英语听力—环球英语 1216 The Oldest First Grader

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Robin² Basselin.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Ryan Geerstma. 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 the mountains of Kenya, an old man stands at a gate.  His skin is aged³ and his hair is white.  He stands bent⁴ over his walking stick.  He is wearing blue school clothes. And he has a blanket over his shoulders.  This man waits outside the Kapkenduiywa Primary school near Eldoret, Kenya.  This is not the first time the man has come to the school.  He has come many times over the last few months.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Today, he watches the children sing in the school yard.  He waits at the gate for the head teacher.  He asks her the same question as he always does.  He asks if he can attend the school.  In the past, the head teacher told him no.  She told him that this school is for children.  However, this time is different.  This time she says yes.  Today, 84-year-old Kimani Maruge will start his first day of school.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This story is from the recent film “The First Grader.”  The film is based on the real life story of Kimani Ng'ang'a Maruge.  Today’s Spotlight is on Kimani Maruge and his desire to become educated⁵.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In 2003, the Kenyan government passed a new law.  This law established that the government would provide free education for all primary school students.  In Kenya, primary school includes eight grades, or levels. Usually, primary students start Grade One when they are six or seven years old.  However, when Kenya began free education, many older children started school for the first time.  New students filled schools all over the country.  In many Grade One classrooms, children had to share seats or even sit on the floor.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Schools were prepared for the thousands of new students.  However, no one was prepared for a student like Kimani Maruge.  At 84, he set a new record in the Guinness Book of World Records.  He became the oldest person in the world to ever start primary school.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When Maruge decided⁶ he wanted to go to school, nothing could stop him.   He told the Mirror,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“At first, the head teacher said no.  I thought it must be because I did not have the official school clothes.  So, I saved my money and bought clothes.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　However, Maruge had to visit the school four more times before the head teacher let him stay.  Head teacher, Jane Obinchu told the Mirror,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“At first, we thought this was insane⁷.  But I knew we would have to admit a man who was so serious about learning⁸... I told the teachers to prepare for the oldest school boy ever.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many people wonder why Maruge wanted to start school at such an old age.  The reason is simple - he was not able to attend school when he was younger.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Maruge was born around 1920.  He had no official papers⁹ to tell him the exact date of his birth.  He was the oldest son of seven children.  When he was old enough to attend school he could not go. Instead, he helped his father work on their farm.  He sacrificed his education so that his younger brothers and sisters could go to school.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In the 1950s, Maruge joined the Mau Mau rebels¹⁰.  This group of Kenyans were mainly from the Kikuyu tribe¹¹.  Together, they fought against the British people that occupied Kenya.  Kenyans did not gain their independence from this rebellion¹².  But many people believe this rebellion began a process. This process led to Kenyan independence in 1963.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　After years of farming¹³ and fighting, Maruge then had a wife and children of his own.  He needed to continue farming to support his family.  Many years passed.  Maruge raised 12 children.  He never had the time or money to spend on his own education.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, in 2003, that all changed.  The government had promised to provide free education for all. So, Maruge decided it was his time to go to school.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Maruge wanted to learn to read and write for many reasons.  He wanted to be able to read letters from friends, family and the government.  He also wanted to be able to read official business papers.  He wanted to be able to make more educated decisions.  He told the Mirror,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I have suffered so many problems from being uneducated.  People used to cheat me when I bought goods.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　However, letters and business were not the most important reasons Maruge wanted to go to school.  For Maruge, religion was the most important reason.  Maruge was a Christian¹⁴.  He had attended church all of his life.  However, he had to depend on religious¹⁵ leaders and his children to learn about the Christian Bible¹⁶.  He told news writer Kate Snow,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“All my life I have wanted to read the Bible.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　When Maruge started school, he attended with three of his children’s children.  They were all in higher grades than Maruge.  However, with much hard work, Maruge learned¹⁷ quickly. One of Maruge’s teachers told the Mirror,

 

　　Voice 5

 

　　“He is so intelligent. When he came to school, he could not write his name.  But now, he reads the newspapers.  We are learning from him.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many people agreed with Maruge’s teacher.  Maruge was a student, but he also had much to teach.  In 2005, the United¹⁸ Nations invited Kimani Maruge to come to New York City.  They wanted him to speak about the importance of free education.  Maruge accepted the invitation.  And in his speech he said,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I want all children in the world to be educated.  That is what I really hope to see.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Even after great success, there were still barriers¹⁹ to Maruge’s education.  In 2007, riots²⁰ began in Kenya.  Two major tribes²¹ were fighting over land and government rule.  Maruge had to move to a refugee²² camp where it was safe.  At the time, he was 88 years old.  The camp was more than three kilometers from his school.  However, the long walk did not stop him from attending school.  He told the news organization Reuters,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“It is hard.  There is no one to help me walk.  I go to the school alone.  But the urge²³ to learn keeps me going.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Kimani Maruge continued to go to school until he became sick in 2008.  And on August 14th, 2009 Maruge died from stomach cancer.  He was 90 years old.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Although Maruge is now dead, his story lives on.  The film, The First Grader will continue to spread his story.  And his message is simple.  As Maruge once told the Mirror,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"A person is never too old to learn."

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Robin Basselin.  The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom.  All quotes²⁴ were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to and read this program again on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “The Oldest First Grader.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

5 educated   

adj.受过教育的，有教养的

参考例句：

• She was well educated in literature at a university.她在大学里受到良好的文学方面的教育。
• Children should be educated in a correct way.教育孩子要得法。

6 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。

7 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

9 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。

10 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。

11 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

12 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。

13 farming   

n.农事；耕作

参考例句：

• He lives by farming.他靠务农过活。
• He is farming in Africa.他在非洲经营农场。

14 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。

15 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

16 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。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 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。

19 barriers   

n.障碍( barrier的名词复数 )；屏障；栅栏；分界线

参考例句：

• The crowd had to stand behind barriers. 人群只好站在障碍物后面。
• the dissolution of barriers of class and race 阶级和种族隔阂的消除

20 riots   

n. 暴乱, 骚乱, 暴动 vi. 骚乱, 闹事

参考例句：

• the instigators of the riots 煽动骚乱的人
• The riots are a clear manifestation of the people's discontent. 骚乱清楚地表明了人们的不满情绪。

21 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》

22 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。

23 urge   

n.冲动，推动力，迫切的要求；vt.驱策，力劝，力陈，推动；vi.强烈要求

参考例句：

• He has an urge to become a film star.他非常希望成为电影明星。
• We should constantly urge ourselves on to study hard.我们要经常鞭策自己努力学习。

24 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》