VOA标准英语2011--Students Build Homes for Needy Families

Students Build Homes for Needy¹ Families

On a sandy lot in the small, growing city of Delray Beach, Florida, seven teenagers are hammering and shoveling in the hot mid-day sun. The Atlantic High students are members of the school's Eagle Nest Construction Academy, which builds houses for low-income families on land donated by the city.
The program is open to boys and girls in the 9th through 12th grades. They study drafting, design and construction, then use those skills to build the homes.
"They learn A to Z, then pick which they like better, then specialize in that," says Amanda Orndorff, who coordinates² the program. "If they like the drafting side, they focus on that. If they like the actual building, they can focus on that."
After learning the basics of safety and the fundamentals of design and building from instructor³ Tim Sachse, students interested in construction move with him to the work site.
"The way the program works is a stepping stone process," says Sachse, an engineer. "Construction isn't just about hammering things together. It deals with lots of problem solving along the way and that's probably one of those things that cannot be written in a textbook."
About 25 students are currently working on a three-bedroom, two-bath house. Ten to 15 are on site at any one time. While on the job, they all must wear hard hats, safety glasses and heavy boots.
Senior Daniel Norzea says he and his classmates started this house in late October, building it literally⁴ from the ground up.
"It was a lot filled with grass, so we had to dig out the grass. We had to level it. Now we got through with the plumbing⁵. We put in the footers - which is the outside area of the house - where we'll pour the cement so we can wrap up for the summer."
Nearby, Fladimir Celunice works on a corner of the house, where he is carefully measuring. "They all have to measure up to 12 inches. We're pouring cement in there, and then it has to be leveled."
Local contractors⁶ donate materials and services to the program. A local architect rendered the final plan for the house, with input⁷ from Academy students during the drafting process. In the early stages, Daniel Norzea and a classmate took the rough blueprints⁸ to city officials.
"Every aspect we've learned from - the engineering aspects, measurements, what works, the building codes, zoning codes," he says. "We really learned a lot."
About 200 students have come through the Eagle Nest program since it began five years ago. This is the second house academy students have built. It's being constructed according to green building standards. Many of the materials - like floor boards and concrete blocks - are recycled. Students will install insulated walls, energy efficient appliances and double pane⁹ windows.
Program coordinator¹⁰ Amanda Orndorff says environmental considerations are a new focus for a lot of the kids.
"They're learning the concepts in the classroom and then we're really applying them on the job site. Even as far as teaching the kids that sometimes, it's not about just using recycled products but a product that maybe closer to your location, because it uses less fuel and creates less waste. So that's kind of a new concept for them."
Although many of the students sign up for the program because they want to do construction after graduation from high school, some realize the building trades are not for them, and start looking for other careers.
But others, like Daniel Norzea, are here solely¹¹ for the knowledge the experience offers. "I don't want to pay a plumber¹² or someone to come fix my house when I know how to do it myself."
His classmate, Shligton Estime, who plans to go into structural¹³ or civil engineering, has been in the academy program for four years. He says this year has been especially exciting.
"We're actually building it - not just reading about it or drawing it on paper. We're building the house."
The house is expected to be completed and ready for a family to move in the first half of next year.

1 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

2 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

8 blueprints   

n.蓝图，设计图( blueprint的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Have the blueprints been worked out? 蓝图搞好了吗？ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• BluePrints description of a distributed component of the system design and best practice guidelines. BluePrints描述了一个分布式组件体系的最佳练习和设计指导方针。 来自互联网

9 pane   

n.窗格玻璃，长方块

参考例句：

• He broke this pane of glass.他打破了这块窗玻璃。
• Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.他们呼出的水气，在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。

10 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

11 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

12 plumber   

n.(装修水管的)管子工

参考例句：

• Have you asked the plumber to come and look at the leaking pipe?你叫管道工来检查漏水的管子了吗？
• The plumber screwed up the tap by means of a spanner.管子工用板手把龙头旋紧。

13 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。