VOA慢速英语 2008 0121b

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. This week on our program, we tell about a list of American movies that recently received special recognition. For the past fifteen years, the Library of Congress has chosen twenty-five movies to be part of its collection called the National Film Registry.

The aim of this project is to makes sure these movies are stored in a way that protects them. This way, future generations will be able to see these important examples of American popular culture.

(SOUND)

Dr. Otternschlag: “What do you do in the Grand Hotel? Eat, sleep, loaf around. Flirt¹ a little, dance a little. A hundred doors leading to one hall.  No one knows anything about the person next to them. When you leave, someone occupies your room, lies in your bed. That’s the end.‿/EM>

 
Edmund Goulding directed the 1932 film ''Grand Hotel'' starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore
VOICE ONE:

That was a scene from the nineteen thirty-two movie “Grand Hotel‿starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and John Barrymore. This famous movie tells about the interactions between a group of people staying at a costly² hotel in Berlin, Germany. It is a story about love, murder and money.  “Grand Hotel‿is one of the movies that the Library of Congress picked this year for its registry.

VOICE TWO:

You might be wondering why movies need to be protected. It is because the film on which these movies are recorded becomes damaged over time. Older movies that were shown in theaters before nineteen fifty-one were recorded on nitrate-based film stock. This kind of film becomes sticky, then falls apart over time even in the best storage conditions. As the nitrate-based film falls apart, it also releases a gas that can lead to fires.

VOICE ONE:

The American Film Institute estimates that there are currently about thirty two million meters of nitrate film stored in the United States. The AFI says it would take about fifteen years to copy these movies onto safer acetate film stock. Modern acetate film stock will not catch on fire. And, experts say this kind of film can last for up to three hundred years if it is stored in good conditions.

VOICE TWO:

But even acetate stock has its problems. Some acetate film can develop what is known as the “vinegar syndrome³.‿As the film starts to fall apart, it releases a sharp smell like vinegar. Some experts believe that the vinegar syndrome can spread like an infection and damage "healthy" film in the same storage area.

The fact that film is not a permanent storage device for movies helps show why efforts to protect movies are so important. The issue has also received attention from American lawmakers.

VOICE ONE:

Congress passed the National Film Preservation⁴ Act in nineteen eighty-eight. The law called for the creation of a group called the National Film Preservation Board. Since nineteen ninety-nine, this group, along with the public and the Library of Congress‿Motion Picture Division, nominates hundreds of movies every year for the National Film Registry. The Board and the Librarian of Congress make the final decisions on choosing twenty-five movies each year.

VOICE TWO:

They choose movies that they consider either culturally or historically important. They also choose movies that are artistically⁵ interesting. The movies must be at least ten years old. But, they do not have to have been released in movie theaters to be considered for the registry. The selection made last month brings the total number of movies in the collection to four hundred seventy-five.

Once a movie is chosen for the registry, the Library of Congress works to make sure the film is safely stored. The Library has its own preservation program.  It also works with other organizations as well as movie production studios to protect these movies.

VOICE ONE:

In July of last year, the Library of Congress opened the Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. The Packard Humanities Institute paid for the Center with money from its chairman, David Woodley Packard. The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is in Culpeper, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. The building was made in nineteen sixty-nine by the United States Federal Reserve to be an emergency shelter for supplies. In nineteen ninety-nine, Mister Packard bought the property. He spent one hundred fifty million dollars to turn this large building into a film preservation center. Then he gave the Center to the United States.  It represents the largest gift the legislative⁶ branch of the American government has ever received.

VOICE TWO:

The Center’s aim is to house and protect American recording⁷ and movie history. So far, the collection includes over six million sound and movie recordings⁸. The Center has some of the most advanced technology in the world for storing these recordings. For example, there is a robot that can work twenty-four hours a day to turn videocassette recordings into digital form.

VOICE ONE:

With all old recordings turned into digital form, researchers at the Library of Congress will be able to see these valuable pieces of history. The Center also has over one hundred cold storage areas in which to keep its collection of nitrate films as safe as possible. And, the Center plans to offer educational programs to the public. These will include a series of free movie showings in the Center’s theater.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

And now, "Let’s go to the movies" as we tell about some of the films chosen.  This year’s National Film Registry includes movies from different periods about very different subjects. One movie, “The Strong Man,‿was made as early as nineteen twenty-six. The most recent movie is “Dances With Wolves‿ made in nineteen ninety.

Some movies are about animals, like Walt Disney’s nineteen thirty-three cartoon, “Three Little Pigs.‿nbsp; While the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind‿explores the existence of creatures from space arriving on Earth. Some movies are funny, while others, like “The Naked City‿are very serious.

(SOUND)

 
Jules Dassin directed ''The Naked City'' starring Jean Adair and Celia Adler
“Well, let’s begin our story this way. It’s one o’clock in the morning on a hot summer night. And, this is the face of New York when it’s asleep. Or, as nearly asleep as any city ever is.‿/EM>

VOICE ONE:

“The Naked City‿is a crime movie made in nineteen forty-eight. It tells about a group of policemen investigating a murder in New York City. The movie was based on the real stories told by New York policemen and was filmed in that city. When the movie first was released, the very realistic method of film-making was new and interesting.

VOICE TWO:

The movie called “The Women‿came out in nineteen thirty-nine. This sharply funny movie is based on a Broadway play written by Clare Booth Luce. Some of the most important actresses in Hollywood came together to make this movie. The main character, Mary, is played by Norma Shearer⁹. Mary must face some serious questions when she discovers her husband is having a love affair with another woman, Crystal, played by Joan Crawford. Here is a scene where the two women meet accidentally:

(SOUND)

Crystal :  Listen,  I’m taking my marching orders from Stephen. He seems to be satisfied with this arrangement, so don’t force any issues unless you want to cause plenty of trouble.

Mary: You’ve made it impossible for me to do anything else. 

Crystal: You’re very confident, aren’t you.

Mary: Yes, because I know Stephen couldn’t love a girl like you.

Crystal: Well, if he couldn’t, he is an awfully¹⁰ good actor. Look, what have you got to kick about? You’ve got everything that matters. You’ve got the name, the position, the money.

Mary: My husband’s love happens to mean more to me than those things.

VOICE ONE:                                    

One well-known movie on the list is “Back to the Future‿ which came out in nineteen eighty-five. Michael J. Fox plays the role of Marty McFly, who accidentally travels back to the year nineteen fifty-five in a time machine. He meets his mother and father when they were still high school students. Marty must learn how to get back to his own time period. And, he has to make sure his parents meet and fall in love so that he can still exist in the future.

VOICE TWO:

Another favorite on the list is the nineteen fifty-five movie version of the Broadway musical play “Oklahoma!‿It is a love story about a cowboy named Curly and the girl he loves, Laurey. We close with a famous song from this movie, “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin.'"  Listening to this song, you can feel happy that this and many other American movie treasures will be protected for future generations to enjoy.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange.  I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:  

And I’m Steve Ember.  Our programs are online with transcripts¹¹ and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

 

1 flirt   

v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者

参考例句：

• He used to flirt with every girl he met.过去他总是看到一个姑娘便跟她调情。
• He watched the stranger flirt with his girlfriend and got fighting mad.看着那个陌生人和他女朋友调情，他都要抓狂了。

2 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。

3 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

4 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

5 artistically   

adv.艺术性地

参考例句：

• The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美，装帧高雅。
• The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

8 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

9 shearer   

n.剪羊毛的人；剪切机

参考例句：

• A bad shearer never had a good sickle. 拙匠无利器。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Eventually, Shearer lost faith, dropping him to the bench. 最终，希勒不再信任他，把他换下场。 来自互联网

10 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

11 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