VOA慢速英语20060904b

THIS IS AMERICA - Cooking in the Great Outdoors (Fireplace¹ Included)By Lawan Davis

Broadcast: Monday, September 04, 2006

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:


barbecue foods

And I'm Barbara Klein. Millions of Americans are taking a long weekend in honor of Labor² Day. The holiday is considered the unofficial end of summer. Many people are traveling. But others are happy to fire up their barbecue and enjoy a restful weekend at home.

VOICE ONE:

Our subject this week is barbecue and the latest in outdoor living.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Barbecue can mean three things. It can mean the grill³ where meats and other foods are cooked over hot coals or an open fire. It can mean the act of cooking the foods. And it can mean the foods themselves. Barbecued meats might be soaked in a tasty mixture for several hours and cooked much slower than other grilling⁴ methods.

Barbecue has long been an American tradition, although favorite preparations and meats differ by area. For example, Kansas City, Missouri, prefers cooking pork with a sweet sauce. Texas is known for its beef barbecue with herbs and spices called rubs.

North Carolina favors pork and thin sauces made with tangy vinegar. South Carolina likes a thick sauce made from tomatoes. And in California and other states, many people like to barbecue seafood⁵. Barbecued hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken are popular all across the country.

VOICE TWO:

The Kansas City Barbecue Society holds the American Royal Barbecue Championship every year in October. The organization says it is one of the biggest barbecue competitions in the world. Teams compete for prizes up to ten thousand dollars.

Last year five hundred teams entered the contest. There were nine hundred judges from about thirty states. And, with all that hard work, the American Royal Barbecue Championship also includes a big concert and fireworks show. Last year the group Lonestar performed. Here is Lonestar with What About Now?

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many women enjoy barbecuing. But some people call backyards with grills⁶ the man's kitchen. A smoky barbecue is part of a culture shared by many American men.

These social gatherings⁷ are about more than just cooking food. They are often ways for men to build greater friendships. They have humorous arguments about how much barbecue sauce to use or the right temperature for grilling. Each claims to be the best cook or to have the biggest and best grill. Also, each claims to have a secret for the best tasting barbecue sauce.

Michael Lampkin is a medical researcher who lives in Bowie, Maryland. Often his work requires him to travel far from home as many as four days a week. Mister Lampkin says that when he returns home, he is happy to cook on his barbecue grill at least once a week. He says there a few reasons he likes to grill.

MICHAEL LAMPKIN: Being outdoors and just the taste in general. It's a taste that you can't duplicate⁸ inside. I think that's one of the nicer things about grilling. And grilling is something you can do year-round. I've even gone outside in the snow. That's one of the other nice things about grilling -- you can do it any time, all the time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Many people have just a simple, low-cost barbecue. They light charcoal⁹, either lump coal or hardwood, and wait for it to get hot. But more and more people are choosing grills that operate with gas. Some of these grills can be very costly¹⁰.

Some people even build a complete outdoor living area around them. These might include a swimming pool and gardens with trees and flowers.

Some outdoor living areas include kitchens, so people do not have to go inside the house for water or to keep food cold. There may be a separate outdoor sitting room with a fireplace and a room for eating.

Complex music and video systems are also a part of some outdoor rooms.

Outdoor living areas can be much less costly yet still be welcoming. In both cases, backyard fountains, with their calming sounds of water, have become more common.

VOICE ONE:

Designers say technology has had a great effect on outdoor living spaces. Furniture made with newer materials can be cleaned easily with water from a garden hose¹¹. In the past, tables and chairs made with wood, cloth or metal often required special cleaning or were easily damaged by rain and the sun.

Some people decorate their outdoor living areas to look as nice to them as the inside of their homes. Homeowner Brenda Despanza also lives in Bowie, Maryland. She recently had a patio¹² built in the backyard of her home. A patio is built on a flat, open area. Brenda Despanza's patio is made of colorful stone. There are tables and chairs with umbrellas to block the sun on hot days.

Hanging lights create a pleasant nighttime setting. But Miz Despanza says she likes her flowers and plants the most.

BRENDA DESPANZA: I have a lot of different flowers that I planted. So I have juniper, roses, petunias¹³ and I also have hibiscus. I work so many long hours that I want a place to come where I can relax. And so my backyard is kind of my haven¹⁴ from the rest of the world.

VOICE TWO:

There are no rules for creating the right environment for an outdoor area. Brenda Despanza says all you have to do is choose the things you like -- then invite friends and family over to talk, eat and have a good time.

BRENDA DESPANZA: I entertain a lot more since I've gotten it. A lot of people enjoy the space, and so it's kind of nice because it's so inviting¹⁵ that people don't mind when I say 'Hey, come on over -- let's have dinner, just sit outside around the plants.'

VOICE ONE:

However Americans choose to spend Labor Day and the last days of summer, music is often part of the activities. We leave you with a song that celebrates the season. Here is Summertime by Will Smith.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written and produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can download transcripts¹⁶ and archives of our shows at www.unsv.com. And we hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 fireplace   

n.壁炉，炉灶

参考例句：

• The fireplace smokes badly.这壁炉冒烟太多。
• I think we should wall up the fireplace.我想应该封住壁炉。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

4 grilling   

v.烧烤( grill的现在分词 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• The minister faced a tough grilling at today's press conference. 部长在今天的记者招待会上受到了严厉的盘问。
• He's grilling out there in the midday sun. 他在外面让中午火辣辣的太阳炙烤着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

6 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

7 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

8 duplicate   

n.复制品；v.复写，使加倍；adj.复制的，二倍的

参考例句：

• The manager asks the secretary to duplicate the document.经理让秘书复印这份文件。
• This agreement is done in duplicate.本协议书一式两份。

9 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 hose   

n.输水软管，长统袜；vt.浇园子，用管冲洗

参考例句：

• Connect the hose to the tap and turn on the tap.把水管接在龙头上，打开水龙头。
• After raining,I always hose the yard out.雨后，我总是用软管把院子冲干净。

12 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

13 petunias   

n.矮牵牛（花）( petunia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The petunias were already wilting in the hot sun. 在烈日下矮牵牛花已经开始枯萎了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• With my porch and my pillow, my pretty purple petunias. 那里有我的前廊我的枕头，我漂亮的紫色矮牵牛。 来自互联网

14 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

15 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

16 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句