英语课程计划-Indigenous People

August the 9th is International Day of the World's Indigenous¹ People. It is a time for the world to understand the problems of indigenous peoples around the world. The day was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994. It wanted to strengthen international cooperation to help indigenous people. In particular, in the areas of culture, education, health, human rights and economic development. It also wanted to ensure their survival as many indigenous cultures were in danger of dying out. Many indigenous people today are under threat from globalization. Multicultural² companies in search of profits are destroying their habitats. Their culture is being weakened as they move into cities in search of work.

An indigenous people is any ethnic³ group who have inhabited a geographic⁴ region for hundreds or thousands of years. One expert said an indigenous people is "a politically underprivileged group, who share a similar ethnic identity that is different to the nation in power, and who have been an ethnic entity⁵ in the locality before the present ruling nation took over power". The best-known examples of indigenous peoples are the Aborigines in Australia, the Inuit in the Arctic regions, and the Zulu in South Africa. Estimates are that there are 300 to 350 million indigenous people in the world today. This is just under six per cent of the total world population. This includes over 5,000 different people in more than 72 countries.

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。