VOA慢速英语-Development Report - A Gift of Clear Vision in Devel

A nonprofit called Give the Gift of Sight holds clinics to provide free eye exams and used glasses. Transcript¹ of radio broadcast:
20 July 2008

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Millions of people need eyeglasses to see clearly but lack the resources to get them. A group called Give the Gift of Sight provides free eye care and glasses in developing countries.

This nonprofit organization is based in the United States. The executive director, Greg Hare, says clear vision is a basic human right.

Give the Give of Sight has helped poor communities in Central and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. This year, the group is planning to visit thirteen countries. These include Thailand, Mexico, Cambodia, Romania and Guatemala. About twenty thousand people are expected at each clinic.

Eye-care professionals hold clinics for two weeks. Patients receive an eye exam and a used pair of glasses, if needed.

Give the Gift of Sight held its first clinic in nineteen ninety-one in Costa Rica. More than eight thousand people came. Since then, the group has helped two and a half million people in thirty-two developing nations.
　

Give the Give of Sight has helped poor communities in Central and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia

Give the Gift of Sight uses volunteers. It works with Lions Clubs International and other groups in each country. These partner agencies help collect and restore used eyewear. They also identify where clinics will be held and prepare for them. The group depends on local Lions Clubs to identify people in need and to transport them to the clinics.

Italy's Luxottica Group, a leader in prescription² eyewear, launched Give the Gift of Sight twenty years ago. The company collects used eyewear donated at its stores worldwide. Volunteers clean and sort the glasses. Greg Hare says Give the Gift of Sight hopes to collect more than one million pairs of eyeglasses this year.

And there is a plenty of need. The World Health Organization estimates that more than one hundred fifty million people live with three common eye disorders³. Their poor vision is uncorrected but completely treatable. They are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism⁴.

A nearsighted person has difficulty seeing objects clearly in the distance. A farsighted person has trouble seeing things up close. For a person with astigmatism, objects appear blurry⁵ at any distance.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss⁶. For a link to Give the Gift of Sight, and to learn about the work of other nonprofits, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 astigmatism   

n.散光，乱视眼

参考例句：

• Maybe you fall asleep in class because of uncorrected astigmatism.也许你在课堂上睡觉是因为你的眼睛散光。
• Astigmatism can occur in addition to nearsightedness and farsightedness.散光可同时发生在近视和远视。

5 blurry   

adj.模糊的；污脏的，污斑的

参考例句：

• My blurry vision makes it hard to drive. 我的视力有点模糊，使得开起车来相当吃力。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The lines are pretty blurry at this point. 界线在这个时候是很模糊的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。