环球英语 — 240：Listener Mail 88

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight 1. I’m Joshua Leo.

Voice 2

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.

Voice 1

From Hungary to Mexico, from Albania to Mongolia, from Vietnam to Italy, people are listening to Spotlight! We invite listeners to send us comments and questions about our programs, and each week, many of you do. Today we share mail from the United States, Mexico, and Ecuador. Let’s get started.

Voice 2

Our first letter today comes from the United States. Shana writes about the program “The Bhopal Gas Leak.” In 1984, dangerous gas began to leak from a chemical factory in the city of Bhopal, India. Thousands of people died because of the gas. And many thousands more suffered bad effects from it. Sadly, people in Bhopal still suffer the bad effects of the gas leak. Shana writes:

Voice 3

“I wanted to thank you for your recent coverage 2 of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. I am the US Coordinator 3 for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.”

Voice 1

In her e-mail, Shana included some websites for our listeners to visit. These websites tell what people are doing to improve the lives of the Bhopal victims. If you would like to find out more about the Bhopal tragedy, or what you can do to help, you can visit the websites Shana suggested. Visit the script 4 page for this program. There, we will provide links for you to visit.

bhopal.net

studentsforbhopal.org

Voice 2

Shana, thank you for your e-mail! The event at Bhopal was a tragedy. But we are glad to know more about your work. We hope that more people will learn of this tragedy. And we hope with you for a better life for the people of Bhopal.

Voice 1

Jeronimo, from Mexico, also wrote to us about a recent program. Jeronimo heard our program called “Skin Whitening.” In many countries, people use chemical products to make their skin lighter 5. These products are dangerous. But people are willing to use them to change how they look. For many reasons, people want whiter skin. Jeronimo told us he believes TV and films are one source of people’s wrong ideas about white skin.

Voice 4

“I believe that television and films “sell” worldwide the wrong idea that just white–skinned people are good–looking and can be successful. The worst is that a lot of people “buy it” and believe the false words.”

Voice 1

He also described a similar situation in his country.

Voice 4

“It is sad to say, but in Mexico, a lot of women – and even men – want to have blond 6, or light, hair. In fact, Mexico is the world’s biggest user 7 of blond dye 8 for the hair.

Like the majority of Mexicans, I have black hair and brown skin. I am really happy with that, I have no problem at all. I believe a person’s opinion of himself should depend on his skills and moral 9 values, not his hair or skin color.”

Voice 2

Jeronimo, thank you for sharing your ideas. It is good that you can be proud of who you are and what you look like. It is sad when people cannot be happy with themselves. In fact, these ideas can lead to serious problems, like depression. We hope that others can share your ideas about their value as people!

Jeronimo also gives us the subject for today’s Spotlight Language Hodgepodge. He asked,

Voice 4

“I have a question about numbers. I learned 10 at school that we can say one hundred [100], nine hundred [900] and one thousand [1,000] – not ten hundred. But I have listened to expressions like “nineteen hundred” [1,900] or “fifteen hundred.” [1,500] Is it correct to say one hundred [100] to ninety nine hundred?” [9,900]

Voice 1

That is a great question! English is sometimes a very strange and confusing language. Your observation about “hundreds” is correct. You can say eleven hundred [1,100] instead of one thousand one hundred, for example. But there are a few exceptions 11. It is not correct to say the numbers of tens. So, you would never say “ten hundred”. Instead, you would always say “one thousand.” [1,000] The same is true for two thousand [2,000], three thousand [3,000] and so on. For example, you would not say “twenty hundred” or “thirty hundred.” Instead, you would say “two thousand” and “three thousand.”

Voice 2

Are you confused yet? This method may seem very strange! So, WHY do we use it? Well, a person might say “eleven hundred” instead of “one thousand one hundred” because it is a little faster and easier. But saying numbers the way you were taught is clearest! That’s all for today’s Spotlight Language Hodgepodge! Thanks for your letter Jeronimo.

Our last e-mail today comes from Ecuador. Julio writes:

Voice 5

“I usually listen to Spotlight radio programs. I understand ninety [90] percent of them. With the radio programs I am practicing my English. I would like to get the scripts 12 for the programs. Also, I would like to get the scripts to programs about subjects like sickness.”

Voice 1

Thanks for your e-mail Julio. We are glad that Spotlight is so helpful and interesting to you! We get many requests for the scripts to our programs. And we are happy to share them.

Voice 2

Our website is a great resource for our listeners. There you can find all of the scripts to our programs. You can read along on our website as you listen to a program. Or you can print a copy of the script and read through it later. You can also find audio 13 files of our programs for one year. So, you can listen to many programs again.

Voice 1

But you also asked for scripts about particular subjects. Well, you can also use our website to find some of our old programs on subjects like sickness. First, go to the listen and read page. Then click on “Find more programs.” There you can search for any words you are interested in. We have made many programs about many different subjects, so you will probably find something that will interest you. If you would like to hear a Spotlight program about a particular subject, e-mail us. If we have not already made a program about that subject, we may write a program using your idea!