VOA标准英语2013--Scary Rides, Spooky House Return to NY's Coney Island

 

Scary Rides, Spooky House Return to NY's Coney Island

Through the winter, members of the Vourderis family cleaned up, reimagined and rebuilt their iconic Coney Island attractions for opening day in 2013.

For over a century, Coney Island has been known for fun, relaxation¹ and seaside thrills.

But that dreamland turned into a nightmare for the Vourderis family on October 29, when a massive sea surge flooded their rides and games.

Their century-old Wonder Wheel and Spook House, from 1955, were nearly destroyed.

“When we got here and saw the devastation², it was like a death, figuratively like a death," said Deno Vourderis, a third generation worker in his family-owned business. "I mean figuratively like a death because a lot of the stuff has history."

But the family resolved to rebuild.

Deno worked with a five-man crew he has known since he was a boy. They assisted his father, co-owner Steve Vourderis, who directed the clean-up and restoration.

"We’re men and we do what we have to do. We get it done," Vourderis said.

Steve’s brother Dennis Vourderis handled logistics and finances. He says the family had to borrow a huge amount of money to pay for repairs and new equipment.

“But what hurts more is when you have an old piece of equipment that has been around for 70 or 80 years that was underwater and you know it can’t be restored. So that’s especially painful to throw away," he said.

Three months of solid labor³ later, the Wonder Wheel is refashioned, the kiddie rides are buffed up, and the Scary House’s gimmicks⁴ have been restored or replaced. The Vourderis family felt they were ready for Coney Island’s opening day.

“We kept a couple of the old relics⁵, but a lot of it is new. All new mechanics, all new haunts. So, you know, the silver lining⁶ is if you come by this summer you’re gonna have a lot of new stuff to see," Deno Vourderis said.

Coney Island's rebirth became reality in March when dignitaries and New Yorkers came together on the famous boardwalk for Opening Day.

And the Vourderis family offered up fun, free of charge.

"I couldn't be happier. Everything worked out the way we wanted it to work out . All the rides are up and running. Wonder Wheel is at 100 percent. So I couldn’t be happier," said Deno Vourderis.

Much of what Hurricane Sandy destroyed has been rebuilt. Still, it's probably safe to say that nowhere have the results been more fun than in Coney Island. 

1 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

2 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 gimmicks   

n.花招，诡计，骗人的玩意儿( gimmick的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Financial institutions are also often expected yield of gimmicks. 金融机构也往往以预期收益率为噱头。 来自互联网
• However these are just marketing gimmicks that propagate the myth. 然而这些只是噱头的营销传播的神话。 来自互联网

5 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

6 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。