VOA慢速英语:柬埔寨马戏团给年轻演员提供更好的生活

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.

许多年轻人梦想着有一天能够加入马戏团和大型表演团队。在柬埔寨这种想法在年轻人中非常活跃，一些年轻人掌握一些表演技能就可以改变他们的生活。本台记者前往一所学校探访了来自贫困家庭的孩子。他们发现这所学校会在很多领域给他们提供训练帮助，包括还有一些你意想不到的训练。

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.

杂耍、翻滚和杂技，这些都是具有难度并且非常危险的运动，而这些并不是大多数学校学生可以学到的。但是这样的举动是Phare Ponleu Selpak学校研究数学和语言的一部分设计。

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

这些技能将Phare Ponleu Selpak学校学生送往其他亚洲，欧洲国家甚至美国。

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.

其中有一个叫Pin Phunam的23岁柔术演员。她有一个不幸的童年。在她童年时期她的爸爸是一个酒鬼，一喝多酒就会发生家庭暴力。在她7岁的时候，Pin Phunam开始捡瓶子和其他垃圾赚钱买食物。在13岁的时候她加入了Phare Ponleu Selpak(PPS)学校马戏团项目。

"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."

学校帮助我改变了我的生活。让我从一个生活在乡村捡垃圾生活的贫困潦倒的小女孩变成一个艺术家。并凭借着这身本领我走向了世界。

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属于一个表演剧团叫做柬埔寨灯塔马戏团。她的团队是本月在金边亮相国际马戏节队伍的一支。

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是马戏团的首席执行官。他说她的表演帮助学校赋予了特别的要求。

"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."

要把这些特别的机会给生活困难的柬埔寨年轻人，让他们通过艺术和文化来表达他们自己，并拥有自己的事业，以此谋生，改善他们的生活，让他们脱离贫困。

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.

灯塔剧团的一个节目讲述的是柬埔寨红色高棉统治下的痛苦。Pin Phunam扮演的是故事中其中一位学校创始人。这个故事讲述的是柬埔寨幸存者在难民营生活中发现艺术给他带来的安全感的事情。同时还穿插着幽默和讽刺效果。

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

但是Pin Phunam作为柔术演员的日子就快要结束了。她想要跳舞，学习艺术和通讯。

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

她最大的梦想是希望能够进入政界。但是她的朋友说这个一个很疯狂的想法。

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

我想要人们知道一个女孩可以有自己的梦想，她还要努力去实现自己的梦想，尽管这很困难，但是还要保持希望。

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，她将继续跟剧团人员一起表演，不断提升自身技能时刻提醒自己继续前进。

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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