VOA慢速英语-EXPLORATIONS - Visiting the Embassies of Washington,

VOICE ONE:

I'm Bob Doughty¹.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Washington, D.C. is known for its many monuments, museums, and government buildings. It is also home to embassies from more than one hundred seventy countries.

Many of these diplomatic buildings around the city have interesting histories. Some embassies are in large historical homes. Others were built more recently to represent the building design of their countries. Many embassies hold special cultural events. Join us as we travel the world by visiting the embassies of Washington.

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VOICE ONE:
　
The Indonesian Embassy

We start our tour in an area of Washington called Embassy Row. About fifty embassies are in this neighborhood. Many are built along Massachusetts Avenue. Some embassies are in large houses built by wealthy Americans in the early twentieth century.

TOUR GUIDE: "This is the Indonesian Embassy. And it was originally built by Mister Walsh. Now Mister Walsh came over from Ireland without a penny in his pocket and he went to Colorado and struck gold."

VOICE TWO:

That was the voice of Sonia Justl who gives tours for the company Washington Walks. On this tour you can learn about the interesting history of many old buildings before they became embassies.

For example, the Embassy of Uzbekistan is in a richly decorated home built in nineteen hundred and six by a wealthy banker, Clarence Moore. But Mister Moore did not live to enjoy his house for very long. He died on board the ship Titanic², which sank in nineteen twelve. This building served as the Canadian Embassy before Uzbekistan bought it in nineteen ninety-six.

VOICE ONE:

However, sometimes there are problems with diplomatic ownership of historical buildings. Not all countries take good care of their buildings. For example, the embassy of the former Yugoslavia in this neighborhood is empty. Two of Pakistan's former diplomatic buildings have been empty for years. The buildings are slowly falling into disrepair.

VOICE TWO:

Some countries, like Pakistan, build new modern embassies and leave behind their former buildings. Other countries have political or financial problems that take attention away from the condition of their embassies in Washington. People who live in this costly³ neighborhood are not happy that some of these buildings are falling apart. It is hard for city and federal officials to take action because embassies have extraterritorial status under international law.

VOICE ONE:

Further up Massachusetts Avenue visitors can see larger and more recently built embassies. The designs are very different from each other. For example, the Turkish Embassy is a large three-level modern building covered in brown stone and brick. Detailed⁴ designs in iron cover the building's tall windows. The Brazilian Embassy looks like a large box made of black glass.

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VOICE TWO:

Some embassies are works of art. For example, the Italian Embassy is near Massachusetts Avenue. This very modern building is made up of striking angular lines. It is covered in pink stone imported from Italy. When you walk into the main hallway, you can look up to see a huge glass dome⁵ ceiling. The embassy's eighteenth century Italian art collection hangs in rooms that have very modern furniture and design.

VOICE ONE:
　
Embassy of Finland

Nearby, the Embassy of Finland looks like it is built out of blocks of glass. Its design is modern, but it fits in nicely with the natural environment around it. A screen of plants covers part of the front of the building. Inside, visitors can look through large glass windows deep into the wooded areas of Rock Creek⁶ Park.

The Finnish Embassy holds many interesting exhibits. For example, four years ago the exhibit on the Finnish clothing and design company Marimekko was very popular.

VOICE TWO:

While we are on the subject of Europe, let us go to another area of town to see a very new embassy. The Swedish Embassy is on the Potomac River in the neighborhood called Georgetown. It is in a building called the House of Sweden, which also contains an event center and corporate⁷ housing. The glass building is a good example of Swedish design. It is smooth, simple and very modern. Visitors can see exhibits on subjects such as cars, the environment and art and design.

VOICE ONE:

Not far away, the Embassy of France is in a gated area off Reservoir Road. The embassy's cultural center, La Maison Fran?aise, organizes many cultural events. For example, in June the center invited thirty local bands to celebrate the summer at its yearly music festival. This fall, the center will offer French movies as well as many concerts including baroque, classical and jazz music.

VOICE TWO:

If you are very lucky, you might be invited to a party at the home of the French ambassador. This extraordinary home in the Kalorama neighborhood looks like a gothic palace. Organizations like the Washington Opera sometimes hold events in this beautiful house. The ambassadors of Turkey and Italy also live in large historical homes that are famous for their building design and beauty.

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VOICE ONE:
　
The Chinese Embassy

Last month, China opened a new embassy in the area of Washington called the International Center. C.C. Pei and L.C. Pei of Pei Partnership⁸ Architects designed the building. They are the sons of the famous Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei who also worked on the project. Measuring more than ten thousand square meters, this is one of the biggest diplomatic buildings in Washington. The Chinese government brought in hundreds of Chinese workers to build the huge project, which took three years to complete. C.C. Pei said the areas of plants around the embassy were influenced by Chinese and Western traditions to create a natural and calming design.

Several other embassies are in this area along International Drive and International Court. These include the embassies of Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Israel and Egypt.

VOICE TWO:

In another area of Washington, the Mexican Cultural Institute is housed on Sixteenth Street. It is in a large home built in nineteen ten by Emily MacVeagh. She was the wife of the American secretary of the treasury⁹ at that time. Today, the institute offers many musical and artistic¹⁰ events as part of the cultural side of the Mexican Embassy. For example, every November, the institute invites visitors to see a large altar made for the Day of the Dead festival. Last week, the Spanish guitarist Abraham Carmona played his music there.

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VOICE ONE:

In May, many embassies took part in an event called Passport D.C., organized by the non-profit group Cultural Tourism D.C. Embassies around town organized cultural activities and opened their doors to the public. For example, at the Pakistani Embassy visitors could watch movies from that country. The Japanese embassy set up a traditional teahouse and showed its lovely stone gardens. The Iraqi embassy invited the public to enjoy traditional Iraqi food and music. Cultural Tourism D.C. plans to hold the event again next year.

VOICE TWO:

Embassies often are affected¹¹ by international political events. For example, in nineteen ninety one the Iraqi ambassador in Washington left his post at the start of the Persian Gulf¹² War. Now, Iraq has a new ambassador and a new embassy. The United States does not have official diplomatic ties with Cuba. So Cuban representation in Washington operates through the Swiss Embassy.

VOICE ONE:

Embassies are often places where the public can express their opinions about a country's actions or events. For example, in March, protestors demonstrated in front of the Chinese Embassy after Chinese police attacked Buddhist¹³ religious workers in Tibet. When Britain's Princess Diana died eleven years ago, people left flowers at the British Embassy to honor her.

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VOICE TWO:

The closest diplomatic building to the offices of VOA is the Embassy of Canada. We visited an exhibit there called "Fifty Years of American Photojournalism." It shows many photographs of important events in American history and culture. We also met with Carolyn Strauss, the cultural counselor¹⁴ of the embassy. She told us more about the exhibit.

CAROLYN STRAUSS: "We're delighted because we think these images resonate very much with Americans as well as Canadians because they're shared experiences through the last century of war, peace and conflict, and world celebrities¹⁵ and leaders. "

Miz Strauss explained why cultural programs at embassies are so important.

CAROLYN STRAUSS: "Cultural events speak very much to a country's values and project a nation as perhaps almost nothing else does. You can have political discussions and you can have trade discussions but culture really demonstrates what a culture's values and iconic moments are all about."

Embassies in Washington and around the world have an important role to play in supporting culture and diplomatic ties among nations.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. You can see pictures of several embassies in Washington on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

 

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 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

3 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。

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

5 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

6 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

7 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

8 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。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 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。

13 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

14 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

15 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目