环球英语 — 175：Listener Mail 84

　　Voice 1

Thank you for joining us for Spotlight 1’s listener 2 mail program! I’m Liz Waid.

Voice 2

And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Welcome to today’s listener mail program! We like to listen to our listeners 3! In this program people share questions and comments about Spotlight. Today we will hear from Jen, Diane, Amine, and Donato. So let’s get started answering your mail!

Voice 2

Our first letter today comes from Jen. Jen heard about Spotlight in a very interesting way - we made a program about her! This program was called “Acts of Kindness.” In this program we told about Jen’s website called “Daily Mitzvah.” Mitzvah is a Jewish 4 word meaning “an act of kindness.” Every day on “Daily Mitzvah” Jen shares ideas on how to perform acts of kindness.

Voice 1

Joshua Leo found Jen’s website. He thought it was a great idea. And he knew Spotlight’s listeners might enjoy Jen’s ideas too. So, he wrote a program about it! Jen noticed that Spotlight had linked to her blog. So, she came to our website to see what we were about. Jen wrote:

Voice 3

“I was so happy to learn that your program “Acts of Kindness” featured my blog, Daily Mitzvah! I clicked 6 the link and greatly enjoyed the program. It was a lovely discussion 7 of a project near to my heart. And I think Spotlight Radio’s English method is very cool. Congratulations 8 on all your good work. And thank you for the kind words.”

Voice 2

Jen, we are so happy you enjoyed the program! People are working to do good things all around the world. Sometimes it is hard to know who these people are or what they are doing. And it can be hard to know how to get involved to make the world better. So we were very happy to share your website with daily suggestions on acts of kindness! Thanks for writing to us Jen.

Voice 1

Listeners, we know that you also have good ideas about acts of kindness. If you would like to share your ideas with us, you can e-mail us at Radio @ English.net. We would love to share your ideas everywhere in the world!

Voice 2

When Jen first saw our link to her website she wondered who we were. But she was not the only one! Diane from France also wrote to us. She asked about the producers of Spotlight.

Voice 1

Three different teams work together to produce the Spotlight program for your local radio station. Two of these teams are in the United 9 States and one is in England. The team members are all Christians 10. We are able to use voices from different places because these teams are in different places.

Voice 2

You can find out more about who we are and what we believe on our website. Go to http://www.Radio.English.net. Click 5 on the first link, called “Spotlight.” You can also search our website to find programs about how and why Spotlight began. Thanks for writing to us Diane!

Voice 1

Our next letter today comes from Amine. Amine writes:

Voice 4

“I can speak English and make myself understood. But my problem is that I have a great difficulty 11 understanding what a native says when he is speaking quickly. I am looking forward to your advice.”

Voice 1

Thanks for your question Amine. We get many questions like this. As our listeners know, we are not a program that teaches English. But we use English in a way that makes it easier to understand. Many people do enjoy listening to our programs to hear and understand interesting stories and subjects.

Voice 2

Teachers say that when someone learns a new language, it is important to practice listening. By listening more and more, any language learner will begin to understand more and more. Spotlight is especially good to practice with. But you can also practice with other programs. Maybe you can also practice with other English speakers who can speak face to face with you. Maybe you can set up a class or group where people practice together. Or, you can try listening to English news broadcasts on the Internet. You can compare them with news in your own language. In the beginning, it may be difficult to understand people who speak fast. But the more you listen, the easier it will be.

Voice 1

We hope this advice is helpful! But we have another suggestion for you too. In fact, this suggestion comes from another of our listeners, Donato. In his letter, Donato told us an interesting way he listens to Spotlight. He says his English is improving quickly. He likes to experiment with listening to Spotlight at different speeds. To do this, he transfers 12 our programs to an audio 13 player. Then he speeds up the audio file 14!

Voice 2

He also shares some suggestions for Spotlight programs. Donato writes:

Voice 5

“I would like to suggest something... that I think could be useful to everyone. First, I would like to hear and read some... interview programs. And second, I would like to hear and read a lot about technical subjects. For example, I would like to hear about computers, renewable energy, wind energy and more.”

Voice 1

Thanks a lot for your suggestions Donato! We are always looking for new subjects to write about. And all of these ideas sound very good. In fact, some of them have been in earlier Spotlight programs. The link to search for past programs is at the bottom of the Listen and Read page. But we also produce at least one new science program each week. So we will keep your ideas for the future! Maybe we can use one of them soon.

Voice 2

Your other question is a little more difficult to answer. Interview programs are when we ask people questions and they answer. The problem is that often the English that people use in their answers is not clear enough to use in a Spotlight program. But we are always open to trying new things. Who knows? Maybe in the future we can produce something like this! Thanks for writing to Spotlight!