VOA慢速英语2010年-Music Stars Present Grammy Nominations

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson.

This week we answer a question about furniture in American homes.

We also play some music nominated for Grammy Awards.

But first, we tell about artist and writer Maira Kalman and her new book, “And the Pursuit of Happiness.”

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MAIRA KALMAN

DOUG JOHNSON: Maira Kalman is a writer and artist who combines these two skills in her many books and magazine articles. She has written twelve books for children as well as several for adults. Her colorful drawings and the writing that goes with them are imaginative, playful and thoughtful. Her most recent book is “And the Pursuit of Happiness.” It tells about her year-long observation of American democracy through its history, culture, and people. Pat Bodnar has more.

PAT BODNAR:

Musician B.o.B performs at The Grammy Nominations³ Concert this month

“And the Pursuit of Happiness” began as a monthly column in the Opinion section of the New York Times. Maira Kalman said she was not at all interested in politics. But she decided⁴ to tell about political changes in the United States from the point of view of someone who had never investigated the subject.

The story would begin with President Obama’s inauguration⁵. It would be about asking questions and learning about American democracy, politics, history and culture. Ms. Kalman said studying this subject had a surprising result.

MAIRA KALMAN: “What happened was, I fell in love. I fell in love with the country in a way that I never had. And I fell in love with every single person in the country, which is a big job.”

“And the Pursuit of Happiness” takes place over twelve months. Ms. Kalman studies the men who helped create American democracy, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. She visits national museums, presidential homes, the Supreme⁶ Court, the Library of Congress and a military base. She meets important people and asks them questions. She writes about voting, women’s rights, the law and immigration.

Maira Kalman's New Book "And the Pursuit of Happiness"

The story comes alive through the details she notices on her travels which she paints: The cherry pie she eats at a military base. The funny, fur hat Benjamin Franklin once wore. The red ballot⁷ box at a town meeting in Vermont.

Maira Kalman was born in Israel in nineteen forty-nine. She and her parents moved to New York City when she was very young.

Last week, Ms. Kalman gave a talk at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. She spoke⁸ about her new book and how she created it. She also talked about her childhood and how her mother would take her to the library to read. She said this is what influenced her to become a writer. But she said that becoming an artist was also influenced by the special kind of freedom her parents gave her and her sister.

MAIRA KALMAN: “Rules had no place in our home.”

She said her mother made sure that she and her sister knew about art, dance and music. But her mother did not tell them how to do things. She let them find their own way and make their own mistakes.

MAIRA KALMAN: “But she never expected you to do things the right way. And that is a very powerful thing.”

Maira Kalman says this idea influences how she works. To her, it is not important to “get it right” but rather to tell a story that is honest and personal.

Furniture in American Homes

DOUG JOHNSON: This week our listener question comes from Viet Nam. Pham Van Ly wants to know what kind of traditional wood furniture Americans have in their homes.

We talked to Jennifer Burns who is in charge of collections at the High Point Museum in High Point, North Carolina. The city is known as the furniture-making center of the United States.

Ms. Burns says throughout American history, furniture makers⁹ have used “just about any kind of wood you can think of.” These include oak, walnut¹⁰ and cherry. She says the kind of wood used depended on the area where the furniture makers worked. She says “they made what they needed with what was around them.”

A wooden chest of drawers

Today, Americans have tables and chairs in their kitchens and dining rooms that are usually made of wood. People also have large wooden cabinets in their dining rooms to hold dishes. Americans also have wood furniture in their bedrooms. This includes large dressers to hold clothing. And they may have bookcases and cabinets to hold televisions and other electronic equipment in rooms where the family gathers.

Americans have other kinds of furniture in their living rooms and family rooms. Jennifer Burns says most of the sofas and chairs in these rooms are upholstered. They are made of cloth or leather material and have padding and springs. So they are more comfortable to sit on than wood furniture.

Throughout American history, most furniture was made of wood and had a traditional design. But that is changing. There are many different kinds of materials and styles used to make furniture. Many Americans still choose traditional furniture made of wood. Some people like to have antique furniture that is very old. Others like very modern furniture made of metal and glass.

Grammy Nominations

DOUG JOHNSON: That was Justin Bieber with “Somebody to Love.” The sixteen-year-old received the Grammy nomination² for best new artist. Bieber said he “couldn’t believe it.”

The Recording¹¹ Academy held a televised concert last week to announce the major Grammy nominations. Hip-hop star Eminem, singer Bruno Mars and country group Lady Antebellum captured quite a few. Faith Lapidus has our story and plays some nominated music.

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FAITH LAPIDUS:

That is Eminem with Rihanna performing “Love the Way You Lie,” nominated for song of the year. It is on Eminem’s album, “Recovery,” which also received a Grammy nomination. In all, Eminem could win eleven Grammys at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles February thirteenth.

Dave Grohl and Selena Gomez announce Grammy nominees¹² for Song of the Year

Katy Perry is also up for album of the year award for “Teenage Dream.” It is Perry’s third studio album. Almost two hundred thousand copies of “Teenage Dream” sold in the first week of its release last May. Here is the title track.

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The performers on the television show “Glee” are nominated for two Grammys. One of the honors is for this version of “Don’t Stop Believin,’” a song first recorded by the group Journey.

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Among the best alternative music album nominees is “Brothers,” from the group the Black Keys. The two-man band formed in two thousand one in Ohio and has six albums. We leave you with “Howlin’ for You” from the Black Keys Grammy nominated album, “Brothers.”

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DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange, Chris Cruise and Caty Weaver¹³, who also was our producer.

If you have a question about American life, write to [email protected]. Please 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 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

11 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。

12 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

13 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。