VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Selena Gomez Has a P

BARBARA KLEIN: Welcome to American Mosaic¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Barbara Klein.

Today, we play music from the new hit album by singer/actress Selena Gomez …

And answer a question about the beautiful Florida city of Key West …

But, first, we remember jazz great Eubie Blake and learn about a cultural center named in his honor.

Eubie Blake

(MUSIC: “Charleston Rag”)

BARBARA KLEIN:The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is named after one of the most important African American jazz and ragtime² musicians of the twentieth century. Before his death in nineteen eighty-three, Eubie Blake was believed to be the only musician still living who had played ragtime music. Mario Ritter has more.

MARIO RITTER: Eubie Blake was born James Hubert Blake in Baltimore in eighteen eighty-seven. He began playing piano when he was about five years old. He was playing professionally by the age of sixteen. In nineteen twenty-one, he and Noble Sissle wrote the musical play “Shuffle Along.” It was the first Broadway musical written, produced and performed by all African Americans.

An art exhibit at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center in Baltimore

“Shuffle Along” ran for more than five hundred performances. The musical helped launch the careers of several African American performers, including singers Josephine Baker³ and Paul Robeson.

Eubie Blake wrote other Broadway musicals during his eighty-year career. He also wrote more than three hundred fifty songs. “I’m Just Wild About Harry,” “Memories of You” and “Charlestown Rag" are among his best-known songs. The original sheet music for many of the songs are on display at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center.

The center opened in nineteen seventy-eight. It was part of an effort to bring cultural arts to young people in the inner city of Baltimore. At that time the center was called Gallery 409.

About the same time, Eubie Blake and his wife Marian were negotiating⁴ an agreement with the Maryland Historical Society. They wanted to donate several historically important objects.

These included the original sheet music and audio recordings⁶ of several Eubie Blake songs. They also included personal letters written by Blake and old pictures of him and other famous musicians. And they included the original government document proclaiming⁷ February fourteenth, nineteen seventy-three as Eubie Blake Day in Baltimore.

Part of the collection was put on display at the gallery, which was renamed in Eubie Blake's honor in nineteen eighty-three. Thousands of people visit the center every year, especially young people.

The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center offers classes in dance, music theory, theater and history. There are also live music performances and art exhibits.

Key West

BARBARA KLEIN:Our listener question this week is from Lada in Russia who wants to know about Key West. The Florida Keys are a group of islands that extends into the Atlantic Ocean from the southern state of Florida.

The word “keys” comes from the Spanish word “cayos” meaning “little islands.” Many of the Florida Keys are very small. Yet some of the Keys are big enough to support large numbers of people. One of the most popular is Key West. It is the farthest south of the Keys that can be reached by car.

Racing⁸ powerboats make a turn in Key West Harbor

If you cross the bridge to Key West, you can see many boats. Some are fishing boats you can use for the day. Others belong to people who have sailed their boats here from many different places.

In the city, the houses are almost all painted white. A few are pink or light blue. Many houses are very old and very small. Key West is a very old city. Many of the buildings are more than one hundred years old.

Many palm trees grow here. Colorful flowers grow in front of many of the little houses. You can stay in a room in one of these houses for the night. You can smell the ocean on the soft warm wind that blows

There are many things to do and see in Key West. You can visit the house that belonged to the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had many cats when he lived here. He is gone, but the cats remain.

You can visit Mallory Square, the center of Key West’s historic⁵ area. Everyone gathers for the Key West sunset celebration that is held at the end of the day if the weather is good. It is really more famous for the unusual people and animals you can see here. For example, you can see people sing or play music. Some performers swallow swords or fire. You can see cats perform tricks. Or you can just watch the beautiful sunset.

From Mallory Square you can walk to Duval Street where there are many restaurants and bars. You can eat a good meal or hear bands playing many kinds of music.

There are many other businesses along Duval Street. Many stores sell clothing. Some stores sell the works of local Key West artists. Duval Street is a lively area. There seems to be a party there until very late into the night.

If you go to the end of Whitehead Street you can see a famous monument. The sign says this is the southernmost part of the United States. The sign says “America Begins Here.” Beyond the sign is the Atlantic Ocean.

Selena Gomez

BARBARA KLEIN: Singer and actress Selena Gomez started her career at age seven on the children’s public television show “Barney and Friends.” Now eighteen, she stars in a popular Disney television show and also starred in a hit movie last summer. Gomez just released her second album. Faith Lapidus has more.

(MUSIC)

Selena Gomez

FAITH LAPIDUS: That is “A Year Without Rain,” the title song of the new record from Selena Gomez and the Scene.

The album hit Billboard⁹ Magazine’s top two hundred albums chart at number four. Selena Gomez and the Scene also had good luck with their first album, “Kiss and Tell.” It has sold more than a million copies around the world. Here is “Round and Round” from “A Year Without Rain.”

(MUSIC)

Selena Gomez grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas. She is of Mexican and Italian ancestry¹⁰. She was named after the Tejano singer Selena.

Last year, Selena Gomez became the youngest person to be named a United Nations Children’s Fund Ambassador¹¹ in the United States. She was seventeen. Gomez also has been the spokesperson for the Trick or Treat for UNICEF Halloween program for three years straight.

We leave you with Selena Gomez and the Scene performing “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow” from “A Year Without Rain.”

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: I'm Barbara Klein. Our program was written by June Simms, Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver¹², who also was the producer.

You can get transcripts¹³, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at VOA Learning English.

If you have a question about American life, send an e-mail to [email protected]. We might answer your question on this show. Please remember to tell us your name and where you live.

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 ragtime   

n.拉格泰姆音乐

参考例句：

• The most popular music back then was called ragtime.那时最流行的音乐叫拉格泰姆音乐。
• African-American piano player Scott Joplin wrote many ragtime songs.非裔美国钢琴家ScottJoplin写了许多拉格泰姆歌曲。

3 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

4 negotiating   

n. 谈判 动词negotiate的现在分词

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• We want to get all the parties back to the negotiating table. 我们想把有关各方拉回到谈判桌上来。

5 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

6 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

7 proclaiming   

v.正式宣布( proclaim的现在分词 )；显示

参考例句：

• Then, proclaiming himself emperor,he attacked kublai . 然后，他自己称帝，攻打忽必烈。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• They lost no opportunity of proclaiming it to one another. 他们一旦有机会，就彼此夸耀这一点。 来自辞典例句

8 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。

9 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

10 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

11 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

12 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。

13 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