|
60 肯尼迪中心本周将举行31周年庆典
THIS IS AMERICA - September 10, 2001: Kennedy Center AnniversaryBy Jerilyn Watson
VOICE ONE:
This week, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., begins its thirty-first year of presenting cultural events. Millions of people have visited this large white building on the Potomac River. I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long. The Kennedy Center is our report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts just (1)celebrated its thirtieth (2)anniversary. As many as forty-thousand people (3)attended the birthday party on Sunday. They enjoyed examples of programs the Kennedy Center will present in the future.
Visitors chose from many free programs at this Open House Arts Festival. For example, the National Symphony Orchestra played music by Ludwig van Beethoven. The Billy Taylor Trio played jazz. The Coulibaly (COOL-ah-bah-lee) Brothers told stories and played music of West Africa.
VOICE TWO:
More than two-million people attend plays, (4)concerts, musical (5)dramas and other shows each year at the Kennedy Center. Some are produced at the Kennedy Center for the first time.
The Center is a (6)memorial to John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was America's thirty-fifth president. It also is the official national performing arts center.
VOICE ONE:
The Kennedy Center also serves as an educational (7)headquarters. It supports and teaches people about the performing arts in America. It creates programs for teachers and students of all ages. It supports (8)competitions and training programs for students. It pays young performing artists to create new works. And it presents many programs for children.
About three-million people visit the Kennedy Center each year. Visitors can see a large (9)statue of the head of President Kennedy. In the Hall of States they can see the flags of all the states and (10)territories of the United States. In the (11)Hall of Nations they can see the flags of more than one-hundred-sixty countries. Visitors can see gifts that more than forty countries have given to the Kennedy Center. These include beautiful floor coverings, wall coverings and works of art.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
The (12)campaign to build a cultural center in Washington began before John Kennedy was elected president. In Nineteen-Fifty-Eight, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Cultural Center Act. He said the United States needed a place to show its artistic successes.
One of the earliest problems was finding a place for the building. Board members of the cultural center chose an area called Foggy (13)Bottom. It is low and sometimes wet. This caused some people to say the building would sink in the (14)mud.
VOICE ONE:
Another problem was money. Workers for the cultural center had to gain millions of dollars from gifts. The government would (15)supply the same amount as these gifts.
John F. Kennedy took office as president in Nineteen-Sixty-One. He campaigned for the national cultural center. His wife Jacqueline helped gain money for the center. So did Mamie Dowd Eisenhower, the wife of former President Eisenhower.
President Kennedy was killed in Nineteen-Sixty-Three. Congress soon (16)declared the cultural center a memorial to him. The National Park Service was to operate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as a national (17)monument.
VOICE TWO:
It was not easy to gain enough money for the Kennedy Center. Workers for the center had to have more than fifteen-million dollars by June Thirtieth, Nineteen-Sixty-Five. If this did not happen, they would not receive money from the United States government. They would not be able to build the center. Most of June passed, and the campaign still had not reached its (18)goal. Then on June Twenty-Ninth the people of Italy gave more than one-million dollars (19)worth of (20)marble to build the center. Other countries also gave money. These gifts rescued the project.
VOICE ONE:
Building finally began on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Nineteen-Sixty-Seven. Four years later, the completed Kennedy Center stood along the Potomac River. Architect Edward Durrell Stone had designed a simple and beautiful building. It cost about seventy-million dollars.
The Kennedy Center's opening night was September Eighth, Nineteen-Seventy-One. Guests heard a new musical work by a major American (21)composer. Leonard Bernstein wrote Massto honor President Kennedy. Here is Mister Bernstein (22)conducting Gloria Tibi from his Mass.?
((TAPE CUT ONE: FROM MASS BY LEONARD BERNSTEIN))
VOICE TWO:
Today, the Kennedy Center has several performing areas. The Concert Hall is the largest. The National Symphony Orchestra performs there. So do popular entertainers. The Washington Opera performs in the (23)Opera House. (24)Ballets and musical comedies are performed in the Opera House, too. Plays and some opera and dance productions take place in the Eisenhower Theater. Smaller theaters in the Kennedy Center present music groups, plays, children's performances and films.
Some of the world's finest artists have performed in the Kennedy Center over the years. These include great classical musicians like pianist Vladimir Horowitz and(25) violinist Isaac Stern. They also include great jazz artists like Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sarah Vaughan.
VOICE ONE:
The Kennedy Center will continue to present excellent performers this year and next year. They will include members of The New National Theatre of Japan. They will appear in the play Pacific (26)Overtures.Dancers from Russia, Cuba and Australia will present ballet. American composer Stephen Sondheim will be (27)honored with performances of six of his musical plays. They include A Little Night Music.?
VOICE ONE:
Arts expert Michael Kaiser recently became president of the Kennedy Center. He wants to make the center larger. Mister Kaiser has proposed adding two new buildings to the Kennedy Center. One building would contain a performing arts museum. The other building would provide space for the Washington Opera. A committee is studying the environmental effects of the proposed additions.
VOICE TWO:
The Kennedy Center recently opened a show for visitors about President Kennedy. Part of the exhibit is called The Living Memorial. A picture collection introduces President Kennedy抯 life. Sound (28)devices in eight computers contain parts of the former president's most important (29)speeches. Films and his voice bring to life some of America's most historic moments. For example, President Kennedy sounds hopeful as he gives his (30)swearing-in speech in January, Nineteen Sixty-One. The speech called on Americans to serve their country.
((TAPE CUT TWO: Excerpt from Kennedy inaugural speech))
And so, my (31)fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you ?ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.?
VOICE ONE:
Americans hope the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will continue serving the public for many more years. President Kennedy once said that America would not be remembered for (32)victories or (33)defeats in (34)battle or in politics. Instead, he said the nation would be remembered for its gifts to the human (35)spirit.
((THEME))
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Caty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes. I am Sarah Long.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
(1) celebrate[ 5selibreit ]v.庆祝, 祝贺, 表扬, 赞美, 举行
(2) anniversary[ 7Ani5vE:sEri ]n.周年纪念
(3) attend[ E5tend ]vt.出席, 参加, 照顾, 护理, 注意vi.专心, 留意
(4) concert[ 5kCnsEt ]n.音乐会, 一致
(5) drama[ 5drB:mE ]n.(在舞台上演的)戏剧, 戏剧艺术
(6) memorial[ mi5mC:riEl ]n.纪念物, 纪念馆, 纪念议事, 请愿书adj.记念的, 记忆的
(7) headquarter[ 7hed5kwC:tE ]v.以...作总部, 设总公司于...
(8) competition[ kCmpi5tiFEn ]n.竞争, 竞赛
(9) statue[ 5stAtju: ]vt.以雕像装饰n.雕像
(10) territory[ 5teritEri ]n.领土, 版图, 地域
(11) hall[ hC:l ]n.会堂, 礼堂, 大厅, 走廊, 门厅
(12) campaign[ kAm5pein ]n.[军]战役, (政治或商业性)活动, 竞选运动vi.参加活动, 从事活动, 作战
(13) bottom[5bRtEm]n.底, 底部, 尽头, 末端adj.底部的vt.装底, 查明真相, 测量深浅vi.到达底部, 建立基础
(14) mud[ mQd ]n.泥, 泥浆, 泥泞
(15) supply[ sE5plai ]n.补给, 供给, 供应品vt.补给, 供给, 提供, 补充, 代理vi.替代他人职务
(16) declare[ di5klZE ]vt.断言, 宣称, 宣布, 宣告, 声明, (向海关)中报进口应纳税之货物
(17) monument[ 5mCnjumEnt ]n.纪念碑
(18) goal[ ^Eul ]n.目的, 目标, 守门员, 球门, (球赛等的)得分
(19) worth[ wE:W ]prep.相当...价值n.价值, 财产adj.值钱的, 值的看中的
(20) marble[ 5mB:bl ]n.大理石, (玩具)弹球.石弹子, 雕刻品adj.大理石的, 冷酷无情的, 坚硬的
(21) composer[ kCm5pEuzE ]n.作家, 作曲家, 设计者, 著作者
(22) conduct[ 5kCndQkt, -dEkt ]n.行为, 操行v.引导, 管理, 为人, 传导
(23) opera[5RpErE]n.歌剧
(24) ballet[ 5bAlei, bA5lei ]n.芭蕾舞, 芭蕾舞剧, 芭蕾舞乐曲
(25) violinist[ 5vaiElinist ]n.小提琴演奏者, 小提琴家
(26) overture[ 5EuvEtjuE ]n.建议
(27) honor[ 5CnE ]n.尊敬, 敬意, 荣誉, 光荣vt.尊敬, 给以荣誉
(28) device[ di5vais ]n.装置, 设计, 图案, 策略, 发明物, 设备
(29) speech[ spi:tF ]n.演说, 讲话语音
(30) swear[ swZE ]vi.诅咒v.宣誓, 发誓
(31) fellow[5felEJ]n.人, 家伙, 伙伴, 学会特别会员, 朋友, 同事adj.同伴的, 同事的, 同道的
(32) victory[ 5viktEri ]n.胜利, 战胜, 克服, [罗神]胜利女神
(33) defeat[ di5fi:t ]n.击败, 战胜, 失败vt.击败, 战胜, 使失败, 挫折v.击败
(34) battle[ 5bAtl ]n.战役(指大规模会战), 战争vi.作战, 战斗, 搏斗, 斗争
(35) spirit[ 5spirit ]n.精神, 灵魂, 幽灵, 妖精, 勇气, 火力, 热情, 情绪vt.诱拐, 鼓励, 鼓舞
|