VOA慢速英语2010年-THIS IS AMERICA - Becoming an Explorer

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our subject this week is an area of study that interests millions of people -- genealogy¹, researching family history.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

People study their family history for different reasons. For some, genealogy is important to their religion. This is especially true for Mormons. Genealogy is also important for membership² in some historical or cultural organizations. These include the General Society of Mayflower Descendents and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Candidates for membership may be asked for evidence about when their families came to America.

Other people who get involved in genealogy may want to confirm stories they heard about a family member. Or they may just want to learn more about the strange-looking people in old family pictures.

VOICE TWO:

People travel from all over the world to search the records of the the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints⁴ in Salt Lake City, Utah

For two days in April, more than two thousand people came to the National Archives in Washington for the Sixth Annual Genealogy Fair. This is a free event. Many experts offer advice to Americans researching their family history.

Constance Potter works at the National Archives. She specializes in documents of interest to genealogists. Ms. Potter says the fair gets more visitors every year, which shows the increasing interest in family history.

It was the fifth genealogy fair for Shirley Jones. She says she researches her family history because she wants to know where she came from, who her ancestors were.

Lisa Roy said having children got her interested in genealogy.

LISA ROY: “When they were born, especially my oldest, I thought I really want my kids to understand their heritage⁶. I knew some of it, but it has been interesting to do the background on it.”

VOICE ONE:

Some people say their interest in genealogy came from watching an eight-part series on American television called "Roots." "Roots" was first broadcast in nineteen seventy-seven. It was extremely popular.

“Roots” was based on a book by the writer Alex Haley. He described how the story of his family began long ago in Africa when slave traders captured one of his ancestors. The television series followed the story from Africa, through slavery in America, to freedom. After watching "Roots," many Americans wanted to investigate their own roots.

VOICE TWO:

Family history has become popular on television again. In February, a four-part series was broadcast on public television in America. Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates explored the family histories of twelve famous Americans. They included musician Yo-Yo Ma, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and Queen Noor of Jordan.

Professional genealogist⁵ Megan Smolenyak is an adviser⁷ on another new American television series about genealogy.

PROMO: “This season on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ seven of the world’s most beloved celebrities⁸ will embark⁹ on life-altering journeys into their family history.”

“Who Do You Think You Are?” started as a show in Britain. It will be back next year for a second season on American television. Ms. Smolenyak hopes the show will increase interest in family history. But she says the current increase in interest has more to do with the Internet.

VOICE ONE:

Megan Smolenyak says many people start by searching for information online. For example, the website Ancestry¹⁰.com has over four billion records. She says people spend millions of hours on that website every month.

Ms. Smolenyak is chief family historian¹¹ for Ancestry.com. She has researched the family histories of President Obama and Michelle Obama, among others. But she says you cannot find everything online. This is why people often end up at the National Archives in Washington. The Archives has digitized more than one hundred thousand records. But, as archivist Constance Potter points out, that is only a fraction of the ten billion records the Archives holds.

VOICE TWO:

Ms. Potter says the Archives has public land records if a family owned land many years ago. It also has passenger arrival records if a family member arrived in America by ship. And there are military records and federal pension records.

Many of those documents are on spools¹³ of microfilm. They are stored in drawers of metal filing cabinets in a long hallway.

Carol Ann Summer is doing research at the National Archives. She is looking for military records dating back to the eighteenth century. She finds the right spool¹² of microfilm, takes it to a darkened room and threads it on a viewer. Ms. Summer said she wanted to find the earliest relative from her father’s family. She found him -- a soldier from the Revolutionary War.

Archivist Constance Potter says genealogy can be addictive¹⁴: once you start, it is hard to stop.

CONSTANCE POTTER: “It’s like a detective story. It really is. And you just keep adding on the clues.”

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

So how exactly does someone start a genealogical investigation¹⁵? Experts say you should start with yourself. Write down your own history. Then, work back to your parents and grandparents. You can ask your parents what they can remember about their parents and grandparents. Where did they live? What kind of work did they do?

Many people make video or sound recordings¹⁶ as they talk to family members. That way they create a permanent record of family memories.

VOICE TWO:

You can often find a lot of information in family pictures, letters and other documents. Some of these things may be hidden inside old books.

Resources on local history may also provide useful information. Large libraries may have hundreds of helpful books. In the United States, several groups have large collections of genealogical materials. These include the New England Historic³ Genealogical Society and the Family History Library of the Mormon Church. These collections are open to the public.

VOICE ONE:

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has thousands of visitors each day. The library has information from almost every area of the world. Most records are from the years fifteen fifty through nineteen twenty.

Some people travel to Utah to use the library. But the Mormon Church has established more than four thousand Family History Centers around the world. The church also has a website to help people look for information about their family history. The address is familysearch.com.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Records kept by religious groups are among the most dependable for family research projects. Also, local governments usually keep official copies of birth, marriage and death records.

Records of marriages and deaths are often the most helpful documents. Death records, for example, tell where the person lived. They also list the names of the person’s parents. And they list a cause of death.

Useful information might also be found in local court and tax records. And local governments may have copies of wills. These statements of final wishes often contain details about a person's life and possessions.

VOICE ONE:

The United States government has many helpful records for genealogists. It has collected population records every ten years since the end of the seventeen hundreds. Early census¹⁷ records had few details. They gave the name of the head of the family. They listed the number of people in the family.

Recent census records provide more information. They show the value of a family’s property. They also tell where a person’s parents were born. For privacy¹⁸ reasons, Census Bureau information on individuals is not made public for seventy-two years. Copies of old census records are kept on microfilm at centers around the country.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Many people use the Internet to research their family history. There are thousands of websites related to genealogy. These can help guide people to historical records. But the information that people get from genealogy sites is often limited or incorrect.

Also keep in mind that websites may be operated by businesses and groups that are trying to sell products and services.

VOICE ONE:

These days, people can also search for living relatives through social networking sites.

People who want to search for their roots say it is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Genealogy can help people learn more about history. The search brings history to life by making it more personal. It also gives people a better understanding of their family’s place in history. And it gives them a better understanding of themselves.

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by George Grow with reporting by Susan Koster. It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁹. I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Steve Ember. Have you ever done research on your family’s history? You can tell us about it on our website, voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
 

1 genealogy   

n.家系，宗谱

参考例句：

• He had sat and repeated his family's genealogy to her,twenty minutes of nonstop names.他坐下又给她细数了一遍他家族的家谱，20分钟内说出了一连串的名字。
• He was proficient in all questions of genealogy.他非常精通所有家谱的问题。

2 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

3 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。

4 saints   

圣人般的人（指特别善良、仁爱或有耐性的人）( saint的名词复数 )； 圣…（冠于人名、地名之前）； （因其生死言行而被基督教会追封的）圣人； 圣徒

参考例句：

• The children were all named after saints. 这些孩子都取了圣徒的名字。
• In 1461, the bishop of Saints, Louis de Rochechouart, saw only a plain wall. 1461年Saints主教，LouisdeRochechouart主教看到只剩一堵朴质的墙。

5 genealogist   

系谱学者

参考例句：

• Misha Defonseca acknowledged her bestselling Holocaust story as a fake after a genealogist outed her. MishaDefonseca在当一位系谱学者揭露她之后承认自己关于二战犹太大屠杀的畅销书是捏造的。

6 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 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

9 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

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 historian   

n.历史学家，编史家

参考例句：

• As a historian,he was most typical of the times in which he lived.作为历史学家，他是他所处时代最有代表性的人物。
• He calls himself a historian,but his books are a mere journalism.他自称为历史学家，但是他的书都是些肤浅的通俗作品。

12 spool   

n.（缠录音带等的）卷盘（轴）；v.把…绕在卷轴上

参考例句：

• Can you wind this film back on to its spool?你能把这胶卷卷回到卷轴上去吗？
• Thomas squatted on the forward deck,whistling tunelessly,polishing the broze spool of the anchor winch.托马斯蹲在前甲板上擦起锚绞车的黄铜轴，边擦边胡乱吹着口哨。

13 spools   

n.（绕线、铁线、照相软片等的）管( spool的名词复数 )；络纱；纺纱机；绕圈轴工人v.把…绕到线轴上（或从线轴上绕下来）( spool的第三人称单数 )；假脱机（输出或输入）

参考例句：

• I bought three spools of thread at the store. 我在这个店里买了三轴线。 来自辞典例句
• How many spools of thread did you use? 你用了几轴线？ 来自辞典例句

14 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

15 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

16 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

17 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

18 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

19 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。