VOA慢速英语2015 一个盲人老师的愿景

A Blind Teacher's Vision 一个盲人老师的愿景

There are an estimated 70,000 blind children in Indonesia, according to a recent study in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The researchers found that 60 percent of the children they studied did not have to go blind. Treatable conditions like measles¹, cataracts³, and glaucoma too often lead to blindness.

Iyehezkiel Parudani lost his eyesight at age six from chicken pox. He now teaches English to blind and visually impaired⁴ students at the Pajajaran Special School in the city of Bandung.

“What I would like you to do now is listing some professional jobs…professions.”

Iyehezkiel Parudani says learning English can help blind people feel better about themselves and find jobs.

“By learning English, they can be an English teacher. They can be an interpreter. They can be a translator, and also they can be a tourist guide.”

Students read using Braille, a writing system in which letters are represented by a series of raised dots. To write, students use special tools: a slate⁵ and stylus.

He says blind people should not let their physical limitations affect their dreams. In 2008, the Ford⁶ Foundation gave him a two-year scholarship to study at the University of Texas. There, he earned a Master’s degree in curriculum development. He wants his students to learn English so they too can study overseas.

 “In the US everything is accessible. If I go to the university to study, everything is available—like E-book, Braille book.  Here in Indonesia, you know, it’s difficult to find a reference book in E-book or in Braille. We have to make it ourselves. But when I was in the US, all books, references I need are available in the library…I can easily move wherever I want because everything designed really accessible for people with blindness."

Eha Lestari was one of Iyehezkiel Parudani’s star students. She is almost completely blind from an eye cataract² she suffered when she was four years old. She says learning English has changed her life.

 “I study English because I love English very much. I want to be an interpreter. It’s one of my dreams so that’s why I want to learn English very much…I want to be an interpreter because I want to go to the other countries and then I want to meet some people from around the world.”

Eha Lestari traveled to San Francisco and Washington DC as part of the Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership Program.  The trip had a major effect on her life. Listen to her speaking English just two years ago.

“I want. I want can speak English. I want to speak English. Yes. Very good.”

Like her classmates, Eha loves to sing. The Pajajaran Special School is filled with extraordinary musicians. Here, music is part of daily life. Even the students who do not study English can sing the latest Western pop hits. The students worked on a special version of the classic American pop song “Stand By Me.”

[Students singing] “Stand by me. Please stand, stand by me. Stand by me.”

Iyehezkiel Parudani says the song has special meaning for the students.

“In this life, we need other person. You have to stand by me. Without you standing⁷ by me, I’m meaningless.”

Eha Lestari plans to go to college and major in English. For now, she has some advice for other young people.

“Please use English every day. Don’t be shy to speak English…If we can speak English, if we can play music, I think your future is good…is very good.”

1 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

2 cataract   

n.大瀑布，奔流，洪水，白内障

参考例句：

• He is an elderly gentleman who had had a cataract operation.他是一位曾经动过白内障手术的老人。
• The way is blocked by the tall cataract.高悬的大瀑布挡住了去路。

3 cataracts   

n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障

参考例句：

• The rotor cataracts water over the top of the machines. 回转轮将水从机器顶上注入。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Cataracts of rain flooded the streets. 倾盆大雨弄得街道淹水。 来自辞典例句

4 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

6 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

7 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。