VOA慢速英语20060908b

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Not Satisfied with Video Games on the Market? Design Your OwnBy Brianna Blake, Shelley Gollust and Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Friday, September 08, 2006

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question about Zorro ...

Play some music from the Zozo Sisters ...

And report about a new computer program that creates video games.

Make Your Own Video Games


Playing on an Xbox 360

Have you ever thought about making your own video games? For creative people who enjoy playing video games, Microsoft has announced some good news. Mario Ritter has more.

MARIO RITTER:

Microsoft is offering a computer program for making video games. The XNA Game Studio Express tools are free for download on computers with Windows XP systems to create games. Later this year, people will be able to join a creators club and pay ninety-nine dollars a year. That will permit them to build, test and share video games for the Xbox Three-Sixty game machine.

The program will make it possible for people to create their own video games and share them with others on Microsoft's Internet game service.

Microsoft representatives say the program will be a simplified version² of what professional game designers use. However, professional software costs tens of thousands of dollars. The program will not be as technical as the ones that professionals use. But it will still require users³ to have some programming knowledge.

People who are skilled⁴ in game-programming should be able to create a video game in about three weeks using the new program. Microsoft will oversee⁵ games created to make sure they do not contain any illegal material. But creators will own their games.

Microsoft experts say they hope that giving young people the tools they need to create video games will help them become interested in professional video game design. They say this will help the video game design industry.The company says this new program is the first of its kind to be sold to the public. It says the online sharing service will be similar to YouTube, a Web site where users can watch and share short videos they have created.

The new program is the latest among a growing number of tools used to create material to be shared on the Internet. Personal photos, music, and writings are already being shared this way.

Zorro

(MUSIC from The Mask of Zorro)

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from India. Sampath Kumar wants to know about the history of Zorro.

The Spanish word ''zorro means fox. American writer Johnston McCulley created the fictional⁶ character Zorro in nineteen nineteen. Zorro was the hero of his book The Curse⁷ of Capistrano.

The story takes place in the early eighteen hundreds in the area of California when it was ruled by Spain. A young man named Don Diego Vega has returned home from studying in Spain. He discovers that the people are being ruled by an evil⁸ governor⁹ who misuses¹⁰ his power. Don Diego decides to become a secret hero named Zorro to help the local people and fight injustice¹¹.

Zorro wears black clothing and hides his identity¹² by wearing a black mask on his face. No one knows he is Don Diego except his servant, Bernardo. During the day, Don Diego is a peace-loving man who likes poetry and music. But at night, he becomes Zorro to fight for the common people. He uses a sword to fight his enemies. And he uses it to mark a large letter Z for Zorro. At the end of the book, the evil Spanish officials are defeated, and Don Diego reveals¹³ himself as Zorro.

Johnston McCulley may have regretted that ending because the character Zorro became extremely popular. He later wrote more than sixty stories about his hero. In all of them, the true identity of Zorro remains¹⁴ a secret.

Many movies have been made about Zorro over the years. They include two popular films called The Mark of Zorro. The first was a silent movie made in nineteen twenty. The second was made in nineteen forty. In the nineteen fifties, the Walt Disney company produced an extremely popular television series about Zorro. Its theme song also became a hit:

(MUSIC)

In the nineteen nineties, another television series was a joint¹⁵ production of American, French and Italian film companies. It was broadcast in more than fifty countries.




Two recent American movies continued the story. The Mask of Zorro was released¹⁶ in nineteen ninety-eight. The Legend of Zorro was released last year. Both starred Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Also last year, Chilean writer Isabel Allende published a new book about how Don Diego became Zorro. And recent reports say a musical stage show about Zorro is set to open in London next year.

Zozo Sisters


Adieu False Heart by the Zozo Sisters

Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy have released a new album called Adieu False Heart. Their beautiful voices combine to sing many kinds of traditional American music. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Linda Ronstadt became famous as a country, pop and rock singer in the nineteen seventies. Since then, she has sung many other kinds of music. Ann Savoy is part of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band along with her husband, Marc Savoy, and Michael Doucet. She sings Cajun music. This is the music of the French-speaking people of the southern state of Louisiana. She also wrote a book about Cajun music.

Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy call themselves the Zozo Sisters on their new album, Adieu False Heart. They sing folk, bluegrass, pop and Cajun songs by many songwriters. One of these songwriters is Bill Monroe, known as the father of bluegrass music. Here they sing Monroe's song The One I Love is Gone.

(MUSIC)

Many excellent musicians play with Ronstadt and Savoy on Adieu False Heart. This song, I Can't Get Over You, is by Julie Miller¹⁷. Her husband, Buddy¹⁸ Miller, plays the guitar.

(MUSIC)

Critics and fans agree that Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy make beautiful music together. We leave you now with their version of a popular song from the nineteen sixties, Walk Away Renee.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

This show was written by Brianna Blake, Shelley Gollust and Nancy Steinbach. Mario Ritter was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio¹⁹, go to our Web site, www.unsv.com.

Send your questions about American life to [email protected]. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.

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 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

3 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

4 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

5 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

6 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

7 curse   

n.祸因，祸根；诅咒，咒骂；骂人话

参考例句：

• His wealth proved a curse to him.他的财富成了祸根。
• The rabbits are a curse in this part of the country.兔子在这一带农村是一种祸害。

8 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

9 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

10 misuses   

n.用错，滥用( misuse的名词复数 )；误用者v.使用…不当( misuse的第三人称单数 )；把…派作不正当的用途；虐待；滥用

参考例句：

• He misuses his horses by giving them loads that are too heavy. 他给它们过重的负荷来虐待他的马。 来自互联网
• He often misuses his authority to tyrannize his underlings. 他常用手中的职权凌轹下属。 来自互联网

11 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

12 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。

13 reveals   

v.显示( reveal的第三人称单数 )；揭示；泄露；[神学]启示

参考例句：

• He reveals his innermost feelings only to his best friend. 他把最隐秘的想法只告诉最好的朋友。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The strong wind reveals the strength of the grass. 疾风知劲草。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

17 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

18 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！

19 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。