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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight1. I'm Joshua Leo
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
In a small room, thirty men and women sit in the dark. On the wall there are words. These people repeat the words as a teacher reads them. With a small movement, the words on the wall turn into an image. These people are in a reading class. But this class is special. They are using a machine called the Kinkajou Projector2. Today's Spotlight is about this machine and how it is helping3 people learn to read all around the world.
Voice 2
In 2001, a group of students started a new project for other students. They studied at MIT, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is one of the best technology universities in the world. This new project let students use their skills to build technology for people in poor communities. Student leaders believed they could develop tools for people in developing4 countries. After a few years, two former MIT students turned this project into a larger organization. They called this organization "Design that Matters."
Voice 1
Design that Matters works5 by finding6 problems, and then developing tools to deal with these problems. One problem they identified is illiteracy7. That is, many people in poor countries cannot read - they are illiterate9. In fact, one in five adults in the world does not know how to read. This problem is especially bad in West Africa. In some areas of West Africa, 75 percent of people cannot read. This is true in the country of Mali. For women, the problem is even bigger.
Voice 2
Reading makes a big difference in people's lives. It lets people read the information on medicine. It helps them to vote. It helps them get jobs. Reading is often the key to escaping poverty10. Many people want to read but do not have the chance to learn.
Voice 1
In poor areas of Mali, it can be very difficult to take classes to learn how to read. Many people must work all day to make money or grow food. They do not have time to take classes during the day. So many people in Mali take reading classes at night.
Voice 2
When workers from Design that Matters went to Mali, they saw these classes. They saw groups of men and women sitting in a small room. The room was very dark. There was only one small gas light in the corner. The teacher stood in the light, so that the students could see him. But this meant that the students were sitting in the dark. They had books, but it was difficult to see the paper.
Voice 1
Most of these reading classrooms did not have electricity. Without electricity, the rooms did not have enough light for all the students to see their books. There was also another problem with the books. They were printed in the United11 States and then sent to Mali for a high cost. Aid groups have worked to help people learn how to read. But the groups could not solve problems like lack of light.
Voice 2
So, back in the United States, Design that Matters started working on a new project to solve this problem. The project was a projector - that is, a machine that uses light to show words on the wall. People use projectors12 all over the world. They use movie projectors to show films in theatres. Businesses use projectors to show information on large pieces of cloth in rooms. But these projectors cost a lot of money. And they use electricity to operate. Design that Matters wanted to create a projector that was easy to use and did not cost a lot of money.
Voice 1
The group also studied solar panels13. These devices14 turn the energy of the sun into electricity. The energy is stored in batteries15.
Voice 2
Soon, the group had a machine to test. They called this projector the Kinkajou Projector. A kinkajou is an animal that comes out only at night. It lives in South America and it looks a little like a monkey.
Voice 1
The Kinkajou Projector uses solar energy to power a light in the machine. The light shines through a long piece of film, kind of like a movie projector. Images are printed on the film. When the light passes through this film, the images appear on the wall.
Voice 2
The next part of the project was creating film for the reading classes. The group decided16 to use a material called microfilm. Microfilm is a very small film. But although the microfilm is very small, it can hold a lot of information. One roll of microfilm can hold 10,000 pages of information! That is like having thirty books on a single piece of microfilm! And the microfilm only costs five dollars.
Voice 1
Design that Matters created special materials for the reading classes in Mali. They put all this information on the microfilm. Then, they tested the Kinkajou Projector in a few classes in Mali. The projector put the words and images up on the wall of the classroom. The results were wonderful! Everyone could see it easily. It was like each person had a book, but it did not cost as much money.
Voice 2
So Design that Matters decided to create more Kinkajou Projectors. They made them for much less money than other projectors. The Kinkajou Projector and its solar power battery17 only costs twenty five dollars. The Projector is very strong and will not break easily. And it does not use much electricity to work.
Voice 1
Soon, classes all over Mali were using the Kinkajou Projector. And studies showed that the people who learned18 using the Kinkajou Projector did much better than students in other classes. The Kinkajou Projector classes did better than many daytime classes. And after two years of use, over 3,000 adults in Mali have learned to read using the Kinkajou Projector.
Voice 2
But the projectors are not just used in night classes for adults. Schools for children have also started using the Kinkajou Projectors in their classes. Students in these classes are doing much better than the children in classes without Kinkajou Projectors. The teachers in these classes do not have to search for books or other items19. Each student can see what they need on the wall. The Kinkajou Projector is changing the way classrooms work. It is helping both adults and children learn.
Voice 1
Today, Design that Matters has expanded the Kinkajou Projector project to many more places. Classes in Bangladesh, Benin, and India also use the Kinkajou Projector. By increasing literacy8 around the world, the Kinkajou Projector improves people's lives. These adults can teach the children to read. They can vote for elected officials. They can learn about important issues20 such as health and medicine. For people in these countries, the ability to read gives power to make positive life changes.
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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projector
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| n.投影机，放映机，幻灯机 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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developing
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| adj.发展中的 | |
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works
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| n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件 | |
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finding
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| n.发现，发现物；调查的结果 | |
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illiteracy
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| n.文盲 | |
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literacy
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| n.识字，有文化，读写能力 | |
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illiterate
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| adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲 | |
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poverty
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| n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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projectors
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| 电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 ) | |
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panels
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| 镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板 | |
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devices
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| n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段 | |
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batteries
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| n.电池；（蓄）电池（组）( battery的名词复数 )；一系列；排炮；层架式鸡笼 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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battery
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| n.电池；一批；金属物件；群；【律】殴打 | |
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learned
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| adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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items
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| n.物料项目 （任何一种自制或采购的零部件或组装件，如最终产品、部件、子部件、零件或原材料）；条( item的名词复数 )；一项；一则；一件商品（或物品） | |
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issues
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| （水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题 | |
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