节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-01-11
难易度:High
关键字:vibrant, livestock, compulsory, shield, monarch
(Music).
Hello, eveybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
And my name is Ryan.
Friends, did you know that the tiny kingdom of Swaziland is the smallest country
in the southern hemisphere?
It's true.
But despite its small size, the Swazi people live in an increasingly modern
society.
That doesn't mean that they have forgotten their heritage, though.
In fact, Swazi tradition is alive and well.
It's still evident in most parts of their society.
If you're lucky, you might even witness a Swazi businessman holding a briefcase
in one hand and a spear in the other.
OK. Let's turn to page 24 of our Studio Classroom magazines and read about The
Swazi Way of Life.
(Music).
The Swazi Way of Life.
A peaceful people with a colorful culture.
Among the mountains and plains of southern Africa lies a small country with a
vibrant people.
The Kingdom of Swaziland, the smallest country in the southern hemisphere, is
ruled by a monarch.
Most Swazis are descendants of the Nguni people, who, according to legend,
migrated from Egypt to central Africa before eventually reaching Swaziland.
Cattle herding has long been at the heart of the Swazi lifestyle.
In fact, boys commonly begin learning to herd cows before they learn to read.
Traditionally, only men were allowed to raise livestock, so women focused on
raising children.
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
And my name is Ryan.
And this month we are starting a new article type called PEOPLE GROUPS where we
are going to look at certain cultures and the way they interact.
This month we're looking at The Swazi Way of Life.
Now "Swazi" refers to the people of a specific country called Swaziland.
That's right.
Swaziland is a country in southern Africa.
And they are a people who are peaceful with a colorful culture.
A colorful culture means there's lots to learn about it, so let's get started.
Among the mountains and plains of southern Africa lies a small country with a
vibrant people.
That's right. People who live in Swaziland are "vibration." That means they have
a lot of energy.
Or perhaps it could be the same as the word "colorful." The word vibrant means
very energetic.
That's right. They have a lot of excitement.
There's a lot going on in their culture.
Well, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the smallest country in the southern hemisphere,
is ruled by a monarch.
Ryan, we don't have very many kingdoms anymore.
That's true.
And we don't have very many monarchs either.
And a "monarch" means there is a king or a queen who is in charge; same as a
kingdom.
That's right. A "monarch" is the person that is in charge of a kingdom.
So as you said, a king or a queen.
That's right.
So most Swazis are descendants of the Nguni people.
And if you're a descendant of something, it means that you came after them; you
are related to them.
What do we know about the Nguni people, Kaylah?
Well, according to legend - so that means the stories that are told - these
people migrated from Egypt to central Africa before eventually reaching
Swaziland.
Now Ryan, if you think about the size of Africa, that is a long trip.
That is a very long trip.
Egypt is up near the northern part of Africa.
And Swaziland is down in the south; very far away for them to migrate.
And when you "migrate," that means they move.
They moved to that area.
So they didn't just go on a vacation or a short trip, but they left the... the
area of Egypt and went all the way down to Swaziland to live.
That's right.
Now people can migrate, and also animals can migrate.
And speaking of animals, we see: Cattle herding has long been at the heart of
the Swazi lifestyle.
When we talk about something being at the heart of something else,
that means it is a large part of, it has become essential, very important, you
have to have it of the other thing.
So we see that cattle herding is an essential part, it is the heart of the Swazi
lifestyle.
That's right. Now Kaylah, have you seen cattle herding anywhere else?
I have. Cattle herding is not just in Africa.
But Ryan, the state I come from, Colorado, we have lots of cattle herding that
is done by American cowboys.
So we don't have Swazis, but we do have cowboys.
Yeah. In fact, they start learning how to herd cattle before they even learn how
to read.
So it really is at the heart of Swazi lifestyle.
So the boys learn to herd cattle.
That means they learn how to direct them through.
They take care of the cows.
They help them if they're sick or hurt.
They take them to where they can find food and water.
That's what herding is.
Exactly. So you see, now boys were the ones learning how to herd cattle.
And traditionally, only men were allowed to raise livestock in Swaziland.
That's right. When we talk about something being "traditional," that means it
has been that way for a long time.
That's how it started, and that's how it was.
But probably today it has changed a little bit.
That's true. Yeah, today it has changed.
It's not just the men who are raising livestock.
But what is livestock, actually, Kaylah?
Well, here we know "livestock" is referring to the cows, to the cattle.
But livestock is actually... refers to all kinds of animals that you would find
on a farm.
So Ryan, it can be pigs or sheep or chickens or in this case, cows.
Yeah, cows, goats, any kind of farm animals.
But mostly, you're right, in Swaziland, it's usually just the cows.
But since men traditionally were the ones raising livestock, women usually
focused on raising children.
Which is actually very common in most cultures that the men did a lot of the
hard labor,
taking care of the animals, taking care of the land, and the women took care of
the home.
So maybe they had gardens and raised children and cooked all the food and
cleaned everything.
It was a well-balanced idea.
That's exactly... that's true, yeah.
Something is well-balanced means it's kind of even on all sides.
Uh, but yeah, you're right.
In most cultures, the women would focus on raising children, but that's not
necessarily true anymore.
We see that's true in most places of the world now - men and women are more
balanced.
That is also true now in Swaziland.
That's right.
Ryan, we've talked a lot about the traditional parts of this culture: the cattle
raising, the children raising.
But the kingdom idea, if we go back to talking about that, that's not an old
tradition.
That actually still exists today.
Yeah. And they are one of the world's few remaining monarchs.
These... kings and queens of Swaziland are only one of a few.
So that is very different from most other countries or most other cultures
around the world.
That's right.
I'm excited to learn more about the Swazi people.
We've talked about their traditions.
We're going to talk some more about where they are today after the break.
Before we go, let's see today's skit.
Welcome to vibrant Swaziland, the smallest country in the southern hemisphere.
Wow! Africa is so cool.
I didn't know it had both mountains and plains.
Yes. Here in the Kingdom of Swaziland, we have both.
Wait... Did you say Kingdom of Swaziland?
Yes, I did.
Swaziland is ruled by a monarch.
Whoa, that is so cool. Real monarch.
Where did the Swazi people come from?
Hmm. The Swazis are descendants of the Nguni people, who, according to legend,
migrated from Egypt to central Africa and finally onto Swaziland.
They came all the way from Egypt.
That's a long trip.
Hey, look! Cows? In Africa?
Yes. Herding livestock has been at the heart of Swazi lifestyle for a long time.
Really? So is all of Swaziland a big farm then?
No. There are nice urban areas where people have access to a lot of modern
services.
Modern services, like what?
Cell phones, Internet and even seven years of compulsory education.
That's why I have cell phone service.
Yes. But even in the urban areas, people do find traditional culture important
through weapons, shields, clothing.
Oh. So that's why you're dressed like that.
No. These are just my clothes.
What's wrong with it?
Nothing... nothing.