VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Celebrating Independ

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to American Mosaic¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson.

Today we tell about Independence Day in the United States. This Fourth of July will mark America’s two hundred and thirty-fourth birthday.

We also answer a listener question about a famous American general.

And we hear a poem about the American flag by country singer Johnny Cash.

(MUSIC)

Independence Day

DOUG JOHNSON: The Fourth of July marks the anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence from Britain. During the summer of seventeen seventy-six, American colonists² were deeply divided. Almost one in three was loyal to Britain. Yet most were increasingly angry about what they considered unfair treatment by the British government. By June, fighting had already taken place between colonial forces and Britain. The idea of independence was spreading.

Fourth of July fireworks last year over New York City

Delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental³ Congress decided⁴ that a document declaring separation from Britain should be declared. Thomas Jefferson led a committee chosen to write it.

On July fourth, seventeen seventy-six, the Continental Congress voted to approve the Declaration of Independence. It says that people have the right to change their government if it denies them their rights. It states that everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

(MUSIC: "America the Beautiful”/Elvis Presley)

DOUG JOHNSON: Today, the Fourth of July holiday is a time for friends and families to gather. They might play sports and eat hot dogs, hamburgers and other foods cooked outdoors. They might watch a parade in their community. At night, many people gather to watch fireworks bursting in the dark sky. Katherine Cole has more.

An 18th century painting called "Congress Voting the Declaration of Independence"

KATHERINE COLE: To get into the spirit of the upcoming holiday, we asked several people what they were doing this year to celebrate . We also asked about memories of past holidays.

Jim is from Boston, Massachusetts. He says he has many nice memories of July Fourth holidays spent in Maine.

JIM DOOLITTLE: “During the nineties I went to Naples, Maine, with my wife. Naples, Maine, has a Fourth of July parade like no other and a fantastic fireworks display over the lake.”

KATHERINE COLE: Sion from Seattle, Washington, says his holiday plans may change.

SION: “Last year in Seattle it was cloudy. So we all went up to the Space Needle to watch the fireworks and this big cloud moved in and covered the Space Needle and so we just kind of watched the clouds and that was it.”

KATHERINE COLE: Cecilia is from Peru and lives in Maryland. She plans to go to the National Mall in Washington.

CECILIA: “I hope I will come to the concert and also to the parade.”

KATHERINE COLE: One family from Ohio has a very different kind of Fourth of July tradition in their neighborhood.

FATHER: “Water balloon war! Our whole neighborhood has a water balloon fight, a thousand something water balloons.”

ABBY: “I like to throw them at the boys. It’s boys versus⁵ girls. The boys usually win.”

KATHERINE COLE: In Washington, D.C., thousands of people will attend a concert with performances by musicians including Reba McIntire, Darius Rucker and Gladys Knight⁶. There will also be a huge fireworks show with more than two thousand five hundred shells exploding over the National Mall.

Visitors exploring this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Another event that traditionally takes place on the National Mall this weekend is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This year’s event celebrates the cultures of Mexico and Asian Pacific Americans. Visitors can hear the music, eat the food and learn about the many traditions of these cultures.

The third subject of the festival is called “Smithsonian Inside Out.” Smithsonian experts will have a chance to present their research and knowledge to the public.

(MUSIC: “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”/Mahalia Jackson)

Douglas MacArthur

DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from China. Fan Xiongjie wants to know about General Douglas MacArthur.

Douglas MacArthur was born on an Army base near Little Rock, Arkansas in eighteen eighty. He grew up on army bases where his father served. There was never any question about what Douglas MacArthur would do with his life. He would join the army. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York as the best student in his class.

Douglas MacArthur became a colonel when World War One began. He won many honors for his bravery and leadership. During the nineteen thirties, President Hoover appointed him chief of staff of the Army, one of the most important jobs in the American military.

In nineteen thirty-five, General MacArthur was appointed military advisor⁷ to the Philippines. He was to help the government build an army for defense⁸ purposes as the Philippines began planning for independence.

He was the chief military advisor to the Philippine military forces when the United States entered World War Two in December, nineteen forty-one. President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave the Philippines to command American forces in the South Pacific.

In nineteen forty-four, he returned to the Philippines with an army that defeated the Japanese. General MacArthur was chosen to accept the Japanese surrender in nineteen forty-five. He was appointed Supreme⁹ Commander of the Allied¹⁰ Powers, the leader of the occupation forces that would rule Japan.

In nineteen fifty, North Korean troops invaded South Korea. Within two days, the United States decided to send armed forces to aid South Korea. Douglas MacArthur was appointed commander of the United Nations forces in South Korea. General MacArthur called for a total victory in Korea. He wanted to bomb Chinese bases in Manchuria and block Chinese ports. But President Truman would not accept General MacArthur’s plan.

The general made public his opposition¹¹ to the president. The disagreement between the two ended in nineteen fifty-one, when President Truman dismissed General MacArthur as commander. Douglas MacArthur returned home to the United States. He was honored as a hero. Today, opinions about his career remain divided. Some see him as a great soldier. Others remember his inability to accept criticism.

General MacArthur died at the age of eighty-four in nineteen sixty-four.

(MUSIC)

"Ragged¹² Old Flag"

DOUG JOHNSON: Instead of our usual music program, we close with a poem by the country singer Johnny Cash from nineteen seventy-four. “Ragged Old Flag” tells a story from the American flag’s point of view. Johnny Cash imagines the many historical events the American flag has seen and experienced since the founding of the United States.

JOHNNY CASH: I walked through a county courthouse square

On a park bench, an old man was sitting there.

I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,

He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".

I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,

And that's a ragged old flag you got hanging on it."

He said, "Have a seat." and I sat down,

"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"

I said, "I think it is."

He said, "I don't like to brag¹³, but we're kinda proud of

That Ragged Old Flag.

 

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,

When Washington took it across the Delaware.

And it got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,

Writing ‘Say Can You See.’

And it got a bad rip in New Orleans, with Packingham and Jackson

Tugging¹⁴ at its seams.

And it almost fell at the Alamo

Beside the Texas flag,

But she waved on though.

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,

And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.

There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard and Bragg,

And the south wind blew hard on

That Ragged Old Flag.

 

"On Flanders Field in World War I,

She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp, and low, a time or two.

She was in Korea, Vietnam.

She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.

She waved from our ships upon the briny¹⁵ foam¹⁶

And now they've about quit waving her back here at home.

In her own good land here

She's been abused,

She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.

And the government for which she stands

Is scandalized throughout the land.

And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearing thin.

But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.

Cause she's been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more.

 

So we raise her up every morning

We take her down every night,

We don't let her touch the ground,

And we fold her up right.

On second thought

I do like to brag

‘Cause I'm mighty¹⁷ proud of

That Ragged Old Flag."

DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written and produced by Dana Demange with reporting by Mike DeFabo.

You can find transcripts¹⁸, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. If you have a question about American life, send an e-mail to [email protected]. We might answer it on this show. Please remember to tell us your name and where you live.

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 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

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 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

6 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

7 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 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。

10 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

13 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。

14 tugging   

n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句

15 briny   

adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋

参考例句：

• The briny water is not good for the growth of the trees.海水不利于这种树木的生长。
• The briny air gave a foretaste of the nearby sea.咸空气是快近海的前兆。

16 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

17 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

18 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