环球英语 — 179：Refugee Football

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Ryan Geertsma.
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
Shamsoun Dikori was born in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan in the early 1980’s. He remembers his home as a beautiful place. It was filled with fruit trees and grass fields. As the oldest of six children, Shamsoun also had a large, loving family.
Voice 3
“My mother cared for everyone. She always wanted the best for her children. And my father worked hard on our farm. Then my mother always told us stories at night. Everyone sat under the stars. My home is a beautiful place.”
Voice 2
However, that beautiful home was soon surrounded by war. In 1983, a civil war began between North and South Sudan. Much of the fighting happened in the Nuba Mountains, near Shamsoun’s home.
Voice 3
“The planes came at night. We did not expect them to come. You see a bomb dropped and you see somebody’s arm is cut off. You see somebody’s leg is cut off. And you run for your life.”
“There was a little girl and she got shot². It was the end of her life. That was my first time seeing a person get killed. And it was a little child.”
Voice 1
Shamsoun’s family ran from the fighting. They wanted to stay safe. They did not want to be a part of the war.
Voice 2
For two years, they ran. Finally, in the year 2000, they arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United³ States.
Voice 1
Shamsoun’s family had escaped the war. But, like many refugee⁴ families, they still had many problems. They had very little money. They had to learn a new language. And many people in their community did not accept them. Other students in Shamsoun’s class said terrible things to him.
Voice 2
But Shamsoun’s mother encouraged him. She told him to be strong, and to continue studying. She dreamed that he would be the first member of their family to go to college.
Voice 1
So he kept studying. For two years, Shamsoun did well in school. He worked very hard. He hoped to make his family proud.
Voice 2
But on November 27 2002, everything changed. Shamsoun’s family drove⁵ to a holiday party. On the way, their car went off the road. They were driving very fast.
Voice 3
“The car moved very fast. And then it turned over many times. After that I could not see anything for a short time.”
Voice 1
Finally, Shamsoun opened his eyes. He heard his father’s voice calling to him. He reached out his hand, and his father pulled him from the car. Shamsoun saw that something bad had happened.
Voice 3
“When I looked in his eyes, he was trying to tell me something. His face was the saddest I have ever seen.”
Voice 2
Shamsoun’s mother, two of his brothers and his sister all died in the crash. He felt helpless⁶ and alone.
Voice 1
So Shamsoun began doing the one thing that had always made him happy - he played football. The game helped him forget about all the sadness.
Voice 2
Soon, a friend told him about a football team made of refugee children, just like him. The coach, Luma Mufleh called the team the Fugees. When she saw Shamsoun play, she felt excited.
Voice 4
“The minute he stepped on that field, I saw his huge smile. And I knew he loved it.”
Voice 1
For Luma Mefleh the Fugees were like a family. Luma grew up in Jordan, in the Middle East. She came to the United States for school. After she finished university, Luma did not know what she wanted. She tried many jobs, and moved to many different places. Finally, she moved to Georgia. But she still felt unsatisfied. Until one day, she saw a group of children playing football on the street. It reminded her of her brothers and cousins in Jordan. She began playing with them. And she discovered that they were all refugees⁷. She loved playing with the group. So soon after, she decided⁸ to form a football team. But she needed more players. She invited other refugee children to join. Soon, she had a team of more than thirty children!
Voice 2
For a short time, the Fugees were only a football team. They met every week to play games and have fun. But Luma noticed that many of the children did not have enough to eat. Their families were very poor.
Voice 1
So Luma began to think about new ways to help them. She started a cleaning business, and hired the parents of her team members. These jobs provided⁹ a step out of poverty¹⁰ for the families.
Voice 2
Over the next several years, the Fugees football team kept growing. Soon it became two teams, and then three teams. They played real football games against other teams from the city.
Voice 1
Luma felt more and more love for the children on the team. She treated them like they were her own children. Today, the Fugees gives many refugee children a safe place to play, grow and learn.
Voice 2
When Shamsoun joined the Fugees, Coach Luma had a strange request for him. She told him to bring his school work when he came to play football. She wanted to help him do well in school. And she knew that he needed encouragement. Shamsoun also knew that this was very important.
Voice 3
“It was my mother’s dream for me to do well. Coach Luma became like a mother to me.”
Voice 1
With the coach’s help, Shamsoun worked hard at school and at football. In 2007 he finished high school.
Voice 3
“It took some time to understand that my mother was gone. There is nothing I can do about that. So I try to work hard. I try every day to work hard in school so I can make her happy.”
Voice 2
Life is still difficult for Shamsoun, but he has a lot to be happy about. Next year, he will be attending university. He received a football scholarship¹¹, for his hard work in school and in football. He will not have to pay any money for his education.
Voice 3
“I am very excited. I am the most blessed person in the world. But I am going to keep working, so that when I finish some day I can say, ‘See? I made it. I am still standing¹².’”
Voice 1
Luma Mufleh made a big difference in Shamsoun’s life. She gave him a safe place to play, and learn. When people ask her why she wants to help children like Shamsoun, she answers,
Voice 4
“The truth is that I love helping¹³ these children, and I cannot imagine doing anything else.”
 

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 shot   

n.炮弹，射击，射手；v.射击，发出，发芽；vbl.射击，发出，发芽

参考例句：

• He shot a wild duck.他射中一只野鸭。
• All the children shot out their hands for the money.所有的孩子突然伸出手来要钱。

3 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

4 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

5 drove   

vbl.驾驶，drive的过去式；n.畜群

参考例句：

• He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
• They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。

6 helpless   

adj.无助的，无依无靠的；不能自力的

参考例句：

• The other team was helpless and we had a real field day.对方队很弱，我们轻易取胜。
• They felt helpless to do anything about it.他们对这事感到无能为力。

7 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

8 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。

9 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

10 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

11 scholarship   

n.学问，学术成就，奖学金

参考例句：

• The girl who won the scholarship was quite outstanding.得奖学金的女孩是相当杰出的。
• I made up my mind to apply for a scholarship.我决定申请奖学金。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 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。