2020新译林版高中英语选修第二册Unit3课文原文.docx

Unit 3 Helping peopleReadingThe United Nations-bringing people togetherIn 1945, the world was on its knees. Cities lay in ruins, economies were destroyed, tens of millions of people were killed, and families across the globe were homeless and mourning the loss of loved ones. World War II, the deadliest human conflict of all time, had shattered people's lives everywhere. From the ashes of this utter destruction rose the organization that we now know as the United Nations (UN), offering hope to a world desperate for lasting peace and security. It is my privilege and pleasure to stand before you today and share with you a little bit about this wonderful organization.The UN was officially established on 24 October 1945, when the UN Charter, the founding document of the organization, came into force. The following year, the first meeting of the UN was held in London and was attended by representatives of 51 countries. Currently, the UN is made up of over 190 Member States. All of them work together to maintain international peace and security, protect human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, promote sustainable development and uphold international law. Over the years, the UN has been committed to fulfilling its ambition of being the one place where all the world's nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit all of humanity. In the words of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “When international cooperation works, the world wins." The UN believes that international cooperation plays an essential role in addressing many issues, such as clean water, poverty and education.Can you believe that nearly one third of the population around the world did not have access to safe drinking water about a decade ago? The UN has recognized the critical importance of fresh water to life on our planet and recommended that every human being should have between 50 and 100 litres of water per day, for both personal and domestic uses. With this end in view, the UN has called for transboundary water cooperation through a legal framework for water resources management. Moreover, various water projects managed by the UN and its partners aim to provide clean water for needy communities. There has been remarkable progress over the past years. According to a 2021 UN report, the percentage of the global population with easy access to safely managed drinking water services increased to 74.3%. Increases have been seen in both rural and urban areas, motivating the UN to continue its tireless work of providing clean drinking water to those who need it.With regard to poverty, the UN estimates that around 10% of the world's population, including one in six children, live in extreme poverty, unable to fulfil their most basic needs. These figures are both depressing and distressing. Not surprisingly, therefore, ending poverty is the UN's number one Sustainable Development Goal. To effectively fight poverty, the UN focuses on understanding how people experience poverty in other ways besides income. Health, education and standard of living are three key dimensions that can reflect whether people are being left behind. These dimensions comprise ten indicators, such as nutrition, years of schooling and housing. With this data, the UN can identify the root causes of poverty and work with governments and communities to ensure that those causes are efficiently addressed.It is the belief of the UN that education is the most basic building block of every society and the single best investment countries can make to build prosperous, healthy and fair societies. However, due to various circumstances like inadequate learning materials or poor school facilities, learning is often difficult for many children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is a part of the UN system, has many ongoing education programmes. One of these, the Reimagine Education initiative, uses technology to create online learning opportunities, which are accessible to children anywhere and anytime. Additionally, UNICEF spares no effort to ensure more children have access to their education programmes. These programmes help remove long-standing barriers to learning, supporting every child's right to learn.To conclude, I do hope you have found this brief insight into the work of the UN both inspiring and stimulating. While the UN is a huge global organization, every one of us can do something to make a positive difference. To quote the famous historian and philosopher Howard Zinn, "Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world." So I urge you all to find out more about how you can make a difference to one person, one society or the world, no matter how small.Extended readingThe chain of kindnessThe rain was coming down so hard that each drop seemed to explode as it hit the roof of the car. Tom strained his eyes and looked out into the coal-black night, struggling desperately to keep his car on the road. The windscreen wipers worked furiously to clear the glass, but they were not doing much good. The rain beat down continuously, it was completely dark outside, and the road was deserted except for him and his car.Tom glanced in his rear-view mirror. He could see his wheelchair in the back seat and quickly looked down at his thin, broken legs. He could feel a familiar wave of despair start to wash over him. The rain was still pounding on the roof of the car and he felt as if he had been trapped inside a drum. As the world outside began to close in on him, Tom gasped for breath. Suddenly, a loud noise shook Tom out of his moment of hopelessness as the car began to bump down the road, "Great J he thought, “a flat tyre.”With a heavy sigh, Tom brought the car to a stop, resting his head on the steering wheel, defeated! After a few seconds, he looked up and peered out of the window. The rain seemed to have eased a little, and in the distance, he could see a light twinkling in the blackness. With a sense of hopeful anticipation, Tom gently eased the car towards the light. As he got closer, he could see a long driveway leading to a solitary house.When Tom approached the house, a young girl around ten years old was standing in the doorway. He pulled up as close as he could and rolled down the window. "Are your parents at home?” he shouted over the wind and rain. “I have a flat tyre and I need help J Tom added.“Wait a minute J the girl replied. She turned and went into the house. A few minutes later, she returned with an old man. The girl held his arm and smiled lovingly up at him.“How can I help?" the old man asked with a smile on his face.Tom explained the problem and added,“ need help because my legs are paralysed/9 The words came out flat. But he didn't know how else he could convey the fact that he needed help from this weak old man in the middle of the rainstorm. The old man simply nodded his head and asked Tom to open the boot of his car. With the help of his young assistant, the old man quickly got to work. Occasionally, Tom leaned out of the window to see how they were doing with the repairs. The two were concentrating on their work, and the rain was soaking them. Once again, Tom couldn't help but feel he was useless.Soon the old man stepped to the window， "You're all set," he said. Tom had money ready and handed it to the man, but he made no move to take it.Finally, the young girl said, "Grandfather is blind.”Tom didn't know what to say. He just gestured towards the girl and the old man helplessly as he stumbled through an explanation that he would like to pay them for their help.The grandfather waved a hand in front of his face and saidThere is no need. Just be careful about getting home and continue the chain of kindness.”Tom cased his car down the driveway and back onto the road. The rain was now only a light mist, revealing the road ahead. As he drove through the night, he found himself looking forward to the journey ahead.When Tom eventually arrived home, he parked his car in front of the house as usual. He looked at the wheelchair ramp that led to his front door. Before today, that ramp had been a constant reminder of his own disability, and every day, he could feel it laughing at him. However, a chance encounter on a rainy night and an act of kindness from a complete stranger came to make Tom see everything differently.Over the next few days, he kept replaying the incident over and over in his mind. Inspired by this, he contacted his doctor to see if there was something he could do to increase his mobility, he pursued his long-lost dream of becoming a teacher, and he reconnected with his family. Perhaps Tom was disabled in one way, but he decided that he would not let this define who he was or what he could accomplish. Most importantly, he began to look forward to each new day and view it as an opportunity to help others so that he could continue the chain of kindness.