VOA慢速英语2010年-AMERICAN MOSAIC - Toys That Make Music

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)I'm Doug Johnson. This week we play music from Kanye West’s new album …And answer a question about cell phones ...
But, first, a report about the most important day of the year for American store owners and what is on the top of people’s shopping lists.
(MUSIC)November twenty-fifth was Thanksgiving in the United States. Families and friends gathered in homes to share a dinner of turkey, cranberries², sweet potatoes, green beans and pumpkin³ pie. Millions of Americans share another tradition the day after Thanksgiving. They shop for Christmas presents. Katherine Cole tells about the day and what seems to be high on this year’s Christmas lists.
KATHERINE COLE: Police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday" in the nineteen sixties. A huge number of shoppers were crowding the streets and creating terrible traffic problems.
Later the term came to mean a good day for business owners because they would sell a lot that day.
The Spider-Man balloon floats through Times Square during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York on Thursday They might even go from debt to profit. Store owners traditionally would record debt in their business books in red ink and profit in black ink. That is the "black" in Black Friday.
The National Retail⁴ Federation⁵ says almost one hundred forty million Americans are expected to shop this weekend. Many stores have advertised reduced prices and expanded shopping hours.
So what will shoppers be buying? Experts say small collectible objects are hot items for children this year. The Fisher-Price Sing-a-ma-jigs are an example. These soft, brightly colored characters make music. But you have to make the beat by squeezing⁶ them. They make funny noises and can sing with other Sing-a-ma-jigs. Each costs about fifteen dollars.
Paper Jamz are also expected to be popular. These are paper-thin musical instruments. Inside are battery-operated devices⁸ that are very sensitive to touch.
Sing-a-ma-jigs are a popular toy this year Paper Jamz come with three songs built in and four ways to play the instrument. You can use the "freestyle" play and create all your own songs. Or you can use "perfect play" and out will come a hit song exactly as recorded by the artist. You can even play it with vocals⁹ or without. Paperjamz are made by WowWee and cost about twenty dollars.
The National Retail Federation says adults are interested in different presents this year. The industry says useful gifts like pots and pans¹⁰, toasters and tools were popular last year. This year people will be buying jewelry¹¹ and personal care items.
(MUSIC)DOUG JOHNSON: This week we answer a question from Vietnam. Phan Tran Trung Kien wants to know the history of mobile¹² telephones in the United States.
If you walk down any busy street in America, you will probably see many people with their hands up to their ears. Others may be pushing buttons on a small electronic device⁷ in their hands. Talking or sending text messages on mobile phones has become an important part of American life.
Motorola's first cellular¹³ phone, the DynaTAC 8000X, and a newer model Until nineteen seventy-three, most telephone calls were made either at home, at a business or in a vehicle. But on April third of that year, Martin Cooper of the Motorola Company made history. While walking down the street in New York City, he made the first mobile telephone call.
Mr. Cooper had helped invent the DynaTAC 8000X. It was a mobile, or cellular, telephone often called "the brick¹⁴." It was much larger and heavier than the mobile phones we use today. After that first call, it took ten years before the phone was ready to be sold to the public. The first ones were very expensive. They cost almost four thousand dollars each. But even with that size and cost, many people stood in line to buy them.
The first mobile telephones used a system, or network, called 1G. It was the "first generation" of technology. This allowed one person to call and talk to another person, but that was all. By the early nineteen nineties, the second generation, or 2G network, came into use. It allowed talking and sending text messages. By that time, cell phones were much smaller and cost much less.
In two thousand one, the first 3G systems were being used. This new network permitted people using cell phones to make calls, send text messages and use the Internet. Users¹⁵ could even keep photographs and music on their phones, and send them to their friends.
Within the past two years, the 4G network has come into use. It permits cell phones to work much faster and with much more information. Modern cell phones can even act as small televisions. They can show movies and live sporting events.
As the networks have gotten more complex, the telephones have gotten smaller, lighter¹⁶ and less costly¹⁷. Many electronics¹⁸ stores in the United States even give away the newest cell phones. But customers must agree to pay to use the network that sends their calls from one place to another.
It is interesting to imagine what the 5G and 6G network cell phones of the future will be able to do.
(MUSIC)Kanye West rides a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade DOUG JOHNSON: Kanye West has had some trouble with his public image. But he has no problems with his music. Critics are praising his fifth album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." They are calling it "terrific¹⁹" and "a masterpiece." One reviewer compared it to the Beatles album, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band." Mario Ritter has more.
MARIO RITTER: "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" went on sale Monday. Several songs became hits on Billboard’s singles chart before the album’s release²⁰.
One of them is "Runaway," a nine-minute song for which Kanye West directed a thirty-five minute music video. It tells the story of an unlucky love affair between West and a beautiful bird woman who falls from space.
(MUSIC)Kanye West has won fourteen Grammy Awards. Each of his first four albums sold more than one million copies. He is one of the most popular and powerful people in the music business. And that is made clear by the people he gathers for this album. Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys and Elton John are just a few. Some of them perform this song, "Dark Fantasy."(MUSIC)On Tuesday, Kanye West surprised fans in New York with an announcement of a concert that night in Manhattan. It sold out in minutes. Later in the day people were selling the tickets on eBay for as high as one hundred thousand dollars.
The crowd was filled with famous people, including musician Questlove, film director Spike²¹ Lee and clothing designer Tory Burch.
We leave you with one of the songs they heard. Here is "Power."(MUSIC)DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Jim Tedder²² and Caty Weaver²³, who also was our producer.
You can get transcripts²⁴, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning²⁵ English.
If you have a question about American life, write to [email protected]. We might answer your question on this show. So be sure to include your name and country.
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 cranberries   

n.越橘( cranberry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The tart flavour of the cranberries adds piquancy. 越橘的酸味很可口。
• Look at the fresh cranberries. 你看这些新鲜的蔓越橘。 来自无师自通 校园英语会话

3 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

4 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 squeezing   

挤压； 轧水

参考例句：

• We were drying our clothes by squeezing. 我们把衣服拧干。
• He had a hard time squeezing through the crowd to get up to the platform. 他好不容易才挤到台前。

7 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

8 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

9 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

10 pans   

n.平底锅( pan的名词复数 )；（天平的）秤盘；马桶；盘状凹地（尤指盆地）

参考例句：

• Pots, pans, kettles and mops are kitchen utensils. 锅、盘、壶及拖把是厨房用具。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She clashed these pans down on the floor. 她将这些盘子哗啦一声摔在地上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 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。

12 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

13 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

14 brick   

n.砖；vt.用砖砌，用砖堵住

参考例句：

• She stared blankly at the brick wall in front of her.她面无表情地瞪着面前的砖墙。
• I bought a brick of ice cream for my daughter.我给女儿买了块冰砖。

15 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

16 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

17 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。

18 electronics   

n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术

参考例句：

• About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。
• He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。

19 terrific   

adj.可怕的，极好的，非常的

参考例句：

• The game was terrific.那场比赛棒极了。
• Darren drove at a terrific speed.达伦以惊人的速度驾车。

20 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

21 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

22 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

23 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。

24 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

25 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。