VOA慢速英语 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Coppi’s Restaurant in Washington D

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. This week…

We hear music by the Irish rock band U2 …

Answer a listener question about stock car racing² …

And report about a restaurant in Washington, D.C. that operates a fully³ "green" business.

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Coppi's Italian Restaurant

HOST:

More and more restaurants across the United States are starting to cook with organic fruits and vegetables. Organic foods are grown without chemical fertilizers and insecticides. But one restaurant in Washington, D.C. has gone far beyond just buying organic food in its effort to be sustainable and healthy. Coppi's restaurant on U Street has become a good example in the community of how to operate a "green" business. Bob Doughty⁵ has more.

BOB DOUGHTY:

When you walk into Coppi's Italian restaurant, it looks like many other warm and lively eating places on the popular U Street corridor.
　
Coppi's team: Carlos Amaya, left, with Pablo, Nori, Cecilia, and Ramon

There are friendly waiters and hungry eaters enjoying food. But Coppi's is different from other restaurants because of the careful way it is managed by its owners, Carlos Amaya and his sister Nori.

CARLOS AMAYA: "Coppi's is a very unique, sustainable restaurant. The theme of it is of course, northern Italian, but the difference in maintaining a sustainable restaurant, meaning we have to source American products."

Almost all of the salads, pizzas, meats and pastas served at Coppi's are organic. Mister Amaya buys seasonal⁶ foods from local producers who follow sustainable practices.

CARLOS AMAYA: "We've actually visited these farms to see exactly where everything comes from and the process, so you can understand it and explain it better to the clientele."

Mister Amaya even buys the flour for his pastas from an American producer so that he does not have to import flour from as far away as Italy.

Also, all the electricity used at Coppi's is wind-generated so it does not cause pollution. And, all cooking in the kitchen is done with only two hot water boilers⁷ for pasta and a wood-burning oven. Most restaurants use large gas ovens and stoves which can be wasteful⁸. The oak⁹ wood for the oven comes from an organic farm in Pennsylvania that collects old wood from fallen trees.

Other details are important to Coppi's green efforts. For example, the restaurant has very low lighting¹⁰ to conserve¹¹ energy. And, the restaurant saves on water and energy by not using tablecloths¹².

Carlos Amaya was born in El Salvador. He started working at Coppi's in nineteen ninety-four. Over the years he worked many different positions in the restaurant. In two thousand two, he bought the restaurant from its owners.

CARLOS AMAYA: "By then, I had already developed my own idea of what sustainable was, and where it needed to go."

The former owners were interested in organic cooking. But Carlos Amaya knew he wanted to make the business even greener. He says that owning Coppi's is a good example of the American Dream.

CARLOS AMAYA: "Here I am, and the unique thing about the United States and the American way of living is we have rights to own our own businesses and to actually lead by example."

Coppi's owners and visitors can feel good about the food they are making and eating because it is delicious, healthful and sustainably produced.

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NASCAR

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Brazil. Anderlon Rocha de Oliveira loves the sport of NASCAR. He wants to know about this season's Sprint¹³ Cup.
　
An example of a NASCAR stock car

NASCAR stands for the National Association of Stock Car Auto¹⁴ Racing. NASCAR is the main group for stock car racing in the United States. Its headquarters are in Daytona, Florida. Experts say NASCAR is the second most watched sport on American television, behind footfall. NASCAR is also broadcast on television in more than one hundred fifty countries.

Stock cars used to be produced in car factories. They were not specially¹⁵ designed for racing.

But now most stock cars are individually designed and built, although they still look like cars you see on the road. The power from the engine pushes the car forward from the back wheels instead of pulling it forward with the front wheels.

NASCAR races generally use oval¹⁶ shaped tracks of different lengths that require turns to the left. There are short tracks, longer tracks called speedways and even longer ones called super-speedways. There are also some races on tracks called road courses. These require right and left turns.

The Sprint Cup uses all these kinds of tracks. It is the highest level of competition and most popular of all NASCAR series. People often use the words Sprint Cup and NASCAR as if they were the same thing.

The ten month thirty-six race Sprint Series began in February in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Daytona Five Hundred race is one of the most famous races of all. The drivers race around the super-speedway two hundred times to travel about eight hundred kilometers in all.
　
Jimmie Johnson

This year Matt Kenseth was declared the winner on February fifteenth. But it was not a usual Five Hundred. The race was stopped early because of rain. Kenseth was declared the winner although he had several laps still to go around the track.

Right now, Jeff Gordon is in first place in the Sprint Cup series. His victory Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort⁴ Worth was especially sweet. It followed forty-seven winless races. Jeff Gordon is a four-time Sprint Cup champion.

But hot on his racing trail is Jimmie Johnson. Last year, Johnson became the second driver in history to win a third straight Sprint Cup championship. And close behind Johnson is Kurt Busch. He won the Sprint Cup in two thousand four. All three top racers will compete at the next Sprint Cup race April eighteenth in Phoenix¹⁷, Arizona.

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U2

HOST:

The Irish rock group U2 has been making music for over thirty years. Their latest album, "No Line on the Horizon," is filled with poetic¹⁸ songs about love, separation and the human condition. The group explores many different musical styles in this album. Shirley Griffith tells us more.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:
　
U2

That was the song "Magnificent." Like many of U2's songs, it is an expressive¹⁹ love song with a melody²⁰ that is hard to forget. The album "No Line on the Horizon" took the band about two years to complete. They first started testing out songs together while on a trip to Fez, Morocco.

U2 lead singer Bono said he did not know how fans would react to the record.

But he said being comfortable and predictable by recording²¹ the same kind of music is not the place for rock music.

The energetic "Get On Your Boots" is one of the fastest paced songs U2 has ever recorded. The song starts with these words: "The future needs a big kiss". Bono has said that the hopeful message of this song is especially meaningful during these difficult times.

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Starting this summer, U2 will perform around the world on its 360 Degrees Tour. A huge structure with four legs is being built as the stage for the tour. It will permit the band to perform surrounded by the audience. And, U2's manager says the band has worked hard to make sure tickets are lower in cost than in the past so that fans can afford to attend the shows.

We leave you with the smooth sound of "Moment of Surrender."

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HOST:

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

It was written by Caty Weaver²² and Dana Demange who was also the producer. 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 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

5 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。

6 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

7 boilers   

锅炉，烧水器，水壶( boiler的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even then the boilers often burst or came apart at the seams. 甚至那时的锅炉也经常从焊接处爆炸或裂开。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• The clean coal is sent to a crusher and the boilers. 干净的煤送入破碎机和锅炉。

8 wasteful   

adj.（造成）浪费的，挥霍的

参考例句：

• It is a shame to be so wasteful.这样浪费太可惜了。
• Duties have been reassigned to avoid wasteful duplication of work.为避免重复劳动浪费资源，任务已经重新分派。

9 oak   

n.栎树，橡树，栎木，橡木

参考例句：

• The chair is of solid oak.这把椅子是纯橡木的。
• The carpenter will floor this room with oak.木匠将用橡木铺设这个房间的地板。

10 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。

11 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

12 tablecloths   

n.桌布，台布( tablecloth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Champagne corks popped, and on lace tablecloths seven-course dinners were laid. 桌上铺着带装饰图案的网织的桌布，上面是七道菜的晚餐。 来自飘（部分）
• At the moment the cause of her concern was a pile of soiled tablecloths. 此刻她关心的事是一堆弄脏了的台布。 来自辞典例句

13 sprint   

n.短距离赛跑；vi. 奋力而跑，冲刺；vt.全速跑过

参考例句：

• He put on a sprint to catch the bus.他全速奔跑以赶上公共汽车。
• The runner seemed to be rallied for a final sprint.这名赛跑者似乎在振作精神作最后的冲刺。

14 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

15 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

16 oval   

n. 椭圆，椭圆形跑道；adj. 卵形的，椭圆形的

参考例句：

• She has a lovely oval face.她长着一张可爱的椭圆脸。
• The shape of the earth is an oval.地球的形状是个椭圆形。

17 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

18 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

19 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。

20 melody   

n.旋律，曲调，悦耳的音乐

参考例句：

• She struck up a folk melody on the piano.她开始用钢琴演奏那首民歌。
• After she wrote the melody,she asked us for criticisms.她做好曲之后，请我们提意见。

21 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。

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。