VOA慢速英语2013 As It Is - The story of Soloman Northup

 

As It Is - The story of Soloman Northup

I’m June Simms.

Today on As It Is, we are serving up some chicken soup. It may not cure your cold but it will probably make you feel better.

And we hear about a 62 year old bird who is still birthing babies.

But first, we tell the story of Soloman Northup. In 1841, this free black man from Saratoga, New York, was kidnapped during a visit to Washington, D.C. He spent the next 12 years of his life as a slave. His story has now been made into an audiobook. Today we hear that story, in Soloman Northup’s own words.

“Having been born a free man and for more than 30 years endured the blessings¹ of liberty in a free state...”

That is the voice of Award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Junior. He is reading the words of Solomon Northup from his autobiography², “Twelve Years a Slave.” The book was first published in 1853. It tells how Northup was kidnapped during a visit to Washington and taken to Louisiana as a slave.

“I thought I must die beneath the lashes³ of the accursed brute⁴. Even now, the flesh crawls upon my bones as I recall the scene. I was all on fire. My sufferings I can compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of hell.”

Louisiana historian Sue Eakin published a later version of Northup’s autobiography in 1968. Her son Frank says his mother first came across the story as a young girl.

“And she was enthralled⁵ because a lot of the last names. The book was about people in that area where she grew up, so the names were familiar, the last names, the locations.”

Frank Eakin says his mother was told that the story of “Twelve Years a Slave” was all make-believe. But she questioned that because of all the details it contained. He says his mother spent years investigating the story.

"A lot of my childhood was on the road traveling with her, and going to courthouses and researching every detail of that story."

Sue Eakin wanted people to know about the cruelty and injustice⁶ of slavery described in Solomon Northup’s book. She eventually published scholarly works on the story. Frank Eakin says her efforts gave the story new life.

"It has been recognized now as one of the most compelling firsthand accounts of slavery in existence."

The audiobook of “Twelve Years a Slave” is set to be released this month. A movie version starring Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti and Chiwetel Ejiofor is set for release later this year.

You are listening to As It Is, reporting on the issues and ideas that matter to you.

I’m June Simms.

The world’s oldest known wild bird has produced a healthy chick. Faith Lapidus reports.

The albatross called Wisdom is about 62 years old. She has raised five chicks since 2006 and about 35 chicks in her lifetime. She gave birth to her newest chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean.

Albatross choose a partner for life, but only lay one egg each year. The parents take turns feeding the chick. They may fly 80,000 kilometers each nesting season to find food for their young.

While many albatross are alive today, they face threats like climate change, says John Klavitter, a wildlife biologist on Midway. As the oceans warm, the albatross are forced to go far from their nests in search of food.

“Currently Wisdom or a Laysan albatross, they might have to go 1,000 miles to find squid.”

The other big problem for the birds is plastic. John Klavitter says albatross pick up plastic waste they find floating on the ocean and feed it to their chicks.

“Every year we see albatross bring five tons of plastic and feed it to their chicks at Midway alone.”

Dead chicks are often found with a stomach full of plastic. Mister Klavitter says he is surprised that Wisdom the albatross survived all these threats for so long and is still making eggs that produce chicks. I’m Faith Lapidus.

During flu season, many people turn to the kitchen for help instead of medicine. Every culture seems to have its own special foods to help speed healing. But as Jim Tedder⁷ reports, nothing makes the patient feel better than soup.

Barry Koslow works at the DGS Delicatessen, a restaurant in Washington, DC. He uses his grandmother's Eastern European recipe for chicken soup with matzo balls.

“Matzo ball soup is definitely a very traditional Jewish soup. And you see many different variations of it. We start with a very rich chicken broth⁸ and we enhance that with onion, celery, carrots and garlic.”

DGS Delicatessen manager Brian Zipin says matzo ball soup is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant.

“Some people think that there is something in there that has healing powers but like any great comfort food, you feel good when you eat it, you feel better,especially at this time of year, when it’s cold out.”

But, can soup really cure a cold? Gloria Addo-Ayensu is with the Fairfax County Department of Health in Virginia.

“Getting a flu vaccine⁹ is the single best way to prevent the influenza¹⁰.”

Dr. Addo-Ayensu says having hot soup is like having a hot cup of tea with honey and lemon.

“Having something like honey and a little bit of lemon in hot water, might soothe¹¹ your sore throat, for example. So those kinds of things are more soothing¹² than anything else.”

So, the age old debate continues. But many people do not care if their traditional 

‘comfort food’ is really healing or just makes them feel better. 

“My mother used to say even if it didn’t help you, it certainly couldn’t hurt.” 

"It's just such a comforting type of food in general. It really reminds you of home.”

In the end, it is likely a combination of the two things that is the secret behind the healing power of soup; memories that warm your heart and the pleasant smell of steam that clears your breathing passages. I’m Jim Tedder.

Well that’s AS IT IS for today. I’m June Simms.

1 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

3 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

5 enthralled   

迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快

参考例句：

• The child watched, enthralled by the bright moving images. 这孩子看着那明亮的移动的影像，被迷住了。
• The children listened enthralled as the storyteller unfolded her tale. 讲故事的人一步步展开故事情节，孩子们都听得入迷了。

6 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

7 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

8 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

9 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

10 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

11 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

12 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。