VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Remembering Astronaut Neil Armstrong

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Remembering Astronaut Neil Armstrong

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

I’m June Simms. This week, we hear about a new book on natural soundscapes and the man who recorded them.

We also tell about singer Kris Allen and how he chose a name for his new CD.

But first, we tell about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.

(MUSIC)

This week, people around the world have been remembering the former American astronaut Neil Armstrong. He was the first man to walk on the moon. He died last Saturday in his home state of Ohio. He was eighty-two years old.

Neil Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which took him and astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin to the moon. Their lunar module² reached the moon on July twentieth, nineteen sixty nine. After stepping on the moon’s surface, Armstrong sent the historic message,

SOUND: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

He and Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon.

Weeks later, the two men and Michael Collins, the third member of the Apollo 11 crew, were honored with huge parades in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. They later traveled around the world to share information about their trip to the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission earned recognition from seventeen nations and many special American honors. They included the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the American space agency’s Distinguished³ Service Medal.

Some historians say the moon walk marked America’s victory in the space race with the Soviet⁴ Union.

In later years, Neil Armstrong served as Deputy Associate Administrator⁵ at the space agency’s headquarters. He was also a professor of aerospace⁶ engineering at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his family lived on a farm just outside of the city.

In recent years, Armstrong had largely withdrawn⁷ from public life. But he spoke⁸ earlier this year at an event at Ohio State University. The event honored former astronaut and senator, John Glenn.

President Obama called Neil Armstrong, “among the greatest of American heroes, not just of his time, but of all time.” He said when Armstrong and his crew lifted off for the moon, they set off to show that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable.”

Armstrong’s family also released a statement. It asked that the public honor what it called “his example of service, accomplishment⁹ and modesty¹⁰. And the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink¹¹.”

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: Bernie Krause records Mother Nature. During the past 40 years, he has gathered four thousand hours of natural soundscapes. These include the voices of fifteen thousand species. But about half of these sounds can no longer be heard because of noise pollution and human activities.

As we hear from Faith Lapidus, Bernie Krause’s new book documenting Earth’s great voices, was written in an effort to save them.

FAITH LAPIDUS: The Earth sings. Just listen.

(RAIN AND THUNDER)

Whether it is a rain storm, the cry of a wild animal or an engine starting up against the winter silence, Bernie Krause has recorded it. He says these voices are combined together into a kind of tapestry¹², or artwork.

His book is called “The Great Animal Orchestra.” Bernie Krause says what he found was not so much the sound of a single voice, but instead a collection of voices. The ones that interest him most are in areas near the equator, and in rainforests and deserts because they are so structured.

In the book, he takes readers to the heart of the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. Just after he set up his recording¹³ equipment and sat down about nine meters away, he heard the sound of a jaguar¹⁴. The big cat had stepped right up to the microphone and, like a great singer, began to growl¹⁵ into the device.

(JAGUAR GROWL)

BERNIE KRAUSE: “There it was establishing its own niche¹⁶ and territory vocally¹⁷.” Bernie Krause has recorded sounds on every continent. His collection includes such unusual voices as mating gibbons at sunrise in Indonesia, and the whistle-like song of the Musical Wren¹⁸ from Peru.

(MUSICAL WREN)

But creatures like these are under threat from urban development and a changing climate. Mister Krause has documented changes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. In nineteen eighty-eight, a logging company announced plans to remove a few trees from an area called Lincoln Meadow. The company said the tree removal project would have no effect on wildlife in the area.

Bernie Krause was given permission to record the soundscape before the project began. He says workers removed only a few trees from Lincoln Meadow. Since then, he has returned to the area fifteen times in the past fifteen years. Yet the sound still has not come back to the way it was.

While soundscapes are disappearing in some areas, Bernie Krause sees hope for others. They include areas like Chernobyl, where a nuclear accident took place in nineteen eighty-six. Here is a recording made twenty years later.

(NATURAL SOUND)

KRAUSE: “…that shows what can happen if humans are not around to interfere¹⁹. And it has come back despite all the radiation that is there…”

Bernie Krause says his soundscapes are a call to protect wild places. He says human activities have a great effect on the natural world. And unless we pay attention to its creatures, we will silence Mother Nature’s Great Animal Orchestra. I’m Faith Lapidus.

JUNE SIMMS: “American Idol” winner Kris Allen released a new CD earlier this year. "Thank You Camellia" is his second CD since winning the singing competition in two thousand nine. He says his life has changed a lot since then. He now makes music for a living, travels a lot and has many fans. And then, of course, there is Camellia. Exactly who is this mystery girl named in Kris Allen’s new album? Christopher Cruise has more.

(MUSIC)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The “American Idol” winner denies that “Thank You Camellia” is named for a girl. He says Camellia is instead a street in Los Angeles where some of his friends let him live while he was recording songs for the new CD. He slept at their house on and off for almost a year.

The twenty-seven year old star says it was nice to enjoy the warmth and comfort of friends, instead of going all alone to a hotel every night. He wanted to thank his friends for their support so he named the album after them.

“The Vision of Love” is the first song from the album. It was a Top Forty hit.

(MUSIC)

“The Vision of Love” is about two young people who are struggling with loneliness and bullying²⁰. Kris Allen calls it an inspirational song about helping²¹ those in need, something he feels very strongly about. The artist visited Rwanda last year to give shoes to needy²² people. He has also done work with non-profit groups like “Music Empowers” and “The Trevor Project.”

Many of the songs on "Thank You Camellia" are about love. Kris Allen says he knows how to love, but he is still learning how to love well. This feeling is expressed in the song “Teach Me How Love Goes.”

(MUSIC)

Kris Allen says reaction to his new CD has been good. One friend told him that "Thank You Camellia" was even better than his first CD. The new recording comes three years after the release of his self-titled debut²³ CD. We leave you with the first release from that album and its only Top Twenty hit, “Live Like We’re Dying.”

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: I’m June Simms. 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 module   

n.组件，模块，模件；(航天器的)舱

参考例句：

• The centre module displays traffic guidance information.中央模块显示交通引导信息。
• Two large tanks in the service module held liquid oxygen.服务舱的两个大气瓶中装有液态氧。

3 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

6 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

7 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

10 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

11 wink   

n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁

参考例句：

• He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
• The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

12 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

13 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。

14 jaguar   

n.美洲虎

参考例句：

• He was green with envy when he saw my new Jaguar car.看见我那辆美洲虎牌新车，他非常妒忌。
• Should you meet a jaguar in the jungle,just turn slowly,walk away.But slowly,never look back.你在丛林中若碰上美洲虎，就慢慢转身走开，可一定要慢，切莫回头看。

15 growl   

v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣

参考例句：

• The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫，尾巴也跟着摇摆。
• The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。

16 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

17 vocally   

adv. 用声音, 用口头, 藉著声音

参考例句：

• She is not SCREAMER or MOANER - She is VOCALLY APPRECIATIVE. 她并不乱叫或发牢骚，只是用声音表示喜怒。
• The left has been vocally against. 左派力量一直竭力声讨。

18 wren   

n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员

参考例句：

• A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
• My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信，一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。

19 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

20 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

22 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

23 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。