VOA慢速英语2014 奥维拉街:洛杉矶的发源地

 

Olvera Street: Birthplace of Los Angeles 奥维拉街:洛杉矶的发源地

Welcome to This Is America, from VOA Learning English. I’m Jonathan Evans.

And I’m Katherine Cole. Today we visit a Southern California street that leads back hundreds of years. 

An unusual historical monument

The family stepped off a train at Union Station in Los Angeles. The mother looked around in the bright California sunshine and shook her head. 

“Where are we?” she asked.  “I thought this was supposed to be downtown – the center of the city.”

The woman had expected to be completely surrounded by huge office buildings. But instead, she and her family felt as if they had somehow landed in another time. Their train ride had led them to the oldest part of downtown Los Angeles.  The visitors had stepped back through centuries of history. 

Shrine² to the Virgin³ of GuadalupeShrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe

They stood near the birthplace of Los Angeles, now the second largest city in the United States. They were close to where settlers and a few soldiers from Spain first set up the city in 1781. The settlers had left a nearby Roman Catholic⁴ religious center called Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. They wanted to set up a community on the edges of the river then known as Porciuncula. 

Today, the place where the settlers started new lives is part of the El Pueblo⁵ de Los Angeles Historical Monument. 

The word “monument” sometimes makes people think of a traditional statue – perhaps a man riding a horse. But this monument includes historic¹ homes, museums and other buildings, parks, marketplaces, plazas⁷ and many artworks.  It has places to rest, eat, play -- and places to think about what life was once like here.

Olvera Street

A marketplace and community-event center called Olvera Street form a lively part of the Historical Monument.

“La Placita Olvera aquies!”                                                                    

Chances are it is busy on Olvera Street today. But then, energetic activity goes on here most of the time. People buy and sell things. Some people take lots of pictures. They stop for drinks, coffee and meals. And nearly every day, mariachi bands fill the air with song and music from the Spanish-speaking world. And you hear many other languages spoken as well.

Millions of tourists pass each year among Olvera Street’s puestos, or small businesses. They buy everything from imported leather goods to big hats, from dresses to shoes, from musical instruments to puppets hanging from strings⁸. 

Maybe you've seen Olvera Street before...

Olvera Street marks the heritage⁹ and the continuing relationship of the movie and television industry of Hollywood -- a Los Angeles neighborhood -- and nearby Burbank. Parts of movies and television shows are often filmed along Olvera Street and in the neighboring Plaza⁶.

Dancing at the Plaza on Olvera StreetDancing at the Plaza on Olvera Street

Long ago, silent film star Charlie Chaplin rescued child actor Jackie Coogan from a threatening welfare office in the 1923 movie “The Kid.” 

A 1952 film called “The Ring” told about a Mexican-American prizefighter struggling to gain a better life. And Danny Glover and Mel Gibson ran toward the Plaza in the 1992 film “Lethal Weapon 3.”

More recently, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt danced there in the 2005 movie, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” 

They danced in the center, or courtyard, of the Francisco Avila Adobe¹⁰ historic home.  The building is said to be the oldest structure made of the material adobe in Los Angeles. A man named Francisco Avila had the home built in 1818. 

Special days

Olvera Street is more than a tourist center and a movie set. It also has been used to mark or celebrate special events. 

The Blessing¹¹ of the Animals is a good example. During the ceremony, people present their animals to a religious leader who offers thanks for the creatures.  Thousands of people bring cows, birds, cats, dogs, horses and other animals for the ceremony. Among the other animals are ferrets, lizards¹², llamas, ponies¹³ and rabbits. 

Christopher Espinosa works as general manager of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. He says his favorite event is All Souls Day -- the Day of the Dead. In Spanish, it is called El Dia de Los Muertos. 

“It’s like the Mexican version of Halloween, and the main day lands on All Souls Day -- a time period where traditionally you respect the people who have passed.”

Mr. Espinosa described some of the event’s many activities on Olvera Street. 

“And there’s altars with beautiful marigolds, and then there’s, like, a procession that occurs every day on Olvera Street and into the Plaza. And every night there’s dancing. And each day it builds bigger and bigger and bigger until the final day, the Dia de Los Muertos. And that day there’s this beautiful dance, and the place is jam packed.” 

Mother of Olvera Street?

Olvera Street probably would not have existed without huge effort. That is especially true of the volunteer work and influence of a woman named Christine Sterling¹⁴. 

By the 1920s, large numbers of immigrants had arrived in California and other parts of the United States. The Avila Adobe and other historic buildings had fallen into poor condition. Ms. Sterling loved both history and Los Angeles.  She heard that the oldest adobe structure in the city was threatened with destruction. And she started a campaign to save it. 

People who wanted to rescue the Avila house donated money to repair and restore it. But not enough was raised. In 1928, the city government approved orders to condemn¹⁵ the home. But Mrs. Sterling followed with a note of her own.  She accused officials of not caring about the city’s past. 

Public opinion arose against destroying the old building. She and many in the public supported the return of the Avila Adobe and other places along Olvera Street to their former appearance.  

Ms. Sterling appealed to Harry¹⁶ Chandler for help. He was publisher of the Los Angeles Times newspaper during that period. She described her dream of a colorful marketplace and cultural center to Chandler. Chandler’s newspaper aided her campaign. And he invited businessmen to fund-raising meals.

Harry Chandler was a powerful man. Other powerful people came to the expensive meals.  With their help and that of others, the goal was reached.

On Easter Sunday, 1930, the dream of Mrs. Sterling and many people from that neighborhood came true. Olvera Street opened with the name “Paseo de Los Angeles.” 

Visitors immediately made the area a success. Neighborhood people called it Olvera Street, the street’s postal-office name. It honored Agustin Olvera. He became the first county judge in the new County of Los Angeles in 1850.

The people that you meet

Ms. Sterling also helped people with special skills find a place to demonstrate those skills. For example, in the 1920s she visited Tijuana, Mexico. While there she saw skilled handmade craftwork by the father of a present Olvera Street businessman. She liked what she saw and invited the craftsman¹⁷ to work in Los Angeles. But he did not take the invitation seriously. 

Jesus Hernandez is the son of that man.  He tells the story. 

“She (Ms. Sterling) told him, ‘I want to ask you to come to Olvera Street in Los Angeles. And my father said,’ Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever.’  He was very young, he was probably mid-20s.”

Happily for the father and for Olvera Street, the man later received another invitation. His son remembers that time, he accepted. 

Jesus Hernandez has a business on Olvera Street, just as his father did. He has operated the import store for many years.  He says he sells “everything.”

“It’s not that I’m getting rich. But this is the tradition. This is what he taught me. This is the only thing I know how to do.”

America Tropical

A stone’s throw from the street is the Italian Museum of Los Angeles, home to a mural called America Tropical. The Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros created the painting on an upper level outdoor wall overlooking¹⁸ Olvera Street.  It is the only surviving public mural by Siqueiros in the U.S. that remains¹⁹ where it was painted.

Some experts say Siqueiros was a major Mexican artist of the 20th century.  Some call him the father of the Los Angeles mural movement. Yet America Tropical was painted over and nearly destroyed. For many years, it was forgotten.

The mural shows a poor Mexican Indian tied onto a cross. An eagle above the Indian looks threatening. Critics said the mural accuses the U.S. of oppressing²⁰ poor people. To many people in Los Angeles it was an unwelcome sight.

But over the years, defenders²¹ recognized the mural’s importance. They included experts from the Getty Conservation Institute. The Institute formed a partnership²² with the city. Thanks to a project costing millions of dollars, the painting has been brought as close as possible to its earliest condition. 

People can study the mural, its artist and the methods experts used to save it in the America Tropical Interpretive²³ Center. A special platform, a raised structure, provides visitors with a good look at the painting. They enter the platform through Sepulveda House in Olvera Street. 

The history of Siqueiros’ work is one of many stories told on Olvera Street. It is a place of memories and images of America’s second largest city during the years Los Angeles invented itself.

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

3 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

4 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

5 pueblo   

n.（美国西南部或墨西哥等）印第安人的村庄

参考例句：

• For over 2,000 years,Pueblo peoples occupied a vast region of the south-western United States.在长达2，000多年的时间里，印第安人统治着现在美国西南部的大片土地。
• The cross memorializes the Spanish victims of the 1680 revolt,when the region's Pueblo Indians rose up in violent protest against their mistreatment and burned the cit

6 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

7 plazas   

n.（尤指西班牙语城镇的）露天广场( plaza的名词复数 )；购物中心

参考例句：

• At focal points, there are seating plazas as rest points for users. 在主要主景点上，有空间较大的广场提供休息的地方。 来自互联网
• Such products are suitable for lighting and decoration of plazas, courtyards, parks, residential district and roadside. 本产品适合于广场、庭院，公园、小区草坪和道路的装饰和照明。 来自互联网

8 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

9 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

10 adobe   

n.泥砖，土坯，美国Adobe公司

参考例句：

• They live in an adobe house.他们住在一间土坯屋里。
• Adobe bricks must drived dried completely before are used.土坯砖块使用前一定要完全干燥。

11 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

12 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

13 ponies   

矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑

参考例句：

• They drove the ponies into a corral. 他们把矮种马赶进了畜栏。
• She has a mania for ponies. 她特别喜欢小马。

14 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

15 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

16 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。

17 craftsman   

n.技工，精于一门工艺的匠人

参考例句：

• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
• The craftsman is working up the mass of clay into a toy figure.艺人把一团泥捏成玩具形状。

18 overlooking   

v.忽视( overlook的现在分词 )；监督；俯视；（对不良现象等）不予理会

参考例句：

• The house is in an elevated position, overlooking the town. 这栋房子地势较高，可以俯瞰全城。
• The house sits high on a hill overlooking a lake. 房子高高地坐落在可以俯瞰湖水的小山上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

20 oppressing   

使烦恼( oppress的现在分词 )； 压迫，压制

参考例句：

• The regime is accused of oppressing religious minorities. 人们指控这个政权压迫少数宗教信徒。
• The local bully's henchmen were his agents in oppressing the people. 土豪劣绅的狗腿子为虎作伥，欺压百姓。

21 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

23 interpretive   

adj. 说明的，解释的

参考例句：

• This irrigation project requires a highly developed technical and interpretive expertise. 这项灌溉工程需要高度发展的技术和推理的专门知识。
• The exemptions for interpretive rules, policy statements, and procedural rules have just been discussed. 有关解释性规则、政策说明和程序规则的免责我们刚刚讨论过。