英语听力—环球英语 886 Building Peace

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Steve Myersco.
Voice 2
And I'm Marina Santee. 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 1
Wars. Sometimes our world seems full of them. Some conflicts - like Iraq and Afghanistan - are often in the news. But there are also many conflicts in other countries around the world. Many of the wars have lasted for years, yet they rarely appear in the news. However, some of these countries are now stepping out of conflict and starting to develop peace. This Spotlight programme looks at a project to help countries that are slowly moving away from years of conflict.
Voice 2
One country that has been troubled by war is Burundi. This is Africa's smallest country. For about forty years conflicts between the two main tribes² divided the country. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed. But now Burundi is at peace. The country is once again developing and getting stronger. The country's president is Pierre Nkurunziza. He says,
Voice 3
‘We are right to congratulate all of us Burundians. Since the country first became independent, this is the first time an elected government has lasted more than three months... We are living today in a time of deep change. This change must succeed.'
Voice 1
Burundi used to be governed by Belgium. But it became independent from this small European country in 1961... Since that time, two presidents have been killed. A number of military dictators³ have ruled the country. But Pierre Nkurunziza is the current president. He has ruled the country since 2005.
Voice 2
Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world. But now new hope is rising. A project that was started by the United Nations is providing a way out of conflict. This project is called the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund⁴. This gives money to countries that have a recent history of war. Managers of the project have identified Burundi as one country that needs support to develop in peace.
Voice 1
The UN started the Peacebuilding Fund in 2006. Burundi is one of a group of countries that received money from the Fund. The other countries were Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau  and the Central African Republic. The aim of the Peacebuilding Fund is to support nations that have recently been at war. The countries in this first group are all at peace now. But they all are still struggling with the effects of war. These effects include poverty and poor services. They also include damaged relationships between different communities and the government.
Voice 2
The Peacebuilding Fund gave over 30 million dollars to Burundi. The government is using this money in a number of different ways. Some of it is being used to help Burundi build a better democracy⁵. And the police and army are both receiving better training and equipment. The Fund is also giving money to support human rights in the country.
Voice 1
Five other countries have also received money for smaller, emergency projects. These include Kenya. Here, communities are being brought together. This follows an election⁶ period that was troubled by violence. Haiti is another example. The Fund has provided⁷ money to improve a prison in that Caribbean nation.
Voice 2
The UN hopes that in the future, many more countries will be supported through the Peacebuilding Fund. The head of the United Nations is Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General. He is pleased with the current success of the Peacebuilding Fund. He spoke⁸ about the Fund after its first full year of service. He said:
Voice 4
‘The Fund has been supporting countries to build lasting⁹ peace and security¹⁰ after a time of conflict. It is also making positive steps to prevent the return of violence in such countries... The Peacebuilding Fund understands that lasting peace must be built on social, economic and political ground. These must serve the needs of the population.'
Voice 1
The plan now is to increase the number of countries the Fund supports. A second group of countries has been chosen to receive long-term support from the Peacebuilding Fund. These are the Comoros, the Ivory¹¹ Coast, Guinea, Liberia and Nepal.
Voice 2
Nepal has gone through a lot of change in the last twenty years. In 2001 almost all the royal family was killed. This came after years of war between the government and a rebel¹² group. In 2006 this rebel group formed a political party. They then entered the election to govern Nepal. And in April 2008 they won the election. But they did not want the royal family to have any power. So, after over two hundred years of rule, the royal family was removed.
Voice 1
The different political parties are now trying to work together to bring lasting peace to Nepal. Ian Martin represents the United Nations in Nepal. He spoke to the British newspaper the Guardian¹³ about the Asian country.
Voice 5
‘The difficulties that face the Prime¹⁴ Minister, the government and the parliament¹⁵ are huge. The people involved in Nepali politics have been able to work through their differences in an amazing way. But trust among them could easily break... The biggest problems are those that first caused the rebels¹⁶ to act: poverty, lawlessness, and unfairness.'
Voice 2
In September 2008 Ban Ki-moon promised 10 million dollars to Nepal. This money is from the UN Peacebuilding Fund. Groups from Nepal and the UN will now decide how to spend the money. They expect the money to go towards encouraging human rights, helping¹⁷ poor communities get jobs, and helping communities bring peace among themselves.
Voice 1
Many countries in the world today are fighting the effects of war. The UN Peacebuilding Fund is helping some of these most recent victims of war and conflict. But are their efforts enough to build peace? Or is more help needed? The famous Christian¹⁸ worker Mother Teresa, had this attitude. "Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person to person". So, international organisations may help. They may help to create and protect peace. But really, the job belongs to citizens from all over the world. We need to grow in an attitude of peace - right where we are.
 

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 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》

3 dictators   

独裁者( dictator的名词复数 )； 专制者； 发号施令者； 专横的人

参考例句：

• These dictators have entrenched themselves politically and are difficult to move. 这些独裁者在政治上已经站稳了脚跟，很难推翻他们。
• Almost all of the countries in Latin America were controlled by dictators. 当时几乎所有的拉丁美洲国家都由独裁者统治。

4 fund   

n.基金，资金，存款，财源，贮藏；vt.提供资金，积累

参考例句：

• They decided to set up a fund for this purpose.他们决定为此专立一项基金。
• This fund may not be drawn on without permission.这笔钱非经批准不得动用。

5 democracy   

n.民主政治，民主制度；民主精神，民主作风

参考例句：

• Democracy is based on good will and mutual understanding.民主建立在善意和相互理解的基础上。
• Did democracy have its beginnings in Athens? 民主制度是创始于雅典吗？

6 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

7 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。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

11 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

12 rebel   

n.叛徒，起义者；vi.造反，反抗，反感；adj.造反的，反抗的，反叛者的

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• The rebel army has readjusted its strategy.叛军已经重新调整了策略。

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 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

15 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

16 rebels   

n.反政府的人( rebel的名词复数 )；反叛者；造反者；叛逆者v.反抗政府( rebel的第三人称单数 )；反抗权威

参考例句：

• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。
• The rebels went on an orgy of killing. 叛乱者肆意杀人。

17 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。

18 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。