AMERICAN MOSAIC - Music by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Honore

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Music by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Honorees / Question about Disney World / Extreme Makeover Home Edition
By Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver²

Broadcast: Friday, March 25, 2005

(THEME)

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(THEME)

I'm Bob Doughty³. On our show this week: Music by musicians honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame …

A question about Disney World...

And a report about a popular television show that builds houses for people in need.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

HOST:

Reality television programs are very popular in the United States. Many of these shows involve fierce competition among people who want to win a prize. The competitors often will do anything to win. However, one reality show does good things for people. Sarah Long has this report on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

ANNCR:

The popular television show is in its second season on the ABC network. It was developed from another successful ABC reality show, "Extreme Makeover." That show provides medical operations, weight loss programs and other beauty help to people who want to look better.

"Extreme Makover: Home Edition" also helps people by improving their homes. The show finds a needy⁴ family and sends them away on a holiday. While they are away, the "Home Edition" team tears down and re-builds the family's house. These building projects would normally take months to complete. But, the show requires the work be done is just one week.

Ty Pennington leads the show's ten-member team. They include experts in planning, design and building. Pennington is a carpenter. He first gained fame building furniture on the popular home design television show, "Trading Spaces."

"Home Edition" chooses families who are needy for different reasons. On one program the team made a house bigger for a husband and wife who were expecting three babies. On another episode⁵ the designers re-built a house for eight children whose parents had died. On an upcoming show, the team re-designs a house for a man who was blinded by a gun shot.

The final show of last season provided a single mother with a new home. Brook⁶ Imbriani had a busy life in California working to support her children and her disabled mother. She also saved the life of a very sick baby by providing her own bone marrow⁷ for an operation. The little girl is now four. Her parents nominated⁸ Brooke Imbriani for "Home Edition" to say thank you.

The American television industry honored the show last year. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program. Now the show is one of the ten most popular shows on American television.

Disney World

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Nguyen Thanh Duc asks about Walt Disney World.

Disney World is the work of American movie producer Walt Disney. He first produced animated⁹ movies known as cartoons. A cartoon is a series of drawings on film. In a finished movie, cartoon people and animals appear to move. They speak with voices recorded by actors.

 
Mickey Mouse
(photo courtesy¹⁰ Walt Disney Co.)

Walt Disney's cartoons were a huge success. He created imaginary creatures that are still popular today. They include Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Dumbo and Bambi. Later, he produced live action films and television shows.

In nineteen fifty-five, Walt Disney opened the Disneyland entertainment park near Los Angeles, California. It re-created places from Disney movies. It also showed places as Walt Disney imagined them, like a town in the old American West and a world of the future.

Disneyland was so successful that Walt Disney planned a second park, Walt Disney World. It opened near Orlando, Florida in nineteen seventy-one, five years after Walt Disney died. It is larger than Disneyland and has more activities. It includes an amusement park, hotels, campgrounds, golf courses and shopping villages.

Later, Disney World added more theme parks, such as the Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, the Experimental Community of Tomorrow.

EPCOT Center opened in nineteen eighty-two. It includes places that represent the cultures of eleven countries around the world. For example, the area called Britain includes a drinking place, a park and shops that sell British products. At night, people gather around a lake at Epcot Center and watch a fireworks show. EPCOT also includes examples of technology today and in the future. Its newest ride, called Mission Space, re-creates a space launch.

 
Pluto¹¹, Minnie and Goofy
(photo courtesy Walt Disney Co.)

Today, Walt Disney World is considered the most popular vacation place in the world. The Disney Company also operates similar parks in Europe and Asia. This year, the Disney Company is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Disneyland. The company says every Disney park around the world will celebrate with new attractions and shows.

New Members of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

HOST:

Several famous recording¹² artists were named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week during a ceremony in New York City. The Hall of Fame honors recording artists for their importance and influence in rock and roll. Musicians can become members twenty-five years after their first recordings¹³. Faith Lapidus tells us about the new members this year.

ANNCR:

The group called the Pretenders became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. American singer Chrissie Hynde formed the band in England. Many of its other members have since died. Here is one of the Pretenders' rock and roll hit songs, "Back on the Chain Gang."

(MUSIC)

 
U2
Two other groups were chosen for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One is U2. The other is the O'Jays.

Soul singer and songwriter Percy Sledge¹⁴ also became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. Music experts say he will be forever known for this song, "When A Man Loves A Woman."

(MUSIC)

Blues¹⁵ musician Buddy¹⁶ Guy also became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Critics have called him blues music's most electrifying¹⁷ guitar player. They say he has moved the blues forward without losing sight of where it came from. We leave you now with the recording that won a Grammy award for Buddy Guy in nineteen ninety-one. It is "Damn¹⁸ Right, I've Got the Blues."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Bob Doughty. I hope you enjoyed our program this week. Our show was written by Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver, who was also our 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 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。

3 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

4 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。

5 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

6 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

7 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

8 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

9 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

10 courtesy   

n.谦恭有礼，礼貌的举止，好意，恩惠

参考例句：

• She called on us merely for the sake of courtesy.她来访只是为了礼貌。
• After a few words of courtesy,they got down to business.双方客气了一番，就开始谈正事。

11 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。

12 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。

13 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

14 sledge   

n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往

参考例句：

• The sledge gained momentum as it ran down the hill.雪橇从山上下冲时的动力越来越大。
• The sledge slid across the snow as lightly as a boat on the water.雪橇在雪原上轻巧地滑行，就象船在水上行驶一样。

15 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。

16 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

17 electrifying   

v.使电气化( electrify的现在分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The dancers gave an electrifying performance. 舞蹈演员们的表演激动人心。
• The national orchestra gave an electrifying performance of classic music. 国家交响乐团举行了一次古典音乐的震撼性演出。 来自辞典例句

18 damn   

int.该死，他妈的；vt.指责，贬斥，诅咒

参考例句：

• Damn this useless typewriter!这台破打字机真该死！
• I knew damn well what he was going to say.我非常清楚他要说什么。