VOA慢速英语2009年-AMERICAN MOSAIC - For Hispanics in US, the

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. This week on our program, we tell about a new set of Beatles CDs and a video game based on the British rock band ...

And we visit the undersea world while staying on dry land ...

But first, a report on National Hispanic Heritage Month.

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National Hispanic Heritage Month

HOST:

National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States began September fifteenth. Events are being held throughout the country to celebrate the history, culture and success of America's Hispanic population. Shirley Griffith has more.

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH:

National Hispanic Heritage Month first began as National Hispanic Heritage Week in nineteen sixty-eight under President Lyndon Johnson. President Ronald Reagan expanded the national celebration to a month-long event in nineteen eighty-eight.

September fifteenth was chosen as the starting date because it is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries. They are Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
　
Hispanic Heritage Month honors the work of people including singer Celia Cruz

The United States Census² Bureau estimates that there are almost forty-seven million people of Hispanic heritage living in the United States. They are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country. Hispanics are fifteen percent of the nation's total population.

The theme for this year's Hispanic Heritage Month is "Embracing the Fierce Urgency of Now." It was taken from the historic "I Have a Dream" speech by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Junior. In the speech, Mister King called on Americans to remember the promises of democracy. From historic exhibits to music festivals, this year's Hispanic Heritage Month makes the same appeal.

There are several exhibits at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. This weekend, visitors can see a short theater piece. An actor plays Spanish-American Admiral David Farrugut, a hero in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. The exhibit is called "The Price of Freedom."

The Library of Congress also has events, including a talk on "Increasing Hispanic Representation in the Federal Government." In addition, cultural fairs and music performances are taking place throughout the country.

At the end of this month the Hispanic Heritage Foundation will honor six Latinos. United States Senator Robert Menendez from New Jersey³ is among the honorees. Foundation chairman Pedro Jose Greer, Junior says all of the honorees serve as role models not only for Latinos but for all Americans. The official Hispanic Heritage Month celebration ends on October fifteenth. The unofficial celebration continues all year round.

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Georgia Aquarium⁴

HOST:

The Georgia Aquarium in the southern city of Atlanta calls itself the largest aquarium in the world. It is filled with thousands of fish, large and small, from all over the world. It is a very popular place for visitors who want to learn more about the wonders of the underwater world. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

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Two huge walls of fish greet visitors to the Georgia Aquarium. The jack⁵ fish inside these tall tanks swim back and forth⁶ quickly. They are lit with a striking blue light and seem to glow in the dark room. Visitors can choose to visit rooms with river fish and animals, or they can explore creatures found in warm tropical waters.
　
Beluga whales

In the "Coldwater Quest" exhibit, visitors can watch three large white beluga whales. These beautiful creatures live in the coldest northern waters. They are the only whales with necks that fully⁷ bend. Belugas are also known as "canaries of the sea" because of the high-pitched noises they make underwater.

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Watching them in the aquarium is a special experience. Their muscular bodies swim gracefully⁸ through the water.

The "Ocean Voyager" exhibit is home to many stingrays, hammerhead sharks and groupers. It also has two manta rays, the only ones in an American aquarium. Most exciting of all, this exhibit also holds several whale sharks. These huge creatures are the largest fish in the world. Despite their name, they are not whales. The Georgia Aquarium is the only aquarium in the United States that exhibits these huge fish.

To make all these creatures visible, museum experts built huge walls of acrylic material that is over half a meter thick. One viewing window is about eighteen meters wide by seven meters tall. But to really experience this ocean world, you can enter a tunnel and watch the fish swimming above you.

The exhibits teach young visitors about the importance of protecting sea creatures and the environments they live in.

But the Georgia Aquarium is more than just a museum. It partners with the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine to operate the Correll Center for Aquatic⁹ Animal Health. The group says this is the first and only teaching hospital for animals to operate within an aquarium.

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The Beatles

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Masoud in Iran. He wants to learn about the famous rock band the Beatles.

Masoud has great timing¹⁰. A new video game featuring the Beatles went on sale last week. And a new group of Beatles CDs was also released last week. The series includes digitally improved versions of every song the British band released between nineteen sixty-three and seventy. Experts say these songs have been re-mastered using the latest technology. They sound much better than the CDs that have been sold for the past twenty-two years. Like this song, from nineteen sixty-nine, "Come Together."

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The Beatles were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The group began in Liverpool, England in the early nineteen-sixties.

They were together for only ten years. Yet, by some estimates the band has sold one billion albums worldwide.

The Beatles' first big hit single was released in Britain in nineteen sixty-two. It became a number one song in America two years later. Here is "Love Me Do."

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A scene from the game

People now can play that song along with John, Paul, George and Ringo on "The Beatles: Rock Band" video game. The game uses real Beatles recordings¹¹. The video shows colorful and dreamy background images to provide players with a nineteen sixties feel. But does it have the sound of thousands of screaming teenage girls?

That is who welcomed the Beatles on their first American visit in nineteen sixty-four. Crowds of girls waited for the band's arrival at an airport in New York City. The Beatles' concert in Washington, D.C., was also a huge success. And more than half of all the people in the United States watched the Beatles appear on a popular television program during their visit.

We leave you with the Beatles performing their nineteen sixty-seven song, "Fool on the Hill."

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HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by June Simms, Dana Demange and Caty Weaver¹², who was also the producer.

Do you have a question about people, places or things in America? You can send it to [email protected] we may answer it on this show.

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 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 aquarium   

n.水族馆，养鱼池，玻璃缸

参考例句：

• The first time I saw seals was in an aquarium.我第一次看见海豹是在水族馆里。
• I'm going to the aquarium with my parents this Sunday.这个星期天，我要和父母一起到水族馆去。

5 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。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 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。

8 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

9 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

10 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

11 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

12 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。