VOA标准英语2010-Branson: a Can't-Miss, Not Can't-Find, Pl

Little town's now the live music show capital of the world

Ted¹ Landphair | Washington, DC 08 April 2010

 
Photo: Library of Congress
This was Lake Taneycomo, outside Branson, in 1914. There wasn't much more to the town then, either.

If you had mentioned Branson, Missouri, 50 — or even 30 — years ago, chances are few people outside that little fishing town in the Ozark Mountains would have heard of the place.  But all that changed in 1983, and today Branson is world-famous as a performance venue² for country, oldies-rock, and other musicians.

Branson was so tiny, it was not even on a Missouri road map as late as 1950.  A few strangers did find their way down the two-lane highway into town on their way to catching³ bass⁴ or trout⁵ at one of three nearby, world-class fishing lakes.

FirstBaptistNashville, Flickr Creative Commons
This is a typical group of seasoned travelers, dining in Branson between shows. These folks had come by tour bus from the First Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

And in 1960, a little amusement park brought in a few more visitors, and a local musical group started offering live shows for anyone who happened through.

But Branson's fortunes changed dramatically in 1983, when country singer, guitar master, and songwriter Roy Clark opened a theater there and invited his friends to come perform with him.

Soon, musical stars started making a pilgrimage across Missouri's backroads to this flyspeck⁶ of a town.  Some, like Andy Williams, Wayne Newton, the Osmonds, and Mickey Gilley opened their own clubs as well.  The Branson phenomenon had begun.

The Story Lady
A tourist, joining the show aboard the Branson Belle⁷ showboat, is apparently⁸ enjoying the experience.

Now the two-lane road is a four-lane expressway, often packed with buses full of tourists from all across the Midwest.  They're the same crowd that regularly checks out rock-'n'-roll legend Elvis Presley's mansion⁹ over in Tennessee, even though the King has been dead for almost 33 years. 

A lot of the old-time stars who put Branson on the map have died or moved on.  Some visitors complain that the music and jokes in the clubs are getting a bit too racy for them to bring the kids.  But the fishing's still great, prices at the all-you-can-eat buffets¹⁰ reasonable, and Branson's still a boomtown.  There's even a two-story Titanic¹¹ museum shaped like the ill-fated luxury cruise ship that sank in the North Atlantic in 1912.

About 7,500 people live in Branson today, and there's a good-sized dot next to the Branson name on the Missouri map.

 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

5 trout   

n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属)

参考例句：

• Thousands of young salmon and trout have been killed by the pollution.成千上万的鲑鱼和鳟鱼的鱼苗因污染而死亡。
• We hooked a trout and had it for breakfast.我们钓了一条鳟鱼，早饭时吃了。

6 flyspeck   

n.蝇粪留下的污点, 污点；v.弄脏

参考例句：

• The flyspeck is hard to clean.蝇粪留下的污点很难清洗。
• The maid cleaned the flyspeck off the carpet.女佣把地毯上的污点弄干净了。

7 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

10 buffets   

（火车站的）饮食柜台( buffet的名词复数 )； （火车的）餐车； 自助餐

参考例句：

• All life's buffets should be met with dignity and good sense. 所有人生之打击都应以尊严和理智对付之。
• In addition to buffets, American families enjoy picnics and barbeques. 除自助餐外，美国家庭还喜欢野餐和户外烧烤餐。

11 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。