THIS IS AMERICA - The Disney Company

THIS IS AMERICA -January 14, 2002: The Disney Company

By Jerilyn Watson
VOICE ONE:

Walt Disney was one of America’s most famous film producers. He created Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and
some of the world ’s most successful entertainment businesses. I’m Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson. The world of Walt Disney is our report today on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

(("WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" INSTEAD OF THEME))

VOICE ONE:

Film artist and producer Walt Disney died in Nineteen-Sixty-Six. Yet his work and
influence live on. People around the world watch Disney movies and Disney television
programs. They buy Disney music, books, videos, toys, clothes and games. They attend
Disney shows. They stay in Disney hotels and ride on a Disney passenger ship. They visit
Disney entertainment parks in the United States, France and Japan.

VOICE TWO:

Last month was the one-hundredth anniversary² of the birth of Walt Disney. He was born in Nineteen-Oh-One in
Chicago, Illinois. In Nineteen-Twenty-Three, Walt Disney moved to Hollywood, California. He hoped to become
a movie producer or director. However, he could not find a job. So he decided³ to make animated⁴ movies or
cartoons. Walt Disney was an artist.

He wanted to bring his pictures to life. A cartoon is a series of drawings on film. Each drawing
is a little different from the one before it. Each shows a tiny change in movement. When we
see the movie, the cartoon people and animals appear to move. They speak with voices
recorded by actors.

Walt Disney believed that animated movies could be just as popular as movies made with real
people. He decided he needed a cartoon hero. So he created Mickey Mouse.

This cartoon mouse had big eyes and ears. He stood on two legs like a human. He
wore white gloves on his hands. Disney’s first short cartoon films starring Mickey
Mouse gained great success. Both the mouse and his creator became famous.

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Thirty-Two, Disney produced the first cartoon filmed in the full-color process called Technicolor.
Mickey Mouse was the main character in this movie, called “Flowers and Trees.”.. Disney served as the voice
of his mouse.

Disney created cartoons with other characters including Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto⁵ the dog. These
cartoons were very popular. But Walt Disney wanted to make other kinds of animated movies too.

VOICE TWO:

Disney’s first full-length cartoon movie was completed in Nineteen-Thirty-Seven. It was “Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs⁶.” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.. became one of Hollywood’s most successful movies.

Walt Disney's 'Magic
Kingdom'

Disney made a number of other extremely popular cartoon films during the Nineteen-Forties and Nineteen-
Fifties. They include “Fantasia,” “Cinderella,” “Pinocchio,” “Dumbo”.. and “Bambi.”..

Disney’s skills in this animation⁷ process made him one of the world’s most successful movie artists. Film
experts say that without Walt Disney, the art of animation would not have developed so fully⁸.

In the Nineteen-Fifties, Disney started producing live-action films with actors. He also started producing several
popular television series.

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Sixty-Four, Disney made a popular film called “Mary Poppins.”.. It told about a woman who cares
for other people’s children. Human actors shared the action with cartoon characters. “Mary Poppins”.. was
one of Disney’s last productions.

For about forty years, other filmmakers praised and honored⁹ the work of Walt Disney. He won thirty-two
Academy¹⁰ Awards for his movies. He also received honors¹¹ for scientific and technical inventions in filmmaking.
However, Walt Disney was not just a great artist and filmmaker. He also gained great success in business.

((MUSIC BRIDGE: "IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL"))

VOICE TWO:

In Nineteen-Fifty-Five, Walt Disney opened an entertainment park in Anaheim, California, near Los Angeles. He
called the park Disneyland. He wanted it to be the happiest place on Earth. It re-created places from Disney
movies. It also showed real places as Disney imagined them. For example, one area looked like a nineteenth-
century town in the American West. Another area looked like the world of the future. Disneyland had many
exciting rides for children of all ages and for adults too.

Disneyland was so successful that Walt Disney developed plans for a second entertainment and educational park.
The project was called Walt Disney World. It opened near Orlando, Florida in Nineteen-Seventy-One, five years
after Disney died. It was larger than Disneyland and had many more activities.

VOICE ONE:

Today, the Disney Company continues Walt Disney’s work and traditions.
Michael Eisner became the company chief in Nineteen-Eighty-Four. At the time, the
company was not making successful films. It was depending on the entertainment
parks for much of its profits.

Mister¹² Eisner changed that situation. He ordered that old Disney cartoons, programs
and films be sold to television stations. He approved the production of programs and
movies for adults. He expanded the idea of the Disney parks to Japan and France. Disney parks opened in Tokyo
in Nineteen-Eighty -Four and in Paris in Nineteen-Ninety-Two.

Pluto, Minnie and Goofy
VOICE TWO:

Led by Mister Eisner, the Disney Company continues to build entertainment centers. Disney’..
s California Adventure park opened last year in Anaheim, next to Disneyland. It cost one-
point-four-thousand-million dollars. California Adventure is smaller than Disneyland. It

celebrates the state of California, not some make-believe place.

The park has three areas. Paradise¹³ Pier¹⁴ celebrates the great American amusement park. It has the world’s
longest roller coaster, called “California Screamin.’”.. It is almost two -thousand meters long. The park also
has a ride that makes people feel like they are hang-gliding in the air over famous areas in California. They
include Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Sierra Mountains.

The second area in California Adventure is called Hollywood Pictures Backlot. It shows visitors the movie-
making industry. The third area, called The Golden State, shows important places in California including
agricultural areas.


There are also new Disney parks in Paris and Tokyo. Disney Studios Europe will open this year next to
Disneyland Paris. It will bring a little bit of Hollywood to France. Tokyo DisneySea opened recently next to
Tokyo Disneyland. It has seven areas that celebrate exploration and discovery of the seas.

((MUSIC BRIDGE FROM "LION KING"))

VOICE ONE:

The Disney Company earns about twenty-five-thousand-million dollars a year. It is one of the largest media
companies in the world. It operates movie and television companies. In Nineteen-Ninety-Five it bought the
Capital Cities A-B-C media company which includes the A-B-C television network. The Disney Company
recently bought a group of international cable¹⁵ television channels. It also owns sports teams.

The Disney Company also has become a major Broadway theater producer in New York City. Its stage
productions of “Beauty and the Beast”
and “The Lion King”
have been among the most popular plays on
Broadway.

The company continues to make successful animated films. Its latest movie is a computer-animated film
produced with the Pixar Company. It is called “Monsters, Incorporated¹⁶.
”
It was the third most popular movie
in the United States last year.

VOICE TWO:

Last year, however, a weak economy and the September terrorist¹⁷ attacks hurt the Disney Company. It lost money
on its Internet operations. Sales of products at Disney stores decreased. The A-B-C television network lost
viewers and advertising¹⁸ sales. Attendance¹⁹ at the Disney parks fell. The company cut four-thousand jobs last year.
Most financial experts, however, say the Disney Company will improve in the future. They believe people around
the world will always enjoy Disney entertainment.

(("WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" INSTEAD OF CLOSING THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by George Grow. I’m Bob
Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

5 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。

6 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

7 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

11 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

13 paradise   

n.伊甸乐园，天堂

参考例句：

• My house had a small backyard,the paradise of children.我那幢房子有一个小后院，那是孩子们玩耍的乐园。
• On a hot day a dip in the sea is sheer paradise.热天洗个海水澡是十分令人惬意的事。

14 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

15 cable   

n.缆绳，索；电缆；电报；vt.电汇，打电报

参考例句：

• Don't forget to cable us as soon as you arrive.别忘了一到就给我发个电报。
• The worker attached a cable.工人连接电缆。

16 incorporated   

a.结合的，并为一体的

参考例句：

• Many of your suggestions have been incorporated in the plan. 你的很多建议已纳入计划中。
• These conditions must be expressly incorporated into the contract of employment. 这些条件都必须明确地写进雇佣合同之中。

17 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

18 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

19 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。