新西兰英语 651 Symphony Orchestras

 　　The Minister of Culture and Heritage, Christopher Finlayson, is asking for suggestions on a better way to fund our main orchestras. The government allocates² $17m a year to fund these orchestras and says there is no more money available. Numbers attending concerts are dropping so money from ticket sales is less than before.

　　These are four regional orchestras – one each in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin – and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the NZSO. The regional orchestras get $3.5m in total while the NZSO gets $13.5m.

　　The NZSO has 90 full-time³ players whereas the players in the other orchestras are part-time and are paid for concerts or when they accompany a ballet or opera. The NZSO tours throughout the country, giving more than 100 concerts a year. NZSO concerts are recorded for Radio New Zealand Concert. The NZSO also records music for films. It is a world class orchestra and has sometimes toured overseas. The Minister calls the NZSO “the jewel in the cultural crown” of New Zealand.

　　All the orchestras have sponsors to help with funding but now more money is needed. If you go to orchestra concerts in New Zealand you can give your ideas about the future of our orchestras by August 20th. Go to the Ministry⁴ of Culture and Heritage website.

　　Vocabulary

　　?fund – pay, give money

　　?allocate¹ – give some money for different things e.g. $X to this and $Y to that

　　?jewel – a precious stone e.g. a diamond

　　?culture – art, music, literature, theatre, ballet, opera

　　?sponsor – a business helps to fund the orchestra; the concert sometimes uses the name of the business e.g. The Smith Company Concert.

　　Questions

　　?Why do you think numbers attending orchestra concerts have dropped in the last four years?

　　?What does “the jewel the cultural crown” mean?

1 allocate   

vt.分配，分派；把…拨给；把…划归

参考例句：

• You must allocate the money carefully.你们必须谨慎地分配钱。
• They will allocate fund for housing.他们将拨出经费建房。

2 allocates   

分配，分派( allocate的第三人称单数 )； 把…拨给

参考例句：

• The state allocates huge funds for the development of aid-agriculture industries. 国家拨出大批资金，发展支农工业。
• The value that then I create value allocates part to discuss. 于是我把价值创造的价值分配分别开来论述。

3 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。