VOA慢速英语 2007 0309b A River Runs Through It. No, Wait, Make T

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We answer a question about rivers ‿/P>

Play some music by My Brightest Diamond ‿/P>

And report about a new time change in the United States.

Daylight Savings² Time

HOST:

This Sunday, March eleventh, most Americans will set their clocks ahead one hour. They will begin daylight saving time earlier this year. Faith Lapidus explains.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

 
 
Each spring, most people in the United States move their clocks ahead one hour because of what is called daylight saving time. The only states that do not are Hawaii and most of Arizona.

Daylight saving time provides another hour of daylight in the evening. Its chief purpose is to save energy by reducing the use of electricity for lighting³. Many countries first used daylight saving time during war time. Britain and the United States used it during World War One. The United States also used it during World War Two.

After the war, many American states established some kind of daylight saving time. But this became confusing. So, in nineteen sixty-six, Congress established daylight saving time for the nation. It began the last Sunday in April and ended the last Sunday in October. In the nineteen seventies, that period was extended as a result of a fuel shortage⁴ in the United States.

In nineteen eighty-six, new legislation⁵ changed the start of daylight saving time to the first Sunday in April. It still ended on the last Sunday in October. Americans continued to set their clocks one hour ahead in the spring and one hour back in the fall. They remembered to do this with the expression: "Spring ahead and fall back."

Two years ago, Congress passed a law to lengthen⁶ daylight saving time by four weeks to save even more energy. That is why the time change will now begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.

Some businesses tried to stop the legislation. That is because computer systems used by banks, airlines and other businesses must be changed to recognize the new start date for daylight saving time. Any device that has an internal clock could be a problem and must be changed. Most internal clocks in computing⁷ devices are set for the old daylight time change. 

Many companies have been working to reset⁸ electronic mail devices, personal computers and information-center computers. Most of Europe starts daylight saving time on March twenty-fifth. But most of Asia, Africa and South America do not observe daylight saving time at all.

American Rivers

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Bangladesh. Shamim Ahmed Sonju asks about famous American rivers. An environmental group called American Rivers works to protect and restore natural rivers in the United States.

 
Hoh River in the state of Washington 
American Rivers reports that there are more than two hundred fifty thousand rivers in the United States. Combined, they flow for more than five and one-half million kilometers.

The largest and most famous river in the United States is the Mississippi. It starts near the northern border of the United States and flows through the center of the country for more than three thousand seven hundred kilometers. About two hundred fifty smaller rivers flow into the Mississippi. The mouth of the Mississippi empties into the Gulf⁹ of Mexico. At that point, more than sixteen million liters of water flow every second.

However, the Missouri River is the longest river in the United States. It flows for about four thousand kilometers. It begins in the Rocky Mountains of North America. It flows along the borders of seven states before it empties into the Mississippi River near the city of Saint¹⁰ Louis, Missouri. 

Three rivers that join together in the north central state of Montana form the Missouri River. The water is clear there. But, as it moves east and south, the Missouri River turns brown as it collects huge amounts of dirt from the land. That is why many people call the Missouri River “The Big Muddy.‿/P>

Some people say the Columbia River in the northwest is the most beautiful river in America. It flows from the Canadian province of British Columbia into the United States through the state of Washington. The Columbia River is the largest river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. 

Another famous river is the Rio Grande. It is the longest river in the state of Texas. It forms the border between Texas and Mexico.

Finally, American Rivers says that the oldest river in the United States is the New River. It begins in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and flows north through parts of Virginia and West Virginia. The New River also may be the second oldest in the world. It is funny how something so old can be called new.

My Brightest Diamond

HOST:

My Brightest Diamond is a music group based in New York City. Shara Worden is the voice and songwriter behind the band. Her unusual music combines the spirit of experimental rock with classical music. The richly descriptive songs on their album, “Bring Me the Workhorse,‿are filled with color and feeling. Barbara Klein has more.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN:

That was the song “Dragonfly.‿It tells about a trapped insect that asks Shara Worden to fly away with her. Many songs on this album have very creative and sometimes unexpected subjects.

 
Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond
It might not surprise you that Shara Worden first trained as a classical opera singer. She has a very clear and controlled voice. Her parents were both musicians and always supported her study of music. Worden studied opera music in college before moving to New York City.

Shara Worden mixes music from the past and present. She still studies classical music. But she says she likes making popular music that is beautiful and pleasing to the senses.

Here is the sad, slow, love song “Gone Away.‿It shows another side to Shara Worden’s emotional and powerful voice.

(MUSIC)

My Brightest Diamond recently traveled around Europe and America playing with Sufjan Stevens, a musician we told about in November. But Shara Worden has also been working on other projects. She has written an album called “A Thousand Sharks Teeth‿which will come out next year. She says it has less rock and more of a dreamy, unearthly sound.

We leave you with the energetic beat of “Golden Star.‿/P>

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Dana Demange, Jill Moss¹¹ and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver¹² was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.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.

And 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 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

4 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

5 legislation   

n.立法，法律的制定；法规，法律

参考例句：

• They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
• The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。

6 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

7 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

8 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

11 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

12 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。