【明報專訊】A recent Bollywood movie highlights India's toilet shortage and its difficulties with ending open defecation. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (Toilet: A love story) was inspired by the true-life tale of a man's battle to build toilets in his village in rural India. He wanted to win back his new wife who refused to live in a house without a toilet.
The widespread cultural resistance to toilet use in rural India is originated from the belief that toilets are impure and polluting. They think it is not appropriate to have a toilet at home. Therefore many people in India consider open defecation a healthy practice.
The movie's scriptwriters said they came across numerous stories of women being assaulted when they answered the call of nature in the fields late at night. They hoped the movie, featuring one of the Bollywood's biggest stars Akshay Kumar, would have a "tangible impact" on Indian society.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made building more toilets a key priority in the country of 1.25 billion people. The government is racing to build millions of toilets to meet its pledge to end open defecation by 2019.(Source: Ming Pao, Daily Mail)
■English highway﹕answer the call of nature
To "answer the call of nature" is an informal expression of to urinate or defecate.
e.g. The student asked his teacher if he could be excused to answer the call of nature.
■Photo Story
Akshay Kumar (Left) and Bhumi Pednekar promote the movie Toilet: Ek Prem Katha which highlights the toilet shortage problem in India.
■Quiz
Answer the following questions. (Answers on next text)
1. Is the following sentence true or false?
Women in India may be in danger when they defecate openly in late night. True/False
2. Why do the Indians think it is not appropriate to have a toilet at home?
____________________________________________
3. Find in paragraph 3 a word that is similar in meaning to "many".
___________________
4. In paragraph 4, "The government is racing to build millions of toilets..." means:
a. The government has completed building millions of toilets.
b. Building millions of toilets is a work in progress.
c. The government has not started building any toilets.
d. The government refuses to build any toilets.
■Glossary
defecation (n) 排便
resistance (n) 抵抗
impure (adj) 不純潔的
tangible (adj) 明顯的
[Smarties' Power English 第190期]
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