VOA标准英语2010年-Northwestern University Library Collec

The Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois has amassed¹ one of the largest collections of Obama-related Africa artwork in the world

Three years ago, the Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois embarked² on a project to gather and categorize hundreds of artifacts and publications related to President Barack Obama from across Africa.  The library continues to receive items each day, and is now one of the largest of its kind in the world.  The growth and popularity of the Obama collection has spawned⁴ another collection at the library, World Cup items.

While his approval rating in the United States may be slipping, President Barack Obama, whose father was from Kenya, remains⁵ popular in Africa.

"Africans are looking at the symbol of what Obama represents, of change and hope.  I believe many Africans are still focused on that promise, whereas we may have lost sight of it," said David Easterbrook, curator of the "Africa Responds to Obama" collection at the Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University.

 

The library, founded by anthropologist⁶ Melville Herskovits, is the largest separate library in the world for the study of Africa.  Easterbrook began collecting African-related Obama items on a trip to the continent in 2007, when then Senator Obama was running for president.

"I realized that Obama as a presidential candidate was big news in Africa, and I decided⁷ that since we have a commitment in this library to collecting all kinds of information materials produced in Africa, we should immediately begin to collect materials about Obama, about how Africans responded to the Obama candidacy," he added.

The collection began with newspapers and printed materials.  After the election in 2008, it has grown to include more than 500 items featuring Mr. Obama.  Among them - a special beer brewed⁸ in his honor, various clothing articles, paintings by African artists and an extremely rare book authored by President Obama's father in 1959.

"And he wrote a small book of about 60 or 70 pages that was specifically focused on Luo speaking Kenyans that were learning to read and become literate⁹, and he wrote a small book in Luo as a part of that process," he explained.  "We acquired that book shortly after it was published, and it has been sitting here in the library."

Easterbrook and his staff continue to make connections in Africa that keep a steady stream of materials coming into the library.  Those connections helped spawn³ another collection at the library that is growing almost as fast as the Obama collection.

2010 World Cup items, such as the popular vuvuzela horn heard throughout the stadiums of South Africa, show the pride of the continent in hosting one of the largest events in the sporting world.

"Our mandate¹⁰ is to collect anything that relates to Africa, and this is an important event.  It's the first time the World Cup is being played on African soil.  And so many people in Africa play soccer.  It is something anyone can afford to play," noted¹¹ Esmeralda Kale, a bibliographer¹² of Africana at the Herskovits Library. 

Kale is categorizing the incoming World Cup items that are as diverse as the continent they come from.

"Hats, scarves, we've got playing cards, soap on a rope, things like that," she added.

Kale's home country of Cameroon is represented in the collection, along with items related to the teams in the final.

Even after World Cup is over, it won't be the end of the collection.  The number of World Cup artifacts coming into the library has increased in recent days, and Kale expects that trend to continue for the next few months.

Many of the World Cup items are currently on display in the lobby of the library on the campus of Northwestern.  A public exhibit of the "Africa Responds to Obama" collection is planned later this year.
 

1 amassed   

v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
• They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

3 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

4 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 brewed   

调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
• The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。

10 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 bibliographer   

书志学家，书目提要编著人

参考例句：

• Zhang Xuecheng is a famous historiographer and bibliographer in Qing Dynasty. 摘要章学诚是清代著名的史学家、目录学家。