THIS IS AMERICA

THIS IS AMERICA
By Shelley Gollust

Broadcast: Monday, February 21, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to This is America in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Today, we tell about the seventy-seventh Academy Awards ceremony which takes place on Sunday in Los Angeles, California. It is an exciting event for people who make movies and for people around the world who watch them.

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VOICE ONE:

On February twenty-seventh, actors, directors and other filmmakers will gather in Hollywood. It is the most important day of the year for hundreds of people in the movie industry. Filmmakers will receive Academy Awards for the best acting¹, directing, writing, editing, music and other work on movies released last year.

 
Graphic² Image
The winners will receive an award called an Oscar. It is shaped like a man. It is made of several metals covered with gold. The statue is only about thirty-four centimeters tall. It weighs less than four kilograms. But the award can be priceless to the person who receives it. Winning an Oscar can mean becoming much more famous. It can mean getting offers to work in the best movies. It also can mean earning much more money.

VOICE TWO:

Movies from the United States and several other countries are competing to win Academy Awards. Five movies were nominated as best foreign language film. They are "As It Is in Heaven" from Sweden, "Downfall" from Germany, "The Sea Inside" from Spain, "Yesterday" from South Africa and "The Chorus" from France.

VOICE ONE:

 
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator³
The five films nominated for best motion picture are all from the United States. "The Aviator" received eleven Academy Award nominations⁴ -- the most of any film this year. These include nominations for best motion picture, best director and best actor. "The Aviator" tells the story of a famous American, Howard Hughes, during the nineteen thirties and forties. Hughes directed Hollywood movies. He designed and flew airplanes. He later suffered from mental illness.

Two other movies received seven Academy Award nominations each, including best motion picture. "Million Dollar Baby" tells about a young woman who becomes a successful boxer⁵ but later faces a tragedy. "Finding Neverland" tells the story of Scottish playwright⁶ J.M. Barrie. He created Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up.

A movie about musician Ray Charles, called "Ray," was nominated for best picture and five other awards. And a comedy called "Sideways" was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture. It tells about two middle-aged⁷ men who travel to an area in California where wine is made. They taste different kinds of wine and meet two women.

VOICE TWO:

"The Aviator," "Million Dollar Baby," "Ray" and "Sideways" also received nominations for best director. The directors are Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Taylor Hackford and Alexander Payne. British director Mike Leigh also was nominated for the film "Vera Drake" about a family in England during the nineteen fifties.

VOICE ONE:

 
Jamie Foxx in scene from Collateral⁸ (Photo courtesy Dreamworks)
Four men received nominations for best actor in a leading role for portraying⁹ real people. Leonardo diCaprio was nominated for his role as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator." Johnny Depp portrayed¹⁰ J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland." Jamie Foxx was Ray Charles in "Ray." Foxx was also nominated as best actor in a supporting role for the movie "Collateral." He is only the third man to be nominated for both awards in the same year.

Don Cheadle was nominated for his role as Paul Rusesabagina in the movie "Hotel Rwanda." He was the hotel manager who sheltered more than one thousand people during the mass killings¹¹ in Rwanda in nineteen ninety-four.

 
Director/Actor Clint Eastwood
And Clint Eastwood was nominated for his role as the boxing trainer in "Million Dollar Baby."

VOICE TWO:

Five women were nominated for best performance by an actress in a leading role. Hilary Swank was nominated for playing the boxer in "Million Dollar Baby." Annette Bening portrayed a famous British actress in the nineteen thirties in "Being Julia." Columbian actress Catalina Sandino Moreno starred in "Maria Full of Grace." She played a young woman who brings drugs illegally into the United States.

Imelda Staunton portrayed "Vera Drake," a British woman who secretly performed illegal operations to end the pregnancies¹² of poor young women. And Kate Winslet was nominated for "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." She played a woman who tries to have memories of her boyfriend removed from her mind.

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VOICE ONE:

More than twenty Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, in addition to acting and directing. The best documentary or true story will be honored. The people who designed the best costumes, makeup¹³ and special effects will receive awards. So will the people who wrote the best screenplay and did the best film and sound editing.

Three movies are competing for the best animated¹⁴ feature film of last year. They are "The Incredibles," "Shark Tale" and "Shrek Two." "Shrek Two" was also the most popular American movie of last year.

Oscars also are awarded for the best music in movies and the best song. Five songs are nominated as best original song. A song from "Shrek Two" is one of them. Here is "Accidentally in Love" by the group Counting Crows.

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VOICE TWO:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the Oscars each year. Almost six thousand people who work in the movie industry belong to the organization. It was established in nineteen twenty-seven to support the film industry. The Academy began presenting awards in nineteen twenty-nine. At that time, films were just starting to have sound.

The awards were not called Oscars until much later. Some people said this is how the statue got its name: In nineteen fifty-one, a woman who worked in the Academy library said the statue looked like a family member -- her Uncle Oscar.

A reporter heard this story and wrote about it. But actress and former Academy president Bette Davis disputed this version. She said she named the award Oscar in honor of her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson.

VOICE ONE:

Members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences begin the process of choosing award winners. These people work in thirteen different professions. They nominate candidates for Academy Awards. The members choose among people doing the same kind of work.

For example, actors nominate actors. Directors nominate directors. Designers nominate designers. All Academy members vote among those nominated to choose the final winners.

VOICE TWO:

The awards are presented every spring. This is the second year that the ceremony is being held in February instead of March. It will be held in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Important people in the movie industry attend the Academy Awards ceremony.

Crowds of people wait outside the theater. They watch the famous movie stars as they arrive for the ceremony. The women wear beautiful dresses and costly¹⁵ jewelry¹⁶ given to them by famous designers. Camera lights flash. The actors and actresses smile for the photographers and television cameras.

During the Academy Awards ceremony, famous actors and actresses announce the names of the nominees¹⁷ and the winners. Then the winners walk up onto the stage to receive their Oscars. Their big moment has arrived. They thank all the people who helped them win the award.

VOICE ONE:

Thousands of Americans in forty-six cities will attend Oscar Night parties to re-create the excitement of the Academy Awards. These parties raise money for local aid organizations. Hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the world will watch the Academy Awards show on television Sunday.

The American film industry will honor the best movies, actors and technicians. These winners will go home with a golden Oscar.

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VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁸. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

3 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

4 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

5 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

6 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

7 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

8 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

9 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

10 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

12 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

13 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

14 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

15 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

16 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

17 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

18 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。