環(huán)球英語—802：Hope in the Water

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Welcome to Spotlight, I'm Joshua Leo.
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And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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It was a quiet October morning at Tunnels Beach in Kauai, Hawaii in 2003. Bethany Hamilton and some of her friends decided to go surfing. Surfing is a popular sport in Hawaii. Surfers stand, balancing on a flat board and ride over waves in the ocean. The waves at Tunnels Beach are huge. Sometimes they grow as high as 25 metres! But that was no problem for Bethany. She was only fourteen years old. But she was already a very good surfer. She had won surfing competitions.
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On this day in October, Bethany was far out into the ocean. She was lying on her stomach on her surfboard. She held the board with her right arm. Her left arm was in the water. She was waiting for a wave. But then something happened that would change Bethany's life forever. [sfx] A tiger shark attacked Bethany. This fish was over four metres long. It is a predator - it kills and eats other animals. The tiger shark bit into Bethany's left arm and through her surfboard. Bethany was surprisingly calm. She did not scream in pain. That could be because the attack only lasted a few seconds. After the shark left, she began to shout for help.
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"I got attacked by a shark!"
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At first, her friends did not even believe her. She was so calm. But then they could see the blood. One friend was named Hold. Hold swam out to her. He could not believe what he saw. The shark had bit off most of Bethany's left arm! Hold knew he had to act fast. But they were at least twenty minutes away from the land. Hold tied a piece of cloth around Bethany's shoulder. This helped stop the bleeding. And Bethany used her other arm to help them both swim to the land.
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By the time Bethany reached the hospital, she had already lost half of the blood in her body. The doctors hurried to operate on her. Her family waited and prayed that she would survive.
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The doctors had to remove the remains of Bethany's arm when they operated. But she survived! Bethany and her family believe that her story is a miracle.
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As Bethany recovered in the hospital, there was one thing that Bethany wanted to do more than anything else. She wanted to surf again.
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Only ten weeks later, Bethany surfed in a competition in Hawaii! People around the world started hearing about her story. They wanted to know more. Newspapers, magazines, and television programs all wanted to talk with Bethany. And Bethany was excited to share her story with the world.
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Bethany was born and raised in Hawaii. When she was five [5] years old, she became a Christian. She gave her life to serving and following Jesus Christ. After becoming a Christian, Bethany felt different. She says:
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"Ever since then, I have just lived a life for him. I just knew that he loved me and he had something great planned for my life."
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When she was eleven years old, Bethany started surfing. She had a lot of natural surfing skills. She entered her first competition when she was thirteen. People in the surfing community praised Bethany. They said that she was the most skillful young surfer they had ever seen. They promised that she would go far if she continued surfing in competitions.
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Bethany did continue to compete. But she also wanted to share her Christian faith. She wanted other people to know about Jesus. She wrote Bible verses on her surfboard. She and her mother often prayed that Bethany would be a good example for other people.
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A few weeks before the shark accident, Bethany and her mother had said a special prayer. They had asked God to guide Bethany. They wanted to know what his plan was for Bethany's life.
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The shark attack changed things for Bethany. She had a permanent injury. But Bethany believes that this bad accident does not mean that God did not answer their prayer. Questions about why God permits something like this to happen are difficult to answer. But Bethany says that her accident has given her the chance to tell people about her love for Jesus.
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Bethany was never angry about her accident. She believed the attack was part of God's plan. That is a very difficult thing to believe. But Bethany believes that God can work in ways that we do not understand.
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Since her accident, Bethany has done many amazing things. She continued to surf in competitions around the world. In fact, in 2005, she won first place in the National Scholastic Surfing Association Championships! And since 2008, she has been competing full time as a surfing professional.
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Bethany has spoken to many groups of people all around the world. She has appeared on television and radio programs. She wrote a book about her experience called "Soul Surfer". There is even a documentary film about Bethany and her faith. She also works with many non-profit aid groups around the world.
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One of the groups Bethany works with is World Vision. She cares strongly about helping other disabled children around the world. She helps them see that there is still hope in life, no matter what happens.
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"I feel that God has really used my situation to give people hope. Just getting to travel the world and talk to people and encourage them. It is really amazing, how God is using what happened to me to help other people and just encourage them."
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Sometimes, people ask Bethany why God would let such a bad thing happen to her. She responds with a verse from the Christian Bible, in part called Romans.
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"God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. He has definitely worked through me and given me a hope for my future. It has just been a hidden blessing."
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Bethany's life is a wonderful example of faith, courage, and strength. People like Bethany Hamilton can teach us many things. She never gave up her dreams. She does not worry about the bad things that have happened to her. She is still a young girl. But she is changing the lives of many people all over the world with her amazing story.
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To learn more about Bethany and to see what she is doing now, please visit our website. We have links to her website on the script page for this program.