2006年VOA标准英语-US Piano Store Gives Donated Pianos to Ken

By Bill Rodgers
Washington, DC
23 February 2006
 
watch Piano for Kenya report

A former Olympic hopeful working in a piano store in Seattle, Washington is helping¹ create much-needed jobs in Kenya. How? By shipping² donated pianos to the East African nation where they are refurbished and sold. 

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Kenn Wildes tunes³ a piano  
  

Inside Seattle's Piano Gallery, Kenn Wildes is hard at work tuning⁴ pianos.

Wildes did this work in Kenya 15 years ago, while training as an Olympic runner. But a car accident ended this dream. Instead, his other dream to help Kenyans is a reality.

"The pianos will find a very thankful home," he says.

The pianos find homes in Nairobi, Kenya in churches and schools.  The store has shipped more than a hundred donated pianos to Nairobi since 2003.

Pianos donated to Kenya   
  
Kenya is a poor country, afflicted⁵ by drought and hunger.  Jobs are in short supply.  But donated pianos can provide work, says storeowner Arnie Tucker. "They want the work because there's 50 percent unemployment in Kenya, and they will work on the inside while neighbors are stripping and finishing the outside, and rebuild that piano so it's marketable."

So, pianos donated by the Seattle community are shipped to Kenya, where they are helping people enjoy a better life, thanks to Kenn Wildes.

1 helping   

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。

2 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

3 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。