VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Jimmy Carter Earns P

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to American Mosaic¹ in VOA Special English.

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I’m Doug Johnson.

Today, we play music from a new album by singer Raul Malo …

We also answer a question about the name of our show …

But first, a report on former President Jimmy Carter, his new book and recent honor for charitable work.

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Jimmy Carter

DOUG JOHNSON: Former President Jimmy Carter did not slow down when he left the White House in nineteen eighty-one. He and his wife Rosalynn started the Carter Center the following year. The organization works to build peace, fight disease and end suffering around the world.

The couple also helped establish the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. They have been strong supporters of Habitat for Humanity for many years. And, President Carter has helped settle disputes or hostage situations on almost every continent.

Former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter get ready to lead Habitat for Humanity volunteers in Washington earlier this month

But the past few weeks have been exceptionally busy, even for the home-building, peace-making, disease-battling former leader. Faith Lapidus has our story.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Jimmy Carter’s twenty-eighth book, “White House Diary,” arrived in bookstores late last month. It is a record of his daily personal writings when he was president.

“White House Diary” has received both criticism and praise. Reviewers have said there are no major surprises in the book. However, most have noted² its sharp honesty. For example, President Carter writes that the House of Representatives was “ridiculously irresponsible this week.” He then describes its members as “a bunch of disorganized juvenile³ delinquents⁴.” Critics say the book gives a good sense of what it is like to be president of the United States.

For several weeks, the former president has been traveling to many cities to talk about the book. He got sick with a stomach infection during the book tour. He spent a few days in a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He was released September thirtieth, the day before his eighty-sixth birthday. Then he traveled to the nation’s capital.

While in Washington last week, he and Mrs. Carter helped build homes for the poor in the city. They also attended a Habitat for Humanity celebration in their honor.

About five hundred guests attended the event. It was called “Thanks a Million! A Gala Salute⁵ to the Life and Service of Our Most Famous Volunteers Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.” The blues-rock band Blind Boys of Alabama performed. Organizers also showed a film about the Carters and their twenty-seven years of work for the organization.

President Carter told the gathering⁶ that he was embarrassed by such honors. He described their work for Habitat for Humanity: “Every year we get more out of it than we put into it.”

American Mosaic

DOUG JOHNSON: Several listeners have asked us about the meaning of the name of this program, "American Mosaic."

We will answer that question as a way to help celebrate the fifty-first anniversary of Special English next week. Special English began on October nineteenth, nineteen fifty-nine. Voice of America officials wanted a program to communicate with people learning English. They wanted a way for people to get to know the language and at the same time learn about the United States and world news.

Special English writing is limited as much as possible to about one thousand five hundred words. Special English uses short sentences. And it is read at a slower speed than normal English.

The program "American Mosaic" began in nineteen eighty-five. We wanted to broadcast a show that young people would like. We wanted to tell about American culture, answer questions from listeners and play popular music. But we could not agree about what to call the program. Since it is broadcast every Friday, we began with the name "The Friday Program." But we wanted a better name. So we announced a contest for listeners to send in their suggestions.

Two people won the contest. Listeners from China and Egypt both suggested the same name: “American Mosaic.” Mosaic is spelled m-o-s-a-i-c. The dictionary says that the English word "mosaic" means a picture or design that is made by placing small colored pieces together. You can see colorful mosaics⁷ in art and in designs on buildings.

We chose the name "American Mosaic" because the purpose of the show is to create a picture of life in this country through many small stories. Each story is different, like the different pieces of a mosaic. But together, they form a complete picture. We hope that our radio mosaic provides a complete and interesting picture of life in the United States.

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Raul Malo: "Sinners and Saints"

DOUG JOHNSON: Raul Malo is best known as the leader of the former band the Mavericks⁸ even though it broke up ten years ago. Malo’s latest album, “Sinners and Saints,” came out last week. Bob Doughty⁹ has more.

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BOB DOUGHTY: That song is “Sinners and Saints,” the title track to Raul Malo’s sixth solo album. He says he wrote most of the songs himself. Malo told Spinner.com that “Sinners and Saints” was his first concept album.

Raul Malo

He said the songs are about the unending struggle in life between good and evil and the necessary balance of these qualities to make the world go round.

In “Staying Here,” Malo sings about a family in which one parent is considering leaving the other.

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Raul Malo was born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents. One of the songs he did not write on “Sinners and Saints” is in Spanish. Here is “Sombras.”

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Raul Malo’s musical influences include rock and roll and country music stars like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. But he also enjoys listening to opera. Some critics compare Malo’s powerful voice to that of opera singers.

We leave you with “Saint Behind the Glass” from Raul Malo’s album, “Sinners and Saints.”

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DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁰. You can get transcripts¹¹, 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 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

4 delinquents   

n.（尤指青少年）有过失的人，违法的人( delinquent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The robbery was committed by a group of delinquents. 那起抢劫案是一群青少年干的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There is today general agreement that juvenile delinquents are less responsible than older offenders. 目前人们普遍认为青少年罪犯比成人罪犯的责任小些。 来自辞典例句

5 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

6 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

7 mosaics   

n.马赛克( mosaic的名词复数 )；镶嵌；镶嵌工艺；镶嵌图案

参考例句：

• The panel shows marked similarities with mosaics found elsewhere. 这块嵌板和在其他地方找到的镶嵌图案有明显的相似之处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The unsullied and shining floor was paved with white mosaics. 干净明亮的地上镶嵌着白色图案。 来自辞典例句

8 mavericks   

未烙印的牲畜( maverick的名词复数 )； 标新立异的人，不合常规的人

参考例句：

• And what about the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki? 那达拉斯小牛队和诺维斯基呢？
• And we see it with bringing Jason Kidd to the Dallas Mavericks. 而且我们看到它同实现基德向达拉斯小牛队。

9 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。

10 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。

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