VOA慢速英语2012 Education Report - Teens Get a History Lesson From History Makers

 

Education Report - Teens Get a History Lesson From History Makers¹

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Students at some high schools in Chicago, Illinois, recently had some famous visitors. Among them were Jimmy Carter, the former American president, and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet² Union. Other speakers included former South African president F.W. de Klerk and Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights activist³.

They were all in Chicago for an event in late April, the 12th World Summit⁴ of Nobel Peace Laureates.

The students prepared for the visits by working on a human rights curriculum⁵ called "Speak Truth to Power." The materials come from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

Manal Saleh got to introduce Mikhail Gorbachev at her school, the Frederick Von Steuben Metropolitan⁶ Science Center in Chicago. Manal is one of the top students graduating this year. She will be attending Northwestern University in Illinois on a scholarship for low-income students.

Manal had not yet been born when Mr. Gorbachev became a Nobel laureate. He won the Peace Prize in nineteen ninety for helping⁷ to end the Cold War and working for nuclear disarmament.

Manal also got to introduce Mr. Gorbachev at the World Summit, where he joined the other laureates.

MANAL SALEH: "We hear about them and we see them in documentaries⁸. But to have them in front of us in the flesh makes it seem so much more real. President Gorbachev, who came from nothing and changed the world, and he's standing⁹ in front of me in the flesh. And it makes me appreciate the value of that all the more."

Mr. Gorbachev, through a translator, said that he hopes more young people will work against global problems like poverty and unemployment.

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV: "Of course, there are things that are happening among the youth that concern us. But young people have to be given a chance to take a stand, to take a position in this world. [Applause]"

At Von Steuben, he talked about his nuclear arms negotiations¹⁰ with President Ronald Reagan in the late nineteen eighties. He also talked about growing up in a small Russian village and studying law at Moscow University. And he talked about the need for international cooperation, a theme of the World Summit.

Students at Lincoln Park High School in Chicago heard from Muhammad Yunus. He won the two thousand six Peace Prize for his work with microcredit for social and economic development. Mr. Yunus said he used his own money to make the first loan, about twenty-seven dollars to women selling baskets in a market in Bangladesh.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. You can watch a video of high school student Manal Saleh and the Nobel laureates in Chicago at www.voanews.cn. I'm Jim Tedder¹¹.

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。

5 curriculum   

n.课程，（学校等的）全部课程

参考例句：

• Is German on your school's curriculum?你们学校有德语课吗？
• The English curriculum should stress both composition and reading.英语课程对作文和阅读应同样重视。

6 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

7 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。

8 documentaries   

n.纪录片( documentary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As for 'documentaries', these too are not altogether new. 至于“资料性文学”那也并不完全是新鲜事。 来自辞典例句
• These are not just animations live-action films, comedies, dramas and documentaries. 这些不仅仅是动画片，还包括表演摄制影片，喜剧，戏剧以及纪录片。 来自互联网

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网