(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair recently urged governments around the world to support tolerance programs for young people. Mr Blair told the United Nations Security Council that such programs make it possible for students to accept people of different cultures and religions.
The former British leader described education in the 21 century as a security issue. He made the appeal last month at a meeting of the Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Tony Blair served as prime minister from 1997 to 2007. He currently heads the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. The group seeks to help prevent prejudice, conflict and extremism. It operates tolerance programs in more than 1,000 schools worldwide.
Mr Blair said the world faces extremism based on what he called "a perversion of religious belief." He said this way of thinking abuses religion to justify violence against innocent civilians.
The former prime minister said people like to belong to something. And that belonging can provide a sense of identity. But he believes that misguided sense of belonging can make people think of others who are different as opponents. He said the wide contacts of today deepen and add greatly to extremism, because people now meet many others who differ from themselves.
"The challenge then is to show our young people, who are vulnerable to appeals from terrorists, that there is a better way to live your life, a better path to having your voice heard, a more meaningful way to engage with the world. And we must address the extremists' funding and support so that they have less ability to teach and promote hate, persecution and murder," said Blair.
He also said the Tony Blair Faith Foundation has operated its school programs for 4 years. This Face to Faith program as it is called now reaches 50,000 students between the ages of 12 and 17. Some of the students live in western countries, such as Australia, Canada, Italy and the United States. Others live in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Philippines.
Mr Blair said the students learn the skills needed to prevent conflict by breaking down religious and cultural misunderstandings. He says Face to Faith teaches what he calls "religious literacy." Basically, it works, he said, they love it and it changes their minds and the mindsets.
He said many tolerance programs exist, but Mr Blair urged governments to start many more.
"Let the young people in your country experience firsthand an opportunity to learn about the world and to form a relationship with someone far away who may not look like them, but for whom, once they have been schooled in cross-cultural education, they may see themselves in," said Blair.
And he said his Foundation is willing to work in any country that invites it.
From VOA Learning English, that's the Education Report. I'm Jerilyn Watson.
文本来自51voa，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.prejudice n. 偏见；侵害
There was a deep-rooted racial prejudice long before the two countries went to war.
早在两国交战之前就有了根深蒂固的种族偏见。
2.perversion n. 反常；颠倒；曲解；误用；堕落
Critics say that the system is a dangerous perversion of democracy.
批评家们说，这种体系是对民主的危险的歪曲。
3.literacy n. 读写能力；精通文学；素养
Many adults have problems with literacy and numeracy.
很多成年人有读写和计算的困难。
4.mindset n. 心态；倾向；习惯；精神状态
The greatest challenge for the Americans is understanding the mindset of Eastern Europeans.
对美国人来说，最大的挑战在于理解东欧人的思维方式。
内容解析
1.The challenge then is to show our young people, who are vulnerable to appeals from terrorists,
vulnerable to 易受…的攻击；易受…的侵害
Migrant workers are vulnerable to exploitation.
流动工人易受剥削。
But modern humans were more vulnerable to the cold.
但是现代人更容易受到寒冷的攻击。
2.because people now meet many others who differ from themselves.
differ from 与…不同；区别于…；与…持不同意见，有分歧：
That arrangement differs from the one I had in mind.
那种安排同我原先所想的不同。
On one point I differ from you.
我在这一点上跟你有分歧。
参考译文
美国之音慢速英语教育报道。
英国前首相托尼·布莱尔最近敦促各国政府支持针对年轻人的宽容课程，布莱尔告诉联合国安理会，这类课程使得学生能够接受不同文化和宗教的人。
这位英国前领导人称21世纪的教育为安全问题，他上月在安理会反恐委员会的会议上发出这一呼吁。
托尼·布莱尔于1997到2007年间担任首相，他最近成为托尼布莱尔信仰基金会负责人。该组织寻求阻止偏见、冲突和极端主义，在全世界1000多所学校开设了宽容课程。
布莱尔说，全世界面临着建立在所谓“曲解宗教信仰”基础上的极端主义。他说这种思维方式滥用宗教，来为其针对无辜平民的暴力辩解。
前首相说人们喜欢有所归属，这种归属可以提供安全感。但他认为，被误导的归属感能让人们将那些与自己不同的人当做对手，他说如今的广泛接触加深和极端主义，因为人们现在要面对与自己不同的人。
“这样面临的挑战就是让那些容易受恐怖分子影响的年轻人知道，存在着更好的生活方式，存在更好的发表意见的途径，有更有意义的方式来与世界沟通。我们必须解决极端分子的资金和支持问题，这样就能降低其煽动仇恨、迫害和谋杀的能力。”
他说，托尼布莱尔信仰基金会的学校课程已经开了4年，目前已有5万名年龄在12到17岁的学生学习了“直面信仰”课程。部分学生生活在西方国家，比如澳大利亚、加拿大、意大利和美国。也有的生活在埃及、印度、印尼、约旦、巴基斯坦和菲律宾。
布莱尔说，学生们通过打破宗教和文化误解来掌握预防冲突的技巧，他说“直面信仰”教导所谓的“宗教素养”。他说这个课程基本上有效，学生们喜欢这个改变了他们思想和心智的课程。
他说现在有很多宽容课程，但布莱尔敦促各国政府开设更多。
“让你们国家的年轻人亲身体验，有机会了解世界，与远方那些或许与自己不同的人建立关系，但对这些人来说，一旦他们接受跨文化教育，他们就互相了解。”
他说该基金会希望到任何发出邀请的国家去运作。
这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道，我是Jerilyn Watson。
