环球英语 — 313：Acts of Kindness
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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
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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
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Jen enjoys teaching. She is interested in radio. She says she is interested in things that are uplifting and quirky, or strange. But Jen is also interested in people doing good things. That is why she started a website.
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Jen started this project on November 17, 2007. She promised to write every day for a year. Every day, Jen writes about one thing a person can do to make the world a better place. She calls this a daily mitzvah. Mitzvah is a Hebrew word that means good deed, or good act. It is a kind thing someone does.
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Jen writes about simple kind things that any person can do every day in their community. And she writes about groups doing kind things, and how you can help them. On the first day of the project, Jen wrote this:
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“My goal is to publish a mitzvah, a good deed, each day for one year. Why? So often, we want to say thank you or want to give back. We are bored and need something quick, easy and inspiring to change our day. But often, we are not sure what to do. The idea passes, and we forget. This website will show things you can do today to make a small difference in a big world. The site will discuss free or low-cost ideas.”
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Today on Spotlight we will share some of Jen’s ideas about how to improve the world. These are things that any person can do.
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On December first, Jen wrote about the rice game. The Rice game is an internet game. You can find a link to it on our website, on the script page for this program. A person answers a question about the meaning of a particular word. If he answers the question correctly, the website gives twenty [20] grains of rice to the United Nations. The UN uses this rice to feed people who do not have enough food.
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Anyone can play the game. And a person can play as long as they want. The more you play, the more rice they give. A person can improve their knowledge of English and help people in need at the same time!
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On December 7, Jen wrote about a man named Danny Wallace. Danny put an advertisement in a British newspaper. In the paper, he wrote the words “Join Me.” He said that if people wanted to join him, they should send a small picture of themselves. He did not expect to hear from many people. But he received hundreds of pictures in the mail. No one knew what they were joining. And Danny did not know either.
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But Danny then got an idea for something his followers could do. The first job he gave the people who joined him was this: “Make an old man happy. Buy a random old man a cup of tea or pay for his bus ride.”
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Like Jen, Danny wanted people to do some small, kind thing for another person. Danny started “Good Fridays.” On these days, he encouraged people to “be nice, at least once a week, to someone else for no personal gain.” Danny has been encouraging people to do these nice things for over five years! Today, over 12,000 people have joined Danny. Jen was able to write about Danny’s message on her website. She shared it with many more people.
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On December 19 Jen wrote about Chemo Angels. Chemo Angels is a group that helps people who are receiving cancer treatment. Chemotherapy is a treatment to stop cancer. It can be emotionally, physically, and mentally difficult to experience. Chemo Angels helps people receiving this treatment. They send letters of encouragement and small gifts to cancer patients.
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Any person over 25 years old can become a Chemo Angel. That person agrees to send letters and small gifts to the cancer patient until the treatment ends. These letters and gifts help the patient through one of the most difficult times in his or her life.
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One woman’s grandson received mail from a Chemo Angel. She said this about the program.
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“Our Angels are so special to us. We hear from them several times a week. When we are a little down, we received a letter or gift from them. My grandson really enjoys his mail. The angels have brightened his life and ours so much! They are truly angels. Aside from the letters and gifts, we know that they are out there praying so hard for my grandson. And that means more to us than anything.”
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On December 24, Jen wrote about the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. This group of Catholic women have been praying 24 hours a day for over 100 years.
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Since the year 1878, two or more women from this group have prayed together. Each woman prays for two hours at a time. When she is finished, another woman comes to take her place in prayer. The group accepts prayer requests from anyone who desires prayer. They know that prayer is a simple thing. But it is also very powerful. This is why they do it. Their prayer is their act of kindness.
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On January 7 Jen wrote about a group called Kiva. Kiva gives loans to poor people all over the world. But these loans are very special. These loans come from normal people like you and me. Kiva lets people living anywhere in the world loan money to small businesses in the developing world.
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A person can choose what business they want to loan money to. He chooses the amount of money he wants to loan. Then, Kiva gives the money to the small business. After some time has passed, and the business grows, and the business owner pays back the money.
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When a person loans money through Kiva, he hears about the business he is supporting. The business owner sends information about how the loan is helping. The loans make a difference for these people in developing countries.
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By working with Kiva, people help small business owners all over the world, one loan at a time. One kind act at a time.
Mathias Fon lives in Cameroon. He owns a pig farm. His wife died and now he must care for his farm and children alone. Through Kiva, he was able to get a loan of 400 dollars. With this money, he has expanded his farm. He is now able to feed his children. And he has already paid back over 100 dollars of his loan.
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These are only a few of the suggestions on Jen’s website. And there are new suggestions every day! What do you think about Jen’s suggestions for mitzvahs? Do you think you could do any of these things? What ideas do you have to share a kind act with someone? You can send us your ideas at radio @ english . net.
