VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-05-02 China Responds to a Major Earthquake, Art for Prosthetics and the Appeal of Superheroes

 

AS IT IS 2013-05-02 China Responds to a Major Earthquake, Art for Prosthetics and the Appeal of Superheroes

Welcome to As It Is from VOA Learning English.

I’m Mario Ritter.

A deadly earthquake has again struck China’s Sichuan province. The quake was almost as powerful as the one that hit the area in 2008 killing¹ thousands. But this time, the number of deaths has been much lower.

From China, we turn to the United States, and some very different stories. We hear about how artists in the United States bring color to the lives of amputees. And for pure fun, we tell you about costume gatherings² were the participants dress as their favorite superheroes.

China suffered its worst earthquake in three years in the middle of April. Recovery efforts continue in parts of southwestern China.

More than 200 people died in the quake and about 12,000 were injured. An official in Sichuan province says that at least 410,000 need temporary assistance.

Emily Chan is director of the Disaster and Medical Humanitarian⁴ Response center at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

She says she helped with rescue efforts after the earthquake in 2008 that hit Wenchuan, in Sichuan. She says officials reacted faster to the emergency this time. Emily Chan said the government sent teams within hours to some affected⁵ areas.

She says that China upgraded some of its building requirements after the Sichuan earthquake killed almost 90,000 people.  Thousands of people died in building collapses⁶ because of low construction requirements. The building failures were especially bad among public buildings like schools and hospitals.

Last week, a commentator⁷ in the China Youth Daily called on China to learn from Japan in making buildings safer from earthquakes. The commentator noted⁸ that in some areas of Ya’an, close to the center of the quake, most buildings were damaged, including homes rebuilt after the earthquake in 2008.

You are listening to As It Is. I’m June Simms.

The loss of a limb because of an injury or illness can be a very difficult experience. Many people regain⁹ abilities they lost, like walking, by using artificial, or prosthetic, limbs.  Faith Lapidus tells us about an artist who decorates prosthetics.

Pete Nichols lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident three years ago. He wanted a prosthetic device that was just as flashy as his car. He loves his car. It has bright red paint and racing¹⁰ stripes and shiny wheels. His artificial leg is a bright chrome color.

“I love lots of color and I love chrome.”

Pete Nichols did a search online and found Dan Horkey. He is an amputee who had started a company in Seattle called ProstheticInk.com.  Dan had also lost his leg in a traffic accident. He decided¹¹ to add color to colorless prosthetics. He started by adding images of flames.

“It kind of reminded me of the aftermath of my accident, sitting in the hospital and the pain I felt in my leg after they chopped it off.”

Dan Horkey uses local artists to decorate prosthetic arms, legs and braces¹², offering many colors and designs.

“We have people that want Superman.  We have requests that are really just unique to the wearer sometime, so that’s what’s really cool about it.  It is all about personalizing their limb.”

Dan Horkey has had a variety of customers. Some are military veterans who were wounded in combat. Another was a five-year-old boy about to start kindergarten.

Pete Nichols says the colorful prosthetics attract attention and start conversations. 

“Do not hide it.  Find that color, that art scheme, that one [artistic] device that is you.”

Dan Horkey says his work has been getting attention across the United States and in other countries. He says amputees are amazed at how a little color and art can lift their confidence.  

World events often seem to call for a superhero – a character with extraordinary powers to put things right. So it is not a surprising that comic book superheroes have remained popular for generations. Conventions where people act like superheroes are popular in the United States. Recently, thousands of people attended one such event in Washington. Avi Arditti tells us more.

Acting¹³ like superheroes, the good guys, or super-villains, the bad guys, is for many people a way to have fun. Recently, comic book fans went as their favorite characters to Washington’s “Awesome¹⁴ Con³ DC” convention.

Some people enjoyed the make-believe world of the convention and play their parts as if they were experienced actors, like this man and his wife.

“We would like to break out our finest clothes and walk around amongst the inferior masses and look for victims that we can commit our heinous¹⁵ crimes against.” 

“So have you found any?”

“Possibly, how much is the camera worth?”

Edward Nigma says he and his wife come from "Gotham City." That is the home of Batman, one of the most popular superheroes of all time.

Many take the fun seriously. Dale Harvey stood in brown battle armor with a winged skull¹⁶ across the front. It took him more than four months to make the clothes and equipment of a video game character.

“I get enjoyment¹⁷ out of creating it, out of building it with my friends, just having a good time seeing people’s reaction to it. The most awesome thing for me is watching kids, young and old, have a good time seeing a character come to life.”

Organizers of the “Awesome Con DC” event say more than 5,000 visitors attended over two days. Ben Penrod is the event coordinator¹⁸. He says the convention in Washington was small in comparison to other events around the country.

“These types of conventions are huge right now. They have them in every city. This is only a fraction of the size of San Diego every year, or even the one in Baltimore.”

Ben Penrod says huge hit movies based on comic book superheroes, like The Avengers, have helped fuel the popularity of events like his.

“You had to read comic books to know The Avengers. Now The Avengers is the third highest-grossing film of all time. And people, everybody knows about it.”

I’m Avi Arditti.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

3 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

7 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

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 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

10 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

11 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。

12 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 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.

15 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

16 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

17 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

18 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？