THIS IS AMERICA - Florida Keys

THIS IS AMERICA - November 4, 2002: Florida Keys

By Paul Thompson

VOICE ONE:

In the northern part of the world, the autumn season is turning the leaves brown, red
and gold. Winter’s cold will arrive in a few short weeks. This is not true in a group
of islands that extends² into the Atlantic Ocean from the southern state of Florida.
These islands are called the Florida Keys. I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. We tell about the famous
Florida Keys in our report today on the VOA Special
English program THIS IS AMERICA.

(MUSIC: "Volcano"/Jimmy Buffet³)

VOICE ONE:

The first European to see the Florida Keys was Spanish explorer⁴ Ponce de Leon in
the year fifteen-thirteen. He was searching for special water that would keep people young forever. But he did not
find that special water, or any other water that people could drink. Later, other Spanish explorers⁵ mapped the area
as an aid to help their treasure ships return to Spain.

Many of the Keys still have Spanish names, like Islamorada, Bahia Honda and Key Vaca. The word “keys”
comes from the Spanish word “cayos” meaning “little island.” And many of the Florida Keys are little.
Hundreds of the islands are only pieces of sand that extend¹ a few feet out of the water. Many are only visited by
sea birds.

Yet some of the Keys are big enough to support large numbers of people. One of the
most popular is Key West. It is the farthest south of the Keys that can be reached by
car.

VOICE TWO:

A road extends southwest into the Florida Keys. It is called Highway One. It starts
into the Keys from the state of Florida at a bridge that crosses the water to the island
of Key Largo⁶.

The road is narrow and the traffic is often slow as it travels through each of the small towns of the Keys.
Highway One is about one-hundred-fifty-seven kilometers from Key Largo to its end in Key West. It extends
across many bridges between the islands. The longest of these bridges is eleven kilometers long. It is called
Seven Mile Bridge and was completed in nineteen-eleven. At the time, it was considered one of the wonders of
the world. No bridge crossed as much open water.

It was a strong bridge, too. Seven Mile Bridge survived many storms, including one huge
ocean storm that damaged the Keys in nineteen-thirty-five. The first Seven Mile Bridge was
replaced in nineteen-eighty-two, but you can still see the old bridge, close to the new one.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Today, the Florida Keys are a popular holiday area. Many of the islands have beautiful white
sand beaches. Swimming and boating⁷ are major sports. Visitors can pay to go on a boat for a


fishing trip. They can catch many different kinds of fish including huge fish called sailfish⁸ or
marlin. People come from all over the world to fish in the Florida Keys.

In fact, the people who live on Islamorada Key claim their island is the “Sports
Fishing Capital of the World.
”

However, the people of other Keys say the fishing is just as good off their islands.

Visitors can ride on other kinds of boats in the Florida Keys. Some are special party
boats. These go out for the day or during the night. There are food and drinks on these boats. They might also
have bands or recorded music for dancing.

VOICE TWO:

The music heard in the Florida Keys is unusual. You can hear Cuban music. You can hear music of the
Caribbean islands, old calypso music from deep in the Caribbean and reggae from Jamaica. You can also hear a
lot of music by American songwriter and singer Jimmy Buffet. His music is a mix of American country and
western, rock and the sounds of the Caribbean islands. People who really like his music call themselves “Parrot
Heads.
”

It is now time to take a little trip. Let us pretend⁹ we are traveling across the last bridge on Highway One to the
island of Key West. Our car radio is playing one of Jimmy Buffet’s most famous songs, “Margaritaville.
”

(((CUT ONE: MARGARITAVILLE CDP-)))

VOICE ONE:

As we cross the bridge to Key West, we can see many boats. Some are fishing boats you can use for the day.
Others belong to people who have sailed their boats here from many different places.

In the city, the houses are almost all painted white. A few are pink or light blue. Many houses are very old and
very small. Key West is a very old city. Many of the buildings are more than one-hundred years old.

Many palm¹⁰ trees grow here. Colorful flowers grow in front of many of the little houses. You can stay in a room
in one of these houses for the night. You can smell the ocean on the soft warm wind that blows across the island.

We drive past several streets and then come to Whitehead Street. We turn left. Very soon we come to the end of
the street. There is a monument¹¹ here. The sign says this is the southernmost part of the United¹² States. The sign
says “American Begins Here.
”
Beyond the sign is the ocean.

VOICE TWO:

After taking a few photographs of the sign, we turn the car around and follow Whitehead Street to number nine-
oh-seven. This house belonged to the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway. For a few dollars, you can see
the inside of the house. Hemingway had many cats when he lived here. He is gone, but the cats remain. Many are
asleep on the beds or chairs. They are used to seeing people walking through the old house.

VOICE ONE:

After we leave the Hemingway house, we travel a little way to Green Street. There is a private museum here we
want to visit. It is the Mel Fisher Maritime¹³ Heritage¹⁴ Society Museum. The museum is named after treasure hunter
Mel Fisher. He discovered an old sunken Spanish treasure ship near Key West more than twenty years ago.

That ship was the Nuestra Senora de Atocha. Visitors can see some of the ship’s treasure at the museum. You
can hold a huge, solid¹⁵ bar of gold worth many thousands of dollars. You can put your hands through a hole in a
clear, plastic box and hold the huge piece of gold. But the box is built so you can not turn the bar toward¹⁶ the hole.
You can not take the gold with you!

However, the museum store will sell you real Spanish coins that were found on the famous ship. They are very


costly. Or you can buy a copy of a coin for much less money.
VOICE TWO:
From Mel Fisher’s Museum, we walk the short distance to Mallory Square, the center of Key West’s historic¹⁷

area. The square is famous for the Key West sunset¹⁸ celebration¹⁹ that is held each night if the weather is good. It is
really more famous for the unusual people and animals you can see here. For example, you can see people sing or
play music. You can see cats perform tricks. You can watch trained birds. You can buy a hat. Or just watch the
beautiful sunset.

VOICE ONE:
From Mallory Square we walk to Duval Street. This is where we find many good eating and drinking places. You

can buy very good Cuban food. Cuba is only about one-hundred-forty kilometers from Key West. The Cuban
influence can be strongly felt in the city.
Or maybe you want to eat seafood²¹ instead. There are many good seafood restaurants. Singer Jimmy Buffet owns

an eating place here, too. It is the Margaritaville Café where you can get a good American cheeseburger.

You can also find drinking places that have bands. Some bands play rock music. Some play music of the
Caribbean. Still others play country and western music. There seems to be a kind of music for everyone.
There are many other businesses along Duval Street. Many stores sell clothing. Some stores sell the works²² of

local Key West artists. Duval Street is a lively area. There seems to be a party here until very late into the night.
VOICE TWO:
There is much more to do and see in Key West. You can take a high-speed boat trip for about an hour to the Dry

Tortugas National Park. A huge military²³ fort²⁰ was built there before the American Civil War.
You can rent an aircraft²⁴ and take photographs of the beautiful Keys from the air. You can learn to breathe under

water using special equipment. And, when your holiday is finished, you can drive slowly up Highway One,
through the many other Florida Keys, stopping to enjoy each one on the way home.
(MUSIC: Jimmy Buffet)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA

Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

 

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1 extend   

v.伸开；展开，伸展；扩大；加大

参考例句：

• Can you extend your visit for a few days more?你能把你的访问再延长几天吗？
• The examinations extend over two weeks.考试持续两个星期。

2 extends   

v.（空间、时间等）延伸，延续( extend的第三人称单数 )；伸展；给予；延长

参考例句：

• This country extends its power and influence into neighbouring countries. 这个国家将其势力与影响扩大至邻国。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His domain extends for 20 miles in every direction. 方圆20英里之内都是他的地产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

4 explorer   

n.探险家，探测者

参考例句：

• His father is an Arctic explorer.他父亲是一位北极探险者。
• The explorer organized an expedition to the North Pole.那位考察者组织了一个去北极的探险队。

5 explorers   

n.探险家，勘探者( explorer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them. 勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The explorers had to rough it when they got into the jungle. 那些探险者进入丛林后，不得不过着艰苦的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

7 boating   

n.划船

参考例句：

• They were fond of boating.他们喜欢划船。
• The lovely river itself was ideal for fishing and boating.这条美丽的河流本身就宜于钓鱼和划船。

8 sailfish   

n.旗鱼，姥鲛

参考例句：

• The state offers a huge variety of fish,from largemouth bass to sailfish.这里出产非常多种鱼类，从阔嘴黑鲈到旗鱼等不一而足。
• A fine start to the day,and my first sailfish on a fly.这一天的开局不错，这也是我第一次用飞杆钓到旗鱼。

9 pretend   

vt.假装，假托，装扮；vi.假装，装作

参考例句：

• So you don't need to pretend,do you?所以你不必装假了，对吧？
• Many people pretend that they understand modern art.许多人装着自己懂得现代艺术。

10 palm   

n.手掌，棕榈，胜利；vt.与…握手，藏…于掌中

参考例句：

• That woman had her husband in the palm of her hand.那女人牢牢地控制住她丈夫。
• Palm trees grow all around the island.岛上到处长着棕榈树。

11 monument   

n.纪念碑；遗址，遗迹；有永久价值的作品，不朽的功业

参考例句：

• A monument was set up as a memorial to the dead soldiers.为阵亡将士立了一个纪念碑。
• The monument bears the mark of age.纪念碑上有年深日久的痕迹。

12 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

13 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

14 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

15 solid   

adj.固体的，结实的，可靠的，实心的；n.固体，实心；adv. 一致地

参考例句：

• Water may change from a liquid to a solid.水可以由液体变为固体。
• I know that James is a solid type of person.我知道詹姆斯是个可信赖的人。

16 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

17 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

18 sunset   

n.日落；衰落时期(尤指人的晚年)

参考例句：

• They'll work on till sunset.他们将继续工作，直到日落。
• The sunset was a very beautiful sight.那落日真是一幅美景。

19 celebration   

n.庆祝，庆祝会；典礼

参考例句：

• The celebration passed off successfully.庆祝活动圆满结束。
• The celebration of Christmas is a custom.庆祝圣诞节是一种习俗。

20 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

21 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

22 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

23 military   

n.军队；adj.军事的，军人的，好战的

参考例句：

• The area has been declared a closed military zone.这个地区已宣布为军事禁区。
• The king was just the tool of the military government.国王只是军政府的一个傀儡。

24 aircraft   

n.飞机 (单复数同)

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• They have placed an order with us for three new aircraft.他们向我们订购了三架新飞机。