[originaltext]W: Good afternoon. Let’s start with a major global problem, espec

W: Good afternoon. Let’s start with a major global problem, especially pronounced in developing countries. There are more than 200 million children who should be attending school, but simply do not because of a variety of barriers. That problem is at the center of a new UN initiative to get 57 million more children in school by the end of 2017. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is spearheading that effort as a special UN envoy for global education. Today we invite Mr. Brown to join us. Dear Mr. Brown, what is at stake in this initiative you’re now deeply involved in?
M:(6)I think it’s the future of a whole generation of young people. If we cannot provide today’s young people in Asia and Africa with the opportunity of education and then the chance of employment or starting a business or whatever, we are going to have the most discontented youth. We’re going to have a generational problem, because they know the opportunities that people have in other countries. They can learn about it through the Internet and through mobile phones.
W: And they’re aware that the inequality of opportunity that they face is unfair via the Internet.
M: Yeah, and I think we have seen the making of a civil rights struggle amongst young people to get education, to stop child marriage, to stop child labor, child trafficking and discrimination against girls. And if we don’t do something about it, there’s a sort of discontent that is building up in the populations of Asia and Africa.
W: The numbers are almost impossible to comprehend.(7)I think you have 250 million children not getting a primary education, and then you’re trying—you put down a number of 57 million you would like to get into school. How do you reduce that to something you can actually make a difference?
M:(8)Well, 57 million children are the number of children who are not going to go to school today or any other day. Some of them are child labor. Some of them are girl brides. Some of them have simply not got schools they can go to.(9)But it is relatively inexpensive to pay for the education of a young child. For $ 6 billion we are going to collect, if we could find these extra funds next year, we could get almost all of these children to school. And there is no technical or scientific breakthrough that’s needed to do this. We know what it is we have got to do.
W: Do you mean we have got to get teachers, and have the buildings, and have the educational equipment?
M: Yes and of course, we want to increase the quality of education very quickly, but, at the moment, we have set a goal that, by the end of December 2017, every child should be at school. That’s the Millennium Development Goal.(10)Everybody promised it. And we could deliver it if we could provide these extra resources. So it is both manageable, and it’s also in my view necessary. If you make a promise, you should try to redeem it.
W: You mentioned $ 6 billion. It is relatively a small amount of money. We hope the government could spend more money on education in the future. And we wanna see they understand it’s a priority.
M: Yes.
W: Special envoy Gordon Brown, thank you for sharing your view with us.
M: Thank you.
This is the end of the second interview. Questions 6 to 10 are based on what you have just heard.
6. What is at risk in the initiative Mr. Brown is now deeply involved in?
7. How many children can’t get a primary education nowadays?
8. According to the man, why can’t many children go to school?
9. Which is not needed in getting all of the 57 million children to attend school?
10. What is the man’s attitude toward the Millennium Development Goal?