VOA标准英语2010年-Indonesian Street Kids Find Rescue in

Every year in Indonesia, thousands of rural poor migrate to big cities in hope of finding a better life. But for many of them, the dream never comes true. A private charity, the Learning Farm, is taking the opposite path: teaching former street kids how to grow green, it gives them a chance to succeed in rural communities.

Solenn Honorine | Cianjur, Indonesia 08 February 2010

Susanto, a 17-year-old former street kid weeds the fields of The Learning Farm in the hills of Puncak, Indonesia

 

Sulkhan treads carefully past shacks¹ where goats are busy digesting the next batch² of eco-friendly fertilizer. A group of around 40 young men is gathered down the path, at the entrance of a greenhouse. They wear muddy rubber boots, which clash somewhat with their tattoos³, long silver chains and body piercings.
 
Sulkhan asks them to sing the Learning Farm's welcome song, in honor of their guests.
 
The boys, aged⁴ 15 to 22, are attending a five-month program at the Learning Farm to become organic farmers. But Jiway Tung, the group's director, explains the program goes beyond learning a new trade. He says his school is a school of life.
 

A former street kid works in the fields at The Learning Farm

"For a lot of these youths, in their lives, there's been very little in the way of expectations and accountability," he said. "So the discipline that we insist on is a way of saying that we value your potential, just as Nature holds us all accountable. If you don't apply good farming methods, if we don't apply good techniques, and we don't follow up on a daily basis, the crops tell the story to the youths".

Susanto, a gruff and bulky 17-year-old, has had a lot to learn. At 14, he says he could no longer tolerate his parents' beatings, so he fled and joined a group of street kids in the city of Jogjakarta. He says he did everything people do when they live on the streets - stole, used drugs. Susanto says he liked street life, where no one could tell him what to do.
 
But Susanto discovered that life held many dangers. After a two-month stint⁵ in jail, he took the advice of a graduate from the Learning Farm and decided⁶ to join the program.

It is not easy to coax⁷ young men into going to the countryside. Even though Indonesia remains⁸ very much a rural country, city dwellers⁹ sneer¹⁰ at the ways of rural residents. Jiway Tung, however, insists that Indonesians are not really cut off from their rural roots.
 
"When we go to farms, you can see plants that have very specific uses but have been forgotten or neglected by more recent generations," he said. "But these plants, whether green manure¹¹ or natural pesticides¹², where planted there with a logic¹³, with a purpose, by older farmers. So, again, we're reconnecting. It's not bringing in something foreign; it's re-discovering and re-envisioning"
 
Arief Syaffudin, a 17-year-old, carefully scratches at the roots of a broccoli¹⁴ plant. He says that chemical farming is not really stupid, but it is a very selfish method. He prefers a more wholesome¹⁵ approach, a type of farming where you have to listen to the plants, and fulfill¹⁶ their needs to also fulfill your own.

Organic produce sells at a higher price than conventionally farmed vegetables. And Jiway says, since organic farming does not require costly¹⁷ fertilizers or pesticides, it can generate a better income for farmers. Although the Indonesian market for organic produce is still small, there are opportunities; the Learning Farm is talking with a large supermarket chain about selling its produce.

This type of project motivates the students, like Sofian.
 
He says that he did not stand a chance to improve his life in the city: he lacked the money and the education to make it in Jakarta. He says here at the farm he feels at home and he can grab the chance to live a better life. Now, he could become a businessman farmer.

It is lunchtime. The boys tidy up their tools, dust off their hands and knees, and head toward the kitchen, petting the goats as they walk by. Many have no family, and only vague dreams about a modest future. But walking along the green slopes of Java's volcanoes, they have a chance to build new lives.
 

1 shacks   

n.窝棚，简陋的小屋( shack的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They live in shacks which they made out of wood. 他们住在用木头搭成的简陋的小屋里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most people in Port au-Prince live in tin shacks. 太子港的大多数居民居住在铁皮棚里。 来自互联网

2 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

3 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 coax   

v.哄诱，劝诱，用诱哄得到，诱取

参考例句：

• I had to coax the information out of him.我得用好话套出他掌握的情况。
• He tried to coax the secret from me.他试图哄骗我说出秘方。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 sneer   

v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语

参考例句：

• He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
• You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻，但很多人喜欢这种音乐。

11 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

12 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

14 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

15 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

16 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

17 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。