VOA慢速英语 2007 0131b

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we present another in our series about continuing education programs for older Americans. We tell about the Smithsonian Associates.

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VOICE ONE:




Every day, thousands of people walk along the grassy¹ area in the center of Washington D.C. called the National Mall. They are on their way to visit the museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Visitors of all ages want to see and learn from the millions of objects that are part of the Smithsonian's collection.

Some adults enter a small building next to the Smithsonian's red brick castle on the Mall. Many are carrying notebooks and pens. Others are carrying bags of art supplies. Most of them are older and have retired² from their jobs.


Ripley Center

They are going to underground classrooms in the S. Dillon Ripley Center to continue their education. They are learning about such subjects as history, science and international issues. Or they are developing new skills in areas such as photography, drawing or making jewelry³.

VOICE TWO:

S. Dillon Ripley was head of the Smithsonian Institution from nineteen sixty-four to nineteen eighty-four. He wanted to expand the Smithsonian through programs that bring the museums to life so people could learn and have fun doing it. His purpose, he said, was to change the image of the place as a dusty attic⁴ populated solely⁵ by researchers counting beetles⁶.

During his twenty years in office, Secretary Ripley added seven research facilities and eight museums including the National Air and Space Museum. He started the Smithsonian Magazine that is read by people around the world. In nineteen sixty-five, he began a public education program, the Smithsonian Associates. He believed the Smithsonian should be educating the public at the same time it supported independent scientific research.

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VOICE ONE:

Since it began, the Smithsonian Associates has provided thousands of educational and cultural programs. Each year the organization offers almost one thousand activities to people who live in the Washington area. The activities include classes, talks, performances, films and trips.

The Smithsonian Associates education program was an experimental idea when Mister Ripley began it. Today it is a proven success. It is the nation's largest museum-based continuing education program.

VOICE TWO:

About eighty thousand individuals who live in the Washington area belong to the Smithsonian Resident Associates Program. They pay every year to be members. Every month they receive a magazine describing programs offered during the coming months. Members pay for the classes or lectures. The cost for classes is much less than it would be to take them at a university. Many of the Smithsonian events offer speakers or performers who do not appear anywhere else in the Washington area.

About half of the resident Smithsonian Associates members are age fifty-eight or older. Christine Cimino is a public affairs officer for the organization. She says many of its programs are aimed at older members who have more time to attend the events.

Members of the Associates are highly educated. Ninety-five percent of them have graduated from college.

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VOICE ONE:

The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum complex in the world. Its collections cover almost every possible subject. So do the educational programs of the Smithsonian Associates. The major areas of interest are art and architecture, food, history, literature, science and religion.

Christine Cimino says that programs about art have been the most popular. History is second, followed by science programs. Many people are interested in studio arts where they learn how to make art, not just look at it.

Painting, drawing, quilting and photography classes have been offered for years. Classes in digital photography have been added recently and are filled with members of all ages. Some adults decide after they retire that they want to improve their photographs. So they take one of the many photography classes the Smithsonian Associates offers. People taking the classes can use a large darkroom for developing and printing photographs and a computer laboratory for digital media.

VOICE TWO:

Many subjects have been included in the Smithsonian Associates program for years 鈥?such as Greek history, the Bible and new discoveries in archeology. Other subjects are newer and are linked to changes in popular culture.

For example, Miz Cimino says more self-help talks and classes are being offered now. She says older members are interested in learning about what they should do to keep their memories sharp.

Adults who are about to retire want to know about ways to improve their financial situation. Those who have already retired want to find out about interesting places for travel. People of all ages are interested in programs about cooking and new restaurants in the area. And classes about ways to deal with the tension of daily life are popular with everyone.

The people who teach the classes are experts in their subjects. Many have written books. They come from all over the United States and from other countries. After they speak, members of the Associates can ask them questions and buy their books. Miz Cimino says classes used to meet for a few hours each week for six weeks. But now, many classes are held in one day, during a weekend, or four nights in one week. The reason, she says, is that people are too busy 鈥? even adults who have retired.

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VOICE ONE:

In one month's time, the Smithsonian Associates offers a huge selection⁷ of education programs. It is possible to find a class, a lecture or a performance to attend almost every day of the month.

For example, a two-day seminar about Genghis Kahn's Mongolia was offered on the first weekend of one month. The next Saturday, there were three all-day seminars -- the Origins of the Bible, Russian Art, and the Neuroscience of Human Relationships. Other weekend seminars later that same month included How to Make the Most of Your Memory; America's Constitution; and Space, Time and the Multiverse.

VOICE TWO:

Single lectures during that month covered many other subjects: The Voyage of the Mayflower in Sixteen Twenty. The American Air Campaign Against Nazi⁸ Germany. Tasting Portuguese⁹ Wine. Mysteries of the Middle Ages. Deepak Chopra on Life After Death. A reading of Homer's poem, the Odyssey¹⁰, at the Embassy¹¹ of Greece.

A series of once a week classes meeting that month provided Smithsonian Associates members with a chance for more in-depth learning. There were classes about The Golden Age of Cities, American Popular Music, and The Art of Thinking. One class was The Power of Ritual¹² in Religion. Each week a different expert discussed the important ceremonies and principles of the five major religions: Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Christian¹³ and Buddhist¹⁴.

Studio Arts classes included Architectural Photography, Beginning Drawing and Sumi-E and Shodo: Traditional Japanese Ink Painting and Calligraphy¹⁵. There were also several trips that month. Members could visit nearby Civil War battlefields. Fly to Niagara Falls for a day. Or explore glass factories in West Virginia for four days. At night, they could hear Music of the Jazz Masters, R. Carlos Nakai's Magic Flute¹⁶ or classical music by the Twentieth Century Consort¹⁷.

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VOICE ONE:

Several groups of adults are leaving the Smithsonian Associates classrooms in the Ripley Center. They are busy commenting on what they learned that day. The discussions continue as the older students walk across the Mall to return to their homes.

A man carrying brushes and an almost finished oil painting says he is having fun learning to paint. He wanted to try it for years but never had the time when he was younger. A woman carrying a notebook says she was worried she would miss the excitement of work when she retired. But she says continuing to learn through Smithsonian Associates programs makes life interesting and keeps her feeling young.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Marilyn Christiano and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can find more about continuing education programs on our Web site, www.unsv.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

1 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

2 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。

3 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

4 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

5 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

6 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 selection   

n.选择，挑选，精选品，可选择的东西

参考例句：

• We left the selection of the team to the captain.我们把挑选队员的工作交给了队长。
• The shop has a fine selection of cheeses.那家商店有各种精美乳酪可供选购。

8 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

9 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

10 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

11 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

12 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

13 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

14 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

15 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

16 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

17 consort   

v.相伴；结交

参考例句：

• They went in consort two or three together.他们三三两两结伴前往。
• The nurses are instructed not to consort with their patients.护士得到指示不得与病人交往。