VOA慢速英语 2009 0111a

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the art collector and cultural supporter, Isabella Stewart Gardner.

During the late nineteenth century, she traveled around the world to learn about foreign cultures and improve her knowledge of art. Missus Gardner was a celebrated¹ arts and community supporter in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. She spent her later years turning her home and art collection into a beautiful museum for the public to enjoy.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum does not seem like a museum. It looks like what it is: a large, beautiful home built in the style of sixteenth century Italy. But this home contains over two thousand pieces of art organized from room to room by period and by geography.

VOICE TWO:
　

The Raphael Room

The collection includes paintings, sculpture, rare books, jewelry², and pieces of ancient buildings. For example, the Blue Room contains paintings by nineteenth century artists including Edouard Manet and Eugene Delacroix. It also contains finely made furniture and displays of letters from many famous American writers who were friends of Missus Gardner during her lifetime.

From this room, you can explore the nearby Chinese Loggia, or go upstairs to see the Italian art hung on the deep red walls of the Raphael Room.

VOICE ONE:

The four levels of rooms center on a beautiful courtyard with a glass ceiling to let light shine in. The art collection is organized in a way that is warm and personal. So you feel like you are a guest in a home instead of a visitor in a huge, impersonal³ museum.

This museum is one of a kind. It is the only private art collection in the United States that had one person design the building, the collection and the way in which the art is hung. Let us learn more about this interesting woman who devoted⁴ her life to art.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Isabella Stewart was born in New York City in eighteen forty. Her father, David Stewart, made a great deal of money in the trade of linen⁵ cloth and iron. Isabella went to private schools in New York and in Paris, France, where her family lived for two years. During this time, her parents took her to Italy to explore the country's many cultural treasures.

VOICE ONE:
　

The courtyard

One of the private art collections Isabella visited in Milan had a deep influence on her. She wrote to one of her friends about her dream of one day owning a house with an art collection like the one she had seen in Italy. Isabella said in the letter that she would fill the house with art and beautiful old furniture called antiques⁶ so that other people could enjoy them.

VOICE TWO:

In Paris, Isabella became close friends with one of her classmates, Julia Gardner, whose family was from Boston, Massachusetts. Julia would later introduce Isabella to her brother, Jack⁷. In eighteen sixty, Isabella Stewart married Jack Gardner. The couple moved to Boston.

VOICE ONE:

In eighteen sixty-three, Isabella gave birth to a son, Jackie, who died two years later. To help his wife overcome a severe depression, Jack Gardner planned for them to travel to Europe. The couple traveled through Norway, Russia, Austria and France. This change of environment helped Isabella Gardner greatly. She soon regained⁸ the sense of humor⁹ and spirit for which she was known.

VOICE TWO:

The couple traveled together often. One trip was to Egypt, Palestine, and Greece. Isabella kept detailed¹⁰ written descriptions of their travels. Her travel writing showed a sense of adventure and love of the art and traditions of other cultures. On another trip, she and her husband visited the art and monuments of Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, and India.

In eighteen seventy-five, the Gardners adopted the three sons of Jack's brother, who had recently died.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:
　

A portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent

Isabella Stewart Gardner did not behave like most women of her time. She was very independent and not afraid to express her thoughts and opinions. She smoked cigarettes and hosted parties that were famous around town. She learned¹¹ all she could about subjects that were important to her, such as art and literature. She also developed relationships with interesting people. She became good friends with the American painters John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler and the writer Henry James. She collected the work of the great ancient painters, but also worked hard to support modern artists beginning their careers.

VOICE TWO:

Missus Gardner took a great interest in the community activities of Boston. She loved to attend Red Sox baseball games as well as other sports at nearby Harvard College. And, she gave financial support to organizations that supported animal rights and the planting of city gardens. Her independence and spirit caught the attention of the media. Reporters often wrote stories about her, some of which were more true than others. Missus Gardner did not seem to mind. She was known to have said: "Don't spoil¹² a good story by telling the truth!"

VOICE ONE:

During her many travels, Isabella Gardner visited art galleries and consulted with art experts. She wanted to be fully¹³ educated about the art collection she was starting to build. When Isabella's father died in eighteen ninety-one, she used the money he left her to buy more art. A few years later, Isabella and Jack Gardner bought three major paintings by great artists. One was by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, another by the Spanish artist Velazquez, and another was by the Italian artist, Titian.

VOICE TWO:

The couple knew they now had too much art to fit inside their home. So they decided¹⁴ to start planning a museum. Missus Gardner decided that she did not like the cold and empty spaces of many museums during her time. She wanted to create a museum that was warm and filled with light. The building design of ancient homes in Venice, Italy, became the influence for their museum.

VOICE ONE:

Missus Gardner once said that she decided years ago that the greatest need in her country was art. She said America was a young country developing quickly in other areas. But the country needed more chances for people to see beautiful examples of art.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In eighteen ninety-eight, Jack Gardner died unexpectedly¹⁵ of a stroke¹⁶. Isabella knew she had no time to lose in building her museum. She bought land, hired a building designer, and supervised¹⁷ every detail of her museum's construction. Around nineteen oh one, Missus Gardner moved into the fourth floor of the museum, where she would live for the rest of her life. For over a year, she worked on putting her art collection into place.

VOICE ONE:

Missus Gardner opened her museum on January first, nineteen oh three. The museum at this time was called Fenway Court. She invited her friends that night for a special musical performance by members of the Boston Symphony¹⁸ Orchestra¹⁹. One person attending that evening described how the perfection²⁰ of all things in the museum seemed to have an unusual effect on the guests. He said its effect was very extraordinary and wonderful, like a miracle²¹.

The next month, she opened the museum to the public. At first, visits were limited to twenty days out of the year. Visitors paid one dollar to enter.

VOICE TWO:

Isabella Stewart Gardner died in nineteen twenty-four in Boston. In her will, she left the museum a million dollars and a series of requirements about how it should be managed. One requirement is that the permanent collection cannot be changed.

VOICE ONE:

But one major change was beyond the museum's control. In March of nineteen ninety, robbers²² dressed as police entered the museum and stole thirteen works²³ of art. They stole some of the most valuable works in the collection. They included three paintings by Rembrandt and another by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. The paintings were never recovered. Empty frames²⁴ hang on the walls were the paintings once were displayed as a reminder²⁵ of this tragic²⁶ crime.

VOICE TWO:

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is as interesting today as it was one hundred years ago. But it also keeps up with today's community. The museum holds many events so that the public can enjoy musical evenings, educational programs and other activities. Modern artists can take part in the museum's artist-in-residence program. And, the museum invites public school students to view the collection while also providing teachers with art education projects.

The memory and spirit of Isabella Stewart Gardner lives on in the museum she created to share her love of art with the people.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can learn about other famous Americans at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 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。

3 impersonal   

adj.无个人感情的，与个人无关的，非人称的

参考例句：

• Even his children found him strangely distant and impersonal.他的孩子们也认为他跟其他人很疏远，没有人情味。
• His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.他的态度似乎很生硬冷淡。

4 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。

5 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

6 antiques   

n.古玩，古董，古物( antique的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The room was furnished with antiques. 房间里摆放了古董。
• a priceless collection of antiques 价值连城的古文物收藏

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

9 humor   

n.(humour)幽默，诙谐

参考例句：

• He is distinguished for his sense of humor.他以其幽默感著称。
• American humor is founded largely on hyperbole.美式幽默主要以夸张为基础。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

12 spoil   

n.战利品，赃物，奖品，掠夺，次品；vt.损坏，破坏，溺爱；vi.腐坏，掠夺

参考例句：

• Don't bunch the flowers up so tightly,you'll spoil them.别把花束得这么紧，会弄坏的。
• Overacting will only spoil the effect.表演过火，效果反而不好。

13 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

14 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。

15 unexpectedly   

adv.未料到地，意外地；竟；居然；骤然

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning. 火山一早突然爆发了。
• I had just put the dinner on when Jim walked in unexpectedly. 我刚把晚饭摆上桌，吉姆突然走进来。

16 stroke   

n.笔画，击打，连续的动作，中风，心跳；vt.奉承，轻抚； vi.击打，心跳...

参考例句：

• He drove in a nail with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把钉子敲进去了。
• He broke the lock with one stroke of the hammer.他一锤就把锁砸坏了。

17 supervised   

v.监督，管理( supervise的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The architect supervised the building of the house. 建筑工程师监督房子的施工。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He supervised and trained more than 400 volunteers. 他指导和培训了400多名志愿者。 来自辞典例句

18 symphony   

n.交响乐（曲），（色彩等的）和谐

参考例句：

• The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven is a famous one.贝多芬的第九交响乐非常有名。
• They play over the whole symphony.他们把整个交响乐重新演奏了一遍。

19 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。

20 perfection   

n.尽善尽美，无比精确

参考例句：

• Their works reach to a great height of perfection.他们的作品到了极完美的境地。
• The picture wants something of perfection.这幅画还有些不够完美。

21 miracle   

n.奇迹，令人惊奇的人或事

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• It is simply a miracle that rice should grow in such a place.稻子竟能在这样的地方生长，这实在是个奇迹。

22 robbers   

n.抢劫者，强盗，盗贼( robber的名词复数 )；盗匪

参考例句：

• The robbers fled empty-handed. 抢劫犯一无所获地逃走了。
• The policeman discharged his gun at the fleeing robbers. 警察向逃跑的强盗开了枪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

24 frames   

n.框架( frame的名词复数 )；眼镜框；组织；边框

参考例句：

• roughly hewn timber frames 粗劈成的木架子
• The window frames had begun to warp. 窗框已经开始变形。

25 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

26 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。