VOA慢速英语2011--Mormons and Their History in America

THIS IS AMERICA - Mormons and Their History in America

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA. I'm Doug Johnson.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we talk about Mormons in America.
(MUSIC)
DOUG JOHNSON: Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are called Mormons. The LDS church began in eighteen thirty in the United States.
Today there are perhaps fourteen million Mormons. More than six million of them live in the United States. Large populations live in the American West.
At any given time, the church has more than fifty thousand missionaries¹ sharing their religious message around the world. Most of them are under the age of twenty-five.
The church has its headquarters in Salt Lake City, in the western state of Utah. Near the Salt Lake Temple is the Mormon Tabernacle, home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir².
Three hundred sixty singers volunteer in this world-famous choir.
(MUSIC: "Angels from the Realms of Glory"/Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
BARBARA KLEIN: Mormons have been getting a lot of attention lately. One reason is the presidential race. Two Mormons are among the candidates seeking to become the Republican Party nominee³ in next year's election.
One of them, Mitt⁴ Romney, also sought the nomination⁵ in two thousand eight. Mr. Romney is a businessman and a former governor of Massachusetts. He officially entered the race in early June. He made his announcement at a farm in New Hampshire.
MITT ROMNEY: "I’m Mitt Romney. I believe in America. And I’m running for president. Thank you."
DOUG JOHNSON: Jon Huntsman is a former governor of Utah. Most recently he served as ambassador to China, appointed by President Obama. Mr. Huntsman learned Mandarin⁶ as a missionary⁷ in Taiwan.
He declared his candidacy in late June with the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in the background. He and the president, he said, "have a difference of opinion on how to help a country we both love."
JON HUNTSMAN: "But the question each of us wants the voters to answer is who will be the better president, not who is the better American.”
BARBARA KLEIN: Another Mormon politician is Senator Harry⁸ Reid of Nevada, leader of the majority Democrats⁹ in the Senate. He joined the church in nineteen sixty while in college.
Stephenie Meyer, author of the popular "Twilight¹⁰" vampire¹¹ series for young adults, is also Mormon. So is playwright¹² and film director Neil LaBute and singer Gladys Knight¹³.
And so was John Willard Marriott. In nineteen twenty-seven he and his wife, Alice, moved from Salt Lake City to Washington. They opened a small restaurant that grew into Marriott International, the company that operates hotels and other properties worldwide.
DOUG JOHNSON: Mormons welcome non-Mormon visitors into their churches, though not their temples. Their rituals, their sacred ceremonies, are also private.
Only men hold leadership positions. Women who publicly criticize this policy may be expelled from the church.
During the church's early years, Mormon men could have more than one wife at a time. But the church officially rejected polygamy in eighteen fifty, the same year polygamy became illegal across the United States.
In opinion polls, most Americans say they would vote for a Mormon for president next year if that person is their party's nominee. But twenty-two percent said in a Gallup poll in June that they would not vote for a Mormon.
That finding has been largely unchanged since nineteen sixty-seven.
BARBARA KLEIN: Twenty-seven percent of Democrats and almost twenty percent of Republicans and independents said they would not support a Mormon.
By comparison, a higher percentage, thirty-two percent, said they would not elect a gay or lesbian president. And almost half objected to an atheist¹⁴, someone who does not believe in God.
At the same time, just ten percent said they would not vote for a Hispanic. And even fewer objected to a Jewish, Baptist, Catholic, female or black nominee.
There were no big differences on the Mormon question by age, gender¹⁵ or area of the country. But opposition¹⁶ was higher among people who have not attended college compared to those who have.
This was also true about voting for members of most of the other religious or social groups in the poll.
DOUG JOHNSON: The question about whether Americans would vote for a Mormon recalls similar questions about electing a Catholic president.
In nineteen sixty, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy gave a speech two months before the election. As a Catholic, he wanted to answer concerns that the Roman Catholic Church might influence his decisions.
JOHN F. KENNEDY: "I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accept instructions on public policy from the pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly¹⁷ upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials, and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."
In November of nineteen sixty, Americans elected Senator Kennedy as the nation's first, and only, Catholic president.
The LDS church says it is neutral in elections. Its president, Thomas Monson, and his counselors¹⁸ recently wrote to church officials. The letter reminded them of the policy against actively¹⁹ supporting any candidate.
BARBARA KLEIN: The presidential campaign is not the only reason Mormons have been getting more attention lately. In New York, a popular Broadway musical called "The Book of Mormon" makes fun of the church and its history. The play is by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the animated²⁰ TV series "South Park."
The musical may offend some people, but others find the two young missionaries in the story sweet and likeable.
BOOK OF MORMON: “[Doorbell] ‘Hello. My Name is Elder Price. And I would like to share with you the most amazing book.’ [Doorbell] ‘Hello. My name is Elder Grant. It’s a book about America a long, long time ago.’ [Doorbell] ‘It has so many awesome²¹ parts.’ [Doorbell] ‘You simply will not believe how much it can change your life.’ [Doorbell, doorbell]”
DOUG JOHNSON: So what do Mormons think of all this attention? Dale Jones is a spokesman for the LDS church.
DALE JONES: “I think the most important thing to know about our faith and its members is highlighted in the name of our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that we do our very best to follow Jesus Christ. And it really is our faith in Jesus Christ that is central and motivates all that we do.”
Mormons believe that God has restored the ancient messages of Jesus Christ through later prophets. These include the church's founder²², Joseph Smith. And they believe that revelation -- the communication of divine truth -- still takes place.
Mormons believe that the Bible is the word of God, but that the Bible is not complete. They find additional truths in other books including “The Book of Mormon.”
BARBARA KLEIN: Joseph Smith was the young son of a farmer in New York state when he saw visions of God and Jesus in eighteen twenty. Tradition says that three years later, an angel appeared and told him where to find two golden plates.
On those plates he found writings from an ancient American civilization. Mormons say he translated those words into English.
In eighteen thirty, Joseph Smith published his version of the writings in "The Book of Mormon." On April sixth of that year, he and others established the Church of Christ. It was later renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Day Saints.
DOUG JOHNSON: After its first year, the church had one thousand members. Mormon communities grew in Kirtland, Ohio, and Independence, Missouri. Kirtland became the church headquarters in eighteen thirty-one. The first Mormon temple was built there.
But Mormons faced oppression. "The massacre²³ at Haun’s Mill" was an attack in Missouri in which seventeen adults and children were killed.
Joseph Smith was jailed, but later escaped. He and his followers²⁴ established the city of Nauvoo, Illinois. They became active in Illinois politics. In eighteen forty-four Joseph Smith even decided²⁵ to run for president of the United States.
In Nauvoo, church dissidents started a newspaper to denounce him. The City Council declared the newspaper a "public nuisance" after the first and only issue appeared. Joseph Smith, as mayor of the city, ordered the printing press to be destroyed and the remaining copies burned.
After that happened, Illinois officials arrested Smith and his brother Hyrum. A mob attacked the jail and shot the brothers to death in June of eighteen forty-four. Illinois expelled the Mormons two years later.
The new Mormon leader, Brigham Young, led a group of settlers west. They settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley, but it was years before life settled down.
BARBARA KLEIN: The Mormons may be best known for keeping ancestry²⁶ records, and not just records of Mormons.
The LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City holds more than two billion names of people who have died. The library and a network of research centers are open to the public. The website familysearch.org contains names from more than one hundred countries and territories.
LDS spokesman Dale Jones says Mormons place great importance on the role of the family.
DALE JONES: “We especially want to support and strengthen families because we believe families are the bedrock of society. Mormons believe our best efforts should be given to building families, and that through Jesus Christ, these family connections continue after we die.”
(MUSIC: "Morning Has Broken"/Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
DOUG JOHNSON: Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Brianna Blake. I’m Doug Johnson.
BARBARA KLEIN: And I’m Barbara Klein. You can read and listen to our programs and write comments at voanews.cn. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

3 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

4 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

5 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。

6 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

7 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

11 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

12 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

13 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。

14 atheist   

n.无神论者

参考例句：

• She was an atheist but now she says she's seen the light.她本来是个无神论者，可是现在她说自己的信仰改变了。
• He is admittedly an atheist.他被公认是位无神论者。

15 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

16 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。

17 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

18 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

19 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

20 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

21 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

22 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

23 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

24 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

25 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。

26 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。