VOA慢速英语2018 雷鬼音乐加入联合国文化遗产名录

UNESCO Names Reggae International Cultural Treasure

This week, the cultural agency of the United Nations – UNESCO – added reggae music to its list of international cultural treasures. The purpose of the list is to teach about and protect many international cultural traditions.

本周，文化机构，即联合国教科文组织，将雷鬼音乐加入国际文化遗产的名录之中。该名录的目的是让人们了解并保护国际文化传统。

Reggae music began in Jamaica and spread across the world with its calls for social justice, peace and love.

雷鬼音乐始于牙买加，在全球范围内广泛传播，其对社会公正、和平与爱的呼吁深入人心。

Born in the neighborhoods of Kingston in the 1960s, reggae songs were an expression of hard times and struggle. But its rhythmic¹ sound and hopeful lyrics³ also made it an enjoyable music.

起源于上世纪60年代金斯顿附近的雷鬼歌曲展现了艰难的时事和人们的抗争。但雷鬼音乐极富节奏感的声音和给人希望的歌词让这种音乐成了一种享受。

Its most famous songwriter and performer, the late Bob Marley, became an international star with songs like “No Woman, No Cry” and “Get Up, Stand Up.” Other well-loved reggae artists include Jimmy Cliff and Toots and the Maytalls.

雷鬼音乐最知名的作曲家、表演者是已故的鲍勃·马利。他成为国际巨星的知名歌曲有《没有女人不哭》、《觉醒吧，站起来》等。其他倍受欢迎的雷鬼音乐艺术家包括吉米·克里夫、托茨以及梅托尔。

Over time, the music traveled everywhere, from Britain and the United States to Latin America and Africa.

随着时间的流逝，雷鬼音乐传播到世界各地，从英国到美国再到拉丁美洲和非洲，不一而足。

In the 1960s, reggae gained popularity in Britain and parts of the U.S., where Jamaicans began moving after World War Two.

上世纪60年代，雷鬼音乐在英国和美国的部分地区一跃出名。这些地区都是二战后牙买加人迁居的地方。

Many of the world’s most famous reggae musicians began their careers in Britain. Reggae also influenced other styles of music there.

世界上最出名的雷鬼音乐家中，很多人都是在英国开启职业生涯的。雷鬼音乐还影响了英国的其他音乐类型。

In the 1970s and 1980s, the British punk rock music world welcomed reggae. Soon, punk musicians would be making reggae-influenced songs.

上世纪七八十年代，英国朋克摇滚乐在全球范围内表示欢迎雷鬼音乐的出现。不久后，朋克音乐家们就会推出在雷鬼音乐影响下创作出的歌曲。

British artists such as The Clash and The Police mixed reggae's rhythms and sounds, as well as its political messages, into their music. This helped bring reggae to a wider audience.

英国艺术家，如冲撞乐队和警察乐队，将雷鬼音乐的韵律和声音融合在一起，同时也加了一些政治信息到自己的音乐中。此举帮助他们将雷鬼音乐带给了更多的受众。

Today, musicians from a wide field of styles, such as pop, R&B and even jazz, continue to borrow from reggae.

如今，很多风格的音乐家，如流行音乐、蓝调音乐甚至是爵士乐都依然从雷鬼音乐中获得借鉴。

UNESCO said in a statement that reggae remains⁴ unchanged as “a vehicle of social commentary, as a cathartic⁵ experience, and means of praising God…and the music continues to provide a voice for all.”

联合国教科文组织在一份声明中写道，雷鬼音乐没变的一点是——它是社会舆论的窗口，让人醍醐灌顶，让人有了歌颂上帝的方式……而且雷鬼音乐依然是让人发声的窗口。

There are now more than 300 cultural treasures on UNESCO’s list.

目前，联合国教科文组织的文化遗产名录中有300多个对象。

Along with reggae, the Paris-based agency added five other cultural traditions to its list this week. They include As-Samer, a traditional style of dancing and singing performed at weddings in many parts of Jordan.

除了雷鬼音乐之外，本周，联合国教科文组织这家位于巴黎的机构还添加了其他5个文化传统到其名录中，包括阿萨默尔，这是一种传统歌舞形式，在约旦很多地方的婚礼上会表演这样的歌舞。

Words in This Story

rhythmic –? adj. having a regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements

lyric² –? n. the words of a song?

cathartic –? adj. ?providing relief through the open expression of strong emotions

1 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

2 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

3 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

4 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。

5 cathartic   

adj.宣泄情绪的；n.泻剂

参考例句：

• His laughter was cathartic,an animal yelp that brought tears to his eyes.他哈哈大笑以宣泄情绪，声音如野兽般尖厉，眼泪都笑出来了。
• The drug had a cathartic effect.这药有导泻的作用。