VOA慢速英语-THIS IS AMERICA - C.F. Martin Guitar Company Still M

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Pat Bodnar.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty¹. This week we visit one of the oldest, successful family-owned companies in the United States. The C. F. Martin and Company guitar maker² in Nazareth, Pennsylvania is one hundred seventy-five years old this year.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:
　
All Martin guitars are acoustic³, or non-electric

That is musician David Bromberg playing on his signature Martin guitar. A signature guitar is made to order. The Martin company works directly with a musician to create a special guitar based on what he or she needs. When the instrument is finished it is named after the artist.

All Martin guitars are acoustic, or non-electric. They are the instruments of choice for many of today's leading guitarists and songwriters. Former Beatles member Paul McCartney is one such fan. He composed this song, "Blackbird," on a Martin guitar.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The story of C. F. Martin and Company began in Markneukirchen, Germany on New Year's Eve, in seventeen ninety-six. That is when company founder⁴, Christian⁵ Frederick Martin, Senior, was born. He came from a family of furniture makers⁶. But Christian left home as a teenager to study under a man who made guitars.

When he completed his studies he returned to his hometown. He tried to open a guitar-making shop but met resistance from a local union. Mister Martin moved to the United States with his wife and child in eighteen thirty-three. He opened his guitar shop on the lower West Side of Manhattan in New York City.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:
　
Craftsman⁷ George Molchany inspects a guitar at the C. F. Martin & Company factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Company official Dick Boak says the Martin family was not happy in New York. So they moved the business to Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Mister Boak says the Martin family found Nazareth to be like their hometown in Germany. And he says the move was good for C. F. Martin, Senior in another way.

///ACT ONE///

"In Nazareth, he really found his style of guitar making, and the guitars that C.F. Martin, Senior, built really came to define the instrument."

VOICE ONE CONT:

One early element of his style was to put all the tuning⁸ keys on one side of the guitar neck. C. F. Martin, Senior also made guitars with necks that could be moved up and down. Both of these elements came and went. But his most famous improvement to his guitars continues to be used to this day. Martin guitars are built with an "X bracing⁹" system across the top of the instrument. This is what guitar lovers say give Martin guitars an exceptional sound. You can hear it in this Steve Earle song, "Sparkle and Shine."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:
　
A worker inserts the ball end of a string into the bridge of a C.F. Martin guitar

Over the years, the Martin family company made hundreds of thousands of the instruments. In two thousand five, C. F. Martin announced the completion of its one-millionth guitar. It is made from four beautiful woods with inlays of seashells, white and yellow gold, and jewels including diamonds, rubies¹⁰ and sapphires¹¹. There are images of babies with wings, a golden eagle and company founder, C. F. Martin, Senior.

VOICE ONE:

But as pretty as a Martin guitar may be, it is how it sounds that really matters. The guitar is basically a tool for a musician, Dick Boak says.

///ACT TWO///

"And in their purest sense that is all they are…we start with the Martin sound and build a box around it."

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE (CONT:)

Making that "box" is a complex process. There are about three hundred steps in the production process from start to finish. The final step? Inspection¹². Dick Boak explains.

///ACT THREE ///

"What they are doing is checking every note. They have to be able to do that quickly and they have to be able to identify if a note is being played correctly. It has to be perfect when it goes out."

VOICE TWO:
　
The Martin Guitar Company celebrates its 175th anniversary this year

The work takes place in the Martin factory. It is a big change from the little workshop of eighteen thirty-three. The modern factory was built in nineteen sixty-four. It covers more than eighteen thousand square meters. About five hundred people work there. They manufacture about two hundred guitars every day. Prices start at about three hundred dollars. But custom-made guitars can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

British rocker Sting asked C.F. Martin and Company to design a custom guitar for him to play on his album "Sacred Love." Dick Boak says Sting wanted a little guitar strung in a special way to provide a "shimmering¹³" sound effect. Here is "Dead Man's Rope" from that album."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The C. F. Martin and Company factory is open to the public Monday through Friday, except for some holidays. Company employees guide visitors through the building. Many tours are free. There is also a guitar museum inside the factory building and a gift shop.

The old factory is also open to the public. But, now it is a store called The Guitarmakers Connection. It sells tools and new and used parts for making or repairing guitars. Across the street is the old home of C.F. Martin, Senior and family. It holds a visitors center.

VOICE TWO:

Christian F. Martin, the fourth, is the current leader of C. F. Martin and Company. He was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer after the death of his grandfather in nineteen eighty-six. Chris Martin was thirty years old at the time. There has been a lot of growth in the company during his time as its leader. But Mister Martin also has had a lot to worry about. The use of costly¹⁴, and perhaps, endangered woods is chief among his concerns.

In the past, the company has used beautiful Brazilian rosewood and ebony, or old growth woods. But, as Mister Martin told the New York Times last year, "If I use up all the good wood, I'm out of business." He said he wanted his daughter to have the materials she would need to carry on the business when she grew up.

So the company says it respects the directives of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna¹⁵ and Flora¹⁶. It says it uses traditional materials responsibly. And it seeks other wood materials, like those from trees that can be replaced more quickly.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁷. I'm Pat Bodnar.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. Transcripts¹⁸ and MP3s of our programs are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us next week for This is America in VOA Special English. We leave you now with David Bromberg and his Martin guitar performing "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Lot to Cry."

 

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 craftsman   

n.技工，精于一门工艺的匠人

参考例句：

• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
• The craftsman is working up the mass of clay into a toy figure.艺人把一团泥捏成玩具形状。

8 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

10 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

11 sapphires   

n.蓝宝石，钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 )；蔚蓝色

参考例句：

• Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩，接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来，双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
• She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句

12 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

13 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

14 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。

15 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

16 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

17 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。

18 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