環(huán)球英語 — 579：The Last Village

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin,

Voice 2

And I'm Steve Myersco. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Tall buildings reach to the sky. Crowds of people walk past on their way to work. The roads are filled with cars and other vehicles. And the whole area is completely clean. It is the perfect example of modern city life.

Voice 2

This is Singapore today. This small island country is one of the most modern countries in the world. Everybody here lives in the city. Well, almost everybody. A small group of about thirty [30] families do not. They live in a place that many people from Singapore do not know exists. It is the only remaining village in Singapore - Kampong Buangkok.

Voice 1

In today's Spotlight we hear about some of the people still living in this village. They explain why they like living in Singapore's last village. They also discuss the question: is it better to live in a city or in the village?

Voice 3

‘In this village all of us are friendly towards each other. We like to help each other. That is why we like to stay in the village.'

Voice 2

Fatimah lives in Kampong Buangkok. She is happy to live in a part of Singapore's history. The village of Kampong Buangkok was created in 1956. Over the past fifty [50] years the village has grown and changed. But it has not changed as much as the rest of Singapore. Singapore has changed from a small island with a few villages to one big modern city.

Voice 1

Singapore is a very crowded place. Four and a half million [4,500,000] people live in this country. That may not seem like a big number, but Singapore is very small. It is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. On average, six thousand [6,000] people live in every square kilometre of Singapore. That makes it about twenty [20] times more crowded than India.

Voice 2

Finding room for everyone to live in Singapore is an important issue. That is why most people now live in large buildings with many homes. These homes are apartments, or flats. These flats were built by the government's Housing and Development Board. So people call them HDB flats. HDB flats replaced all the other villages - but not Kampong Buangkok. These flats are more modern and have many things that the village houses do not have. But people living in Kampong Buangkok say life is better in their village.

Voice 1

One person who has lived in both Kampong Buangkok and an HDB flat is Ainun. She grew up in the village but now lives in the city with her husband. She says she enjoys living in the village because it is so friendly.

Voice 4

‘At the village it is all about the relationships between people. Gathering with other villagers and getting to know each other is easy. If we need anything, it is easy to meet them. But if you live in a HDB flat it is very difficult. You cannot just go to their door. You have to call them first to tell them that you are coming today.'

Voice 1

Ainun's husband is called Ahmad. He does not enjoy life in the village so much. He says he is most happy in the city, where he grew up.

Voice 5

‘I like staying in the city more than staying in the village. I feel that it is more exciting. In the city you get to meet a lot of different people. In the village it is just the same people. So the way you look at life may be a bit limited.'

Voice 2

The city and village do have one thing in common. They are full of people from many different ethnic groups. This is because Singapore grew rich by being a centre of trade. People from all over the world would come to the island to buy and sell their goods. This has given Singapore a rich mix of ethnic groups. The biggest ethnic group is Chinese. Other Singaporeans are from the Malay ethnic group. Others are of Indian origin, and still others come from other parts of the world.

Voice 1

In the 1960s this mix created trouble between the ethnic groups. But in Kampong Buangkok there was no such trouble. People living in the village say there was a special feeling of togetherness there - and that there still is.

Voice 6

‘In the village, even though we are different races, we are family. We mix around.'

Voice 7

‘Some of the Grandmas and Grandpas here have watched me grow up. So I love these old people. They have been almost like my own parents because we are from the same village. So I do not care if they are Malay or Chinese'

Voice 1

However, the village of Kampong Buangkok is now at risk. It seems that the government may soon develop the area. It would become a part of the city. The people living in the village would need to move to HDB flats. The government may give the villagers money to help with the difficulties of losing their homes. But the people of Kampong do not want to lose their village. Fatimah - who we heard from at the beginning of the programme - says,

Voice 3

'We are all neighbours and we have stayed here for a long time. Also, all my children were raised here so I am very sad. We have all become like brothers and sisters. That is why I will be sad to leave the village. If it is possible I hope the authorities will not destroy this village. But I do not think it is. I think it will be destroyed.'

Voice 2

The story of Kampong Buangkok is not just one for Singapore. It is an example of something that is happening all over the world. More and more people are living in cities. Normally this is because they are looking for a job. In fact, more people in the world now live in cities than live in the country. So the issues faced by the people of Kampong Buangkok may also be faced by many other people in the future.