环球英语 — 316：Skateistan

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby² Jones. 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
One day, Oliver Percovich decided³ to ride on his skateboard. He put his board on the ground. He stood on it with one foot. He used his other foot to push the ground and move himself forward. The four wheels of the board rolled smoothly⁴. Going down a hill he could just stand and ride along. However, he was soon surrounded by children. They wanted to know what he was doing. They had never seen a skateboard before. They wanted to try for themselves. It was the first time anyone had risked riding a skateboard on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan.
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on Skateistan. Skateistan is the first skateboarding school in Afghanistan. A skateboard is a one metre wooden board with four wheels attached to the bottom. A person stands on top of the board and rides anywhere there is a smooth surface. Expert riders can do difficult tricks and jumps. Skateistan tries to teach the children of Afghanistan how to ride on skateboards. It also tries to present a positive image of Afghanistan to the world.
Voice 1
Many people know the country of Afghanistan because of the recent conflicts there. From nineteen seventy nine to nineteen eighty nine, Afghanistan was invaded⁵ by the former Soviet⁶ Union. The Soviet Union was driven out by a group of Afghans called the Taliban. Then, in two thousand one, an international army led by the United States overthrew⁷ the Taliban. Although many people disapproved⁸ of the Taliban's policies, many people have also been unhappy with the new government, which is supported by the United States.
Voice 2
This has lead to continuing conflict in Afghanistan. The United States and their allies⁹ continue to keep soldiers in the country. They are looking for Osama bin¹⁰ Laden¹¹, the leader of Al-Qaeda. Also, different groups of Afghans fight to lead the country. In major cities car bombs explode. Gun shots are common. Many people have been killed. And there have been more and more attacks against international aid workers. Often they are kidnapped as they walk the street.
Voice 1
Because of the fighting, most foreigners stay in guarded buildings. They drive around in four wheel drive vehicles with body guards. But the children of Afghanistan do not have these things. The fighting has greatly affected¹² them. In the capital city of Kabul, many children take drugs. There are not many safe places to play. Many children do not know how to read. This is especially true for girls. Afghanistan is not an easy place to be a child.
Voice 2
Oliver Percovich came from Australia to Afghanistan because his girlfriend was doing research in the country. He liked to ride skateboards so much that he brought a few with him. He did not like how many foreigners did not mix with native people. So he decided to learn about the city of Kabul by riding around on a skateboard. He says:
Voice 3
"I found it strange that other foreigners did not get out of the four-wheel drive vehicles. After three weeks I was telling people who had been here for two years what the city was like."
Voice 1
As soon as he began to skateboard through the city, he was surrounded by children. They wondered what he was doing. He says,
Voice 3
"When you pull out a skateboard and you start skateboarding around, people are very interested. And then once they tried it, they really loved it."
Voice 1
This was the beginning of the skateboarding school. Oliver began to gather and teach children how to skateboard. The children were excited to have the chance to skate. Oliver was happy to teach them. Talking to the Guardian¹³ newspaper, Oliver says,
Voice 3
"They are naturally good at skateboarding. They have got more balance than Western children. Mainly because they are not frightened to fall and get up again."
Voice 2
Oliver saw that these children did not have the chance to ride a skateboard without his help. There is no place in Afghanistan that sold skateboards. Oliver wanted to teach more children how to skateboard. But he did not have many resources to keep Skateistan going. He says:
Voice 3
"I had about 1000 Euros and a few skateboards. And that was about it."
Voice 1
He spent most of 2007 trying to raise money for the skateboarding school. But he was not successful. He thought that Skateistan would have to end.
Voice 2
For the girls, this would be especially sad. Many of the girls' families believe that when a girl becomes a woman, her life must change. She must not play sports, or mix with boys. For these girls, Skateistan was a special chance to try a new sport, and be physically¹⁴ active.
Voice 1
Help came from the embassy¹⁵ from Norway. They gave a gift of 50,000 dollars. This permitted Oliver to buy safety equipment for the children. They bought helmets to protect their heads. Also, he bought protection for their wrists and knees. He also bought more skateboards. He even paid one of the better local skateboard riders to work as his assistant.
Voice 2
Oliver continues to raise money for the skateboarding school. Oliver is trying to create a warm place where children can skateboard in the winter. He would also have separate classes for girls and boys. Separate classes may even permit girls to ride their skateboards as they get older.
Voice 1
It is still dangerous for Oliver and Skateistan. In November of 2008, a car bomb exploded close to where they were riding skateboards. Foreign people are warned to stay away from public places. They are told to keep changing the path they drive to avoid being kidnapped. Yet, Oliver and his team gather in the same public place several times each week. He tries to balance his safety with offering Afghan children the chance to have a life filled with more than fighting. He hopes that after the program is operating, he can give the program's leadership to Afghan people. He talks about his hope this way:
Voice 3
"Afghan children are like children anywhere else in the world. They just have not been given the same chances. They need a positive environment to do positive things for Afghanistan and themselves."
 

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 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 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。

4 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

5 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

7 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

8 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

10 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

11 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

12 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。

13 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

15 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。