VOA慢速英语 2008 0502

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Greg Mortenson Builds Schools, and Hope, in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Also: A question from Vietnam about the theme music for the program EXPLORATIONS. And the soulful music of singer-songwriter Ledisi. Transcript² of radio broadcast:
01 May 2008

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson.

Today we listen to the latest album from singer-songwriter Ledisi …

Answer a listener’s question about the theme music from the Special English program Explorations …

And tell about the popular book “Three Cups of Tea.”

(MUSIC)

"Three Cups of Tea"

HOST:

A book called "Three Cups of Tea" has been on the best seller lists in the United States for more than a year. It has sold more than one million copies. The book tells the true story of how one person can make a difference in the lives of many people. Barbara Klein tells us about that person and his story.

BARBARA KLEIN:

The subtitle³ of "Three Cups of Tea" is "One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time." That man is Greg Mortenson. He wrote the book with reporter David Oliver Relin.

Greg Mortenson was born in the state of Minnesota and grew up near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. His parents were religious workers who started a teaching hospital and international school there.

Mortenson became a nurse who worked in hospital emergency rooms. He loved to climb mountains. In nineteen ninety-three, he attempted to climb K2 in Pakistan, the second highest mountain in the world. He failed to reach the top. And he became separated from his climbing group on the way down. He was extremely tired, sick and lost. He had no food, water or shelter.

Mortenson finally reached a poor village called Korphe in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan. The villagers had never seen a foreigner before. They provided food and a place to sleep and nursed him back to health. Mortenson became friends with the villagers and asked to see their school. But they had no school.

Greg Mortenson promised to return and build a school for the children of the village. This was not easy. He had to return to the United States, ask people for money, purchase materials in Pakistan, transport them to the village and supervise the building. But he finally carried out his promise after more than three years. That first school in Korphe was so successful that he decided⁴ to continue building schools in Pakistan and later Afghanistan. It turned out to be a remarkable⁵ humanitarian⁶ campaign.

"Three Cups of Tea" tells about the many interesting people Mortenson met and the problems he faced. He survived a kidnapping by the Taliban and a firefight between opposing Afghan groups.

He also faced opposition⁷ by Islamic religious leaders, death threats and long separations from his wife and children.
　

Greg Mortenson shakes hands with new students

To date, Mortenson and his foundation, the Central Asia Institute, have built more than sixty schools. The schools are teaching more than twenty-five thousand children, more than half of them girls. The schools were built in rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan where some people have turned to extremism and terrorism. Mortenson believes that education is the best weapon against terrorism and the influence of Islamic militants⁸. "Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of how his efforts have given thousands of children a chance for a better life. Many people have called Greg Mortenson a true American hero.

The title of his book comes from something Haji Ali, the village chief of Korphe, tells Mortenson: "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea you become family ... You must make time to share three cups of tea."

Now there is a CD called "Three Cups of Tea." Greg Mortenson's nine-year-old daughter, Amira, recorded it along with Jeni Fleming. Money from sales of the CD will help the Central Asia Institute that Mortenson heads.

(MUSIC)

EXPLORATIONS Music

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Nguyen Trong Tuyen asks about the beautiful music we play at the beginning and end of the Special English program EXPLORATIONS. Here is a little of that song, called “All Souls Waltz.”

(MUSIC)

Musicians Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai wrote “All Souls Waltz.” The song is on their album “Honorable Sky.” It was released in nineteen ninety-four.
　

Peter Kater and R. Carlos Nakai

Peter Kater is from Germany. He was raised in New Jersey⁹. He plays the piano. R. Carlos Nakai is of native Navaho-Ute ancestry¹⁰. He grew up in Arizona. He plays the Native American flute¹¹.

“Honorable Sky” is part of a series of albums Kater and Nakai recorded together. They say the work is an exploration of male soulfulness and of close ties between people.

(MUSIC)

In the liner notes of “Honorable Sky,” Peter Kater says he writes many songs in honor of the Earth. He says humans depend on the planet and must care for it.

R. Carlos Nakai notes a feeling of loneliness throughout the music on “Honorable Sky.” We hear this clearly on “All Souls Waltz.”

(MUSIC)

Ledisi

HOST:

Singer-songwriter Ledisi performed in jazz and rhythm and blues¹² clubs for more than fifteen years before her first major album was released. As more people hear her soulful voice they ask, “Who is Ledisi and where has she been? Mario Ritter has the answers.

(MUSIC)

MARIO RITTER:

Ledisi Young was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, more than thirty years ago. Ledisi means “to bring forth” in the Yoruba language of Nigeria.
　

Ledisi

Many people had not heard of Ledisi until she received a Grammy nomination¹³ for best new artist of two thousand seven. She said she was very honored to be recognized by the music industry. However, she said she laughed when she received the news because her first album, “Soulsinger,” was released in nineteen ninety-eight. The song “Take Time” became a favorite among her fans.

(MUSIC)

Ledisi also received a Grammy nomination for best rhythm and blues album for “Lost and Found.” It is her first album released by a major record company. Ledisi says she wrote the song “Alright” during a time of professional struggles and successes. She sings about remaining positive even when faced with situations that are not perfect.

(MUSIC)

Many people now know the answer to the question “Who is Ledisi?” Music critics say her powerful voice and soulful songs will be around for a very long time. We leave you with another song by Ledisi from her album “Lost and Found.” Here is “In the Morning.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written Shelley Gollust, Lawan Davis and Caty Weaver¹⁴, who was also the producer.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

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 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

4 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。

5 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

10 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

11 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

12 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

13 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。