AMERICAN MOSAIC

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹
By

Broadcast: Friday, May 14, 2004

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(THEME)

This is Doug Johnson.

On our show this week: a new album by Sam Phillips ... and the end of the popular television show "Friends."

But first ... the story of Smarty Jones.

Smarty Jones

HOST:

 
Graphic² Image
Smarty Jones is three years old, and a champion. This horse won the Kentucky Derby. But, as Gwen Outen reports, this is the story of a champion that might never have been.

ANNCR:

Smarty Jones is from a farm in Pennsylvania, in the town of New Hope. His owners call it Someday Farm. Patricia and Roy Chapman hoped someday one of their horses would win a major race. They have raised horses for the past twenty years. But in two-thousand-one, the man who trained their horses was killed. His stepson faces murder charges.

The Chapmans were so saddened by the loss, they wanted to get out of the business. Their new trainer, though, got them to keep Smarty Jones and one of their other horses.

But then came an accident last year. Smarty was training. The young reddish brown horse was at the starting gate. Suddenly he jumped up. His head crashed into the heavy metal gate.He fell to the ground, and stayed there.

John Servis, the new trainer, says he thought the horse was dead. He says months passed before it was clear that Smarty was all better.

Smarty Jones raced only six times before the Kentucky Derby on May first. He won all six times. He became the first undefeated horse to win the Derby in almost thirty years. The last one was Seattle Slew³ in nineteen-seventy-seven.

Smarty Jones' rider, Stewart Elliott, has ridden in thousands of races. But he and his horse had something in common. Neither had competed in the Kentucky Derby before. The race was also new to the Chapmans and John Servis. Seventy-seven-year-old Roy Chapman watched from a wheelchair. He has emphysema and needs an oxygen tank to help him breathe.

Smarty Jones earned a record amount for a day in horse racing⁴. The Chapmans received more than eight-hundred-fifty-thousand dollars from the Derby. But they also received five-million dollars. This was a one-hundredth anniversary bonus for any horse that won two races in Arkansas and the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones did exactly that.

But the Kentucky Derby is only the beginning of the Triple⁵ Crown of horse racing. Next is the Preakness Stakes in Pimlico, Maryland, on Saturday. Then comes the Belmont Stakes. No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed⁶ in nineteen-seventy-eight.

End of "Friends"

(MUSIC: "Friends" theme)

HOST:

 
 
A listener asks about the American television series "Friends." It ended last week after ten years, though the show will live on in repeats. Our friend Jing Lili, a Chinese college student of English education, asks if "Friends" truly represents American life. The answer is ... it depends.

Yes, many young adults do form a small group of close friends. And some of them may share a place to live. This is especially true in big cities like New York, just like on the show. They save money and might have a lot of fun together. Some might even fall in love. But, no, the situations on the show were not always realistic.

For example, in the first season, Rachel -- played by Jennifer Aniston -- is about to get married. But she runs away from her wedding. Yes, this does happen sometimes. But would someone still in her wedding clothes head for a coffee shop?

Later, the man Rachel was supposed to marry goes on their honeymoon⁷ trip anyway. But, instead of Rachel, he takes one of her wedding attendants⁸!

"Friends" came on N.B.C. television in nineteen-ninety-four, starring six actors: three women and three men. The writers gave each friend something that the others could joke about. Monica, for example, had to have everything clean and organized. Joey was good looking, but not very smart. All the friends had one thing in common, though. They were are all looking for love.

Marta Kauffman and David Crane created "Friends." Their show was nominated⁹ for fifty-five Emmy awards. This year it won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.

"Friends" became part of popular culture. Real-life friends would gather to watch the show. Nielsen Media Research says more than fifty-one-million people in the United States watched the final episode¹⁰ last week.

We leave you with a clip¹¹ from that show. Monica and Chandler -- played by Courtney Cox Arquette and Matthew Perry -- have already gotten married. Now they are in a hospital. They are going to adopt a baby boy who has just been born. But they get some surprising news from the doctor:

MONICA: "I'm gonna love you so much that no woman is ever gonna be good enough for you ... "

BIRTH MOTHER: "I'm tired."

DOCTOR: "Ah, you don't have that much time to relax, the other one will be along in a minute."

MONICA: "Uh, I'm sorry, who should be along in a minute?"

DOCTOR: "The next baby should be along in a minute."

MONICA: "Uhhh ... we only ordered one!"

(MUSIC: "Friends" theme)

Sam Phillips

HOST:

 
Graphic Image
Sam Phillips, the female singer and songwriter, has a new album. It is called "A Boot and a Shoe." Here's Faith Lapidus.

ANNCR:

Billboard¹² magazine says Sam Phillips sings a ray of light into the darkness on her new album. "A Boot and a Shoe" opens with a song called "How to Quit."

(MUSIC)

This is the eighth album for Mizz Phillips ... under the name of Sam, at least. "Sam" is what she was called as a child. She used to sing Christian¹³ pop music. Back then she used her birth name, Leslie Phillips.

In the late nineteen-eighties, Mizz Phillips left the Christian recording¹⁴ industry. She wanted more artistic¹⁵ freedom.

Yet her music is still highly spiritual. She sings about human weaknesses and failings. But her songs are also about the possibility of renewal¹⁶, as in this one, called "Love Changes Everything."

(MUSIC)

Sam Phillips works all the time now with the famous music producer T-Bone Burnett. In nineteen-ninety-one, they got married.

We leave you with Sam Phillips and another song from her new album. This song is called "I Dreamed I Stopped Dreaming."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

This is Doug Johnson.

Our program was written and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁷. And our engineer was Tony Pollack.

I hope you enjoyed AMERICAN MOSAIC. Join us again next week for 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 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

4 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。

5 triple   

n.三倍之数，三个一组；adj.三倍的

参考例句：

• Twelve is the triple of four.十二是四的三倍数。
• He received triple wages for all his extra work.由于额外的工作他领取了三倍的工资。

6 affirmed   

断言，证实( affirm的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Both sides affirmed their commitment to the ceasefire. 双方均申明答应停火。
• They affirmed that the girls did quite a bit of reading. 他们断言这些女孩子读了不少书。

7 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

8 attendants   

n.服务人员( attendant的名词复数 )；侍者；随从；伴随物

参考例句：

• Other flight attendants and passengers are believed to have fought. 我们相信其他服务人员及乘客也都进行了斗争。 来自时文部分
• Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants. 普绪喀听从这些有声无形的外人的意见。 来自辞典例句

9 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

10 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

11 clip   

n.夹子，别针，弹夹，片断；vt.夹住，修剪

参考例句：

• May I clip out the report on my performance?我能把报道我的文章剪下来吗？
• She fastened the papers together with a paper clip.她用曲别针把文件别在一起。

12 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。

13 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

14 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

15 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

16 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

17 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。