美国国家公共电台 NPR--Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Carnival kicked off over the weekend

Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Carnival¹ kicked off over the weekend

Transcript²

Carnival affects young and old alike. Older residents brushed off their sequins and rehearsed dances for a neighborhood block party. (Story aired on All Things Considered on Feb. 16, 2023.)

LATIN AMERICA

Pensioners³ brush off their sequins and spandex for carnival in Rio

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Rio de Janeiro's world-famous Carnival is underway. But in the run-up to the official festivities, locals are already in the swing with a series of free celebrations are called blocos, block parties. Most have a theme. NPR's Carrie Kahn takes us to one neighborhood across the bay from Rio, where the party was, shall we say, of a mature nature.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Singing in non-English language).

CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE⁴: OK. It's not what you think. When we say mature, we just mean aged⁵, experienced, like 85-year-old Odette Fagundes da Cruz.

ODETTE FAGUNDES DA CRUZ: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: Dressed in bright neon spandex shorts, sensible shoes and a splash of red lipstick⁶, she says she's here to shake her hips⁷.

FAGUNDES DA CRUZ: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: Maybe not as much as usual. She says she's a little tired. She was out dancing until 2 a.m. last night.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: The master of ceremonies welcomes the crowd to this year's Bola Branca, loosely translated the white-haired party, for those 60 and up.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in non-English language).

KAHN: Everyone sings the bloco's song printed on the back of the red-and-white paper fans. It's not even noon, and it's already in the high 80s.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in non-English language).

KAHN: I'm jumping. I'm singing. I'm on fire, go the lyrics⁸. Eighty-five-year-old da Cruz says this is just what the community needs now.

FAGUNDES DA CRUZ: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: "It feels good to shed the sadness that a lot of people were feeling during the pandemic," she says. Brazil was hit hard by COVID. Nearly 700,000 people died, many elderly. This is the first year the 60 and up block party is back on since 2020.

MICHEL MACHADO: (Speaking Portuguese).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Portuguese).

MACHADO: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: They've added a food drive this year. With every donation of dry goods, Michel Machado hands out a shirt and condoms.

MACHADO: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: "Everyone likes them," he says, even if most of the women tell them they're for a neighbor. Seventy-three-year-old Maria Molina doesn't need excuses.

MACHADO: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: "People have a lot of sex during Carnival," she shouts to me over the loud music. She has six kids, eight grandkids and two great-grandchildren. She's widowed and says it's hard to find a good partner these days.

MARIA MOLINA: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: "Most men just use you and lose you," she says. She loves the friendship and dancing she's found in this bloco.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

KAHN: This neighborhood in Niteroi has the second highest number of senior citizens in all of Brazil, says bloco president Sergio Wenecke.

SERGIO WENECKE: (Speaking Portuguese).

KAHN: "We can't let our age hold us back. We may not have young bodies anymore," he says, "but we are for sure young in spirit."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in non-English language).

KAHN: Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Niteroi, Brazil.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in non-English language).

1 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 pensioners   

n.领取退休、养老金或抚恤金的人( pensioner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He intends to redistribute income from the middle class to poorer paid employees and pensioners. 他意图把中产阶级到低薪雇员和退休人员的收入做重新分配。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. 我自己就是一个我们的高贵的施主遗留基金的养老金领取者。 来自辞典例句

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

7 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。