PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Shel Silverstein

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Shel Silverstein
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Broadcast: Sunday, February 22, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

This is Phoebe Zimmermann.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Shel Silverstein. He was a poet, writer, composer, singer, musician and artist.

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Graphic¹ Image
VOICE ONE:

Shel Silverstein wrote hundreds of poems and published many books. He is most famous as a writer of books for children. He won several awards for his children's books. But he also wrote many stories and created many drawings for adults.

Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois in nineteen-thirty. His birth name was Sheldon Allan Silverstein. Sometimes he called himself Uncle Shelby. He never planned to write children's books. Still, he is most famous for writing them.

Shel Silverstein once told a reporter that when he was growing up, he wanted to be a good baseball player. He also said he wanted to be popular with girls. But he could not play baseball, and girls did not like him. So he started to draw and write. Shel Silverstein said he developed his own way of writing. By the time girls were interested in him, he found that work was more important.

VOICE TWO:

Shel Silverstein served in the United States Army in the early nineteen-fifties. He worked as an artist for the American military newspaper, Pacific Stars and Stripes². He wrote his first book in nineteen-fifty-five. "Take Ten" was about life in the army, and included drawings.

After leaving the army, he worked for Playboy magazine for almost twenty years. He wrote stories and drew funny pictures for the publication³.

Shel Silverstein was also a musician. He released⁴ his first album in nineteen-fifty-nine. It is called "Hairy Jazz." He began writing folk music in the nineteen-sixties. Famous artists have recorded his songs. The Irish Rovers, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn have sung his songs. Ten years later, he released "A Boy Named Sue⁵ and His Other Country Songs." The most famous song from the album is called "A Boy Named Sue." It is about a boy whose father gave him a name usually given to girls. Johnny Cash made the song famous.

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VOICE ONE:

Shel Silverstein is best known for his books for children. However, people of all ages like his poems and stories. He published his first children's book in nineteen-sixty-three. It is called "Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back." It is about a lion that eats hunters and lives like a human. The lion has to make some important decisions.

One year later, Shel Silverstein published what may be his most popular book. It is called "The Giving Tree." This story is about a boy and a tree that loved him. The tree gives the boy everything until it can give no more. Both adults and children have enjoyed reading this book. This book is still very popular today. It has sold more than five-million copies. Listen as Faith Lapidus reads from the beginning of "The Giving Tree."

VOICE THREE:

"There was once a great apple tree and a little boy. They would spend hours and hours together. The boy would play in the tree's branches, sleep at her roots and eat of her apples. And the tree loved the boy.

One day, the boy came to the tree. The tree was delighted and beckoned⁶, 'Come and play!' But the boy was no longer a boy; he was now a young man, and he was interested in making a living, but he didn't know how.

'Here,' the tree said, 'take my apples and sell them.' The young man did just that, and the tree was happy.

VOICE TWO:

In the nineteen-seventies, Shel Silverstein produced music for several movies. His first movie soundtrack was for the film "Ned Kelly." It is based on a true story about a famous Australian criminal. Here is a song from the album. It is called "Ned Kelly."

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VOICE ONE:

Shel Silverstein is also famous for his poetry. His first children's poetry book was "Where the Sidewalk Ends." It was published in nineteen-seventy-four. It contains more than one-hundred poems, and many drawings. The poems and drawings are creative, funny and wise. In the book, readers meet a boy who turns into a television set. They meet a girl who eats a whale.

Imaginary⁷ creatures like the Unicorn⁸ and the Bloath live there. So does a girl called Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout⁹ who will not take the garbage out. "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is a place where you can wash your shadow. You can plant a garden of diamonds. It is a place where shoes can fly. And a crocodile goes to the dentist because his tooth hurts. Silverstein reads one of the poems in his book, called "Ickle Me, Pickle¹⁰ Me, Tickle¹¹ Me, Too."

(MUSIC)

Shel Silverstein's second children's poetry book is called "A Light in the Attic¹²." It also contains many funny poems and drawings. This book was so popular that it was on the New York Times newspaper's list of best-selling books for more than three years. Listen as he reads his poem "Ations."

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VOICE TWO:

In the nineteen-eighties, Shel Silverstein began writing plays. He wrote about twenty of them. His first play is called "The Lady or the Tiger Show." It is a funny play about a game show. The game show player has to choose between two doors. Behind one door is a beautiful woman, and behind the other door is a tiger.

VOICE ONE:

Shel Silverstein died of heart failure in nineteen-ninety-nine. He was sixty-eight years old. Some of his works¹³ were released after his death. Shel Silverstein once said: "I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books." He hoped people would "experience a personal sense of discovery."

Shel Silverstein once said that he wanted to go everywhere, look at and listen to everything. He said people could go crazy with the wonderful things in life. And he communicated this in all of his writings, drawings and songs. We leave you now with a song by Shel Silverstein that was a huge hit around the world. The Irish Rovers sing "The "Unicorn."

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Chi-Un Lee and produced by Lawan Davis. Our studio engineer was Bill Barber¹⁴. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Phoebe Zimmermann. Listen again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 stripes   

n.（与底色不同的）条纹( stripe的名词复数 )；（军装或警服上表示等级的）臂章；纹理

参考例句：

• The plant's stem is marked with thin green longitudinal stripes. 这种植物的茎上长有绿色细长条纹。
• a zebra's black and white stripes 斑马的黑白条纹

3 publication   

n.出版，发行；出版；公布，发表

参考例句：

• They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
• The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。

4 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。

5 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

6 beckoned   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill. 他招手示意服务生把账单送过来。
• The seated figure in the corner beckoned me over. 那个坐在角落里的人向我招手让我过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

8 unicorn   

n.(传说中的)独角兽

参考例句：

• The unicorn is an imaginary beast.独角兽是幻想出来的动物。
• I believe unicorn was once living in the world.我相信独角兽曾经生活在这个世界。

9 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

10 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

11 tickle   

v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒

参考例句：

• Wilson was feeling restless. There was a tickle in his throat.威尔逊只觉得心神不定。嗓子眼里有些发痒。
• I am tickle pink at the news.听到这消息我高兴得要命。

12 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

13 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。

14 barber   

n.理发员，美容师

参考例句：

• She asked the barber to crop her hair short.她叫理发师把她的头发剪短了。
• My Mum took me to the barber's.我妈带我理发去了。