VOA慢速英语2018 探索木偶创作者的生活

Show Explores Life of Muppets Creator

For many years, the Muppets have captured the imagination of children and adults worldwide.

多年来，木偶吸引了世界各地的儿童和成年人的想象力。 

The Muppets were the creation of the American puppeteer¹ Jim Henson.He used the term Muppet for his puppet act.

美国木偶师吉姆·汉森（Jim Henson）创造了木偶。他用词语木偶形容他的木偶表演。 

Many people first learned about the Muppets through Sesame Street,a children’s program on public television in the United States.The Muppets later had their own TV show and have appeared in movies.

许多人最先通过美国公共电视儿童节目《芝麻街》了解到木偶。后来有了关于木偶的电视节目，同时它也出现在电影中。

Recently, a traveling exhibit called “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” opened in Los Angeles, California.It can be seen at the Skirball Cultural Center.Visitors are able to take a close look at some of the most beloved Muppets, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and The Count.The exhibit helps to show what is required to bring them to life.

最近，在加利福尼亚州洛杉矶举办了一个名为“吉姆·汉森展：无限想象”的巡回展览。可以在史克博尔文化中心（Skirball Cultural Center）看到该展览。游客可以近距离看到一些非常受欢迎的木偶，比如青蛙柯密特、猪小妹和伯爵。该展览有助于展示什么使它们变的生动有趣。

“If you learn from Sesame Street, he (The Count) teaches you how to count.There’s Cookie Monster, he does the ABCs every episode,” said 9-year-old Elli Fire.She spoke² to VOA during her visit to the Skirball Cultural Center.

9岁的埃利·菲尔（Elli Fire）说，“如果你向《芝麻街》学习，他（伯爵）教你如何计算。还有甜饼怪，他每集都会说ABCs，”。她在参观史克博尔文化中心时向美国之音说道。

Jim Henson’s oldest daughter, Lisa,says she is excited for people to understand that her father was an artist with many abilities and a creative mind.

吉姆·汉森的大女儿丽莎说，她很高兴人们能够懂得她的父亲是一位多才多艺且具有创造性思维的艺术家。

Lisa Henson is now the president and chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Company, which is based in Los Angeles.She remembers that her father wanted the family to be involved in The Muppets.

丽莎·汉森现在是位于洛杉矶吉姆·汉森公司的总裁兼首席执行官。她记得她的父亲希望他的家庭能够接管木偶事业。

“He would love to tell us how the best techniques of puppet building or the new innovations thatthey would make in terms of mechanics or electronics and how he was advancing the technology.”

“他很想向我们讲述木偶建造的最佳方法或他们在机械或电子学方面所做的新创新，以及他是如何推进这项技术的。”

The wide popularity of Henson’s work led to TV series such as The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock.Within a short time, the Muppets became famous in other countries.

汉森作品的广受欢迎产生了电视连续剧，比如《大青蛙布偶秀》和《布偶奇遇记》。在很短的时间内，这些布偶在其他国家也很出名。

Barbara Miller³ is senior curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Museum of the Moving Image in New York.She said that Jim Henson understood the popularity of the Muppets, and that they reached children and adults around the world.

芭芭拉·米勒（（Barbara Miller）是纽约移动影像博物馆收藏和展览的高级策展人。她说吉姆·汉森了解木偶有多么受欢迎，世界各地的儿童和成年人已经接触到了木偶。

“Remember The Muppet Show was seen in 135 countries at its height,” she said.

她说，“记得曾经最受欢迎的时候，在135个国家可以看到《大青蛙布偶秀》，”。　 

Miller added that her museum in New York has a permanent Jim Henson exhibit.

米勒补充说，她在纽约的博物馆设有一个永久的吉姆·汉森展。 

Lisa Henson said her father felt a duty to be hopeful about the futureand to support good values like acceptance, tolerance⁴, individualism and diversity.

丽莎·汉森说，她的父亲感到有责任对未来充满希望，并支持良好的价值观，比如接纳、宽容、个性和多元。

The exhibit not only has more than 100 objects and 25 historic puppets; visitors also can see what it took to bring the Muppets to life.

该展览不仅包括100多件物品和25个历史木偶；游客还可以看到使木偶生动有趣的过程。 

“You can see original sketches⁶, actually notes of the very beginnings of ideas all the way through to finished puppets,” said Lisa Henson.

丽莎·汉森说，“你可以看到原始的草图，实际上想法最初时的注释一直到完成的木偶，”。 

The show is a creative experience that tells the life story of Jim Henson and his work from the 1930s to 1990, when he died.

该展览带给你的是一次创造性的体验，它讲述了吉姆·汉森的生活故事以及他从20世纪30年代到1990年的作品，他1990年逝世。　

Although computer-made images may have replaced some puppets in Hollywood productions,Lisa Henson said the art of puppetry is still important today.

尽管计算机制作的图像可能已经取代了好莱坞作品中的一些木偶，但丽莎·汉森表示，今天木偶艺术仍然十分重要。

“It gives it a kind of immediacy in performance and intimacy⁷ that people connect to that and they kind of feellike the puppets are a little more alive and so I don’t think puppets will ever go entirely⁸ out of style.”

“它给予了表演中的一种即时性和亲近感，人们可以将它们连接起来，他们想让木偶更有活力，所以我不认为木偶会完全过时。”

Miller said the aim is to continue to take the Jim Henson exhibit to other U.S. cities and overseas.

米勒表示致力于继续将吉姆·汉森展带到美国其他城市和国外。 

Words in This Story

curator - n. a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, etc.?

diversity - n. the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization

exhibit - n. to make (a painting, sculpture, etc.) available for people to see?

innovation - n. a new idea, device, or method?

intimate - adj. having a very close relationship?

mechanic - n. a person who repairs machines (such as car engines) and keeps them running properly?

puppeteer - n. a person who uses puppets in performances to entertain people?

sketch⁵ - v. a quick, rough drawing that shows the main features of an object or scene?

technique - n. a way of doing something by using special knowledge or skill?

tolerance - n. willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own

1 puppeteer   

n.操纵木偶的人，操纵傀儡

参考例句：

• Mr. Sullivan is a professional puppeteer.沙利文先生是一位专业的木偶戏表演者。
• One puppeteer controls the doll's head,face,and right hand.一个表演者控制木偶的头部，面部和右手。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

4 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

5 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

6 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。