VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Two New Recordings C

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

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I’m Doug Johnson.

Today, we listen to music by John Prine.

And we answer a question about aircraft pioneer Igor Sikorsky.

But first we tell about some congresswomen who share friendship and a home in Washington, D.C.

(MUSIC)

Congresswomen at Home

DOUG JOHNSON: The United States House of Representatives has four hundred thirty-five members. Only seventy-three are women. Shirley Griffith tells us about three of these congresswomen who have a special relationship at work and at home.

John Prine performing during the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Carolyn Maloney, Melissa Bean and Debbie Wasserman Schultz work together in Congress each day. They are all members of the Democratic Party. They represent people in the states of New York, Illinois and Florida. After the work day is over, they all go home -- to the same place. They share a house in Washington, D.C., near the Capitol building, that belongs to Ms. Maloney. They have lived together for five years.

Carolyn Maloney says she thought of the Founding Fathers of the United States when she bought the home. The first political leaders of the country often lived in rooming houses. They ate dinner together and shared their ideas.

Since the three congresswomen are all mothers, they have a lot in common. They work in Washington during the week. On weekends, they travel to their home states to see their families. Ms. Wasserman Shultz says the best thing about living together is the friendship they share each evening. They share the good times as well as the difficult times.

Representatives Carolyn Maloney, at left, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Melissa Bean

For Ms. Wasserman Shultz the bad times started in two thousand seven. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is cancer free today, but she remembers how important it was to have her roommates for support. Ms. Maloney says she needed the help of her two friends when her husband died last September. He was on a trip to the Himalayas and died on a mountain trail.

The three Congresswomen will be returning to Washington this month after their summer vacation. They spent time with their families and prepared for the November election. All three women are up for re-election this fall.

No matter what happens, Melissa Bean says their friendship will continue. She says: “You don’t come to Congress to make friends, because if you do, you’re not coming to be independent and have your own mind. What a great surprise it has been to make such good friends.”

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Igor Sikorsky

DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from Vladimir in Moscow, Russia. He wants to know about the life of Igor Sikorsky, a pioneer in the world of aviation.

In nineteen-oh-three, in the American state of North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright took off, flew through the air, and landed a powered airplane. When a fourteen-year-old boy from Kiev, Russia, heard the news, his life changed. Igor Sikorsky decided² he would study aviation.

The young man began his studies at the Saint Petersburg Naval³ Academy. Then he studied engineering in Kiev at the Polytechnic⁴ Institute. When he was only twenty years old, Igor Sikorsky designed and built his first helicopter.

The VS-300, Sikorsky's first successful helicopter

When it failed, he decided he would try to make airplanes. Success came quickly. In nineteen thirteen Igor Sikorsky built the world’s first four-engine airplane. He called it “The Grand.” After that he built a larger plane that was used as a bomber⁵ in World War One.

Igor Sikorsky moved to the United States in nineteen nineteen. Four years later, he opened the Sikorsky Aero Engineering Corporation in New York. For the next fifteen years he built many new kinds of airplanes. His S-38 amphibian⁶ flew through the air and then landed on water. His Flying Clipper was the first airplane to fly forty passengers across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

In nineteen thirty-eight, Igor Sikorsky began work once again on his “vertical lift machine” -- the helicopter. He built nineteen different models before he found success. Soon his helicopter, the R-4, was being manufactured in great numbers. It was the world’s first mass produced helicopter.

The R-4 did not need an airport. It could take off and land almost anywhere. In wartime, it was used to carry troops into battle and to fly injured soldiers to hospitals quickly. Many lives were saved because of this.

Sikorsky spent the rest of his life designing and building aircraft. He was awarded many prizes for his work. Igor Sikorsky often said: “The work of the individual still remains⁸ the spark which moves mankind ahead.”

(MUSIC: “Glory of True Love”)

John Prine

DOUG JOHNSON: Singer songwriter John Prine has always seemed to fly a little "under the radar⁹." His folksy, country and soft rock songs are more famous than he is. They have been recorded by artists including Bonnie Raitt, the Everly Brothers, Bette Midler, Johnny Cash, the Seldom Scene and many others. But some fans would argue that no one sings John Prine like John Prine.

The musician has a new album out. And several other musicians have released a separate album celebrating John Prine. Mario Ritter plays music from both new recordings¹⁰.

MARIO RITTER: John Prine’s new album is called “In Person and On Stage.” It is a collection of songs recorded live. Prine also tells a little about himself or the songs. This song tells what coal mining does to the environment and the economic disaster that results when the industry leaves an area. John Prine first recorded “Paradise” in nineteen seventy-one.

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The album honoring John Prine is called “Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows.” It includes performances by Josh Ritter, Sara Watkins and the band Drive-By Truckers. The group My Morning Jacket performs a John Prine song from his nineteen ninety-one Grammy-winning album, “The Missing Years.” Here is “All the Best.”

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In two thousand five John Prine released “Fair and Square.” It also won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. “Long Monday” is one of the songs on the record. He included it in “In Person and On Stage.”

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We leave you with one of John Prine’s best-known songs, “Angel from Montgomery.” Bonnie Raitt recorded its most famous version. The band Old Crow Medicine Show recorded it for “Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows.”

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Jim Tedder¹¹, with reporting by Ana Ward⁷, and Caty Weaver¹², who also was the producer.

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 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。

3 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

4 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

6 amphibian   

n.两栖动物；水陆两用飞机和车辆

参考例句：

• The frog is an amphibian,which means it can live on land and in water.青蛙属于两栖动物，也就是说它既能生活在陆地上也能生活在水里。
• Amphibian is an important specie in ecosystem and has profound meaning in the ecotoxicology evaluation.两栖类是生态系统中的重要物种，并且对环境毒理评价有着深远意义。

7 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

10 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

11 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

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。