节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-01-10
难易度:Medium
关键字:take (something) for granted, partnership, philosophy, fuel, humanitarian,
donate
(Music).
Hello, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
So happy that you've joined us today.
My name is Steve.
And my name is Kaylah.
You know, yesterday we learned what a "one for one" program is.
That's right.
The business idea may sound crazy, but Blake Mycoskie is determined to make a
difference.
Through TOMS Shoes, he is doing it.
Kaylah, would you be willing to buy a pair of shoes to give a pair of shoes to a
child in need?
Yes, I would.
And I would encourage all of our friends to find a way that they can give to
someone in need as well.
TOMS Shoes is a great way to give.
But let's find out how the whole thing works.
Join us on page 21 as we discuss this good business.
(Music).
TOMS: One for One.
Good business.
Although often taken for granted, shoes play an important role.
Children without shoes easily injure their feet.
They can catch diseases transmitted through soil that could make them sick or
slow their growth.
Some children can't attend school without shoes because they are part of the
uniform.
TOMS grew and started the shoe-giving process by forming partnerships with other
humanitarian organizations that already serve developing countries.
Together the partnerships find communities that will benefit from TOMS shoes.
Since that first "shoe drop" in Argentina, TOMS has contributed new shoes to
communities in Asia,
Africa, and Central and South America.
Hi, friends.
Thank you for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And we've been talking about TOMS Shoes, his "one to one" company that gives a
pair of shoes to a child in need.
Exactly. We've seen how this company got his start,
well, got its start when Blake traveled to Argentina for a vacation and noticed
children there were without shoes.
Well, he returned to America and wanted to help.
But this new idea of giving one product for the price of two... really, he's
giving away some of his profit.
How does this work?
Today we're talking about Good business.
Exactly. Now the article starts off: Although often taken for granted, shoes
play an important role.
When we "take something for granted," that means we are not thinking about what
it really does for us.
Right. We're not showing gratefulness.
We're not thankful for what they do.
Most of the time we wear shoes because they look good or they match our outfit.
We don't stop to think about what an important role they play.
That's right.
I think about my closet and how many pairs of shoes I have in there.
And then I think that a child does not even have one pair of shoes.
I take for granted that I can change my shoes all the time, and yet children
around the world don't even have one pair.
Exactly. And shoes really do play an important role, Kaylah.
Of course, "role" means like a job.
It is important, something it needs to do.
And so shoes, we'll see, are actually very useful.
Well, you might wonder how is it important, why is that important?
Well, children without shoes easily injure their feet.
And they can catch diseases transmitted through soil that can make them sick or
slow down their growth.
Right. So now yesterday we saw that many of the kids that Blake saw had cuts on
their feet or even scraped feet,
and that's because they weren't wearing shoes.
It's very easy to injure yourself if you're not wearing shoes.
But what... what else is this, Kaylah, you can also catch diseases.
That's right. Diseases transmitted through soil.
When something is transmitted, that means it is brought through something else.
So there's a disease in the soil, the dirt.
And it gets into their skin, through their skin and can make them very sick and
slow down their growth.
And as a child, it's very important to be healthy so you grow at the correct
rate... at the right speed.
Yeah. So wearing shoes really is important, especially for these children living
in Argentina who might catch diseases and not grow as well.
But even more than just health.
Some children can't attend school because they're part of the uniform.
So if you don't have shoes, you're not wearing the correct uniform for school,
and then you're just not allowed to go.
Right. Now this is a bigger problem.
If you think about it, children cannot... not only are they not going to be
healthy, they also can't learn.
They can't go to school just because they don't have shoes.
So TOMS decided he was going to help with this.
TOMS, the shoe company, grew and started the shoe-giving process by forming
partnerships with other humanitarian organizations.
So Ryan, what is a partnership?
Well, a "partnership" is when two people or two companies work together.
OK. So they're working together and these are two humanitarian organizations.
Now when you are "humanitarian," that means you are involved with helping people
in need.
So these two companies, he works with other companies that help people in need.
So TOMS shoes can be delivered to kids who actually really need them.
Yes, and these organizations that they're partnering with were working already
serving in developing countries.
Now together, the partnerships find communities that will benefit from TOMS
shoes.
And since that first shoe drop in Argentina, TOMS has contributed new shoes to
communities in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
So they do shoe drops where they take the shoes to the children all over the
world now.
We're going to keep talking about TOMS after the break.
Before we go, let's watch this video.
(Music).
Over 100,000 people will go barefoot today.
And they're doing it because they want to raise awareness for the millions of
people who don't have a choice.
(Music).
Life in London without shoes? It's hard.
A single idea can make a big difference in the world.
And... I just want you to think about that when people ask you why you're not
wearing shoes today, share the story,
and encourage them to think about what their idea can be that can change the
world.
(Music).
Join me on April 10 for One Day Without Shoes.
(Music).
Would you go a day without shoes?
(Music).
I'm just going to live-tweet the whole thing since this was already one of the
big trending topics on Twitter.
Done! Let's walk.
(Music).
We go without shoes.