BEC阅读2020

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BEC阅读：Science Fiction:‘A Princess of Mars’

Last week we broadcast the second of our programs called “A Princess of Mars.”The story is from a series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Last week we told how John Carter was captured by a group of warriors on the planet Mars.Later, he became one of them by defeating a huge warrior in a fight.He is still a captive, but he is treated with honor because he is a skilled fighter.We left John Carter at the beginning of a fierce battle between the green warriors and their main enemy.The enemy came close to the green Martians in huge air ships.The green Martians attacked. John Carter continutes to tell about what happens to him in Edgar Rice Burroughs’s story, “A Princess of Mars.”

JOHN CARTER:Another of the large air ships exploded high in the air. Members of the crew fell to the ground.The huge ship lost control and began turning again and again.

Soon it was close to the ground.The warriors climbed aboard the ship and began fighting the members of the crew who were still alive.Soon the fighting stopped.The warriors began taking everything from the ship.

At last, they brought a captive from deep within the ship.Two of the warriors had their captive by each arm. I wanted to see what new and strange form of life this creature would be.

As they came near, I saw that it was a woman.She looked like a woman from Earth.She was young.Her skin was a light red, almost a copper color.

I saw at once that she was extremely beautiful.She had a fine face with large dark eyes and long, black hair. As her guards led her away, she saw me for a moment.She seemed very surprised.Her face looked hopeful.But when I made no attempt to speak to her, her face grew sad and she looked very small and frightened.As I watched her disappear into a building, I realized that Sola was near me.

SOLA: John Carter, that woman will be saved for the great games that are held by our people.The games are long and cruel and end in death for those captured in battle.Her death will be slow and painful. She will die for the enjoyment of all.

JOHN CARTER: Sola’s face seemed sad when she said this.I could tell by the way she spoke that she did not like the games and did not want to see the young woman die.She was very different from the rest of her people.

Sola, do you not like the games?

SOLA: No, John Carter.My mother died in the games.That is a secret you must not tell anyone.The wall where Tars Tarkas found you held eggs that produce our young.All the children belong to the tribe.A mother never knows which child is hers when they come out of the egg.

My mother hid the egg that carried me.It was not placed within the walled area. She kept her secret until after I was born. But others discovered her secret and she was condemned to die in the games.She hid me among other children before she was captured.If this secret were learned, I too would die in the games.

Before she left me, my mother told me the name of my father.I alone keep that secret.It would mean death for him as well as me.My people are violent and cruel.

JOHN CARTER:The next day I entered the great room where the green Martians held meetings.The red woman prisoner was there too. Soon, the leader of the green Martians came into the room.His name was Lorquas Ptomel.He began speaking to the prisoner.

LORQUAS PTOMEL:Who are you and what is your name?

DEJAH THORIS: I am the Princess Dejah Thoris, daughter of Mors Kajak, the ruler of Helium. Our air ship was on a scientific flight.We were to study the air and atmosphere. Without our work the air on our planet would grow thin and we would all die. Why would you attack us?

JOHN CARTER: As she talked, a warrior ran to her and hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground.He placed a foot on her small body and began laughing.

I reached for the small sword I carried and rushed to attack the huge warrior.

(FIGHTING SOUNDS)

JOHN CARTER: He was a strong opponent.But again, because of the low gravity on Mars, my strength was far greater than his.In a few short minutes, the green warrior was dead.I helped the young woman to her feet.

DEJAH THORIS: Who are you?Why did you risk your life to help me?You look almost the same as my people, but you wear the weapons of a green warrior. Who… or what.. are you?

JOHN CARTER: My name is John Carter. I am from the planet Earth.How I got here is a long story.I attacked that warrior because, where I come from, men do not attack women.I will offer you my protection as long as I can.However, I must tell you that I, too, am a captive.

.　　SOLA: Come, John Carter, and bring the red woman with you.Let us leave this room quickly before some warrior attempts to stops us.

JOHN CARTER: The three of us quickly returned to the building where I had spent the last several days.Sola then left to prepare food.Woola sat in the corner and looked at the both of us.The young woman was afraid of poor, ugly Woola.

I told her not to fear him.You must tell no one, but Woola is not only my guard.He is my friend.I have treated him with kindness that he has never known.As each day passes, he trusts me more.I now think he would follow any command I give.

Sola has told me that all captives are held until they can die in the great games held by the green Martians. Our only chance to survive is to escape.But we must have Sola’s help for our plan to succeed.

DEJAH THORIS: Yes. If we stay with the green warriors, we will both die.If we are to escape, we will need several of the animals to ride.It would be our only chance.

JOHN CARTER: I have several of the animals.They were given to me when I became a warrior.

Sola came back later with food for the two of us.Dejah Thoris and I asked for her help.The three of us talked long into the night.At last Sola gave us her answer.

SOLA: Your best chance for escape will be in the next two days.We will leave this city tomorrow and begin a long trip to the home of our tribe.I will help you escape.But I must come with you.I will be killed if you escape.

DEJAH THORIS: Sola, of course you must come with us!You are not cruel or violent as many of your people are.Help us and I can promise you a much better life.You will be treated with respect as an honored guest.

JOHN CARTER: The next morning we rode away from the city on our animals.More than a thousand animals were carrying the huge tribe of green Martians.Also in the group were one American, one Princess of the Royal House of Helium, our guard, Sola, and poor ugly Woola.

Late that night we left the camp.One animal carried me.Another Sola and Princess Dejah Thoris.Woola followed close behind.

We rode quickly through the Martian night.I looked into the sky and saw Earth across the great distance of space.Since I had met the Princess Dejah Thoris, I had not thought once of Earth or home.I knew then that I would never willingly leave her.

The next morning, I could see that we were being followed by several hundred of the green warriors.Our animals were very tired.I knew we must stop.

I told Sola and the Princess to take the stronger of the two animals and ride away.I will hold back the green warriors as long as I can. Woola!Go with them and guard them with your life.

DEJAH THORIS: We can’t leave you alone. It would be certain death if you are captured again.You must come with us!

JOHN CARTER: Sola took the princess by the arm and lifted her on top of the animal she had chosen.Quickly she began riding away. For a moment, Woola looked at me, then turned and ran after them.

I took out my rifle from its case.I began firing to slow the green warriors.

I was able to slow them for more than an hour.But then I had no more ammunition.Soon I was surrounded.A green warrior got off his animal and came toward me.He pulled out his long, thin sword.I reached for mine.As we neared each other I saw it was Tars Tarkas.He stopped and spoke to me very slowly.

TARS TARKAS: You will die here… today… John Carter.It is I who must kill you.Know that I will take no pleasure in your death.

BOB DOUGHTY:You have been listening to the Special English program, American Stories.This has been the third program in our series “A Princess of Mars,” by Edgar Rice Burrows. This story was adapted for Special English by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Paul Thompson and Mario Ritter.

Shep O’Neal was the voice of John Carter.Steve Ember was Tars Tarkas. Barbara Klein was Sola. AndGwen Outen was the Princess Dejah Thoris.Join us again next week as we continue “A Princess of Mars,” in VOA Special English.

BEC阅读：Russian ’Occupation’ of Georgia

Standing alongside Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in Tbilisi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated a call for Russia to end its military presence in two breakaway Georgian regions.

"We continue to call for Russia to abide by the August 2008 cease-fire commitment signed by President Saakashvili and President Medvedev, including ending the occupation and withdrawing Russian troops from South Ossetia and Abkhazia to their pre-conflict positions," said Clinton.

Clinton repeatedly pressed the issue during her tour of Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus, which concluded in Georgia. South Ossetia and Abkhazia are heavily populated by ethnic Russians and have resisted integration with Georgia. Only a few other nations join Russia in recognizing the two regions as independent.

"America was the first one to mention this word, and now the others are following," said Saakashvili. "President Obama was the first one to call a spade a spade, basically to say it was an invasion. Because before, as you remember, the term "disproportionate use of force" was used, as if there is a proportionate use to occupy other countries' territory."

The topic came up during a recent meeting in Washington between U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvedev. Both sides said the disagreement would not significantly impede relations.

Alexander Rondeli, the director of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies welcomed Clinton's use of the term "occupation". But he added that healthy relations with Russia could be good for everybody.

"It is absolutely important for Americans to have normal relationship with Russia," said Rondeli. "It is absolutely important for everyone to have a wealthy and healthy Russia; it means democratic [sic] and also a country which acts according to international norms and rules."

Rondeli said an important message of Clinton's trip is that it shows the United States has not abandoned Georgia, and will remain an influence in the region.

Nicolay Petrov is a scholar-in-residence at the Carnegie Moscow Center. He says there is nothing new in the American position and that he expects a pretty calm reaction from Russia as long as the United States does not turn words into action.

"What was told in Tbilisi, I think, that as far as it is not connected to any real moves made by the Obama administration it is nothing serious for the Kremlin," said Tbilisi.

Tbilisi says Moscow maintains a position that it has the right to first agree to any action another country wants to take in former-Soviet states such as Georgia.

In addition to Georgia, Clinton also visited Ukraine, Poland, Azerbaijan and Armenia. She is returning to Washington to take part in a meeting Tuesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

BEC阅读：成功小企业主的六大特征

At last count, there were 29.6 million businesses in the U.S.--and 99.9% of them can be filed under "small." But small is significant. Small businesses (with 500 or fewer employees) have generated 64% of new jobs in the past 15 years and are responsible for 50% of the GDP and 44% of the country's private payroll.

Now a study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, comparing key traits of small-business owners, provides an insider's view of what qualities set the success-oriented ones apart from their less ambitious peers.

"The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners," surveyed more than 1,100 small businesses. Those that projected an annual growth of 10% between 2008 and 2009 and/or intended to expand their business between 2009 and 2010 were identified as "success-oriented." Nearly half the businesses fell into this study group.

Six Signs Of A Doomed Entrepreneur

"We wondered if the people who said that they were going to be successful held different ideas and passions to be more important than business owners simply looking to maintain their businesses in coming years," says Mark Wolf, director of the research institute.

Six personality traits emerged. "It really emphasizes that there isn't simply one type of entrepreneurial person," says Patricia Greene, Ph.D., the special academic advisor to the institute and a cofounder of the Diana Project, a multi-university research series on women and business ownership. "These are behaviors, but more importantly, they are behaviors that can be learned."

Collaborative

Success-oriented small-business owners understand how to delegate effectively to others within their business, as well as how to build strong personal relationships with their management team, employees, consultants, vendors and customers.

Collaboration, in the context of this survey, is not only about building the team from within--"giving employees reason to feel better about being a part of the team," says Wolf--but also developing connections outside of the operation. "It's all about networks," says Greene, "because through networking a small-business owner can create opportunities for others and to be able to rely on others to create opportunities for her."

Self-Fulfilled

Success-oriented small-business owners are more desirous of "doing something for a living that I love to do"; "being able to decide how much money I make"; and "being able to have the satisfaction of creating something of value."

Wolf and Greene agree that the takeaway is that entrepreneurism is personal, and that the feeling of being personally fulfilled and in control of one's own career can help drive an individual toward success.

Future-Focused

Planning for both the short- and long-term future are key traits that characterize success-oriented small-business owners. They are more focused on cash flow and more likely to have "a well-thought-out plan to run our business for years into the future" as well as "a well-thought-out plan to run our business day-to-day."

"For entrepreneurs, it's just as important to have long-term vision as it is to have short-term goals," says Greene. "The success-oriented respondents tended to have more directed visions of success."

Curious

Success-oriented small-business owners are more open to learning how others run their businesses. They actively seek best-practice insights regarding management, business innovation and prospecting, as well as finding, motivating and retaining employees.

"We had a number of questions on the interest in learning," says Wolf. For small-business owners, the study shows curiosity isn't just about learning from the trenches, it's about looking for answers outside of yourself and your business.

Tech-Savvy

Technology is a key point of leverage for success-oriented small-business owners. They more intensely value their companies' websites and are significantly more likely to "rely a great deal on technology to help make our business more effective and more efficient."

Wolf notes that the "tech-savvy" dimension doesn't mean blindly going the way of any new technology that comes along. "It's being aware of new technology, and then making choices based on what technology fits within the company's industry and mission," he says. Sometimes the best technology decision is not high-tech at all--think Rich Miller's highly sought "Capitol Fax" newsletter.

Action-Oriented

Success-oriented small-business owners are more committed to "taking the business to the next level"; "differentiating ourselves from our competitors"; and "having something to sell when I'm ready to retire." They also see adversity as a "kick in the rear to help move you forward." Not surprisingly, they are less concerned than other small-business owners about the overall state of the economy.

"When you hear these traits or see them, they make such perfect sense for the small-business owner who is passionate about what they are doing," says Greene. "These successful people are lifelong learners, and the most valuable point of the six dimensions is that they can all be learned."

"The Guardian Life Index: What Matters Most to America's Small Business Owners" was conducted by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.

大致译文：

小企业是指员工总数少于500人的企业。美国有2960万个小企业，占企业总数的99%。但在过去15年间，他们创造了美国66%的新岗位，GDP 的50%和全国薪资总额的44%。

成功的小企业主是否有着不同于常人的特质?有关机构对1100家成功的的小企业进行了调查。结果显示， 企业主的六大个性特征决定了小企业的成功。

合作

成功的小企业主懂得如何有效地在企业 内部授权，与管理层、咨询机构、供应商和客户建立强大的个人关系。不论在公司内部还是外部，建立人脉都是发展的基础，同时也为他人提供机会，使彼此互相依 赖，创造新的商机。

自我实现

成功的小企业主更倾向于“做自己喜欢做的事情”，“自己 决定要赚多少钱”，“从创造价值中获得满足。”说到底，企业家精神是私人的事情，个人实现的感觉和对自我职业生涯的掌控，能够帮助个人迈向成功。

着眼于未来

成功的小企业主对短期和长期的未来都有规划，他们更关注资金流，既有长期发展的年 度整体规划，也有详实的每日计划。把愿景化为切实的行动，才能获得成功的回报。

好奇

成 功的小企业主通常愿意借鉴同行的成功经验。他们主动追踪管理、创新、行业前景的最新发展成果，也注重发现、激励和保留员工。不仅在工作中学习，也从自身和 业务之外获得灵感。

科技的敏锐性

科技是小企业成功的主要因素。他们花力气制作公司的 网站，依靠科技使业务效果更好，效率更高。对科技的敏感性并不意味着盲目地运用最先进科技，而是按照自身的业务特点和发展需要，有选择地使用科技产品。有 时候，最好的科技决定未必需要最新的高科技的支持。

以行动为导向

成功的小企业主更多 地致力于将业务提升到新的阶段，重视产品的差异化，希望在退休时仍有产品可供销售。他们视竞争对手为发展动力，而鲜少关系整个宏观经济局势。 他们对工作充满热情，终生学习是最重要的成功因素。