VOA慢速英语--在美国芭蕾舞剧院

American Ballet Dancer at Bolshoi 在美国芭蕾舞剧院

Many young Americans dream of becoming a dancer for a prestigious¹ ballet school. That dream is now a reality for 15-year- old Harper Ortlieb.

Harper Ortlieb left her small town in Oregon to move to Moscow. She is following her dream of becoming a prima ballerina. She was accepted for study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

There are 721 students in the academy and only 84 of them are foreigners. Harper is younger than most. She is also among the few to be integrated² into the regular Russian program.

Tatyana Galtseva is a teacher at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. She says Harper is very gifted.

"She is very gifted,” said Galtseva . “She is all ballet, all inspiration³.”

The Bolshoi took notice of Harper when she took part in  a Bolshoi summer program held in Connecticut. The Bolshoi then offered her a place in its Moscow school.

Harper says she feels accepted by her classmates and teachers.  But, she says the experience has been harder than she expected.

"It's been very difficult, but with that comes strength and with that I improve,'' she said. "I feel like I came here to get better, to improve, not only technically⁴ but emotionally so when I dance people see something."

Layne Baumann and Tim Ortlieb are Harper’s parents. In September, they left their only child in Moscow. In February, Harper’s mother decided⁵ to move to the Russian capital for at least the rest of the school year. She lives about two blocks from the ballet school.

Seventeen Americans study at the Bolshoi Academy. There are 28 students from Japan. The other foreign students represent 22 different countries.

Harper’s teacher believes the student has what it takes to be a classical ballerina.

She says, "She is extraordinarily⁶ attentive⁷. She is always smiling. Such a sweet, wonderful girl.''

Harper hopes to become one of the rare foreigners to receive a diploma from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. She has three difficult years ahead to reach her goal.

Words in This Story

prestigious – adj. having high status

prima ballerina – n. the main female dancer in a ballet company

academy – n. a school that provides training in special subjects or skills

integrated – adj. allowing all types of people to participate or be included

inspiration – n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create

classical – adj. of a kind that has been respected for a long time

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 integrated   

a.整合的，完整的

参考例句：

• A fully integrated low phase noise LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is presented.介绍了一种全集成的LC压控振荡器(VCO)的设计。

3 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

4 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

5 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。

6 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

7 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。