VOA慢速英语 2008 0111b

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

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

We listen to some music from Alice Smith ‿/P>

Answer a question about two American actors ‿/P>

And tell about an art museum in Miami, Florida.

Margulies Collection

HOST:

 
''Subway,'' a sculpture by George Segal in the Margulies Collection
The Margulies Collection in Miami, Florida, is a privately² owned museum with an exciting collection of modern art. Martin Margulies has spent his life collecting art with the money he earned from investing³ in property.

Twenty-seven years ago, he started an organization to help provide arts education free of charge to the public. As part of this goal, he placed his collection of sculpture, photographs, and paintings in a local museum. Mister⁴ Margulies says that art has been good to him and that it is important to share it with others. Shirley Griffith has more.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse⁵ opened eight years ago in the Wynwood area of Miami. This neighborhood is filled with industrial buildings and stores. You might be surprised to discover that the Warehouse building houses an art collection.

Since it opened, the Margulies Collection has expanded to over four thousand square meters of exhibition space. The museum is open free of charge four days a week from September until April. The current show includes sixty-five sculptural objects from Mister Margulies‿collection. The show includes the work of both famous sculptors⁶ and up-and coming artists.

In the main room of the museum, there are so many interesting sculptures that it is hard to know where to look first. One work by the Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto is made of stretchy cloth that hangs from the ceiling and covers a large area of space. Several heavy tear-shaped forms drop from this ceiling cloth at different levels. If you look -- and smell -- carefully, you will realize that the wrapped forms contain several kilograms of spices such as cinnamon and turmeric. Mister Neto often creates works⁷ like this one that visitors can step into and explore using different senses.

 
Untitled, 2004, by Barry McGee
A sculpture by the American artist Barry McGee is made from a large truck lying on its side. Visitors can look in the truck to see television screens showing different colorful images.

You might also see works by several video artists. For example, you can watch a video by the Indian artist Amar Kanwar that explores oppression and violence in India and Pakistan.

The Margulies Collection provides its visitors and the community of Miami a free lesson in the endlessly rich subject of modern art.

Al Pacino and Andy Garcia

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Brazil. Juliana Lucia Ferreira asks about the American actors Al Pacino and Andy Garcia.

 
Al Pacino
Al Pacino is known all over the world as one of the best actors of all time.  His full name is Alfredo James Pacino.  He was born in New York City in nineteen forty and attended the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts.  At first, he acted in plays on Broadway in New York.  He won awards for his parts in the plays "The Indian Wants the Bronx" and "Does The Tiger Wear A Necktie?"

Al Pacino became famous as a result of his work in the movies "The Godfather" in nineteen seventy-two, and "Serpico" the next year.  He was nominated⁸ for Academy⁹ Awards for those films and for five others.  He finally received an Oscar in nineteen ninety-two for the movie "Scent¹⁰ of a Woman."  He also won a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for the television movie "Angels in America" in two thousand four.

Pacino has appeared in almost forty movies.  In two thousand six, the American Film Institute honored¹¹ him with a Life Achievement Award.  His next movie will be released¹² later this year.  In "Righteous Kill," he plays a New York City detective searching for a killer¹³. 
Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia has also appeared in about forty movies. He was born in Havana, Cuba in nineteen fifty-six.  Andres Arturo Garcia-Menendez came to the United States with his parents at the age of five.  They settled in Miami, Florida.  After high school, he decided¹⁴ to become an actor and moved to Hollywood, California.

Garcia's first real acting¹⁵ job was in the television show "Hill Street Blues¹⁶" in nineteen eighty-one. His first movie part was in "The Mean Season" in nineteen eighty-five.  Later, his movies included "The Untouchables," "When A Man Loves A Woman" and "The Godfather, Part Three."  He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his work in the "Godfather" film.

Andy Garcia is deeply involved in Cuban music and the arts.  In two thousand, he played the Cuban musician Arturo Sandoval in a television movie. He shared an Emmy Award for outstanding movie made for television.  In two thousand six, he directed and played the leading part in the film "The Lost City" about love during the Cuban Revolution.  His latest movie, "The Air I Breathe," will be released later this month.

Alice Smith

HOST:

 
Alice Smith
Alice Smith is a twenty-nine-year-old musician who grew up traveling between Washington, D.C. and her family’s farm in the southern state of Georgia. Her strong and emotional¹⁷ voice is able to sing a striking¹⁸ series of low and high notes. In her first album, “For Lovers¹⁹, Dreamers and Me,‿Alice Smith mixes the sounds of rock, jazz and soul music. Faith Lapidus plays some of her music.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS:

That was the love song “Dream‿which was recently nominated for a Grammy award.  After hearing this song, you might be surprised to learn that Alice Smith did not always plan to make a career out of singing. But she did like music.

She says that when she was growing up, each of her mother’s eight brothers and sisters liked to listen to a different kind of music. So, she was able to experience many kinds of musical styles in addition to her own favorites.

Alice Smith did not start singing professionally until she was in college in New York City. While she was studying history at Fordham University, she started to work as a back-up singer for a local band. The president of a record company heard her sing and later offered her a record deal.

Here is the playful song “Woodstock.‿It tells about wanting to take a break from the tensions²⁰ of city living.

(MUSIC)

A small record company first released “For Lovers, Dreamers and Me‿a year ago. The album quickly gained attention from critics and fans. The New York Times newspaper and Rolling Stone magazine listed Alice Smith as a top artist to know about. The company Epic²¹ Records re-released the album in October. Alice Smith says the album is about pure emotion and being honest in whatever situation you are in. We leave you with “Fake Is the New Real.‿/P>

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver²² was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio²³, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. 

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 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

3 investing   

v.投资，花费( invest的现在分词 )；授予；（把资金）投入；投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• He was timid about investing money. 他不敢投资。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Europe also caught the excitement of investing in American railroads. 欧洲人对投资美国铁路也极感兴趣。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

5 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

6 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

7 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

8 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

9 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

10 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

11 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。

13 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

16 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

17 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

18 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。

19 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

20 tensions   

（情绪上的）紧张( tension的名词复数 )； 张力； 紧张的状态； （作家或电影导演制造的）紧张气氛

参考例句：

• Social tensions were manifested in the recent political crisis. 最近的政治危机显示了社会关系的紧张。
• These disagreements are symptomatic of the tensions within the party. 出现意见分歧表明该党内部的关系紧张。

21 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

22 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。

23 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。