(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
Burma also known as Myanmar, is one of the poorest countries in the world. United Nations says people there earn an average of about $460 a year.
For more than twenty years, the military ruled the country leading to international economic sanctions. The country now has an elected government and international aid has begun to arrive, but there are few resources for education in rural villages.
Bob Cornwell and the group called Build a School in Burma are trying to change that. Three years ago, he was a financial advisor to several foreign government. Today, he is building schools in Burma.
"We're really trying to help kids on the margin who wouldn't otherwise get an education, and kids not having an education is just a recipe for every kind of personal disaster."
He met some of those children in 2010. He and a friend were travelling from village to village in the northwestern province of Burma.
"None of these villages had electricity. Many of them are not really accessible even by road. And lots of kids. Maybe like five on average per family. No school."
Bob Cornwell returned to his home in California. Back home, he learned that the cost of building a primary school in Burma was just $15,000 to $20,000. So he sold his interest in the financial consulting company that he had started 25 years earlier, and returned to Burma.
He looked for villages that would give land and construction help in exchange for school.
Rick Heizman, an expert on Burmese music volunteers to help. He had been working on humanitarian and education projects in Burma for more than twenty years.
Rick Heizman is married to a well-known Burmese harpist Su Wei. They live in San Francisco, California. But they return to Burma often to visit the school projects.
Su Wei says the children are excited to learn to read and write, and she says their parents are happy that their children can getting an education without having to leave their village.
"You know, The school is inside their village, nearby, so, at least, they don't have to worry about taking the kids to the school in faraway places. You know like that."
Build a School in Burma has built two schools, and a third one is almost completed. In June, construction or renovation began on two more. Bob Cornwell says the group works with community leaders.
"They have a very good connection to the local people. They understand what the needs are. So having someone who really understands the local situation is crucial. They are underground there all the time, so we really focused on those groups."
Bob Cornwell is applying for grants and asking for donations, so he can build more schools. He says spending his retirement years this way has made him happier than he ever imagined he would be.
And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English, I'm Jerilyn Watson.
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.accessible adj. 易接近的；可进入的；可理解的
The remote desert area is accessible only by helicopter.
只有乘直升机才能进入那遥远的荒漠地区。
2.in exchange for 作为…的交换
Tom gave Helen an apple in exchange for a piece of cake.
汤姆用一个苹果与海伦换一块蛋糕。
3.renovation n. 革新；修理；恢复活力
The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.
电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
缅甸是全世界最穷的国家之一，联合国称该国人均年收入大约460美元。
20多年来，缅甸在军方统治下遭到国际上的经济制裁。该国目前有了民选政府，开始收到国际援助，但农村地区的教育资源很缺乏。
Bob Cornwell和名为“在缅甸建立学校”的组织开始改变这个现状。三年前，他做过几个外国政府的财政顾问。如今他在缅甸建造学校。
“我们设法帮助边缘状态的孩子接受教育，孩子无法接受教育的话，就会构成潜在的人类灾难。”
2010年他见了一些这样的孩子，当时他和朋友在缅甸西北省份村庄间旅行。
“这些村子都没有电，很多甚至没有道路，这里的孩子很多，可能每家平均有五个孩子，但是没有一所学校。”
Bob Cornwell回到在加州的家中，回家后，他了解到，在缅甸建造一所小学只需花费1.5万到两万美元。于是他卖掉自己在25年前开办的金融咨询公司的股份，然后回到缅甸。
他开始寻找能够提供土地和建房支持的村庄，来为这里建造学校。
Rick Heizman是研究缅甸音乐的专家，他表示愿意义务提供帮助。他曾在缅甸的人道主义和教育项目工作20多年。
Rick Heizman与缅甸有名的竖琴师Su Wei结了婚，他们住在加州旧金山，但他们经常回缅甸看望学校项目。
Su Wei说，孩子们很高兴能读书写字，她说孩子父母都很高兴孩子们无需离开村庄就能接受教育。
“要知道，学校就在村子里，很近，所以至少父母无须担心孩子们要去很远的地方上学。”
“在缅甸建立学校”组织目前建造了两所学校，目前第三所学校即将建立。6月份还要建造或翻新另外两所，Bob Cornwell说该组织与社区领导人进行合作。
“他们与当地人合作得很好，明白当地人需要什么。所以能有人了解当地情况很重要，他们一直都了解这里，所以我们很关注这些组织。”
Bob Cornwell正在申请许可和捐赠，这样他就能建造更多学校。他说这样度过退休生活，他感到比想象的更快乐。
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是Jerilyn Watson。
