VOA慢速英语 2007 1022b

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Barbara Klein.

 VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. This week on our program we explore the history of Glen Echo Park in Glen Echo, Maryland.

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE:

 
Glen Echo Park
On a warm autumn day, men and women of all ages are gathered in the Spanish Ballroom¹ at Glen Echo Park near Washington, D.C. Some are dressed like professional dancers. Others are in blue jeans. A few have taken off their shoes.

Social dancing is a favorite activity at the park. As the LaSalle Dance Orchestra plays, dancers turn and swing their partners. Some people look as if they have been dancing forever. Others are learners. A few look a little uneasy.

Men make a bridge with their arms and their partners step underneath². Some women have on wide skirts that make a swooshing sound as they pass under the bridge. Colors fade and mix as the beat goes on.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Most of the people brought a partner -- their husband or wife or a friend. A woman is dancing with her young daughter. The woman is beautiful and wears a floor-length dress and long white gloves. The little girl also wears a floor-length dress. She is smiling and laughing. Once or twice the child sits down on the dance floor.

VOICE ONE:

A man steps away from the dance floor to take a break for a few minutes. He explains that he always comes to dance at Glen Echo. But he says he will never compete on any of those dancing shows that have become popular on American television.

Beginners in Spanish Ballroom can get help. There are teachers who give lessons. And there are people known as "dance buddies³." These are volunteers who can help newcomers keep in step.

VOICE TWO:

Dance bands at Glen Echo play foxtrot, waltzes and tangos.

(MUSIC)

There is also square dancing and contra dancing. These are group dances that involve changing partners. And bands often play zydeco, Cajun, rock and roll and salsa.

(MUSIC)

This New Year’s Eve, twenty-five dollars will buy a lesson, a night of swing dancing and light refreshments⁴. George Gee⁵ and the Jump, Jivin‿Wailers will perform.

VOICE ONE:

The Spanish Ballroom has been restored. But with a little imagination, you can still hear the famous musicians who performed long ago. Bandleaders like Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. Bill Haley and His Comets appeared during the early days of rock 'n' roll.

(MUSIC)

Dance bands at Glen Echo also play in the Bumper⁶ Car Pavilion. This was where drivers crashed little cars into each other during Glen Echo’s amusement park days.

VOICE TWO:

Today the arts are a driving force at Glen Echo Park. Visitors can paint, make pottery⁷ or improve their photography. Families enjoy children’s plays at the Adventure Theatre and the Puppet Company. There are also seasonal⁸ festivals like "Fall Frolic." This day of crafts, theater performances, Halloween activities and dance is set for October twenty-seventh.

                                                                                                         Glen Echo Park sits on about four hectares of land along the Potomac River. Each year a half-million people come to the park for events and programs. But some visitors just like to sit in the sun and feed the squirrels.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Two wealthy brothers, Edward and Edwin Baltzley, provided the land for Glen Echo in the nineteenth century. They wanted it to be an education center called a Chautauqua.

Chautauqua was a popular movement in the United States at the time. It gave working people in crowded cities a chance to learn and to experience nature.

The Glen Echo Chautauqua opened in eighteen ninety-one. There were classes in languages, science and other subjects.

VOICE TWO:

A year later, Glen Echo became a home for traveling shows. Then it grew into a small amusement park, and later a bigger amusement park. But not all of its history was fun and games.

For years the park did not admit black people. In nineteen sixty, civil rights activists⁹ demonstrated at the park. The next year, Glen Echo opened to everyone.

VOICE ONE:

Five years later, in nineteen sixty-six, there was violence at the park on the day after Easter. Some people called it a race riot.

Whatever it was, it did nothing to help a little park that had been losing popularity anyway. In nineteen sixty-eight, the park closed. Many rides and attractions were sold or destroyed.

VOICE TWO:

The federal government became the owner of the Glen Echo land in nineteen seventy. The government along with neighbors of the park wanted to limit development near the Potomac River.     

The National Park Service now operates Glen Echo in cooperation with a group called the Glen Echo Partnership¹⁰ for Arts and Culture. The park is in Montgomery County, Maryland. The county created the nonprofit group.

The partnership manages Glen Echo’s programs, fund raising and marketing¹¹. The National Park Service takes care of historical presentation, safety, security, resource protection and grounds keeping.

VOICE ONE:

A good way to picture the early days of Glen Echo is to walk around its historic area. The Spanish Ballroom and the Bumper Car Pavilion are part of that area. But there is also the Yellow Barn, now a center for artists.

The Picnic Grove¹² is a popular place for outdoor meals. The Arcade¹³ now houses photography projects, art exhibits and theaters  instead of games.

And there is the historic Clara Barton House. Clara Barton was the nurse who established the American Red Cross.

VOICE TWO:

The Crystal Pool at Glen Echo Park was big enough to hold three thousand people. Now, instead of water and swimmers, the pool is filled with dirt. Weeds and some wildflowers grow out of the top.

A tall woman wearing sunglasses remembers that as a small child, she would always ask her mother to let her swim in the pool. But that was at a time when many children were getting sick from polio. Doctors were advising parents to keep their children away from crowds. So her mother always said no.

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE:

Organ music leads visitors to the Dentzel Carousel¹⁴. Neighbors of Glen Echo Park worked hard to keep it after the park closed. People called it the jewel of the park. A Glen Echo town councilwoman named Nancy Long led a successful drive to buy it back.

Supporters organized to restore the carousel. That project took many years and a lot of money. Now it operates on weekends from May through September.

On an early fall day, the line for this merry-go-round is not too long. Most of the people waiting are little children. But older riders are excited too. The ticket-taker smiles and says not to worry. She says carousels¹⁵ were really created for adults.

VOICE TWO:

There are four ostriches¹⁶ on the carousel. The birds are finely carved and painted. They share the merry-go-round with horses, rabbits, a giraffe, a deer, a lion and a tiger.

The ostriches go up and down as the carousel turns. A few horses away, another adult is riding a rabbit. On a carousel, grabbing the brass¹⁷ ring as you pass it is supposed to win you a prize and a happy future. The man on the rabbit tries to pull the small brass ring but he cannot reach it.

You also try. No one can reach it. It is there only for show. But then, you think maybe the visit to Glen Echo Park is the real brass ring.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁸. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can learn more about Glen Echo Park by clicking on a link at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

2 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

3 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

4 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

5 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

6 bumper   

n.(汽车上的)保险杠；adj.特大的，丰盛的

参考例句：

• The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
• This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。

7 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

8 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

11 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

12 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

13 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

14 carousel   

n.旋转式行李输送带

参考例句：

• Riding on a carousel makes you feel dizzy.乘旋转木马使你头晕。
• We looked like a bunch of awkward kids riding a slow-moving carousel.我们看起来就像一群骑在旋转木马上的笨拙的孩子。

15 carousels   

n.喧闹的酒会；旋转木马( carousel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Object carousel and data carousel are both carousels. 对象轮和数据轮都是轮播方式，但是两者存在区别。 来自互联网
• Build dizzy carousels, unbelievable roller-coasters, Ferris wheels, fear halls and other thrilling andand thirsty. 建造眩目的回旋木马，难以置信的云霄飞车，摩天轮，恐怖木屋和其他令人毛骨悚然的设备。 来自互联网

16 ostriches   

n.鸵鸟( ostrich的名词复数 )；逃避现实的人，不愿正视现实者

参考例句：

• They are the silliest lot of old ostriches I ever heard of. 他们真是我闻所未闻的一群最傻的老鸵鸟。 来自辞典例句
• How ostriches could bear to run so hard in this heat I never succeed in understanding. 驼鸟在这样干燥炎热的地带为什么能疾速长跑，我永远也理解不了。 来自辞典例句

17 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

18 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。