美国国家公共电台 NPR A 'Ragged School' Gives U.K. Children A Taste Of Dickensian Destitution
时间:2018-12-17 作者:英语课 分类:2018年NPR美国国家公共电台4月
A 'Ragged 1 School' Gives U.K. Children A Taste Of Dickensian Destitution 2
SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
Charles Dickens made the East End of London infamous 3. In his time, it was rife 4 with poverty and crime. Today, row houses in the gentrified area cost more than a million dollars. But tucked away in a side street, a slice of the old London survives. A tiny museum is showing British schoolchildren what life was like in the bad old days. The BBC's Sam Alwyine-Mosely sent us this report.
SAM ALWYINE-MOSELY: Ms. Perkins stands on creaking floorboards, banging her cane 5 on a wooden desk as she peers over her wire-rimmed glasses, beckoning 6 a group of British schoolchildren into her classroom.
SALLY ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) You, boy. You, boy. Come around the front. You don't decide where to sit. I decide where you sit.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: The pupils are neatly 7 dressed in matching green sweatshirts and dark pants. They're fifth graders from a nearby school.
ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) Let us say our alphabet altogether. A-B-C-D...
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: E-F-G-H-I-J...
ALWYINE-MOSELY: But today, they've stepped into the past. This is the Ragged School Museum. Ms. Perkins, the stern Victorian schoolteacher leading the class, is an actress. And she's taking the children through an authentic 8 19th-century lesson. They write on slate 9 boards and learn about the old British currency - pound shillings and pence. Sally Armstrong, who's been playing Ms. Perkins for 11 years, likes to bring out old photographs for the children.
ARMSTRONG: One of my favorite things was, was life really black and white back then? 'Cause it's a black and white photo, you know.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: What do you think the children take away from the lesson?
ARMSTRONG: They haven't got a clue about not having any food in the house. Or they haven't got a clue about there being no welfare state or the fact that they would be expected to go out to work as well as come to school.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Yellow. Green. Blue.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: The museum is in the same building that once housed a free school for some of the poorest children in Victorian England. Back in the 1800s, this part of London was destitute 10. The origins of the name Ragged School isn't clear. Philanthropists set them up as an early experiment in providing free public education for street children in rags. Erica Davies, the museum's director, reads from a list that gives the family backgrounds of children who attended a Victorian school.
ERICA DAVIES: Fatherless fatherless, laborer 11, father in consumption, out of work, out of work, out of work. And that would really mean destitution at that time 'cause a woman could not make a decent living.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: Now, about 16,000 children a year take part in the Ragged School classes.
ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) Please repeat after me - four farthings equals one penny.
ARMSTRONG: Four farthings equals one penny.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: After class, the fifth graders reflect on their experience. Ten-year-old Victoria Tolaje and 9-year-old Ella Love tell me what they've learned.
VICTORIA TOLAJE: You can't do stuff that you do now or you'll get shouted at.
ELLA LOVE: Normally now, you could ask the person that's sitting next to you if they know the answer. But if you're in the Victorian times, you probably got caned 12 or something.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: What do you think of the teacher?
VICTORIA: I wouldn't really like her as my teacher today because she's very strict and shouts.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: The Ragged School Museum may show these kids just how good they have it, but the organization itself is struggling. Erica Davies, the museum's director, says funding's been cut and she's had to lay off staff. She shows me a hole in the museum's roof.
DAVIES: If you look up there, you can see the hole.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: Does it leak when it rains?
DAVIES: It leaks when it rains, yeah.
ALWYINE-MOSELY: And each year, it gets harder to find the near $30,000 needed to keep the museum open. For NPR News, I'm Sam Alwyine-Mosely in London.
(SOUNDBITE OF EMANCIPATOR'S "TIME FOR SPACE")
- A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
- Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
- The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句
- He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
- I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。
- Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
- Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。
- This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
- English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。
- An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
- He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句
- Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
- The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。
- This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
- Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
- The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
- What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢?
- They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
- They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。