AMERICAN MOSAIC -June 28, 2002: Soccer in America / Richard Rodgers Music / Question about
'Chinatown'
HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC
—
VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
(THEME)
This is Doug Johnson. On our program today we:
Play some music written by Richard Rogers ..
.
Answer a listener’s question about “Chinatown
”
..
.
And report about the growing popularity of soccer football in the United States.
Soccer in the U.S.
HOST:
On Sunday, June thirtieth, an important soccer football game will be played in the
city of Yokohama, Japan. That game will decide the World Cup champion of soccer
football. Americans are becoming more interested in this great international game.
Steve Ember explains.
ANNCR:
In its first game in the World Cup matches this year, the United States defeated a
strong team from Portugal by a score of three-to-two. That is the first time a United States team had scored three
points in World Cup competition since a game in nineteen-thirty against Paraguay.
The American team finally lost to Germany, one to nothing, in a very close quarterfinal game. American soccer
fans were happy about the results. It was the best an American team had done in more than seventy years in
World Cup competition.
However, most of the American public showed little interest. Many people in the United States still have no idea
how important the World Cup soccer championship games are to the rest of the world. Many Americans do not
know how the game is played.
The American public has never shown much interest in soccer. Sports experts say this is only true of older
Americans. They never played soccer when they were children. They did not grow up with the sport as people in
other countries have. Sports like American football, baseball and basketball have always been much more
popular.
The United States Soccer Federation says about eighteen-million people today play soccer in the United States.
But those who play are very young. Seventy-eight percent are under the age of eighteen. Sports experts say it is
these children who are making the sport popular in the United States. The experts say soccer has become popular
with children because almost anyone can play. There are teams for girls, boys, older children and young adults.
Many Americans are becoming interested in soccer because their children play. This has produced the new
American expression “Soccer Mom.
”
This is a mother who spends a lot of time driving her children to soccer
games in the family car.
The United States Soccer Federation says it is helping children improve their playing skills. It provides special
training for young players at soccer camps during the summer.
Federation officials say the United States may one day have a World Cup champion team, but it will be sometime
in the future. Soccer fans in the United States will have to wait until young soccer players grow up playing the
world’s most popular sport.
Chinatown
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Chung Tanquoc asks about Chinatown.
Many large cities in the United States and around the world have an ethnic area called Chinatown. Each was
settled by people who came from China.
For example, Chinatown in San Francisco, California, began in the eighteen-forties. Gold had been discovered in
California. Chinese immigrants came to America in search of wealth. They settled in an area that later became
known as Chinatown. Nearly all the immigrants were men. Their hard work was quickly recognized. In eighteen-
fifty, San Francisco Mayor John Geary held a ceremony honoring Chinese efforts to improve the city. Today,
Chinatown is a leading cultural influence in San Francisco. Many people visit the area.
Chinatowns were also established in cities in the western states of Oregon and
Washington during the middle of the nineteenth century. Many Chinese settlers in these
areas helped build the first railroad system across the United States. However, after the
work ended in eighteen-sixty-nine, many Chinese moved to the eastern and middle parts
of the United States.
The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Chicago, Illinois, in the eighteen-seventies.
Many of these first immigrants opened clothes -cleaning businesses and low-cost eating
places. Chicago’s Chinatown has grown over the years. The largest number of
immigrants came after communists took control of mainland China in nineteen-fortyeight.
Chinatowns also can be found in cities outside the United States. For example, the first Chinese settlers in
London arrived in the late eighteenth century. They were men who worked for the East India Company. Later,
Chinese immigrants operated small stores and eating places that were visited by Chinese sailors traveling through
the city. Today, many people visit London ’s Chinatown. It has special Chinese Gates and walking areas for
visitors.
Chinatowns around the world are not only places where Chinese people live and work. They are also places
where visitors can learn more about Chinese culture and traditions.
Richard Rodgers
HOST:
June twenty-eighth is the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of the most successful writers of
Broadway show music. Richard Rodgers was born in New York City in nineteen-oh-two. He died in nineteen-
seventy-nine. Mary Tillotson has more.
ANNCR:
Richard Rodgers wrote about forty Broadway musical plays, ten movie musicals,
and two television musicals. He also wrote music for television and the ballet. He
won many awards for his work.
His first Broadway show was “Garrick Gaities”
in nineteen-twenty-five. He
wrote the music. Lorenz Hart wrote the words. Rodgers and Hart worked together
on twenty-five other shows, including “Pal Joey”
in nineteen-forty. It was later
made into a movie.
One of the most popular songs from “Pal Joey”
is “The Lady Is a Tramp.
”
Richard Rodgers, seated,
with Oscar Hammerstein.
(Photo -Library of Congress)
Frank Sinatra played Joey in the movie. He sings the famous song.
((THE LADY IS A TRAMP)
)
Richard Rodgers later created nine popular Broadway shows with Oscar Hammerstein. They were the most
successful songwriting team in Broadway history.
Their first show opened in nineteen-forty-three. That show is now being performed again on Broadway in New
York City. It is called “Oklahoma.
”
Here is the title song.
((OKLAHOMA)
)
Richard Rodgers also wrote both the words and music for Broadway shows. Perhaps the best known of these is
“No Strings.
”
It opened on Broadway in nineteen-sixty-two. The title describes the idea of love without
responsibility. It also means that Rogers did not use any string instruments in the orchestra.
We leave you now with a song from Richard Rodgers’
show, “No Strings,
”
performed by Richard Kiley and
Diahann (di-ANNE) Carroll. It is called “The Sweetest Sounds.
”
((THE SWEETEST SOUNDS)
)
HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. And I hope you will join us again next week for
AMERICAN MOSAIC
—
VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Jill Moss, Nancy Steinbach and Paul Thompson. And our
producer was Paul Thompson.
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