VOA慢速英语2011--British Singer Adele Is Number One in US

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. This week, we play music from Adele’s new album, which is number one on Billboard²’s top two hundred ...
And we answer a question from Thailand about former basketball star Michael Jordan ...
But first, a report on the state of women and girls in the United States.
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Women in America
DOUG JOHNSON: March is National Women’s History Month in the United States. It is a time to recognize, honor and celebrate the important part that women play in shaping America’s history. It is also a time to call attention to the social, political and economic problems facing women and girls. Faith Lapidus has our story.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Earlier this month, the White House Council on Women and Girls released a historic report on the condition of women in America. It is the first time since nineteen sixty-three that the government has released such a detailed³ report on the subject.
First lady Michelle Obama was introduced by Aissatou Hamidou Diallo, 13, from Burkino Faso, at the White House on Tuesday. The reception marked the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.
The report is called “Women in America: Indicators⁴ of Social and Economic Well-Being⁵.”
The report says women have made major progress is several important areas. But, it says, there is still much work to be done.
Women today are more educated, have better jobs and earn better pay than at any other time in history. There are also more women than men graduating from high school, enrolling⁶ in college and attending graduate school. In fact, women are expected to represent nearly sixty percent of all college undergraduate enrollment⁷ by the year twenty nineteen.
All of these advances represent major progress for women. However, the White House report also noted⁸ some serious problems.
For example, female workers continue to be paid less than male workers. The report said that in two thousand nine women at all educational levels earned about seventy percent of what men earned. Women were also more likely than men to live in poverty. This was especially true for unmarried women with children. Twenty-eight percent of this group had income levels that were below the poverty line.
President Obama noted such inequities in his Presidential Proclamation for Women’s History Month. Mr. Obama said countries are more peaceful and successful when their female citizens enjoy equal rights, equal voices and equal chances for success.
He also said the United States must lead by example in protecting women’s rights and supporting their empowerment. Women are fifty-one percent of the total population in America.
National Women’s History Month grew out of National Woman's Day which was first celebrated⁹ in the United States in nineteen hundred and nine. The observance was celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day in nineteen eleven. Congress expanded it into a month-long celebration in the United States in nineteen eighty-seven.
This year’s National Women’s History Month celebration is called “Our History is Our Strength.” Programs and ceremonies are planned around the country to celebrate women’s successes.
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Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan at a Chicago Bulls game last month with former teammate Scottie Pippen
DOUG JOHNSON: Our question this week comes from Thailand. Kitichai asks about the career of Michael Jordan, his favorite American basketball player.
Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. He is most famous for playing for the Chicago Bulls, but later in his career he played briefly¹⁰ for the Washington Wizards.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born in the Brooklyn area of New York City in nineteen sixty-three. He went to high school and college in North Carolina. He played basketball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel¹¹ Hill. He was chosen to play for the Chicago Bulls in nineteen eighty-four.
Michael Jordan played for the Bulls for thirteen years. During this time, the team won six championships. Jordan became one of the highest scoring players in the National Basketball Association. He averaged thirty points a game during the regular season. He was recognized as the NBA’s most valuable player five times during the regular season.
Michael Jordan became famous for the way he jumped through the air to throw the ball into the net and score points. This skill earned him the nicknames “Air Jordan” and “His Airness.” Jordan also became known around the world for appearing in advertisements for companies including Nike, Gatorade and Coca-Cola.Michael Jordan also won gold medals in nineteen eighty-four and nineteen ninety-two representing the United States basketball team during the summer Olympic Games.
Jordan retired¹² from the Chicago Bulls in nineteen ninety-four to play minor¹³ league baseball for one season. He retired from the team permanently¹⁴ in nineteen ninety-nine. He played briefly for the Washington Wizards starting in two thousand one.
In two thousand six, Michael Jordan bought a minority ownership in the Charlotte Bobcats professional basketball team. In two thousand ten, his company, MJ Holdings, reached an agreement to buy the team from the Bobcats’ majority owner. Last March, Michael Jordan became the first former National Basketball Association player to be majority owner of an NBA team.
Adele's "21"
Singer Adele arrives at the Brit Awards in London last month
DOUG JOHNSON: British singer Adele’s new album has taken first position on Billboard Magazine’s Top Two Hundred Albums chart in its first week. Her recording¹⁵ “21” now is headed into its second week at number one. The smoky voiced twenty-two-year-old sings about heartbreak on her new album. Bob Doughty¹⁶ plays some of the new songs.
BOB DOUGHTY: Adele recently told a reporter that she has not healed from the end of the relationship she sings about in “21.” She laughed and said she would not recover until she fell in love again.
Here she is with the fiery¹⁷ “Rolling in the Deep.”
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However, Adele can feel very secure about her career. Her first album, “19,” was released two years ago. It charted in the top ten of Billboard’s Top Two Hundred Albums. It sold more than one million copies around the world. And Adele won Best New Artist at that year’s Grammy Awards. Here Adele slows down the beat with “Take it All.”
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Adele is beginning a concert series in the United States in May. Current plans have her first appearing in Washington, D.C. May twelfth. Her last show is expected to be June twentieth in the “home of country music,” Nashville, Tennessee. We leave you with Adele performing “I’ll Be Waiting,” from her album “21.”
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DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by June Simms and Caty Weaver¹⁸ who was also the producer.
If you have a question about American life, write to [email protected]. We might answer your question on this show. So 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 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

5 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

6 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

7 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

10 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

11 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

14 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

15 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。

16 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

17 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

18 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。