环球英语 — 172：Sightsavers

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby¹ Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Rachel Hobson. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Some people are walking in a beautiful stone building. Tall windows let the bright sunshine light up the rooms. A large number of paintings hang on the walls. All the pictures show the same thing - some flowers floating on a small lake. In each case, the painter has used different colours. In some pictures, it is hard to see where one colour stops and another begins. They are all mixed together.
Voice 2
The painter responsible³ for these pictures was Claude Monet. Monet was a French painter. He was famous for developing⁴ a kind of painting called “Impressionism”. He painted what he saw. But he did not aim to copy exactly what he saw. Instead, he painted pictures that were an image of what he thought he could see. He used light and colour in new, exciting ways.
Voice 1
Monet painted the pictures of the flowers on a lake later in life. By this time, he had developed an eye disease⁵. Colours no longer appeared to be as bright to him. He could not see clearly.
Voice 2
Now, some scientists believe that these paintings show how Monet’s eye problems affected⁶ his way of painting. Scientists do not think that he chose to mix different colours together on purpose - to create a new way of painting. Instead, they believe that this is how Monet truly saw the world - in a cloudy, unclear way.
Voice 1
But some experts disagree. They accept that Monet painted differently in his later pictures. But they do not believe that his basic design ideas changed much at all. He did have severe⁷ eye problems - but they did not reduce the beauty and power of his painting. And the many people who see Monet’s paintings today would agree.
Voice 2
Monet suffered from an eye condition called cataract⁸. This condition affects the eye’s lens⁹ - the clear part at the front of the eye. The lens brings together the rays of light that enter the eye. It then produces the clear image of what we are looking at. The lens is very elastic¹⁰ - it can change shape easily. It needs to be clear and elastic to catch all the rays of light that enter the eye. But over time, the lens may become harder and less clear. The light cannot pass through it so easily. So, people’s sight becomes cloudy and unclear. In severe cases, the lens hardens¹¹ completely¹². Then, people can no longer see at all.
Voice 1
Cataracts¹³ can develop for several reasons. Some of these are difficult to prevent - such as old age, genetic¹⁴ eye problems, or a person’s physical environment. But there are other causes that may add to cataract problems. And these are much easier to change. Smoking¹⁵ is one example. Health services can help by giving patients the correct treatment for their medical problems. This is especially important for people with diabetes¹⁶ or eye disease - as these can lead to cataracts if they are not treated. And a good supply of clean water is also important. People who do not have enough water in their bodies may develop cataracts.
Voice 2
It is maybe not surprising then, that people in developing countries often have cataracts. And many of them are children. Take Bangladesh, for example. This Asian country has over eight hundred thousand [800,000] blind people. Research shows that forty thousand [40,000] of these are children. However, one international aid group is aiming to change this situation.
Voice 1
“Sightsavers” started in the 1950’s. Since then, its members have been working in many countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. They aim to discover what makes people blind. They do their best to develop treatments that will prevent blindness. And, they also operate on people who have cataracts.
Voice 2
Members of “Sightsavers” work with local people on projects. They train people to become health workers. And they provide equipment for the treatment of eye disease. "Sightsavers" wants local people to quickly become responsible for managing the work. Then, “Sightsavers” can move somewhere else to start another project.
Voice 1
One of the “Sightsavers’” most successful projects is the “Bangladesh Childhood Cataract Campaign¹⁷”. The project manager, Doctor Alamgir Hossain, explains more about it:
Voice 3
“Our aim is to provide cataract operations for at least ten thousand [10,000] children. We need to find the children who are affected by cataract. And we need to make sure that health workers take care of them after the operations.”
Voice 1
The Bangladesh Childhood Cataract Campaign has changed the lives of many children. One of them is a boy called Tajul.
For the first six years of his life, Tajul could not see. His blindness became like a prison. Tajul could not do anything for himself. He did not go to school. He did not go out to play with other children. The one time that he left his house, he fell and broke his hand. So, when he was seven, Tajul’s father took him to Sirajganj Eye Hospital. The trip took six hours on the bus. But, it was worth it. Two short operations solved the problem of Tajul’s blindness. A short time later, the doctors removed the protective¹⁸ covers from Tajul’s eyes. And the first thing he saw was his father’s smile!
Voice 2
The operation for cataracts is a simple process. Doctors remove the useless lens from the eye. Then, they put in a clear, plastic lens. Light can shine through this lens without any problem. So the eye can produce the true image of what it sees. Doctor Hossain talks about how such a simple process has a great effect:
Voice 3
“I go out into the communities. I meet the children who have been helped by these operations. I cannot begin to express the reaction of their parents. And I feel very happy to be part of this miracle¹⁹.”
Voice 1
Tajul is sitting in his favourite place - up high in a tree. From there, he can watch his friends play football. He can see his house. His mother is outside. Tajul calls her name. Quickly, she looks up. She watches her son playing happily. Her heart fills with happiness. How life has changed for her son!
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

4 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

5 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 severe   

adj.严格的，凶猛的，严肃的，严重的，严厉的，朴素的

参考例句：

• The severe storm did for most of the crops.猛烈的暴风雨毁掉了大部分庄稼。
• The pace was too severe to be kept up for long.跟上这步伐太难了，无法持久。

8 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。

9 lens   

n.透镜，镜片；镜头

参考例句：

• The lens of a camera forms images.照相机的镜头使图像形成。
• You should screen the lens of your camera from direct sunlight.你应该使照相机的镜头不直接照射到阳光。

10 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

11 hardens   

v.（使）变硬( harden的第三人称单数 )；（使）坚固；（使）硬化；（使）变得坚强

参考例句：

• Mould the mixture into shape while hot, before it hardens. 在混合物还没有变硬之前，趁热将它塑成形。 来自辞典例句
• Clay hardens when it becomes dry. 粘土干了的时候就变硬了。 来自辞典例句

12 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

13 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

14 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

15 smoking   

n.吸烟，抽烟；冒烟

参考例句：

• He was wise to give up smoking.他戒烟是明智的。
• He has decided to cut out smoking and drinking.他已决心戒烟、戒酒。

16 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

17 campaign   

n.运动；竞选活动；战役；vi.参加运动；进行竞选；作战

参考例句：

• The election campaign heated up in that state.该州竞选运动激烈起来了。
• The campaign had begun during his absence.在他不在期间运动已经开始了。

18 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

19 miracle   

n.奇迹，令人惊奇的人或事

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• It is simply a miracle that rice should grow in such a place.稻子竟能在这样的地方生长，这实在是个奇迹。