VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Jean Craighead George Spent Her Life in the Wilderness or Writing About It

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Jean Craighead George Spent Her Life in the Wilderness² or Writing About It

JUNE SIMMS: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

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I’m June Simms. This week on our program, we remember the much-loved children’s writer Jean Craighead George…

We also tell about a popular horse race in Virginia…

And we play new music by Beach House…

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Jean Craighead George

JUNE SIMMS: A well-loved children’s book writer has died. Jean Craighead George wrote many books, including “Julie of the Wolves” and “My Side of the Mountain.” Her stories often tell about the beauty and power of wilderness, and the young people trying to survive in it. Christopher Cruise has more.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Jean Craighead George died on May fifteenth following a stroke. The writer had lived ninety-two years, much of that exploring the wilderness and its animals. She also spent a lot of time writing, producing more than one hundred books.

Jean Craighead George was born in Washington, DC, in nineteen-nineteen. Her interest in nature and animals came early and maybe from her father. He worked for the National Forest Service. The family spent a lot of time in wooded areas along the Potomac River. Jean and her twin brothers learned how to build shelters and find food in the woods.

Her brothers trained falcons⁴, one of the most powerful birds in the DC area. Jean Craighead George said the twins were among the first falconers in the United States. She also said that they gave her a falcon³ to train when she was thirteen years old. Later the main character in one of her books develops a close relationship with a falcon.

Jean Craighead George studied science and English at Pennsylvania State University. She worked as a reporter during the nineteen forties. She also married and had three children during this period.

She and her family started exploring wilderness areas all over the country. They also raised many animals, from huge tarantula spiders to owls⁵ and minks⁶. And, of course, more traditional pets like dogs and cats.

The family had more than one hundred seventy animals, although not all at once. Jean Craighead George said the pets were always free to stay or go.

Her career in children’s literature began in nineteen forty-eight with the publication of her first book, “Vulpes the Red Fox.” Eleven years later came “My Side of the Mountain,” one of the best loved children’s books ever.

It tells the story of Sam Gribley, a boy who escapes the busy life of New York City. He goes to live in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains. His home is a hollowed out tree.

Sam makes friends with several animals, including a falcon he calls Frightful⁷. He hunts and fishes and finds plants to eat. He also steals deer that have been killed by hunters.

Jean Craighead George said she wrote “My Side of the Mountain” to tell about all the wonderful adventures she experienced as a child in the woods. The American Library Association recognized the book with a Newberry Honor in nineteen sixty.

In nineteen seventy-three, Jean Craighead George won a Newberry Medal for “Julie of the Wolves.” She had earlier travelled to Barrow, Alaska and met with scientists there. They taught her how to communicate with wolves. The author said she was finally successful with a beautiful female wolf. She knew then she wanted to write about a little Eskimo girl lost on the frozen land. Julie survives by learning how to talk to the wolves. They then help protect her.

Jean Craighead George’s website includes a short video of the author talking to her dog. It is not a wolf like the one Julie ran with, but a close relative -- the Alaskan malamute.

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Jean Craighead George hoped her work in fiction would help children enjoy the wilderness and also protect it. Her own children followed in her footsteps. Her daughter writes books about nature for children. One son is a whale researcher. The other studies birds.

Jean Craighead George died at a hospital in New York state, where she lived most of her adult life.

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The Virginia Gold Cup

JUNE SIMMS: Horse racing⁸ is one of the oldest sporting events in the world. And it can be a major economic support in some places. But, horse racing requires a lot of space, for the activity itself and for the large crowds who like to watch. As development spreads further and further from cities, horse racing is threatened.

But in Virginia, one horse race is still going strong after nearly ninety years. About fifty thousand people attend the Gold Cup each year in the rolling hills of The Plains, Virginia.

Many in the crowd wear fine clothes, including creative hats covered with flowers, feathers or other decorations. And those hats are judged. A hat competition is part of the Gold Cup tradition.

The event also always includes food and drink. Some people just bring containers of sandwiches and sodas⁹. Others have full size tents with grills¹⁰ and professional cooks. Race visitor Thomas Eden grew up in the area.

THOMAS EDEN: “It’s the one day in the year that everyone drops everything and decides to be nice for a day and dress up a bit. And I love dressing¹¹ up…it’s my thing.”

The Gold Cup is a steeplechase event. The horses race across fields and jump over fences. George Webb has been attending the Gold Cup for twenty years.

GEORGE WEBB: “People love getting out in the country. It’s such a beautiful area. It is a part of history. George Washington hunted fox in this very area out here. And so for about two hundred years it’s been going on. So this remains¹² something very near and dear to folks out here.”

The area used in a steeplechase is much larger than a traditional horse race track. Several steeplechase events have been forced to move in recent years, as more land is developed. The Gold Cup moved to its current space in nineteen eighty-five.

And, real estate developers continue to move toward the fields where the race takes place. But George Webb, a developer himself, is not worried. He says the organization that runs the Gold Cup is working, so race fans can enjoy the event now and in the future.

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Beach House “Bloom”

JUNE SIMMS: The two member group Beach House just released their fourth record album, eight years after the first. The Los Angeles Times newspaper says the new album, “Bloom,” is a “lovely lullaby.” American Songwriter calls “Bloom” either “beautifully sad or sadly beautiful.” And Rolling Stone gave it four and one half stars out of a possible five.

Faith Lapidus plays some of the new album.

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FAITH LAPIDUS: That song was called “Myth.” It is the first song on “Bloom.” And it was one of only two singles released before the album.

Victoria LeGrand sings and writes Beach House songs. She told a reporter that she and Alex Scally thought “Myth” would be a great gateway¹³ into the album. The song starts with the words: Drifting in and out / See the road you’re on / You came rolling down the cheek / You say just what you need

“Troublemaker” has a similar simple poetry. Victoria LeGrand sings, like a hand you reached out to me / the thunder rolls in with the dark / tiny fingers on the edges / watch it unravel¹⁴ pulling everything apart

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Beach House travelled to a recording¹⁵ studio in Tornillo, Texas. The rural beauty of the southwestern town seems to have lent a quiet dreaminess to the album. Victoria LeGrand says the album itself is a journey. “A bloom is only temporary” she says, “a fleeting¹⁶ vision of life in all its intensity¹⁷ and color.”

We leave you with Beach House performing “On the Sea” from the group’s new album “Bloom.”

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JUNE SIMMS: I’m June Simms. This program was written and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁸. Tala Hadavi provided additional reporting.

Join us again next week for music and more on AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA 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 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

3 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

4 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

5 owls   

n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 'Clumsy fellows,'said I; 'they must still be drunk as owls.' “这些笨蛋，”我说，“他们大概还醉得像死猪一样。” 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
• The great majority of barn owls are reared in captivity. 大多数仓鸮都是笼养的。 来自辞典例句

6 minks   

n.水貂( mink的名词复数 )；水貂皮

参考例句：

• Fuck like minks, forget the rug rats, and live happily ever after. 我们象水貂一样作爱，忘掉小水貂吧，然后一起幸福生活。 来自互联网
• They fuck like minks, raise rug rats, and live happily ever after. 他们象水貂一样做爱，再养一堆小水貂，然后一起幸福的生活。 来自互联网

7 frightful   

adj.可怕的；讨厌的

参考例句：

• How frightful to have a husband who snores!有一个发鼾声的丈夫多讨厌啊！
• We're having frightful weather these days.这几天天气坏极了。

8 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

9 sodas   

n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
• Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句

10 grills   

n.烤架( grill的名词复数 )；（一盘）烤肉；格板；烧烤餐馆v.烧烤( grill的第三人称单数 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• Backyard barbecue grills could be proscribed. 里弄烤肉店会被勒令停业的。 来自辞典例句
• Both side inlets have horizontal grills and incorporate impressive fog lamps. 两侧进气口的水平烤架并纳入令人印象深刻的雾灯。 来自互联网

11 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

14 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。

15 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

16 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

17 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

18 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。