AMERICAN MOSAIC - Jazz Violinist Regina Carter / Question ab

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ -April 19, 2002: Jazz Violinist Regina Carter / Question about the Washington
Monument / Museum Show on Wood Turning

Broadcast: HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC
—
VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

(THEME)

This is Doug Johnson. On our program today we:

Play some jazz violin music ...

Answer a question about the Washington Monument ...

And learn about something called “wood turning.
”

Wood Turning Show

HOST:

The Renwick Gallery in Washington, D -C, has a show called “Wood Turning Since Nineteen-Thirty.
”
It
contains one-hundred-thirty examples of the best turned wood pieces made in the past seventy years. Mary
Tillotson tells us more about wood turning.

ANNCR:

Wood turning first became popular in the United States about seventy years ago. At that time, turned wood
containers, candlesticks and other useful objects were made by students in school and by factory workers.
Through the years, wood turning became a complex art form. Turned wood objects are now collected by
museums and individuals.

Wood turners use sharp tools to cut a piece of wood as it turns quickly on a special
machine called a lathe². The piece of wood is held firmly and evenly in place on the
lathe. The wood turner holds a sharp tool against the turning wood. In traditional
pieces, the inner³ part of the wood is removed, leaving thin outside walls.

Because the lathe is turning the wood around, the shape of the finished piece usually
is round. The natural outer bark of the tree usually is removed so the outside of the
piece is as smooth as the inside.

Objects of many different shapes are in the Renwick show. Even things with similar shapes such as bowls that
could be used for serving food look very different because of the color and grain of the kind of wood used.

For example, a bowl Bob Stocksdale created out of Macassar ebony wood is simple and very dark. A bowl Ron
Kent produced of Norfolk Pine has sides that are so thin and light you can see through them.

David Ellsworth produced containers out of the large growths on trees called burls.
He created a smooth inner space and left the natural, uneven⁴ shape on the outside.
Merryll Saylan used paints and chemicals to color the surfaces of some of the turned
pieces she produced.

Many of the objects in the Wood Turning show are not containers with empty inner
spaces. Some are pieces of useful furniture such as chairs and desks that combine
wood pieces that have been shaped on the lathe. Other turned wood pieces in the
Renwick Gallery show are complex sculptural pieces that are meant just to be

Chair leg in a lathe
A bowl by Ron Kent
(Picture -asu.edu)

enjoyed as art.

Washington Monunment

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Cameroon. Pius Ngoeh asks about the Washington Monument
in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument is the tallest structure in the city. It stands almost one-
hundred-seventy meters tall. It is named for the first President of the United States,
George Washington. Millions of people from around the world visit the white stone
structure every year.

The monument is a structure called an obelisk⁵. Its four sides end in a point at the top.
Fifty American flags surround it. They represent the fifty states. Lights shine on the
Washington Monument at night. It can be seen from far away. Fireworks are launched⁶
from near the monument on American Independence Day
–
July fourth --and at other
special celebrations.

It took many years to build the Washington Monument. One group started raising money for a memorial in
Eighteen-Thirty-Three. Officials placed the first stone of the monument on July fourth, Eighteen-Forty-Eight.

Roman Catholic⁷ Church leader Pope⁸ Pius the Ninth gave a piece of marble from Rome for the monument. But
the stone was stolen in Eighteen-Fifty-Four. After that, the public almost stopped giving money for the structure.
Many people believed it would never be finished.

A group called the Know Nothings was suspected of trying to stop the monument from being built. Finally, in
Eighteen-Seventy-Six, Congress⁹ voted to pay for building the Washington Monument. It was finished in
Eighteen-Eighty-Four and opened to the public in Eighteen-Eighty -Eight.

The Washington Monument recently re-opened after being closed for more than a year. Officials used that time to
make improvements¹⁰. New security¹¹ measures also were added. And a new elevator now carries visitors to the
observation area on top of the monument. From there, visitors can look out over the capital city.

To learn more about visiting the Washington Monument, listen to the Special English program THIS IS
AMERICA on Monday, April twenty-ninth.

Regina Carter

HOST:

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D-C, is celebrating Jazz Appreciation¹² Month. Jazz Appreciation
Month is a national and international celebration that honors¹³ the history and music of jazz. Steve Ember tells us
about jazz violin player Regina Carter.

ANNCR:

For eighteen years, Regina Carter has entertained people with her unusual command of the violin. Her strong
music makes it sound as if she is playing with a full orchestra¹⁴.

Regina Carter says the violin is a perfect instrument for the demands of modern
jazz. She says the violin is designed to play energetic jazz rhythms¹⁵ in the same way
it is used to play classical music. Here is Regina Carter playing a song called, “Oh,

Lady, Be Good.
”

(“OH, LADY, BE GOOD!”)

Regina Carter began playing the violin when she was four years old. Her earlier goal
was to play with a major orchestra. Jazz was not a big part of her life until she heard


the music of jazz violinists Stephane Grapelli and Jean-Luc Ponty. She said there
was a freedom and a possibility in the violin she had not understood before. Here,
Regina Carter plays a song with a Latin¹⁶ sound, called “Mojito.
”

(“MOJITO”)

Regina Carter is one of a very few jazz violinists. At first, she faced opposition¹⁷ to
her jazz violin method. People told her there was no future for a jazz violinist. Mizz
Carter says she still has to prove herself in the jazz world because so many of the
musicians are men.

Regina Carter recently became the first jazz musician and the first African American ever to play the two hundred-
fifty-year-old violin once owned by Niccolo Paganini. He is considered to be one of the greatest
violinists of all time. Regina Carter said she never dreamed she would be given that chance. We leave you now
with Regina Carter playing “Chattanooga Choo Choo.
”

(“CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO”)

HOST:

This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. And I hope you will join us again next week for
AMERICAN MOSAIC
—
VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.

This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Cynthia Kirk, Marilyn Christiano and Nancy Steinbach.
And our producer was Paul Thompson.

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1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 lathe   

n.车床，陶器，镟床

参考例句：

• Gradually she learned to operate a lathe.她慢慢地学会了开车床。
• That lathe went out of order at times.那台车床有时发生故障。

3 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

4 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

5 obelisk   

n.方尖塔

参考例句：

• The obelisk was built in memory of those who died for their country.这座方尖塔是为了纪念那些为祖国献身的人而建造的。
• Far away on the last spur,there was a glittering obelisk.远处，在最后一个山峦上闪烁着一个方尖塔。

6 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

7 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

8 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

9 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

10 improvements   

增加或修改( improvement的名词复数 )； 改进； 改善； 改良

参考例句：

• improvements in efficiency at the factory 工厂效率的提高
• They've spent a lot of money on home improvements. 他们花了很多钱装修家居。

11 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

12 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

13 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》

14 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

15 rhythms   

节奏( rhythm的名词复数 )； 规则变化； 规律； 节律

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• Stylistically, the term implies loose, rapid painthandling, large rhythms and broken colour. 从风格上来说，这个名称意味着松散而迅速的绘画笔触，奔放的格调，使用强烈配色。

16 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

17 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。