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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Nearly two years after trying to adopt a child from the African nation of Malawi, Madonna is behind a new documentary focusing on the plight1 of orphans2 there.
It's been nearly 2 years since Madonna first made headlines for trying to adopt a small child from the African nation of Malawi. And she's since become a voice for the more than 1 million children or orphans in that country and now she’s behind the film on that subject and Ann had a chance to catch up with her last night.
I did that, Mary, in fact, Madonna hit the red carpet at New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival last evening where her new film debuted3. It's called I Am Because We Are. It’s a documentary about the struggle of these children who have been orphaned4 by AIDS in Malawi. And afterwards I sat down with Madonna to talk about the film and why she felt the commitment to help those children.
I am because we are.
Something about their situation connected to me, and in a way I was going on my own journey and connecting to these children and wanting to in a way heal myself whilst helping5 them.
And hearing about their suffering? Something opened to you?
Yeah. I grew up as a motherless child. I had a roof over my head and I had food and I had a school to go to. And I still thought that my world was going to collapse6 on me, so how could it be for these children who, most of them, having lost both of their parents, having no roof over their head, no food to eat, how horrifying7 and frightening it must be for them!
You know, I wonder how this revelation came to you, you know, this is going to be a thing, you know, for you. (Yes!) This is not how people see you.
I think having children and having a family forces you to think about people besides yourself, I mean you don’t really have a choice, I think I just got to a point in my life. / I thought, you know, I have so much, and it’s a great tragedy if I don’t use what I have to make the world a better place. I know that sounds silly, or cheesy, or like a cliché, whatever but it’s the truth.
If I was challenging people to open up their minds and their hearts, then I had to be willing to stand at the front of the line.
I appreciate and understand how people could be cynical8, that’s fine, I accept that.
Why do you appreciate that people can be cynical?
Because I think we live in a society, that, where people are naturally suspicious of acts of altruism9 or generosity10.
Or maybe they might be suspicious because they might think, well, you know, Madonna changes all the time, is this simply another fad11, de jour, a trend, or just a new, is this something that is really core to Madonna.
My re-inventions are part of my evolution and my growth as a person. They’re aspects of it that are full of lesson. They are aspects of it that are real.
His name is David, I decided12 to try and adopt him. I don’t see how anybody who really understands how complicated it is to adopt a child could say that someone toasts to do that as a fad, it’s just too difficult, it’s too traumatic.
It’s been hard then to adopt David.
We have not even been granted the full adoption13. It’s supposed to be happening in the next month. So for the last 18 months I have been a foster parent. I have been visited every 6 weeks by social workers who come into the house and make sure that you are being a good parent, and David’s health is thriving, and asking you all kinds of invasive questions, and you have to put up with it and endure it and you know, I have been fingerprinted14 about 20 times, and undergone psychological evaluations15 and I think everybody who goes through adoption has to do this, I am not alone and, but you know, I do it again.
You would?
Yeah.
Why?
Because David is amazing, because he’s brought so much joy to our lives and more than about him. And so, it was worthy16. I think most people will suffer for the things they love.
And now at this point in your life, it seems you’re opening, to some part of you, it's softening17, something that is looking for wisdom, usefulness.
Well, thank God. (What do you mean by that?) Well, thank God I am searching for wisdom and usefulness. Em, one hopes that one gets to that point in their lives sooner or later.
Do you wish that you could just be anonymous18?
No, no, (No?) I mean, yeah, I have moments of it, but I don’t wanna wish that I am not me, I don’t wish I were someone else.
What is it that you want to feel about your life?
That my soul reached its true potential. And that I did everything that I was put on this Earth to do.
Which is?
Well, who knows. We are about to find out.
And it’s part of that, she also spoke19 to me about possibly working with orphanages20 and other parts of the world beyond Malawi, places like Cambodia and the Palestinian territories and she also does not discount the idea of adopting again. (Very well~) So this seems to be a new sort of beginning for her, she says.
两年前麦当娜试图从非洲的马拉威领养一名儿童，现在，麦当娜成为一部以非洲孤儿为题材的记录片的主角。
大约两年前，麦当娜试图收养非洲的马拉威的一名儿童。从那时起，麦当娜就成为该国100多万儿童和孤儿的代言人。现在，她正在筹备一部以
孤儿为题材的电影。昨晚，Ann有机会对她进行了采访。
昨晚，麦当娜的新电影在纽约tribeca电影节首映，名字叫做I Am Because We Are（我在因为我们同在）。这是一部纪录片，反映马拉威由于
艾滋病成为孤儿的儿童的遭遇。之后我和麦当娜坐在一起讨论了这部电影，以及为什么她感到要为帮助那些儿童献身。
我在因为我们同在。
他们的某些境况跟我相关，在我自己的人生路上遭遇的一些问题，我希望帮助他们，也平复自己的感觉。
倾听他们的遭遇？你了解到了一些事情？
是的，我从小没有母亲。我有房子住，有饭吃，也可以上学，但是我仍然觉得我的世界要崩溃了，那么对那些孩子来说会怎么样呢？他们大部
分人父母双亡，没有地方住，没有饭吃，他们会感到多么恐怖和害怕！
你知道，我一直在想，是什么启发你这样做，你知道，这对你来说意义重大。这和人们平时看到的你的形象不同。
我觉得，有孩子，有家庭可以促使你除了为自己考虑之外，还要考虑他人。我是说，你获得了一个机会，你的生命有了意义。我想，你知道，
我拥有很多，但是如果我不用我所拥有的一切来改变世界，这将是一个巨大的悲剧。我知道这听起来很愚蠢，或者很潇洒，无论如何，这是事
实。
如果我想要人民敞开心扉，奉献爱心，我觉得我自己必须身体力行。
我能理解，人们都是非常愤世嫉俗的，好的，我接受。
你为什么能理解人们的愤世嫉俗呢？
因为我们生活在一个社会中，人们怀疑别人的利他主义行为和慷慨大方是很自然的。
或者可能他们怀疑是因为他们想，你知道，麦当娜是一直是多变的，这是不是另外一次狂热，一个潮流，或者只是觉得新鲜，对麦当娜来说，
这真的是她生活的核心吗？
我的百变是我个人发展和成长的一部分，这些部分都充满了经验和教训，这些都是真实的。
他的名字叫David，我决定收养他。我知道，一个知道收养孩子的程序是多么复杂的人是不可能认为我仅仅是一时头脑发热的。整个过程非常困
难，非常麻烦。
收养David的过程非常艰难。
我们还没有获得完全抚养权，可能下个月就可以了。在过去的18个月里，我是一个养母。每六个星期就会有社工来我家检查我会不会是一个合
格的好母亲。David的健康状况改善了很多，开始问各种各样具有攻击性的问题。你必须忍耐这些，我在很多不同的文件上按了二十多次手印，
进行了体检，我认为收养孩子的人都必须进行这些程序，我并不孤单，但是你知道，我今后还会这样做。
你会继续这样做？
是的。
为什么？
因为David非常不可思议，他给我们和他自己的生活带来了很多快乐。这是值得的。我认为大部分人都会为他们爱的东西付出的。
从这个意义上来讲，你开始包容，开始打开心扉，你内心的一部分开始融化，开始寻找智慧，寻找自身有用之道。
谢天谢地。感谢上帝我在寻找智慧和有用性。每个人迟早都会寻找这种意义的。
你是否希望隐姓埋名呢？
不，不。我是说，我曾经想过，但是我不希望我变成其他人。
你感觉到你的生命是怎样的呢？
我的灵魂发挥了她真正的潜力。我做了我在地球上能做的每一件事。
哪些事呢？
谁知道呢。我们迟早会发现的。
这是其中一部分，她还跟我说了可能与孤儿院合作的问题，还有世界上马拉威之外的其他地方，比如柬埔寨和巴勒斯坦等地，她还承认以后会
继续收养的想法。这对她来讲似乎是一个新的开始，她说。
收听单词发音 |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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orphans
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| 孤儿( orphan的名词复数 ) | |
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debuted
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| 初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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orphaned
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| [计][修]孤立 | |
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5
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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6
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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horrifying
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| a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的 | |
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8
cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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altruism
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| n.利他主义，不自私 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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11
fad
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| n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好 | |
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12
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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13
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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14
fingerprinted
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| v.指纹( fingerprint的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
evaluations
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| 估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断 | |
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16
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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17
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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18
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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19
spoke
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| 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 | |
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orphanages
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| 孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 ) | |
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