Unit 5
Section A
Pre-reading Activities
First Listening
Having ideas about an essay before you read it is an important reading skill. Please listen to a short piece of recording about AIDS.
Second Listening
Listen to the tape again. Then answer the following questions to the best of your ability.
1. What is the name of the disease that appeared more than 20 years ago?
2. What war does this passage describe?
3. What must each of us learn to do?
The Battle Against AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was diagnosed in the United States in the late 1970s. Since then, AIDS has killed more than 204,000 Americans — half in the past few years alone. Another 185,000 of the one million infected with the HIV virus are also expected to die.
Nearly half of those diagnosed with the virus are blacks and Latinos. Women and youth in rural Southern communities now constitute the fastest growing segment of people with AIDS.
Despite such alarming numbers, the federal and state governments have been slow in implementing programs to stop the spread of AIDS. In place of government inactivity, a number of local organizations have emerged.
One organization, the South Carolina AIDS Education Network, formed in 1985 to combat the growing number of AIDS cases. Like many local organizations, this organization suffers from a lack of money, forcing it to use its resources creatively. To reach more people in the community, some AIDS educational programs operate out of a beauty shop.
The owner hands out AIDS information to all her clients when they enter the shop and shows videos on AIDS prevention while they wait for their hair to dry. She also keeps books and other publications around so customers can read them while waiting for their appointments. It's amazing how many people she has educated on the job.
Recently, the network began helping hair stylists throughout the Southeast set up similar programs in their shops. They are also valuable resources in spreading information to their schools, community groups, and churches.
The organization has developed several techniques useful to other groups doing similar work. While no one way of winning the war against AIDS exists, the network shares these lessons learned in its battle against AIDS:
Speak to your community in a way they can hear. Many communities have a low literacy rate, making impossible passing out AIDS literature and expecting people to read it. To solve this problem, ask people in the community who can draw well to create low-literacy AIDS education publications.
These books use simple, hand-drawn pictures of "sad faces" and "happy faces" to illustrate ways people can prevent AIDS. They also show people who look like those we need to educate, since people can relate more when they see familiar faces and language they can understand. As a result, such books actually have more effect in the communities where they are used than government publications, which cost thousands of dollars more to produce.
Train teenagers to educate their peers. Because AIDS is spreading fastest among teenagers in the rural South, the stylists have established an "AIDS Busters" program which trains youth from 8 to 26 to go into the community and teach "AIDS 101" to their peers. They make it simple and explain the risk of catching AIDS to friends their own age much better than an adult can. They also play a vital role in helping parents understand the types of peer pressure their children experience.
Redefine "at risk" to include women from different backgrounds and marriage status. One woman's doctor told her she was not at risk for AIDS because she was married and didn't use drugs. Such misinformation plagues the medical establishment. According to the Centers for Disease Control, women will soon make up 80 percent of those diagnosed with HIV.
The stylists also emphasize that everyone is at risk and that all of us have a right to protect ourselves — regardless of marriage status.
These lessons are not the only solutions to the crisis but until there is a cure for AIDS, education represents the only safe measure to guard against the virus.
Like no other plague before, the AIDS epidemic threatens to wipe out an entire generation and leave another without parents. We must not let cultural, racial, or social barriers distract us from the job that must be done. Nor can we let political inefficiency stop us from our task. This is an undeclared war that everyone must sign up for in order for us to win. We simply cannot let people continue to die because we don't feel comfortable talking about AIDS. Everyone must become an educator and learn to live.
Words: 700
NEW WORDS
acquire
vt. get by one's own work, skill, etc. 獲得;學(xué)到
▲immune
a. 1. unable to be diseased or hurt because of special powers in oneself 免疫的
2. protected from 免除的
▲deficiency
n. the state of having none or not enough of 不足,缺乏;缺點(diǎn),缺陷
◆syndrome
n. a set of qualities, happenings, methods, etc., common to a general condition (具有共性的性質(zhì),事件,癥狀等的)集合
▲diagnose
vt. discover the nature of (a disease) 診斷;判斷
infect
vt. 1. put disease into the body of (someone) 感染
2. affect; influence 影響
virus
n. a living thing which can cause a spreading disease in the body, or in plants 病毒
rural
a. of or like the countryside 農(nóng)村的
constitute
vt. make up; form 組成
segment
n. any of the parts into which something may be divided 部分
alarm
n. sudden fear and worry; a warning of danger 驚慌;警報(bào)
vt. cause sudden fear or worry; 使驚恐,使擔(dān)心
federal
a. 聯(lián)邦的,聯(lián)邦制的
implement
vt. carry out or put into practice 實(shí)施,執(zhí)行
organization (英organisation)
n. 1. a group of people with a special purpose 組織
2. the adjusting or planning of parts so as to form an effective whole 組織,安排
emerge
vi. come or appear 出現(xiàn)
network
n. a large set of lines, wires, etc., that cross or meet one another 網(wǎng)絡(luò)
combat
vt. fight or struggle against 斗爭(zhēng)
n. a fight or battle 斗爭(zhēng)
resource
n. (usu. pl.) a possession (esp. of a country) in the form of wealth or goods 資源
creative
a. producing new and fresh ideas and things 創(chuàng)造性的;有創(chuàng)造力的
creatively
ad. 創(chuàng)造性地;有創(chuàng)造力地
client
n. 1. a person who pays a business person, esp. a lawyer for help and advice 當(dāng)事人
2. a customer 顧客
video
n. 錄像,錄像機(jī)
publication
n. 1.[U] the act of making sth. known to the public; the offering of sth. printed for sale 公布,發(fā)表;出版,發(fā)行
2.[C] sth. printed 出版物
educate
v. teach; train the nature of 教育
educational
a. of education 教育的
educator
n. a person who educates 教育工作者;教育家
recently
ad. not long ago 最近
southeast
n. the point that is halfway between south and east 東南
▲literacy
n. the state of being able to read and/or write 文化;識(shí)字
low-literacy
n. 低文化水平
literature
n. 1. written works which are of artistic value 文學(xué)
2. printed material giving information 資料
solve
vt. find an answer to or a way of dealing with 解決,解答
solution
n. (to) an answer to a problem 解決,解答
create
vt. cause sth. to happen or exist 創(chuàng)造
illustrate
vt. show the meaning of (sth.) by giving related pictures or examples 說明
relate
vt. 1. tell (a story) 講述
2. see or show a joining between 將……聯(lián)系起來
establish
vt. set up (esp. a school, an organization, etc.) 建立,創(chuàng)辦
establishment
n. 1. a business or an organization 機(jī)構(gòu),企業(yè)
2. the act of setting up 建立,確立;確定
■buster
n. sth. or sb. that fights or triumphs over the actual wrong or negative activity 克星
risk
n. a danger 危險(xiǎn),風(fēng)險(xiǎn)
vt. place in danger; take the chance of losing 冒著……的危險(xiǎn)
adult
n. a fully grown person or animal 成年(人或動(dòng)物)
pressure
n. the conditions of work, a way of living, etc. which cause worry, stress and difficulty 壓力
define
vt. give the meaning of; describe exactly 下定義;描述
redefine
vt. consider sth. in a new way 重新說明
background
n. a person's family, experience, and education 出身背景,經(jīng)歷;背景資料
▲plague
vt. annoy by repeated action 纏繞,煩擾
n. 瘟疫,鼠疫;災(zāi)難,禍患
emphasize (英emphasise)
vt. lay stress on 強(qiáng)調(diào)
regardless
a. whatever may happen; (of) not influenced by 無論如何
crisis
n. moment of great danger or difficulty 危機(jī)
represent
vt. 1. show; be a sign of; stand for 表示,表明
2. act or speak officially for(another person or people) 作為……的代表(或代理)
▲epidemic
n. a widely or rapidly spreading disease; the spread of a disease that infects others 流行病;傳染病的蔓延
threaten
v. express or be a warning that one is going to hurt, punish , etc. 揚(yáng)言;威脅
racial
a. connected with race 種族的
efficiency
n. the quality of being able to do a task successfully, without wasting time or energy 效率
inefficiency
n. the quality of being unable to do a task successfully 效率低下,無效
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS
be infected with
have or carry (a disease) 感染(疾?。?br />
in place of
instead of 代替
suffer from
experience (sth. unpleasant, e.g. an illness) 受……之苦,患(某種疾病)
pass out
1. give to each person in a group 分發(fā)
2. faint 暈倒
as a result
therefore 因此,結(jié)果
at risk
in danger 有危險(xiǎn),有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)
regardless of
not influenced by 不顧,不管
the solution to
the answer to ……的解答;解決(解答)……的辦法
threaten to do sth.
give warning that one may hurt or punish 揚(yáng)言要……
distract ... from
take one's attention from 使分心
sign up(for sth.)
(cause to) sign an agreement to take part in sth. 報(bào)名參加;簽約參加工作(或組織)
PROPER NAMES
AIDS
醫(yī)]Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 艾滋?。瘣圩滩?br />
HIV
醫(yī)]Human Immunodeficiency Virus 艾滋病病毒,人體免疫缺損病毒
Latino
(pl. Latinos)拉丁美洲人
與艾滋病抗?fàn)?/strong>
艾滋病是20世紀(jì)70年代末在美國(guó)被發(fā)現(xiàn)的。 自那時(shí)以來,艾滋病已奪走了20.4萬多美國(guó)人的生命--其中有一半是在過去幾年中喪生的。 此外,100萬感染艾滋病毒的人當(dāng)中有18.5萬人也將不久于人世。
被診斷感染艾滋病毒的人當(dāng)中有一半是黑人和來自拉丁美洲的美國(guó)人。 南部農(nóng)村社區(qū)的婦女和青年是數(shù)量增長(zhǎng)最快的艾滋病患者群體。
盡管數(shù)量大得驚人,但各州和聯(lián)邦政府在實(shí)施防止艾滋病蔓延的計(jì)劃方面行動(dòng)遲緩。 鑒于政府行動(dòng)不力,許多地方組織便應(yīng)運(yùn)而生了。
南卡羅來納艾滋病教育網(wǎng)絡(luò)機(jī)構(gòu)成立于1985年,目的在于防止艾滋病病例數(shù)量的增加。 和許多地方組織一樣,該組織缺乏資金,這迫使它創(chuàng)造性地使用其資源。 為接觸更多的社區(qū)居民,有些艾滋病教育計(jì)劃放在美發(fā)店實(shí)施。
美發(fā)店老板在顧客進(jìn)來時(shí)向他們散發(fā)艾滋病資料,在他們等著頭發(fā)晾干時(shí),向他們放映有關(guān)預(yù)防艾滋病的錄像片。 她還在店里放著一些書籍和其他出版物,供顧客等候時(shí)閱讀。她在干工作的同時(shí)使許許多多人受到了教育,這一點(diǎn)著實(shí)讓人贊嘆。
最近,這一教育網(wǎng)絡(luò)已開始幫助整個(gè)美國(guó)東南部的發(fā)型設(shè)計(jì)師們?cè)谒麄兊拿腊l(fā)店里實(shí)施類似計(jì)劃。 他們也是向?qū)W校、社區(qū)組織和教堂傳播信息的有價(jià)值的資源。
這一組織還總結(jié)出了一些對(duì)其它從事同樣工作的團(tuán)體頗有裨益的方法。 盡管還沒有一種能戰(zhàn)勝艾滋病的方法,但這一網(wǎng)絡(luò)在與艾滋病抗?fàn)幹蝎@得了以下經(jīng)驗(yàn):
以社區(qū)居民能接受的方式與他們交談。許多社區(qū)的居民受教育比例低,這使得向他們散發(fā)艾滋病資料,希望他們自己閱讀這一做法不切實(shí)際。 為解決這一問題,請(qǐng)了善于繪畫的人來編寫適合于教育程度低的居民閱讀的艾滋病教育圖書。
這些書籍采用簡(jiǎn)單的、手工繪制的“憂傷的臉”和“幸福的臉”等圖畫,說明防止感染艾滋病的方法。 這些書也向居民說明哪些人看起來是需要給予教育的人。當(dāng)居民們看到熟悉的臉和能夠理解的語言時(shí),就會(huì)發(fā)表更多的議論和看法。 這樣一來,這些書在使用它們的社區(qū)里所產(chǎn)生的影響要比政府出版的書籍更大,而政府出版的書籍成本要高出數(shù)千美元。
培訓(xùn)青少年去教育自己的同齡人。由于艾滋病在南部農(nóng)村地區(qū)的青少年當(dāng)中傳播速度最快,發(fā)型設(shè)計(jì)師們?cè)O(shè)立了一個(gè)稱為“艾滋病克星”的項(xiàng)目,培訓(xùn)8到26歲的青少年,讓他們到社區(qū)給同齡人上“艾滋病101”課程。 這些青少年使這門課程變得簡(jiǎn)單易學(xué),并向他們的同齡朋友解釋感染艾滋病的危險(xiǎn)性,他們干得比成年人出色得多。 他們?cè)趲椭改赣H理解孩子們所經(jīng)受的各種來自于同齡人的壓力方面也起著重要作用。
對(duì)"存在危險(xiǎn)"這一概念作重新界定,從而把不同背景、不同婚姻狀況的婦女都包括進(jìn)去。 一位婦女的醫(yī)生對(duì)她說她不存在染上艾滋病的危險(xiǎn),因?yàn)樗呀?jīng)結(jié)婚,而且不吸毒。這類錯(cuò)誤觀念困擾著醫(yī)療機(jī)構(gòu)。根據(jù)疾病控制中心的預(yù)測(cè),女性將占感染艾滋病毒人口的80%。
發(fā)型設(shè)計(jì)師們也強(qiáng)調(diào)每個(gè)人都存在著危險(xiǎn),所以我們每個(gè)人都有權(quán)保護(hù)自己--不管婚姻狀況如何。
這些經(jīng)驗(yàn)不是解決艾滋病危機(jī)的惟一方法,但在找到治療艾滋病的方法之前,教育不失為預(yù)防感染艾滋病毒的惟一安全的措施。
和以前其他瘟疫不同,艾滋病這一流行性疾病有可能奪去一代人的生命,從而使另一代人失去雙親。 因而我們決不能讓文化、種族和社會(huì)的障礙使得我們不能專心從事我們必須做的工作。我們也不能因?yàn)檎ぷ餍实拖露艞壩覀兊墓ぷ鳌?這是一場(chǎng)不宣而戰(zhàn)的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng),我們每個(gè)人都必須參加,我們只有這樣才能取得勝利。我們絕對(duì)不能因?yàn)檎務(wù)摪滩?huì)使我們感到難受,而聽任人們繼續(xù)被艾滋病奪去生命。 每個(gè)人都必須成為教育者,必須學(xué)會(huì)生活。