英语听力—环球英语 586 Craig Sorley: Caring for Creation

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Marina Santee
Voice 2
And I'm Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
'We are in a nation now that is suffering from a lot of different kinds of environmental issues.'
Voice 1
These are the words of Craig Sorley. Craig lives in Kenya. He has devoted² his life to improving the environment - and he teaches other people to do the same. In today's Spotlight we speak to Craig Sorley. We ask him about his work, his life, and his beliefs.
Voice 2
Craig Sorley grew up in East Africa. When he was young he lived in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. His parents were both doctors in these countries.
Voice 1
In the early 1980s Craig witnessed the terrible spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. But Craig did not want to be a doctor like his parents. His religious faith led him to want to help - but he wanted to help with a different problem. He says,
Voice 3
‘I could see that another huge problem was coming. The problem was what was happening to the environment across East Africa. I wanted to be a Christian³ worker. But I particularly wanted to work for the environment.'
Voice 2
When he was older, Craig travelled to the United States to study. But while he was at university he became very sick. He developed brain cancer. This became a very important time in Craig's life. While he was very sick he thought more about his life. He knew that he had always wanted to work for the environment. Now he saw that he needed to start working towards this dream. Craig says,
Voice 3
‘During that time in the hospital it became very clear to me. The environment was what I should spend my life working on. I began to look for what the Christian Church was saying and teaching⁴ about this issue. I discovered that they were not saying much at all.'
Voice 1
After some time, Craig recovered from his cancer. He returned to University to study about the environment. Then in 2003 he moved back to Kenya with his wife. He had not forgotten the desire he had when he was a child. He still wanted to help protect the environment in East Africa.
Voice 2
Today, Craig works⁵ with local people and churches in Kenya. He encourages them to care for the environment. He shows them ways to do this. He also explains some of the current problems to them.
Voice 3
‘One of the most serious issues is cutting down forest - deforestation. That leads to fast floods. It increases the amount of soil that is lost. It leads to changes in when and where the rain falls. All those things add up together to have a huge effect. For example, land that used to produce good crops now produces less.'
Voice 1
In 2005 Craig Sorley created an organisation⁶ to do this work. The organisation is called ‘Care of Creation⁷'. Care of Creation divides its work between three main issues. It says these are the most important problems in the area. They are wood, water and food. Craig says,
Voice 3
‘The way we describe it is "planting God's trees, harvesting God's water and farming God's way". Those are the three big things that I think need to be worked on. This needs to happen in a large way all across the continent. No matter where you go people need to plant trees. They need to get involved in creative ways to harvest water. They need to change the way they do farming. Wood, water and food are very important resources. They need healing⁸ all across the continent.'
Voice 2
Care of Creation works mostly with Christian churches. It shows them that they have a responsibility to care for the Earth. Many Christians⁹ have not thought about this before. But Craig believes that caring for the environment should be a key part of being a Christian. He does not like it when Christians do not treat the environment well.
Voice 3
‘It is kind of like hitting the Creator in the face. You go to church and worship¹⁰ him on Sunday. But then during the rest of the week you do not even care what is happening to his wonderful creation.'
Voice 1
Craig bases his belief on what he reads in the Christian Bible¹¹. He believes that the Bible can show the right attitude to the environment. He uses the example of the Garden of Eden. This is in the story of creation. The Bible says that God planted many trees in the garden. They were many different kinds. Craig says,
Voice 3
‘God chose the tree to serve as symbol of life. As we destroy our forests across Africa we are in fact destroying our lives. We are damaging the water system. We are losing more soil. This leads to less crops.'
Voice 2
Care of Creation also works with farmers to help increase their crops again. It teaches them better ways to use their land. An example of this is by covering the fields with an extra layer of plant material. This material comes from the crops that are left after the last year's harvest. Farmers normally¹² dig over the land before planting. But with this method they cover the field with a layer of the plant material. This improves the soil. It also means that farmers stop damaging the soil by digging it up. Craig says,
Voice 3
‘Farmers can take a piece of land that has been used a lot and is tired. It is not producing the large crop that it once did. But if he is faithful¹³ in using this new way of farming he will bring new life to his land. He will begin growing more food for his family.'
Voice 1
So Care of Creation is showing people how they can take care of their own environment. But what plans does the organisation have for the future? Currently¹⁴ the organisation has offices in Kenya and the United States. But Craig hopes that in the future the organisation will grow around the world.
Voice 3
‘Our real hope is that one day we will have a Care of Creation in Uganda. One day we will have a Care of Creation in Ethiopia, and Brazil, and India - who knows? We want to see groups in as many countries as possible.'
Voice 2
Care of Creation continues to work to protect the environment. They are encouraging people of faith to put their faith into action. Together they hope to provide wood, water and food for the people of tomorrow.
 

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 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

5 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。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

8 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。

10 worship   

n.崇拜，礼拜；v.崇拜，敬仰；做礼拜

参考例句：

• The Greeks used to worship several gods.过去，希腊人崇奉好几种神。
• Blind worship must be ended.盲目崇拜必须停止。

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 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

13 faithful   

adj.守信的，忠实的，如实的，可靠的

参考例句：

• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever.他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。
• We must be honest and faithful to the people.我们对人民必须忠诚老实。

14 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。