THIS IS AMERICA - Unusual Museums

THIS IS AMERICA - October 7, 2002: Unusual Museums

By Jerilyn Watson

VOICE ONE:

The United States has thousands of museums. Some museums show large collections of art. Some show objects
about science or history. Other museums show collections of unusual things. I'm Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. We visit some unusual museums on the VOA Special English program THIS IS

AMERICA.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
Some museums in the United States have huge collections of interesting things. The museums of the Smithsonian

Institution in Washington, D.C., are a good example. But the United States also has some very different

museums.
Smaller places throughout the country collect and show one kind of object. For example, some museums exhibit¹
only medical instruments or different kinds of soap. Or, they present information about just one subject. Many
Americans visit these unusual museums every year.

VOICE TWO:

One such place is the Drug Enforcement² Administration³ museum. It is in Arlington, Virginia,
near Washington, D-C. Its subject is a history of illegal drugs in America. People of all ages
visit the museum. But it is especially popular with school groups. The museum's exhibits⁴
begin with the nineteenth century Opium⁵ Wars. And, they continue to the illegal drug
operations in South America today.

One area of the museum shows a collection of objects used by people who take illegal drugs.
Visitors also can see a gun with diamonds on it. It belonged to a drug criminal.

There are pictures of famous people who used illegal drugs. These include musicians Jimi

A new exhibit

Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Both died after taking too much of the drug heroin⁶.
explores the

connections --
Retired⁷ Drug Enforcement Administration agents often show visitors around the museum. historic⁸ and

modern -- between

They talk about anti-drug operations. They tell exciting stories of arrests they made.
the illegal drug
trade and

VOICE ONE:
terrorism.

A very different but equally interesting place is the Museum of Bad Art. It is in
Dedham, Massachusetts, near Boston. The museum has more than two-hundred
terrible-looking paintings.

Scott Wilson started this museum. He found the first painting for the museum
among unwanted objects on a Boston street. This place may be the only art museum
in America where officials are pleased when visitors say the paintings are ugly.
What exactly is bad art? It is hard to describe. But Mister⁹ Wilson said he knows bad
art when he sees it.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

Artist: Unknown

VOICE TWO:

Several interesting American museums tell about health subjects. One is the Doctor
Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. It is at the University of Maryland
in Baltimore. That is where the first college in the world to train dentists began. The
museum tells about the history of the medical treatment of teeth. Visitors can see
some frightening devices¹⁰ that once were used to remove infected teeth. They also
can see sets of teeth made of animal bone. They were made for a famous American

- the first President, George Washington.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However,
the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit.
He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their
teeth.

VOICE ONE:

Another museum collects devices that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent
State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world.
They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in
the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

Don't worry, she's not real.
Some popular foods in America also have museums. One is the Jell-O Museum in
LeRoy, New York. Jell-O is the name of a popular American food that shakes when
you move it.

You mix the Jell-O powder with hot water to melt the particles¹¹. You add cold water.
Then you put the container in a cold place until the liquid becomes solid. Jell-O
tastes like different kinds of fruits. It also is the color of fruit -- red, orange, yellow

or green.

Jell-O was invented in eighteen-ninety-seven. The museum tells about the history of the product.

VOICE ONE:

Another unusual museum also tells about a popular food product -- mustard¹². Mustard
is a spicy¹³ substance made from mustard seeds. People have added it to their food for
centuries.

The Mount¹⁴ Horeb Mustard Museum is in Wisconsin. It has more than three-thousand
different kinds of mustard. There are mustards¹⁵ from almost every American state and
from several foreign countries. The museum shows how mustard is made. Visitors can
taste three-hundred kinds of mustard.

VOICE TWO:

An unusual museum in Boston, Massachusetts, collects a very common substance. But it is not a substance that
you would want to eat. You would not want to have this substance inside your house, either. It is the Museum of
Dirt.

This museum has more than three-hundred small containers of dirt given by people from around the world. There
is dirt from famous people and famous places.

For example, there is dirt from Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee.
There is red sand from Nome, Alaska, containing gold. There is dirt from Mount Fuji in Japan.
And there is dirt from the Yankee’s baseball stadium in New York City.


The head of the museum says the dirt tells stories about the famous people and places where it was
found.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Speaking of famous people, a museum in Victorville, California, tells about the King of the
Cowboys and his wife -- Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. They were famous in cowboy movies and
on television during the nineteen-forties and nineteen-fifties. They helped keep the spirit of the

Graceland

American West alive.

Memories of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans crowd the museum. There are western hats and clothing. Letters and
records. Photographs. Popular Roy Rogers toys. Even Roy’s horse, Trigger¹⁶, is stuffed¹⁷ and mounted¹⁸ in the
museum. It is one of the most popular things in the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum.

VOICE TWO:

Another museum celebrates the memory of two of the most popular television entertainers, Lucille Ball and Desi
Arnaz. The Lucy-Desi Museum is in Jamestown, New York. That was Lucy's hometown.

Lucy and Desi appeared in one of America’s best-loved television programs, "I Love Lucy." Millions of people
watched the program during the nineteen-ffties. Even today, millions of people watch repeated broadcasts of
these programs. The museum includes clothing and other objects of the famous couple.

VOICE ONE:

One museum has the world's largest collection of things linked to actor James Dean¹⁹. The James Dean Gallery is
in Fairmount, Indiana. That is the town where Dean grew up.

James Dean was a film star in the Nineteen-Fifties. He appeared in only three movies: "East of Eden", "Rebel²⁰
Without a Cause" and "Giant." Each time he played a young man angry at the world. Many Americans remember
James Dean as a young man rebelling²¹ against society.

David Loehr started the James Dean museum twelve years ago to honor²² the actor. James Dean was killed in a car
crash in nineteen-fifty-five. He was only twenty-four years old.

VOICE TWO:

Another unusual museum is the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. It is in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. It honors²³ actors who paint their faces and perform in the circus. Clowns also make people laugh at
other public events. Many clowns entertain sick children in hospitals.

The museum shows pictures and objects from the lives of a number of famous clowns. Perhaps the most famous
clown remembered there is Emmett Kelly. He performed for the Ringling Brothers circus. Emmett Kelly was a
clown for more than sixty years. He began in nineteen-seventeen. And he was still making people laugh with his
clown performance until he died at age eighty.

VOICE ONE:

If you visit one of these small and unusual museums you will not find huge crowds. But you will find people who
think these collections represent memories worth sharing.

((THEME))

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust and Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. Our audio²⁴
engineer was Holly²⁵ Capehart. This is Steve Ember.


VOICE ONE:

And this is Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

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1 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

2 enforcement   

n.实施, 执行

参考例句：

• MPs called for tougher enforcement of the existing laws on drugs. 下院议员呼籲加强现行毒品法律的执行力度。
• The court is ineffective because it lacks the necessary enforcement machinery. 法院效率低是因为缺乏必要的执行机制。

3 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

4 exhibits   

v.陈列，展览( exhibit的第三人称单数 )；表现；显示；[法律]当庭出示（证件、物证等）

参考例句：

• Many exhibits with characteristics of the Chinese art are on display. 许多具有中国艺术特色的展品陈列出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One is dazzled by the endless array of beautiful exhibits. 展品琳琅满目，美不胜收。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

6 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

9 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

10 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

11 particles   

微粒( particle的名词复数 )； 颗粒； 极少量； 小品词

参考例句：

• These small particles agglomerate together to form larger clusters. 这些颗粒聚结形成较大的团。
• The nucleus of an atom consists of neutrons, protons and other particles. 原子核由中子、质子和其他粒子构成。

12 mustard   

n.芥子，芥末，深黄色，强烈的兴趣，热情的人

参考例句：

• This meat should be seasoned with salt and mustard.这肉里应该加点盐和芥末调味。
• This mustard is hot enough to bite your tongue.这种芥末很辣，你的舌头会吃不消的。

13 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

14 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

15 mustards   

n.芥( mustard的名词复数 )；芥末；芥菜酱；芥末黄

参考例句：

• He likes English mustard but she prefers French mustards. 他爱吃英国的芥末酱，而她却爱吃法国芥末酱。 来自互联网
• I bought some radishes, carrots, mustards and kohlrabies. 买了写萝卜、胡萝卜、芥菜、苤蓝。 来自互联网

16 trigger   

n.触发器，板机，制滑机；v.触发（事件）

参考例句：

• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again.他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。
• He pulled the trigger but the gun didn't go off.他打了一枪，没有发火。

17 stuffed   

adj.充满的；饱的v.塞住( stuff的过去式和过去分词 )；把…装进；把…装满；（使）吃撑

参考例句：

• stuffed animals in glass cases 玻璃柜里的动物标本
• I was stuffed to the gills with chocolate cake. 我嘴里塞满了巧克力蛋糕。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 mounted   

adj.骑在马[自行车]上的；安装好的；裱好的v.登上，骑上( mount的过去式和过去分词)；增加，上升；上演；准备

参考例句：

• He mounted his horse and rode off. 他跨上马骑走了。
• He saddled his horse, mounted, and rode away at a gallop. 他给马套上鞍子，跨上马背疾驰而去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 Dean   

n.(大学)院长，系主任，教务长

参考例句：

• The students much like the new dean.学生们很喜欢这位新系主任。
• Who is the dean of the Foreign Languages Department?外语系主任是谁？

20 rebel   

n.叛徒，起义者；vi.造反，反抗，反感；adj.造反的，反抗的，反叛者的

参考例句：

• The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.反叛军队企图颠覆政府统治。
• The rebel army has readjusted its strategy.叛军已经重新调整了策略。

21 rebelling   

adj.叛逆性的v.反抗政府( rebel的现在分词 )；反抗权威

参考例句：

• Consumers are rebelling at steep price increases. 消费者在抗议物价飞涨。 来自辞典例句
• Fourth Master Liu laughed wildly. \" Ha, ha, thinking of rebelling, are you?\" 刘四狂笑起来：“哈哈，你这小子要造反吗？ 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

22 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

23 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。

25 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。