2007年VOA标准英语-Scouts Celebrate 100th Anniversary

By Paul Burge
Chelmsford, England
01 August 2007
 
Scouts¹ from all over the world have descended² on Britain to celebrate the 100th anniversary (August 1st) of the scouting³ movement. At the 21st Jamboree in the British town of Chelmsford, 40 thousand scouts created their own town made entirely⁴ of tents for 12 days of adventure and friendship. Paul Burge reports for VOA News.

Scouts from 216 countries are attending the World Jamboree in Britain, not far from the founding location of the Boy Scouts 100 years ago

Scouting communities from 216 countries and territories have pitched their tents at the World Jamboree in southeast Britain to celebrate a century of scouting around the globe.

Forty thousand scouts from all corners of the world are bringing what has become a global movement back home to Britain, where Robert Baden-Powell first began scouting for boys in 1907.

The Jamboree in Chelmsford is designed to promote the values, benefits and achievements of the scouting community. It is also an opportunity for the scouts to learn from each other's different backgrounds and cultures.

Bill Cockroft

Bill Cockroft is the Jamboree's director. "They have to live with scouts from all over the world, they have to work with scouts from all over the world,” he says. “They learn about global issues, we've got a lot of non-governmental organizations here and they learn about all the issues and challenges facing the world, from global warming to AIDS."

Based on his military experience, Robert Baden-Powell created the first scouting group as a social experiment. It all began at a camp on Brownsea Island in the south of Britain where he brought together 20 boys from different backgrounds and taught them basic survival⁵ and team-building skills.

Robert Baden-Powell

The experience formed the basis of the modern-day Scouting movement, which now numbers more than 28 million scouts in all but six of the world's countries.

Mario Sica, who has written extensively about Robert Baden-Powell, says today's message has not changed. "Strengthening what he had dedicated⁶ his life to -- the second part of his life to -- and that is the education, the training of the citizens of the world towards mutual⁷ understanding and peace."

But scouting skills have come a long way since the early days of tent pitching, using a map and compass and wood-fire cooking. Today's 21st century scouts learn skills that reflect Robert Baden-Powell's original mission to encourage young people to volunteer to support others and to spread goodwill⁸.

At the Centenary Jamboree that means learning about current global issues like the environment, health and poverty, as well as music, dance and more traditional scouting skills.

1 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

2 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

3 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。