VOA慢速英语 2008 1114b

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. This week:

We listen to music from Lucinda Williams …

Answer a listener question about actor Marlon Brando …

But first, we remember the popular writer Michael Crichton, who died last week.

(MUSIC)

Michael Crichton

HOST:

Michael Crichton wrote exciting and intense books that explored the moral and political sides of science and technology. His best-selling books included "The Andromeda Strain", "Congo" "Jurassic Park" and "Rising Sun." Many of his books were made into popular movies. Mister Crichton died last week of cancer at the age of sixty-six. Bob Doughty² tells us more about his life and successful career.

BOB DOUGHTY:
　
Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was born in nineteen forty-two in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Long Island area of New York. He studied English at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but later changed his degree to anthropology³. In nineteen sixty-six, he began medical school at Harvard.

To help pay for his studies, Crichton began writing novels. In nineteen sixty-nine he wrote "The Andromeda Strain." It is about a group of scientists who try to stop the spread of a deadly organism from space. The book became a huge best-seller and was made into a movie. Mister Crichton soon gave up his medical career to spend more time writing.

He published "The Terminal Man" in nineteen seventy-two. It tells about a man who has a computer device put into his brain to improve a mental disorder⁴. But the man becomes a killing⁵ machine when the technology fails. In Mister Crichton's book "Congo", violent gorillas⁶ attack a group of explorers trying to find a special kind of diamond that could change modern technology.

Michael Crichton's most famous book was "Jurassic Park," published in nineteen ninety. It is about scientists who create genetic⁷ copies of dinosaurs⁸. But the dinosaurs soon take control of their creators. The film version three years later was also a huge success.

Michael Crichton's books have sold more than one hundred fifty million copies. But he had his critics as well. Some critics thought his books had weak characters and were written to be movies, not literature. Critics attacked Mister Crichton as racist⁹ for his description of Japanese businessmen in the book "Rising Sun." Others denounced Crichton's book "State of Fear" about evil environmentalists who create fear about the existence and cause of climate change.

Michael Crichton was also involved in movies and television. He directed many of the movies based on his books. He even helped create the popular television show "E.R." about an emergency room in a busy hospital. Mister Crichton combined his knowledge of science, technology, and medicine to bring exciting entertainment to millions of people around the world.

Marlon Brando

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from France. Claude wants to know about the life of famed American actor Marlon Brando.

MARLON BRANDO: "You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum¹⁰ which is what I am, let's face it."

HOST:
　
Marlon Brando

That was Marlon Brando playing a former boxer¹¹ in the nineteen fifty-four movie "On the Waterfront." Marlon Brando was somebody, of course. Many critics say he was the greatest actor of all time. And many actors say Brando influenced them more than any other person in the movie industry.

Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in nineteen twenty-four. His mother was an actress. His father was a salesman. His childhood was not happy. In a book about his life, Brando wrote that both his parents were dependent on alcohol. He wrote that his father never said anything good about his son.

Marlon Brando linked his interest in acting¹² to the painful years of his childhood. He said a child who feels unaccepted by his parents will search for a different identity that will be acceptable.

When he was nineteen, Brando moved to New York City. He studied acting and learned what is called the "method" style of realistic acting. In nineteen forty-seven, he became a Broadway star with his famous performance as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Brando's fame grew in nineteen fifty-one when he acted the same part in the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire." Brando acted in more than forty movies. He won two Academy Awards for Best Actor. One was for his work in "On the Waterfront." The other was for playing Vito Corleone, the powerful head of a criminal organization in "The Godfather" in nineteen seventy-two. He was nominated for five other Academy Awards.

The actor was active in the civil rights movement and protested the way Native Americans were represented in movies.

Marlon Brando was a private man but he did not lead a quiet or easy life. He was married three times. He had at least seven children. Brando dealt with several tragedies. One of his sons was sent to prison for killing a man. Brando's daughter, Cheyenne, killed herself in nineteen-ninety-five.

Marlon Brando died in two thousand four, at the age of eighty. To learn more about this famous actor, listen to the Special English program People in America this Sunday, November sixteenth.

Lucinda Williams

HOST:

Lucinda Williams has been recording¹³ music for over thirty years. This musician from Louisiana is known for her country songs influenced by blues¹⁴ music. Her songs express the dark and moody¹⁵ side of love. But her latest album, "Little Honey," has a happier message. Critics say this is her most joyful¹⁶ album yet. Barbara Klein has more.

(MUSIC )

BARBARA KLEIN:
　
Lucinda Williams

That was the song "Honey Bee." It is one of several songs on the album "Little Honey" that tells about the happiness of being in love. The songs were influenced by Lucinda Williams' future husband and current manager, Tom Overby.

Williams says she can grow as a songwriter now that she has finally found the right relationship. She says that personally, professionally, and creatively she is in the best place she has ever been in her adult life.

Here is the song "Jailhouse Tears" which Williams sings with the musician Elvis Costello.

(MUSIC)

Lucinda Williams says conditions have to be perfect for her to write songs. She needs to be alone with her guitar with room to spread out her notes about song ideas. She says her father, the poet Miller¹⁷ Williams, had a big influence teaching her about artistic¹⁸ expression. She says she grew up economically poor, but culturally rich.

Lucinda Williams says one thing that the songs on her new album have in common is that they are direct. She says the beauty of country and blues music is expressing ideas in a simple and direct way. We leave you with "Real Love."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written by Caty Weaver¹⁹ and Dana Demange, who was also our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.

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 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

3 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

8 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

14 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

15 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

16 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

17 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

18 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。

19 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。