VOA慢速英語:柬埔寨馬戲團給年輕演員提供更好的生活

Many young people dream of joining the circus and performing for large crowds. Such dreams are very much alive in Cambodia, where the skills some youngsters learn can change their lives. Our reporters went to one school for children from needy families. They found the school offers training in many areas, including a few you might not expect.

許多年輕人夢想著有一天能夠加入馬戲團和大型表演團隊。在柬埔寨這種想法在年輕人中非?；钴S，一些年輕人掌握一些表演技能就可以改變他們的生活。本臺記者前往一所學校探訪了來自貧困家庭的孩子。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)這所學校會在很多領域給他們提供訓練幫助，包括還有一些你意想不到的訓練。

Juggling, tumbling and acrobatics -- performing difficult and often dangerous movements -- are not skills most schoolchildren learn. But such moves are as much a part of the study program as mathematics and languages at the Phare Ponleu Selpak school, or PPS.

雜耍、翻滾和雜技，這些都是具有難度并且非常危險的運動，而這些并不是大多數(shù)學校學生可以學到的。但是這樣的舉動是Phare Ponleu Selpak學校研究數(shù)學和語言的一部分設計。

The skills have taken former PPS students to a number of other countries in Asia, Europe and even the United States.

這些技能將Phare Ponleu Selpak學校學生送往其他亞洲，歐洲國家甚至美國。

Among them is Pin Phunam, 23-year-old contortionist. She had a troubled childhood. Her father was an alcoholic who sometimes turned violent. At the age of seven, Pin Phunam was collecting bottles and other trash to earn money for food. At 13, she joined the circus program at PPS.

其中有一個叫Pin Phunam的23歲柔術演員。她有一個不幸的童年。在她童年時期她的爸爸是一個酒鬼，一喝多酒就會發(fā)生家庭暴力。在她7歲的時候，Pin Phunam開始撿瓶子和其他垃圾賺錢買食物。在13歲的時候她加入了Phare Ponleu Selpak(PPS)學校馬戲團項目。

"The school helped me to change my life. That from the poor kid, from the little girl, who [was] working in the town [and] who was a trash picker to become an artist. And with this skill I travelled to the world."

學校幫助我改變了我的生活。讓我從一個生活在鄉(xiāng)村撿垃圾生活的貧困潦倒的小女孩變成一個藝術家。并憑借著這身本領我走向了世界。

Pin Phunam belongs to a troupe of performers called the Phare Cambodian Circus. Her group was one of several appearing at an international circus festival in Phnom Penh this month.

Pin Phunam屬于一個表演劇團叫做柬埔寨燈塔馬戲團。她的團隊是本月在金邊亮相國際馬戲節(jié)隊伍的一支。

Huot Dara is chief executive of the circus. He says her performances help to support a school with a special or unique calling.

Huot Dara是馬戲團的首席執(zhí)行官。他說她的表演幫助學校賦予了特別的要求。

"To give these unique opportunities to young Cambodians mainly from the street and from very difficult social and economic backgrounds. To take art and culture as a means to express themselves and to have a career, to earn a living, to improve their life and to grow out of poverty."

要把這些特別的機會給生活困難的柬埔寨年輕人，讓他們通過藝術和文化來表達他們自己，并擁有自己的事業(yè)，以此謀生，改善他們的生活，讓他們脫離貧困。

One of the Phare troupe's shows tells about the suffering in Cambodia under Khmer Rouge rule. Pin Phunam plays the lead in a story about the school's founding. It tells about Cambodian survivors who had found security in the arts while living in refugee camps. There is also a mix of humor and sharp skills.

燈塔劇團的一個節(jié)目講述的是柬埔寨紅色高棉統(tǒng)治下的痛苦。Pin Phunam扮演的是故事中其中一位學校創(chuàng)始人。這個故事講述的是柬埔寨幸存者在難民營生活中發(fā)現(xiàn)藝術給他帶來的安全感的事情。同時還穿插著幽默和諷刺效果。

But Pin Phunam's days as a contortionist will soon end. She wants to dance and study arts and communications.

但是Pin Phunam作為柔術演員的日子就快要結束了。她想要跳舞，學習藝術和通訊。

Her big dream is to enter politics. But her friends say that's a crazy idea.

她最大的夢想是希望能夠進入政界。但是她的朋友說這個一個很瘋狂的想法。

"I want people to know girl have a dream and she will go to her dream even if it's hard but keep hope."

我想要人們知道一個女孩可以有自己的夢想，她還要努力去實現(xiàn)自己的夢想，盡管這很困難，但是還要保持希望。

Until then, she will keep performing with members of her troupe, combining their skills with just enough near misses to keep crowds on their toes.

在那之前，她將繼續(xù)跟劇團人員一起表演，不斷提升自身技能時刻提醒自己繼續(xù)前進。

I'm Marsha James.

Robert Carmichael and Dan de Carteret reported this story from Phnom Penh. Marsha James adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

acrobatics – n. difficult and dangerous acts done by an artist

contortionist – n. a performer who twists his or her body into unusual positions

troupe – n. a group of actors, singers who work together

unique – adj. very special or unusual

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