VOA慢速英语20061006b

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Walks Raise Money, and Hopes, in Fight Against Breast CancerBy Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Friday, October 06, 2006

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question about American actor Marlon Brando ...

Play some music from Shakira ...

And report about walking to defeat a deadly disease.

Breast Cancer Walks

October is Breast Cancer Awareness² Month in the United States. However, Americans work throughout the year to help defeat this deadly disease. One popular way many people help raise money for breast cancer research is to take part in organized walks. Shirley Griffith explains.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:


Avon Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco

Large groups of people gather in cities at different times of the year. Each person who walks represents money given by others to help defeat breast cancer. One of these walks is the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. Officials say the organization has provided more than four hundred million dollars in fifty countries around the world. The money is used to improve treatment for breast cancer and find a cure.

Avon Breast Cancer Walks are more than sixty-two kilometers and take place over two days. Breast cancer survivors⁴ take part in the walks. So do their families and friends, and family members of those who have died of the disease.

Lynn Graham of New Castle, Colorado is one breast cancer survivor³ who took part in an Avon walk this year. The sixty-two year old grandmother joined more than two thousand others to walk in San Francisco, California, in July.

Each of the walkers raised at least one thousand eight hundred dollars for breast cancer research and treatment. Miz Graham says she prepared by joining a health club and walking long distances three or four days a week. She called the walk the best emotional and spiritual experience ever.


People taking part in the 3-day walk in Boston

Another breast cancer walker who shares this feeling is thirty-four year old Kiley McMichael of Blacksburg, Virginia. She took part in the three-day ninety-six kilometer walk organized by the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Each person taking part raised at least two thousand two hundred dollars for breast cancer research and treatment. Miz McMichael walked in Boston, Massachusetts, in August with about two thousand others. She took part in the walk because of personal connections to survivors as well as women who died of breast cancer.

Both women say the walk was difficult. But it was filled with joy because they were linking with others working for a common purpose. And they both plan to do another breast cancer walk next year.

Marlon Brando

HOST:

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Iran. Mansour Karami asks about American actor Marlon Brando.

Many critics say Marlon Brando was the greatest actor of all time. Many actors say he was a great influence on them.

Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska in nineteen twenty-four. His mother acted in the local theater. She and her husband had an unhappy marriage, and Marlon and his father did not have a good relationship.

Marlon Brando was an unhappy child. He was always getting into trouble in school and was expelled from one of them. He moved to New York City at the age of nineteen and studied acting⁵. Soon, he was appearing in stage plays. His first major part came in nineteen forty-seven, when he acted the lead in Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire. His fame grew when he acted the same part in the movie, released in nineteen fifty-one.

Marlon Brando was nominated for an Academy Award for that movie, and for his next
Marlon Brando in ''On the Waterfront''

two movies as well. But he did not win the Oscar until nineteen fifty-four. He received the award for the movie On The Waterfront. Many critics consider his work as failed boxer⁶ Terry Malloy his finest performance. Here, Malloy expresses his regrets about losing fights on purpose so his brother could win money betting on them.

You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody instead of a bum⁷ which is what I am. Let's face it.

Marlon Brando acted in about forty movies and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. He won his second Oscar for his work in the movie The Godfather in nineteen seventy-two. He played Vito Corleone, the powerful head of a criminal organization in New York.

Brando was active in the civil rights movement and protested the way Native Americans were shown in movies.

Marlon Brando died in two thousand four. He was eighty years old. Many famous actors expressed their sadness at his death. One of them said simply: He was the best.

Shakira


Shakira

The United States is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month. Each year, the nation honors the work and influence of Hispanic Americans. Shakira is a very popular singer who was born in Colombia. Her sexy and energetic songs have become hits all over the world. Mario Ritter tells us more.

(MUSIC)

That was Ciega, Sordomuda from Shakira's nineteen ninety-eight Spanish language album. She sings about being deaf, blind and stupid with love for someone.

Shakira was born in nineteen seventy-seven to a Columbian mother and Lebanese-American father. She made her first album when she was a teenager. Her strong voice and creative songs soon made her a big star.

In two thousand one, Shakira decided⁸ to start singing in English. Here is Wherever Whenever from her two thousand one album called Laundry Service. This song became an international hit and the record sold millions of copies.

(MUSIC)

Shakira is known as a hard-working woman with great artistic⁹ control over her career. She has won many Grammys and Latin Grammys. In fact, this year she has five Latin Grammy nominations¹⁰, more than any other nominee¹¹. Shakira writes, sings, and produces her own songs. She even creates ideas for her own music videos and helps direct and edit them.

Shakira is also a skillful performer. She sings and dances around the stage. Imagine her singing and dancing to Hips¹² Don't Lie with the singer Wyclef Jean. This song is about making your body move to the music. So, start dancing!

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. Our show was written by Dana Demange and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver¹³ was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, www.unsv.com.

Send your questions about American life to [email protected]. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., 20237, U.S.A. Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

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 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

7 bum   

n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨

参考例句：

• A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
• The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

10 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

11 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

12 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。