VOA慢速英语20060619b

THIS IS AMERICA - A Visit to Houston, Where Cowboys, Astronauts and Culture MeetBy Dana Demange

Broadcast: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 16:00:00 UTC

From VOA News: Heavy rains caused flooding Monday in Houston, blocking roads and forcing some schools and businesses to close for the day. Texas Governor¹ Rick Perry ordered National Guard trucks and crew, helicopters and swift² water rescue teams to Houston in response to the twenty-seven centimeters of rain that fell. Some residents³ were rescued from stranded⁴ vehicles. Flooding was also reported in southwestern Louisiana.

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:


Houston skyline

And I'm Steve Ember. This week, explore the biggest city in Texas. Houston is home to cowboy culture, space travel, art cars and much more.

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VOICE ONE:

Two brothers established Houston in eighteen thirty-six. Augustus and John Allen were land developers from New York state.

They purchased more than twenty-five square kilometers of land in a low-lying area near a small river, or bayou. They named the town after a hero of Texas history, Sam Houston. The Allens wanted to build a city that would become a center of government and commerce⁵. They succeeded.

Houston soon became a center for the cotton trade, then later the oil industry. The Port of Houston links the city to the shipping⁶ traffic in the nearby Gulf⁷ of Mexico.

The capital of the state of Texas is Austin. But Houston for a time in its early years was the capital of the Republic of Texas.

Texas was part of Mexico until a rebellion⁸ by Anglo-American colonists⁹ and Tejanos, Mexicans living in Texas. After that, the territory was an independent republic for almost ten years.

In eighteen forty-six, Texas became the twenty-eighth state.

VOICE TWO:

Today, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States. Two million people live there.

The area now spreads over more than one thousand six hundred square kilometers of southeastern Texas.

Oil and gas exploration are still important to the Houston economy. But other industries have also grown over the years. One of these is the space industry.

Houston is home to the Johnson Space Center. Astronauts train there. And it is also where the NASA space agency¹⁰ has its Mission¹¹ Control. Controllers direct space shuttle flights from Houston, just as they did with the old Apollo flights to the moon.

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Movies like Apollo Thirteen have only added to the image of Houston as Space City.

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VOICE ONE:

Houston is also a center of culture. For example, visitors to the Museum District can explore the Menil Collection. This is considered one of the finest private collections of art in the world. John and Dominique de Menil created the museum for their personal collection.

Next to the museum is the Rothko Chapel¹². The Menils created this, too. It represents a work of both religious and modern art.

VOICE TWO:

The space serves as a place of worship¹³ for people of all religious beliefs. Visitors can stand or sit in an eight-sided room with high walls. On the walls are fourteen huge paintings that the artist Mark Rothko created for this purpose. The paintings are mixtures of dark color that help create a calm environment.

Visitors to the Museum District can find many art museums as well as others devoted¹⁴ to science and history.

VOICE ONE:

Tall office buildings rise in the center of Houston. Some of these shining glass structures were designed by world-famous architects.

Downtown Houston is also home to the Theater District. Many performing arts organizations are located there. In fact, Theater District officials say Houston has more to offer than most other American cities. Houston has its own permanent professional companies in all of the major performing arts: opera, ballet, music and theater.

VOICE TWO:

But art does not have to be traditional to be enjoyed. Every year in Houston, people gather for the Art Car Parade. They come from around Texas and other parts of the country to see who has the best design for making a car into art.

In the parade, the cars are driven slowly down a main street. People stand on the sidewalks and cheer when they see ones they like.

One winning car, for example, was covered in shining pieces of silver glass and colorful round pieces of plastic. Attached to the back of the car were life-size sculptures of people playing music.

Another artist had a small car designed as a piece of fruit. He painted his old Volkswagen Beetle¹⁵ orange and placed a big leaf on top. This art car was called Orange-A-Peel.

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VOICE ONE:

Houston is a big modern city. But many Houstonians wear cowboy hats and boots. They enjoy country music and dance the Texas two-step.

The tradition of the old western cowboy is a part of Texas culture that remains¹⁶ important to many people. Yet there are still many cattle ranches¹⁷ in Texas. So cowboy culture lives on.

VOICE TWO:


Houston Livestock¹⁸ Show

Every year, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo creates much excitement around the city. This event is described as the largest of its kind in the world. It was started in the nineteen thirties. People compete to see who raised the best farm animals. At the rodeo, visitors can watch competitions based on traditional cowboy skills.

Thousands of people give their time to organize these events. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo raises millions of dollars. The money helps provide financial aid to students all over Texas.

VOICE ONE:

Texans have a tradition of doing things in a big way. The Houston Astrodome is a good example. This huge ballpark opened in nineteen sixty-five. It was named for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball, who have since moved.

When the Astrodome was built, some people called it the eighth wonder of the world. They had never seen a ballpark with a roof over the playing field. It meant that the climate-controlled stadium could be kept cool even in the heat of the Texas summer.

The roof was covered in glass. But players soon found that sunlight shining off the glass made baseballs hit in the air difficult to see. So workers painted over the glass on the roof. Without sunlight, however, the grass on the field died.

A new invention called Astroturf soon replaced the real grass. This artificial¹⁹ grass became popular on playing fields around the world.

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VOICE TWO:

Are you hungry? Houston has plenty of different restaurants. In fact, Houstonians are said to eat out more than people in any other American city.

There are foods from around the world. But the city is especially well known for Tex-Mex, Texas cooking combined with traditional foods from Mexico

Texas barbecue is also popular. The smoke from burning wood gives a rich flavor²⁰ to the meat. And to clean your plate, be sure and try a piece of hot cornbread.

VOICE ONE:

Houston has a large Latino population. It also has one of the largest populations of ethnic²¹ Vietnamese in the United States. Many Nigerians also live there. In fact, if you listen carefully, it is possible to hear about ninety languages being spoken in the Houston area.

Houston continues to grow, sometimes in unexpected²² ways. In late two thousand five, Houston received many of the people forced from their homes in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Officials say ninety thousand, and perhaps as many as one hundred fifty thousand, remain in Houston and surrounding areas.

VOICE TWO:

To many people, Houston is a city that has it all. In fact, it is one of the least costly²³ cities in America. But not everything that is said about Houston is good.

For example, the company MapQuest has declared Houston the most difficult of major cities in the United States for visitors to navigate²⁴. The Houston Chronicle reported this under the headline: It's easy to get lost in our big, fat, hot, polluted city.

The story said: In survey after survey, Houston has been picked on for being the fattest, the hottest and the most polluted of U.S. cities. The newspaper noted²⁵ that a public opinion study had even just found Houstonians terrible at cleaning up after their dogs.

Yet some people do not seem to mind too much that Houston appears on lists like these. A city spokesman²⁶ told the Chronicle: Houston is fast becoming the third-largest city in the United States, so somebody is not reading the bad lists.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Dana Demange and produced by Caty Weaver²⁷. Read and listen to our programs at www.unsv.com. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. To send us e-mail, write to [email protected]. We hope you listen again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

2 swift   

n.雨燕，大滚筒；adj.迅速的，快的，敏捷的，立刻的；adv.迅速地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He is swift to hear,but slow to speak.他听力敏锐，但不善言辞。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery.他康复得相当快。

3 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

4 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

5 commerce   

n.商业，贸易；社交

参考例句：

• Commerce binds the two countries together.贸易把这两国结合在一起。
• They drew up plans aimed at expanding commerce.他们拟定了发展商业的计划。

6 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。

9 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

11 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

12 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

13 worship   

n.崇拜，礼拜；v.崇拜，敬仰；做礼拜

参考例句：

• The Greeks used to worship several gods.过去，希腊人崇奉好几种神。
• Blind worship must be ended.盲目崇拜必须停止。

14 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

15 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

18 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

19 artificial   

adj.人工的，人造的，人为的；做作的，假装的

参考例句：

• The new dam will form a large artificial lake behind it.新筑的水坝将会在后面形成一个人工湖。
• We don't use any artificial flavourings in our products.我们的产品不使用任何人工调味剂。

20 flavor   

n.味，滋味，味道；风味；vt.调味，加味于

参考例句：

• I like the flavor of chocolate.我喜欢巧克力的味道。
• Each flavor was totally unique.每一种味道都是独一无二的。

21 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

22 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。

23 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

24 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

25 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

26 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

27 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。