VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - The Story of a Life

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

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson. This week on our program, we play music from Shakira's new album ...

We also answer a question about the Smithsonian Institution ...

But first we explore the former home of a great American writer.

Margaret Mitchell House

(MUSIC: “Gone with the Wind” Theme)

DOUG JOHNSON: The writer Margaret Mitchell is best known for writing "Gone with the Wind," published in nineteen thirty-six. Her book, and the movie based on it, tell a story of love and survival² during the American Civil War. Visitors to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia, can see where she lived when she started writing it and learn more about her own life. Shirley Griffith has our story.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Our first stop at the Margaret Mitchell House is an exhibit³ area telling about the writer’s life. Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was born in Atlanta in nineteen hundred. She started writing stories when she was a child. Her interest in writing continued as an adult. She started working as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal⁴ newspaper in nineteen twenty-two.

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh play Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara, center, in the 1939 movie "Gone With the Wind"

One photograph of Ms. Mitchell, called Peggy, shows her talking to a group of young college boys. She was only about one and a half meters tall. The young men tower over her, but she seems very happy and sure of herself. The tour guide explains:

TOUR GUIDE: “Now in this picture Peggy is interviewing some boys from Georgia Tech, asking them such questions as ‘Would you really marry a woman who works⁵?’ And today it’d be ‘Would you marry one who didn’t?”

The Margaret Mitchell House is a building that once contained several apartments. Now we enter the first floor apartment where Ms. Mitchell lived with her husband, John Marsh⁶. They made fun of the small apartment by calling it “The Dump⁷.”

TOUR GUIDE: “Come on in…This is The Dump…”

John Marsh had an important influence on “Gone with the Wind.” Around nineteen twenty-six, Margaret Mitchell had stopped working as a reporter and was at home healing⁸ after an injury.

Her husband brought her books to read from the library. She read so many books that he bought her a typewriter and said it was time for her to write her own book.

A photo of Margaret Mitchell from 1937

Margaret Mitchell grew up hearing stories about Atlanta and the Civil War from soldiers who had fought for the South. These stories would greatly influence her book. The main character in “Gone with the Wind” is Scarlett O’Hara. The book begins when she is a young woman and follows her through the difficulties of the war. It tells about her love for two men, Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler.

Our guide says Ms. Mitchell wrote the book in a surprising order.

TOUR GUIDE: “She always said she wrote the last chapter of ‘Gone with the Wind’ first. So think about it. Rhett Butler had to be created somewhere here.”

“Gone with the Wind” became a huge success. Margaret Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for the book. In nineteen thirty-nine the film version⁹ was released¹⁰. It won ten Academy¹¹ Awards, including Best Picture. The museum has several objects used in the filming of the movie “Gone with the Wind.” These include the doorway¹² of Tara, Scarlett O’Hara’s family home, and a painting of Scarlett owned by Rhett Butler.

(MUSIC)

The Smithsonian Institution

DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from Argentina. Manuel Madrid wants to know about the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

James Smithson was a wealthy English scientist who lived during the late seventeen hundreds and early eighteen hundreds. He left directions about what to do with his money when he died if his only family member died without having a child. Smithson wanted his money to be given to the United States to start an organization in Washington designed to increase and spread knowledge. He did not say why he wanted to give his money to the United States. He had never visited America.

James Smithson died in eighteen twenty-nine. In eighteen thirty-eight, his gift was brought to the United States. It was one hundred thousand gold coins, valued at more than five hundred thousand dollars.

Eight years later, in eighteen forty-six, President James Polk signed legislation¹³ to create the Smithsonian Institution.

Today the Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex and research organization in the world. It includes nineteen museums. Two of them are in New York City. The National Zoo in Washington is also part of the Smithsonian, as are nine research centers around the world.

A view of the Smithsonian Castle in Washington

However, most people think of the Smithsonian as the large buildings along the wide grassy¹⁴ area in the center of Washington known as the National Mall. These buildings are home to the Smithsonian’s largest museums. They include the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. There are also museums for Asian, African and American art.

The Smithsonian Institution has almost one hundred forty million objects, creatures and works of art. Only some of them can be seen at any one time. They include the world’s first airplane. A rock from the moon. The largest diamond in the world. President Abraham Lincoln’s hat. And the ruby¹⁵ slippers¹⁶ Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz” movie.

The Smithsonian’s main goal is to create lifelong memories of discovery for its visitors. About thirty million people visit every year. You can also visit the Smithsonian online at si.edu.

(MUSIC)

Shakira: “Sale el Sol”

DOUG JOHNSON: Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira was on the popular American show "Dancing with the Stars" Tuesday night. She danced and she performed her new single, "Loca." The crowd went crazy -- which is what “loca” means in Spanish. The song is from Shakira's new album, "Sale el Sol" or "The Sun Comes Out," which was released on Tuesday. And Shakira is also performing around the United States right now. Faith Lapidus has more.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS: That is the title song from Shakira’s ninth album, “Sale el Sol.” It has songs in Spanish and English. Shakira says the album represents the way she is now. She says it shows her state of mind as an artist and a woman.

Some critics said her last album, “She Wolf,” was missing¹⁷ Shakira’s Latin¹⁸ sound and spirit. “Sale el Sol” is a sure return. Most of the songs are in Spanish. And the music has a clear tropical¹⁹ Latin beat. You can hear it in “Rabiosa.”

(MUSIC)

Shakira says she also re-discovered her romantic side on “Sale el Sol.” Her performance of “Lo Que Más” suggests the pain and longing²⁰ of a lost love.

(MUSIC)

Shakira is famous for her powerful voice and energetic dance skills. We leave you with the English version of “Loca” from “Sale el Sol.”

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange and Caty Weaver²¹, who also was our producer.

If you have a question about American life, write to [email protected]. We might answer your question on this show. So be sure to include your name and country.

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 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

3 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

4 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

7 dump   

n.垃圾场；v.倾卸，切断电源，倾倒

参考例句：

• Where can I dump this rubbish?我将这些垃圾倒在什么地方？
• They wheeled the rubbish out to the dump.他们把垃圾用车运到垃圾场去。

8 healing   

n.康复，复原adj.有治疗功用的v.（使）愈合( heal的现在分词 )；治愈；（使）结束；较容易忍受

参考例句：

• miraculous powers of healing 神奇的治病能力
• She seems to have a vocation for healing. 看来她具备治病救人的才能。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

10 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

11 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

12 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

13 legislation   

n.立法，法律的制定；法规，法律

参考例句：

• They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
• The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。

14 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

15 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

16 slippers   

n. 拖鞋

参考例句：

• a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
• He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。

17 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

18 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

19 tropical   

adj.热带的，热带的，炎热的

参考例句：

• You must grow these tropical flowers in a glasshouse.你必须把这些热带花卉种在温室里。
• This disease is widespread in tropical areas.这种疾病在热带地区蔓延很广。

20 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

21 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。