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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-06-27 Washington Monument Repairs Continue

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AS IT IS 2013-06-27 Washington Monument Repairs Continue

Hello, again.  I’m Jim Tedder1 in Washington.  Today we report on the latest efforts to repair one of the most recognizable sites in the world.  And we’ll travel to Nepal to hear about one man’s efforts to teach reading and writing to millions of people around the world.  The program is called As It Is, and we are happy you joined us.

The Washington Monument rises 169 meters over the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The grayish white stone structure is called an obelisk2, with the top shaped similar to that of a pyramid.  The obelisk honors George Washington.  He led colonial forces that helped America win independence from England and served as the new country’s first president from 1789 to 1797.

For many years, the marble and granite3 structure has been a favorite of the public.  Millions of people have visited the monument, which had its first stone placed on July 4th, 1848. Its image in photographs and on postcards travels around the world.

On a warm summer day in 2011, an earthquake of 5-point-8 strength shook the Washington, D.C. area. The quake was centered in Virginia, and was felt in several other states.  Two tall landmark4 structures in the District of Columbia suffered major damage.  One was the Washington National Cathedral. The other was the Washington Monument.

Cracks opened in the obelisk as pieces of stone shook loose from the quake.  One crack was large enough so that from the inside, daylight could be seen through it.  Soon after the quake, workers took off some pieces near the top to prevent them from falling.

Carol Bradley Johnson is a spokesperson for the National Park Service, the NPS.  The agency operates the monument and other memorials on the Mall.  She was at the NPS headquarters  when the earth started to shake.  She remembers that NPS staff members went into action quickly.

 “We were concerned about all our memorials. And immediately we went out and checked to see what had happened.  And obviously, particularly the Washington monument because we knew there was quite a bit of debris5 falling at the very top.  We knew pretty quickly that that was going to be a problem.”

The weather did not cooperate with efforts to find all the damage to the monument.  Just days after the earthquake, on August 29, Washington suffered the effects of the storm that had been Hurricane Irene. The inside of the monument had to be protected from rainwater.

When the winds died, inspections6 showed that the worst damage took place above 122 meters.  Since those early post-earthquake days, about 50 patches – small pieces of material – have been fixed7 onto broken places to reinforce them. Several months ago, workers placed thousands of pieces of scaffolding on the high structure.  The scaffolding is made of aluminum8 and steel, and was used inside as well as outside to protect the stone. 

Now almost two years of inspections and preparations have made possible a push toward complete restoration. The Washington Monument is expected to open to the public again next spring.

Almost 800 million people in the world are illiterate9.  That means they cannot read and write. Most are in developing countries and more that 65 percent of them are female.  A former official with the Microsoft company is helping10 to lower those numbers. John Wood has opened 1,650 schools and 15,000 libraries in some of the world's poorest communities.  Avi Arditti has more on the man and his “Room to Read” campaign.

“The thing I learned at Microsoft was that bold goals attract bold people. From the very beginning, I said Room to Read’s goal was to reach ten million children around the world in the poorest countries.”

That is former Microsoft executive John Wood. In 1998, while he was still with Microsoft, Mr. Wood went on a three week walking trip in Nepal. While there, the businessman met a man who led a school in a mountain village. The man asked him to visit the school. John Wood said the experience changed his life.

“This headmaster has 450 students at the school, but he didn’t have any books. He had a library that was completely empty.”

Mr. Wood promised to fill the library.  One year later, he returned to the village with a team of yaks11 carrying bags filled with books -- 3,000 of them. But that was just the start. John Wood retired12 from Microsoft, and used some of his wealth to start Room to Read.

The not-for-profit organization is based on the belief that world change begins with educated children. Today the group operates in ten countries across Africa and Asia.

“It’s amazing what we’ve accomplished13. We’ve built a world-class organization that’s really a thought-leader on solutions for education in the developing world.”

That is Erin Ganju, co-founder and chief executive of Room to Read. She says that world literacy is the group’s first goal. But she says equality of the sexes is just as important. Ms. Ganju says Room to Read pays for a long term girls’ education program to help girls empower themselves.

“It really focuses on not only keeping girls in school longer -- through the end of secondary school – but helps support them holistically14. We bring female mentors15 into the communities that act as role models for the girls and we provide them with life skills workshops after school, where they learn critical skills such as goal-setting, leadership skills, problem-solving and they really become different.”

John Wood says local involvement is needed for the program to be successful. Room to Read donates money and provides books. But communities donate land, parents help build the schools and ministries16 of education agree to pay teachers and librarians.

Room to Read also has set up local printing plants that produce children’s books. Local writers write the books. Local artists draw the pictures for them.

John Wood says Room to Read will have published 1,000 books in over 20 languages by the end of this year.

“”I often joke that Room to Read is the biggest children’s publisher you’ve never heard of because your children probably are not reading in the languages that we’re publishing in. But, those children in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, South Africa, they deserve to have books in their mother tongue just as kids here in America do.”

John Wood says that Room to Read faces huge demand.

“So what drives me is really the idea of our strong local teams at Room to Read should not be in the business of saying ‘no’ or ‘not yet.’ They should be in the business of saying ‘yes.’ Yes to your community having literacy programs. Yes to your girls being empowered by education. Yes to every child having a place in a school that is well run and has really good teachers, and I am not going to give up on the goal.”

Room to Read is expected to reach ten million children by 2015. That is five years earlier than John Wood promised. I’m Avi Arditi.

And I’m Jim Tedder in Washington.  On this date in 1927, the most popular song in the world was “born.”  Mildred J. Hill of Louisville, Kentucky, wrote “Happy Birthday to You.”

That’s all for this edition of As It is.  There are more Learning English programs just ahead, and world news at the beginning of the hour.


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1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
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
2 obelisk g5MzA     
n.方尖塔
参考例句:
  • The obelisk was built in memory of those who died for their country.这座方尖塔是为了纪念那些为祖国献身的人而建造的。
  • Far away on the last spur,there was a glittering obelisk.远处,在最后一个山峦上闪烁着一个方尖塔。
3 granite Kyqyu     
adj.花岗岩,花岗石
参考例句:
  • They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
  • The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。
4 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
5 debris debris     
n.瓦砾堆,废墟,碎片
参考例句:
  • After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
  • Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上,导致蛀牙。
6 inspections c445f9a2296d8835cd7d4a2da50fc5ca     
n.检查( inspection的名词复数 );检验;视察;检阅
参考例句:
  • Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
  • Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
8 aluminum 9xhzP     
n.(aluminium)铝
参考例句:
  • The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
  • During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段,它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。
9 illiterate Bc6z5     
adj.文盲的;无知的;n.文盲
参考例句:
  • There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
  • I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲,今天也认字了。
10 helping 2rGzDc     
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。
11 yaks f402015cb824b04cbf5f51b75faff880     
牦牛( yak的名词复数 ); 笑话
参考例句:
  • The jokes get yaks. 那笑话引人发笑。
  • Social species including birds, fish and yaks must have companionship. 习惯群居的生物,包括鸟类、鱼类和(牛毛)牛必须有伙伴。
12 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
13 accomplished UzwztZ     
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
参考例句:
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
14 holistically 31dd6c76cb429811417919b2d65a52ec     
adv.holistic(整体的,全盘的)的副词形式
参考例句:
  • Menu items and dialogs, when they are translated, to be considered holistically. 在翻译菜单项和对话框时,需要全盘考虑,确保翻译的界面保持整体的一致性很重要。 来自互联网
  • If we examine this entity holistically, we can discover how incredible it really is. 如果我们整体检查这实体,我们可以发现它真的是多么让人难以置信。 来自互联网
15 mentors 5f11aa0dab3d5db90b5a4f26c992ec2a     
n.(无经验之人的)有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的名词复数 )v.(无经验之人的)有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Beacham and McNamara, my two mentors, had both warned me. 我的两位忠实朋友,比彻姆和麦克纳马拉都曾经警告过我。 来自辞典例句
  • These are the kinds of contacts that could evolve into mentors. 这些人是可能会成为你导师。 来自互联网
16 ministries 80c65392682fb821af91521513be1259     
(政府的)部( ministry的名词复数 ); 神职; 牧师职位; 神职任期
参考例句:
  • Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
  • The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

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