美国国家公共电台 NPR In Puerto Rico, A Generator's Buzz Powers One Singer's Musical Imagination

 

RAY SUAREZ, HOST:

After Harvey and Irma, the hurricane season wasn't over. Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico as a massive Category 4 storm. Months later, the power supply is still spotty, and thousands of homes still rely on generators². Daniella Cheslow has the story of how the rumble³ of a generator¹ inspired one merengue singer to write a holiday hit.

(SOUNDBITE OF GENERATOR RUNNING)

DANIELLA CHESLOW, BYLINE⁴: Generators are the new soundtrack of Puerto Rico's holiday season. They power homes, hospitals, stores.

JOSEPH FONSECA: And the sound (imitating generator running) - this is the inspiration for writing this song (laughter).

CHESLOW: Singer Joseph Fonseca thought he was prepared for hurricane season. He owned a propane generator and rolled it out when Hurricane Irma hit in early September and knocked out his electricity.

FONSECA: When starting the propane generator - not working.

CHESLOW: What sound did it make?

FONSECA: (Imitating generator running) - big, sound (laughter).

CHESLOW: Not a good sound?

FONSECA: No, no. Not a good sound, no.

CHESLOW: No there was no repairman who could fix the machine because a second hurricane, Maria, was already on its way. So Fonseca bought a new machine.

Did it work?

FONSECA: Yes, push button for him (imitating generator running).

CHESLOW: After Maria completely wiped out the island's electric grid⁵, he depended on that generator and listened to the loud noise, and he wrote a song about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA PLANTA NUEVA")

FONSECA: (Singing in Spanish).

The chorus is (speaking Spanish).

CHESLOW: It means - I will ask the three kings to bring me a new generator, and when I turn it on, it shouldn't make this noise.

FONSECA: (Imitating generator running).

CHESLOW: In Puerto Rico, January 6 is Three Kings Day, a religious festival celebrating the story of the three wise men with parades and presents. I watched Fonseca perform last week at a Christmas party in San Juan, the capital. He takes the stage while men in crisp shirts and women in elegant evening gowns sit at round tables. The first song, "La Planta Nueva" - "The New Generator."

FONSECA: (Singing in Spanish).

CHESLOW: Fonseca has a generator dance where he pretends to pull a cord to start the machine. Couples hold hands and dance to the choppy beat. Outside, Melvin Munic drinks a mojito.

MELVIN MUNIC: This is our life right now in Puerto Rico.

CHESLOW: He lives south of San Juan, and he still doesn't have power.

MUNIC: I hope we have electricity before New Year.

CHESLOW: Many people won't get power back anytime soon. The U.S. Army Corps⁶ of Engineers estimates it will take until late February at the earliest to restore most of the grid, longer for remote towns. Fonseca says he hopes Puerto Ricans suffering through the slow recovery might hear his song and have some holiday joy. For NPR News, I'm Daniella Cheslow in San Juan.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA PLANTA NUEVA")

FONSECA: (Singing in Spanish).

1 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

2 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。