VOA慢速英语2013 New York Celebrates the Arts of Cambodia

 

New York Celebrates the Arts of Cambodia

Welcome to American Mosaic¹ from VOA Learning English.

I’m June Simms.

Today, we play hit songs from the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

We also talk about “The Great Gatsby,” the movie that opened the Cannes International Film Festival this week.

But first we explore the culture of Cambodia on display this spring in New York City.

Season of Cambodia

Most of Cambodia’s artists -- an estimated 80 percent -- were killed when the Khmer Rouge² ruled the country in the 1970s. The artists were among about two million victims of Khmer Rouge rule. Their skills and knowledge were lost because Cambodian culture is largely oral, passing from person to person through word of mouth.

In the past 20 years, a new generation of Cambodians has sought to reclaim³ those traditions and invent new forms of art. Steve Ember tells about a cultural program designed to help support that effort.

The program, called “Season of Cambodia,” is taking place all around New York City. It began with a gathering⁴ of Buddhist⁵ religious workers. There have been musical performances, films, art shows and dance by more than 120 visiting Cambodian artists.

Phlouen Prim⁶ leads Cambodian Living Arts, the group that organized the festival.

“It’s one step further to fulfill⁷ the organization’s vision, which is having that, you know, kind of dream of re-imagining Cambodia being seen in the world for its arts and culture, and not just for the killing⁸ field.”

Dance is the most-popular Cambodian art form. At the Guggenheim Museum, seven male dancers performed a new dance called “Khmeropédies III.” The dancers were trained at an early age to perform the part of the monkey. The animal often represents something important in traditional Cambodian stories.

Choreographer⁹ Emmanuèle Phuon worked with Eric Sargis, a specialist on primates¹⁰, to study monkeys and apes.

“Such as in Africa chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas¹¹, and Eric explained how these particular animals move or how they behave, and we observed that and we made a dance out of that.”                          

Khema Wright was a child when her family fled Cambodia.

“So to see my culture actually here in the United States, in New York, it’s amazing.”

Her friend Chhaya Chhoum directs a community group for Southeast Asian immigrants.

“You know, a lot of our community members talk about how, you know, they just want to live to die, because they’ve suffered so much. And I think the art really rejuvenates¹² and awaken¹³ peoples’ sense of community, trust and love for one another again.”

Members of Chhaya Chhoum’s group helped to connect flowers to a work by Cambodian artist Leang Seckon. The image of a soldier was made with a parachute that fell to earth in the American bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. The work was used in a “ceremony of reconciliation,” that included Cambodians and former American soldiers.

Arn Chorn-Pond helped to launch Cambodian Living Arts. He told the group how playing his musical instrument, a flute¹⁴, saved his life -- first by protecting him from the guards at the work camp where he was sent, and then from his desire to punish his captors. Now, he says, he is using his art to help Cambodians heal.

“I never thought that the flute and speaking is power. I thought that only the burial of guns that’s power. But I was wrong.”

“The Great Gatsby”

Director Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” opened the famed international film festival in Cannes, France, this week. This was an unusual choice for the festival, which usually opens with a new movie. But “The Great Gatsby” has been showing in theaters around the United States for more than a week. It has also played in Canada and a few other countries.

“The Great Gatsby” is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book of the same name, which was published in 1925. It tells about how some rich New Yorkers lived in the “Roaring Twenties.” For Jay Gatsby and his friends, life was full of music, parties and alcohol -- as well as cheating, lies and spiritual emptiness.

Jay Gatsby is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Carey Mulligan plays his longtime love, Daisy Buchanan. And Tobey Maguire is Nick Carraway, who tells the story.

The book has been made into a film at least twice before -- a 1926 silent film based on a stage play and a famous version released in 1974 that starred Robert Redford as Gatsby.

Mr. DiCaprio told reporters he loved the book when he first read it as a teenager. But he said he did not understand it fully¹⁵ then. He noted¹⁶ the book’s power to still be read and discussed 90 years after it was first published.

This version of “The Great Gatsby” is getting mixed reviews. The St. Louis Dispatch calls it “swooningly romantic and giddily energetic.” But the Chicago Tribune says the movie is “all look and no feel.”

Director Baz Luhrmann says he does not care about the reviews. He says he is used to scoring in the middle when it comes to critics. He says he is just happy people are going out to see it.

And they are -- theaters in the United States sold 51 million dollars worth of tickets on the movie’s opening weekend.

Along with the film’s stars, “The Great Gatsby” features music from the jazz age as well as more modern offerings from Beyonce, Jack¹⁷ White and others. Jay-Z is an executive producer.

Songwriters Leiber and Stoller

The songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller helped develop rock and roll music. Among their hit songs are “Hound Dog” and “Kansas City.” Jerry Leiber died in 2011, but Mike Stoller is still writing songs in Los Angeles. Jim Tedder¹⁸ tells us about how the songwriting team made music history.

“Jailhouse Rock” was one of more than 20 Leiber and Stoller songs recorded by Elvis Presley. It was very popular. But, another song, “Hound Dog,” was an even bigger hit.

Along with Presley and other artists, Leiber and Stoller were at the center of the rock and roll revolution. Mike Stoller says he started writing with Jerry Leiber when they were 17 years old.

“I’d be jamming at the piano and he’d be walking around and shouting phrases out, anything that came into his head.”

The two men wrote and produced a number of songs made famous by The Coasters. The hits included “Yakety Yak,” “Poison Ivy,” and “Charlie Brown.”

Many Leiber and Stoller songs were recorded by different artists and climbed the record charts at different times. “Ruby Baby” was a hit for The Drifters in 1956, and then again for Dion six years later.

The Clovers and The Coasters performed another hit by the songwriting team, “Love Potion No. 9.” And more than 100 artists recorded the Leiber and Stoller song, “Kansas City.”

Leiber and Stoller worked with singer Ben E. King to create the hit song “Stand By Me.”

“Benny has basically the tune¹⁹ pretty much in his head. He started signing. I went to the piano and started sussing (working) out the chords, and then I came up with the bass²⁰ pattern – boom, boom, boom-boom-boom, boom…”

“Stand By Me” is considered an American standard, a song that seems especially American and has stood the test of time. Mike Stoller sometimes sits at his piano and lets the memories flood his mind.

What is his favorite song? Stoller says it changes.

“My favorite song is always the one I’m writing at the moment because I can’t get it out of my head.”

At age 80, Mike Stoller continues writing songs and celebrating those from his past.

I’m June Simms. Our program was written by Christopher Cruise and Caty Weaver²¹, who was also the producer. Carolyn Weaver and Michael O’Sullivan provided additional reporting.

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 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

3 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

4 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

5 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

6 prim   

adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地

参考例句：

• She's too prim to enjoy rude jokes!她太古板，不喜欢听粗野的笑话！
• He is prim and precise in manner.他的态度一本正经而严谨

7 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

8 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。

9 choreographer   

n.编舞者

参考例句：

• She is a leading professional belly dancer, choreographer, and teacher. 她既是杰出的专业肚皮舞演员，也是舞蹈设计者和老师。 来自辞典例句
• It'stands aside, my choreographer of grace, and blesses each finger and toe. 它站在一旁，我优雅的舞蹈指导，并祝福每个指尖与脚尖。 来自互联网

10 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

11 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 rejuvenates   

使变得年轻，使恢复活力( rejuvenate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Active Collagen rejuvenates, regenerates and revitalises the skin the body. 活性胶原蛋白使全身皮肤恢复青春再生。
• Adds protection against drying and rejuvenates dull, brittle coats. 保护皮肤、防止干燥，令暗哑、脆弱的披毛变得健康。

13 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

14 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

16 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。

17 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

18 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

19 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

20 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

21 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。