VOA慢速英语2013 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Discover America with American Mosaic!

 

 

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Discover America with American Mosaic!

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms.

On our show this week, news on Lady Gaga, Green Day and other stars of the music industry…

We tell also tell about “The Impossible,” a new movie about the disastrous² Indian Ocean tsunami³ in 2004.

But first, we take a rare look at one of the most important documents in American history.

This week, the United States marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation⁴ Proclamation. The document freed slaves in the southern states that were fighting to secede⁵ --- to separate from the United States. President Abraham Lincoln signed the document on Jan. 1, 1863.

The federal government held a public exhibition of the Emancipation Proclamation this week in Washington. Christopher Cruise tells about the rare showing.

The National Archives put the proclamation on display for just a few days. It is a rare copy because it is signed by President Lincoln, and because it has the presidential seal, although the years have destroyed much of the seal.

While it did not immediately free slaves in all of the United States, the Proclamation did lead to the approval of the 13th Amendment⁶ to the Constitution. That measure ended slavery in the United States. The fight over the 13th amendment is the subject of director Steven Spielberg’s current movie “Lincoln.”

Reginald Washington is an expert in African-American documents at the National Archives. He says the document changed the debate about why the Civil War was being fought.

“The proclamation, however, did bring about a fundamental change in the character of the war. With a stroke of Lincoln’s pen, a war to preserve the union had overnight become a war for human liberation. For the nearly 4,000,000 slaves held in bondage⁷, it was a symbol of hope. It gave confirmation⁸ to their beliefs and insistence⁹ that the war should be -- and was for them -- a war to secure their freedom.”

Mr. Washington says many historians and scholars believe the Emancipation Proclamation is one of the greatest documents in human freedom. He says some historians believe it is as important in American history at the Declaration of Independence.

The National Archives has produced a free e-book on the Emancipation Proclamation. The one hundred fifty year old document was not well cared-for in the past. To protect it from further damage, officials permit its display for only 30 hours a year. However, the National Archives is considering the proclamation’s display in other parts of the country this year to celebrate its anniversary.

“The Impossible”

Eight years ago, huge deadly waves hit the coasts of several Indian Ocean countries. 230,000 people were killed in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Thailand. A new film explores the horrific experience of one family on the Thai coast when the waves arrived.

“The Impossible” stars Naomi Watts¹⁰ as Maria and Ewan McGregor as Henry, her husband. The couple is on vacation with their three boys. The tsunami waves separate Maria and Lucas, the oldest son, from the others. Maria is severely¹¹ injured.

Henry and the two younger boys desperately¹² search for her and Lucas.

“The Impossible” recreates a very realistic version of a powerful wave that crushes everything in its path. The film shows the disorder¹³ and suffering in the period that followed the tsunami. But it also depicts¹⁴ the caring, love and help people provide in a crisis.

Juan Antonio Bayona directed “The Impossible.”

“I really believe it’s an experience. I left it open so that the audience could leave the theater with something to think about.”

Ewan McGregor left, Naomi Watts and J.A. Bayona last month at the screening of "The Impossible" in New York City 

Watts, McGregor and young actor Tom Holland provide deeply moving performances. But, no film can perfectly¹⁵ represent the pain and sadness of those people who lost loved ones in the tsunami.

Like reporter Murizal Hamzah. He was living in Banda Aceh, Indonesia at the time. He lost his sister and mourns her to this day.

“On average, most people in Banda Aceh lost at least one member of their family in that disaster. When the tsunami hit my place my sister and I were separated. I went to an empty house and she run to the other way with some friend. I lost some relatives too who lived in the next village.”

Some critics say the filmmaker was wrong to tell the story of one European family, while hundreds of thousands of Asians died. But, others say “The Impossible” is a memorial to all the victims.

Music News

A lot happened in the music world during the past few days. There was good news and bad. Jim Tedder¹⁶ tells us about the recent happenings.

The punk rock band Green Day is going back on the road. The group announced on Monday that it would re-launch its concert series in March.

Green Day cancelled performances last year because its leader, Billie Joe Armstrong, was seeking treatment for drug abuse. Armstrong placed a message about his recovery on Instagram. He thanked his supporters and said “I’m getting better every day.” In his words, “the show must go on.”

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at an NBA basketball game last month 

Rapper Kanye West also announced major news this week. He told concert goers in Atlantic City that he was expecting a baby with reality show entertainer Kim Kardashian. The two stars starting dating in April.

Kardashian confirmed the pregnancy¹⁷, saying she and Kanye feel lucky to be starting a family.

Kardashian is in the process of divorcing her husband, professional basketball player Kris Humphries. They separated after seventy-two days of marriage in two thousand eleven.

The famed soul singer Bobby Womack has Alzheimer’s disease. Womack told the BBC that he is suffering from memory problems. He said his doctor told him that the condition was not bad yet but would worsen.

Doctors discovered that Womack had colon¹⁸ cancer last year. After treatment he announced he was cancer-free.

Last June, the sixty-eight year old entertainer released his first album in 18 years. “The Bravest Man in the Universe” was noted¹⁹ on many critics' lists of best albums of 2012.

Finally, Lady Gaga plans to provide mental health help for fans during her Born This Way Ball concert series. The singer plans to open her Born Brave tour bus before shows to people seeking assistance with mental health problems like depression. There are to be group and private discussions of issues including bullying²⁰, problems with friends and other social pressures.

Lady Gaga says the Born Brave Bus will be a place people can seek advice without being judged.

Lady Gaga also just announced that she will stop smoking marijuana during the recording²¹ of her next album, “Artpop.” The artist has been very open about her love for the drug.

 

 

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 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

3 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

8 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

9 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

10 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

11 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

12 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

13 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

14 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

15 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

16 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

17 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

18 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

19 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。

20 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 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。