Earth.”
Voice 1
Jared Diamond believes people today may experience something similar to Easter Island. That is, unless we can learn from the Rapanui people. It is important to remember that the Earth cannot be replaced. It is important to take care of its resources. And, it is important that we, as people, take care of each other.
 

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 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

3 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

4 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

5 settled   

a.固定的；稳定的

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled without acrimony. 没有唇枪舌剑，这场纠纷就解决了。
• a settled way of life 安定的生活方式

6 palm   

n.手掌，棕榈，胜利；vt.与…握手，藏…于掌中

参考例句：

• That woman had her husband in the palm of her hand.那女人牢牢地控制住她丈夫。
• Palm trees grow all around the island.岛上到处长着棕榈树。

7 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

9 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

11 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

12 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

14 represent   

vt.表现，表示；描绘，讲述；代表，象征；回忆；再赠送，再上演；vi.提出异议

参考例句：

• I'll represent to him the risk he is running.我要向他指出他所面临的险境。
• We selected her to represent us.我们选她作为我们的代表。

15 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。

16 fibre   

n.纤维；纤维制品

参考例句：

• Most vegetables contain fibre.大多数蔬菜都含有纤维。
• Nylon is a man-made fibre.尼龙是一种人造纤维。

17 surely   

adv.确实地，无疑地；必定地，一定地

参考例句：

• It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
• Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。

18 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

21 islanders   

岛民( islander的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The islanders could barely survive without an export crop. 没有出口作物，岛上的居民几乎无法生存。
• The islanders were on fire and determined to fight against the attackers. 岛上的人情绪激昂，决心与来犯者战斗一场。