環(huán)球英語(yǔ) 1461 Floating Islands
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
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And I’m Christy VanArragon. 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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Lake Titicaca is 3800 meters above sea level between Peru and Bolivia. It is South America’s largest fresh water lake. More than 25 rivers empty into Lake Titicaca. And the lake has many islands. Most of these islands are natural. But there is a group of islands that are different from the rest. These islands are not made of rock and soil. These islands float on the water. And, they were made by people! Today’s Spotlight is on the floating islands in Lake Titicaca.
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The Uros people have lived on Lake Titicaca for hundreds of years. Some people say that the Uros people moved onto the lake for protection. In 1428, the Incan kingdom began to grow and grow in South America. Over time, the Incans would control much of the area around the Andes Mountains. Most tribes did not resist this control. They gave the Incans power over their cities. Some experts think that the Uros did resist. They moved to the islands to escape Incan control.
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Still other experts think that the Uros settled on the lake more than two thousand years ago. This theory is that there were very heavy rains in the area. The Uros built boats, and floated on the lake during the long rains. They discovered that they could live on the lake itself. It was safe, and peaceful.
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But the Uros themselves have another explanation. They say that the first Uros were gods. These gods had black blood - blood that protected them from the cold lake. Later, they married people, and became people themselves - the first Uros people. But for whatever reason, it is clear that living on the lake worked for the Uros. Their floating homes kept the Uros safe. And they could live their lives without problems from the outside world.
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So, how do the Uros make these islands? They start with totora reeds. These strong plants grow in the lake. The plants develop very thick roots. The Uros combine groups of the reeds. The thick roots help the islands to float. The reeds at the bottom of the islands break down very quickly in the water. So the Uros add new reeds to the top of the islands often. And when people walk on them their feet sink into the soft surface. Each island can last about 30 years.
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The large islands can provide living space for about ten families. These families live in small homes that are also made of reeds. There are also smaller islands that are about 30 meters wide. They can hold only about three families.
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The Uros must work to keep the islands in one place. They do this by tying ropes to sticks that they push into the bottom of the lake. During the rainy season, the islands move around a little in the water.
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As you can imagine, life on these islands is very different from the life that most people live. The islands are about a 30 minute boat ride away from land. The Uros people catch fish and hunt birds for food. Sometimes they trade with people on the main land. The Uros cook the birds and fish on fires that they build on top of stones. They also eat the bottoms of the totora reeds. They use the lake for drinking water.
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The Uros must find a special way to get rid of the waste from their bodies. They do not want it to pollute the water that they drink. So they use small islands away from their main islands. They use these islands to get rid of waste from their bodies. They dry out solid waste in the sun.
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The Uros do use land for some things. Older Uros children go to school on a natural island, close to their community. For medical care, they must also travel to towns on the edge of the lake. And Uros people bury their dead on land.
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Uros people do use modern technology. They have motors for their boats. Some people use solar power, to create electricity from the sun. This electricity powers televisions and radios. There is even a small radio station on one of the islands!
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However, most people do not have electricity - not even for heat. The weather is usually warm and sunny on Lake Titicaca in the middle of the day. But nights are cold. Life is not easy for the Uros people.
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For these reasons, many Uros people have moved away from the floating islands. Traditional life is too difficult. People want modern jobs, and modern lives. There are now only a few hundred people left living on the floating islands.
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However, the Uros also face a different kind of problem. Since the 1960s, travellers have visited the Uros islands. These foreign people wanted to see the Uros people. They were curious about the Uros way of life.
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These travellers brought some good changes. The Uros earn money from the travellers. They charge the travellers money to take pictures of their islands. Travellers also pay money to travel in their traditional reed boats. But this does not earn the Uros people much respect.
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Mairo Moya has studied the Uros people, and lived on the Uros islands. He told the BBC that by the 1980s, there were many more travelers. And they caused some problems. For example, more people on the islands damage the reeds. There are about 50 floating islands on Lake Titicaca. But visitors can only come to about ten.
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Today, Moya is a guide for travellers in the area. He encourages travellers to understand and support the traditional life here. He told the B B C the reason he cares so much about the Uros.
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“It teaches that man can learn to live in almost any environment. These people have been here for hundreds of years. They are proud of what they have achieved. They have actually created their own land.
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The writer of this program was Sara DeKoster. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at https://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Floating Islands’.
Voice 1 You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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