THIS IS AMERICA - Living a Simple Life: the Amish of Lancast

THIS IS AMERICA - Living a Simple Life: the Amish of Lancaster County¹, Pennsylvania
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, May 02, 2005

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Come with us today as we visit some people who lead a simple life: the Amish in Pennsylvania.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

A visit to parts of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is like a trip back in time.

People live in simple farmhouses². Family members, including small children, all work in the fields. Crops are planted and harvested without modern farm technology.

Most Amish people are easy to recognize. The women make their own long, dark-colored dresses. They cover their hair with white cloth hats, called prayer caps. They do not wear jewelry³. The men grow long beards. They wear black clothing and dark hats.

VOICE TWO:

About sixteen thousand to eighteen thousand Old Order Amish live in Lancaster County. This area is also known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

"Dutch" is a name for people from the Netherlands. Many of the Amish, however, came from Germany. It is often said that they were called "Dutch" because English colonists⁴ could not say the correct word, Deutsch. But language experts note that people in England often used the term "Dutch" as another word for "German."

VOICE ONE:

The Amish live much like their ancestors did. Modern things like electricity, central heating⁵ and indoor water pipes are not considered necessary.

 
Amish People
The Amish do not drive cars. Instead, they travel in buggies pulled by horses.

A group of Old Order Amish recently won a legal battle against the state over safety markings on these wooden vehicles. Pennsylvania requires buggies to carry a red warning sign that can be easily seen in car lights. But the Old Order Amish do not have to observe that law.

The group is called the Swartzentrubers. They hang a light from the driver's side door of their buggies.

In any case, even a red sign might not have helped ten Amish people injured in Somerset County recently. A car that may have been speeding struck their buggy -- during daylight.

VOICE TWO:

You meet many Amish people in Lancaster County. It is a popular place for visitors. Between now and November, even more are coming. Lancaster County is marking the twentieth anniversary⁶ of a famous American film, "Witness." Many people learned⁷ about the Amish and their ways from this movie by director Peter Weir⁸.

Some Amish, however, said the story misrepresented them.

Harrison Ford⁹ plays a city policeman. He stays with an Amish family as part of an investigation¹⁰. A tour shows where the different parts of "Witness" were filmed. The Lancaster Cultural History Museum also has an exhibit¹¹ about the movie.

(SOUND)

"You have no right to keep us here.

Uh…yes I do. Your son's a material witness to a homicide.

You don't understand. We want nothing to do with your laws.

Doesn't surprise me. Lot of people I meet are like that."

VOICE ONE:

One of the scenes in the movie shows a barn¹²-raising in which men from the community put up a farm building.

(SOUND)

"Hurry up now…we have a barn to raise and a day to do it."

VOICE ONE:

The barn-raising in the film looks real -- because it was. Local workers played the parts of the Amish in the movie and built a barn. But the filmmakers brought in heavy equipment so they could speed up the work.

VOICE TWO:

Fifty years ago, a musical play about the Amish life was first seen on Broadway. "Plain and Fancy¹³" is still being performed today. The musical is now being performed in the Midwestern town of Nappanee, Indiana.

"Plain and Fancy" is the story of what happens when two people from New York go to Pennsylvania to sell a farm to an Amish man. Throughout the play, the audience sees the differences between the city people and the Amish.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The Amish heat their houses with wood stoves. And they get their water from wells.

 
Amish People
Many Amish people do not use the telephone. They do not want to be connected to the outside world. But some earn money by cooking lunch or dinner for visitors. Visitors can join a family for a meal that includes meat, potatoes and vegetables grown on their farms. If the guests have any room left in their stomach after all that, they can have a sweet, rich dessert.

VOICE TWO:

The Amish and other groups in Lancaster County, including Mennonites, are known as the Plain People. Many came to the United States from Germany and Switzerland in the seventeen hundreds and eighteen hundreds. They were expelled¹⁴ or chose to leave because of religious oppression.

Most of them settled in Pennsylvania, where they were promised religious freedom. Lancaster County officials say about fifty thousand Plain People currently¹⁵ live there. That is about ten percent of the population. But not all Amish people live in Pennsylvania. There are settlements of Amish in twenty-two American states and in Ontario, Canada.

VOICE ONE:

Some people have expressed concern about the growing number of businesses in Pennsylvania Dutch country. The people worry that this will interfere¹⁶ with the Amish way of life. Sometimes, visitors stop near an Amish family and take their picture -- an act that angers the Amish.

VOICE TWO:

As you tour Amish country, you will see small, well-kept farms of about twenty hectares. The Amish are known for their success at farming. Amish farmers produce as much corn, peanuts, tobacco and other crops on each hectare as other farmers. But they always have been more concerned with protecting the land than with producing huge crops. The Amish also raise farm animals such as cows, pigs, horses and chickens. Each family takes care of its own farm.

But the community works¹⁷ together to do big jobs. People also gather for religious services. The services are in German. At home, the Amish speak a form of German.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The Amish believe that hard work is important and enjoyable. They do not believe in depending on the world outside their community. Almost every Amish man can build a house, make furniture, and raise crops and animals. Almost every Amish woman can preserve food, make clothing and covers for beds called quilts. Quilt-makers all over the world recognize the beauty and complexity¹⁸ of Amish quilts.

Young Amish women make the dresses they wear for their marriage ceremonies. These dresses are blue, instead of the white that is traditional for many other Americans. After their weddings, the women wear these dresses to church. And when they die, tradition calls for them to be buried in their wedding dresses.

Most Amish families have seven or eight children. Traditionally the children do not leave home until they marry.

VOICE TWO:

The Amish live by rules they believe are explained in the Bible¹⁹, the Christian²⁰ holy book. For example, they believe that Christians²¹ must always treat other people with love and gentleness. They believe it is wrong to fight wars. They do not become soldiers or police officers.

These religious beliefs sometimes have brought the Amish into conflict with American law. For example, Amish men refuse military service during wartime. Instead, they are permitted to perform some other kind of public service.

VOICE ONE:

Many Amish refuse to send their children to public schools. Instead, they have their own community schools. The Amish pay taxes, but they do not usually vote in elections²². They refuse help from the federal²³ government.

The Amish permit few differences among their own people. They are different from most other Americans, and happy to be that way. And their way of life is what brings visitors to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, year after year.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver²⁴. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Please join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。

2 farmhouses   

n.农舍，农场的主要住房( farmhouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Then perhaps she is staying at one of cottages or farmhouses? 那么也许她现在住在某个农舍或哪个农场的房子里吧？ 来自辞典例句
• The countryside was sprinkled with farmhouses. 乡间到处可见农家的房舍。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 heating   

n.加热，供暖，暖气装置；adj.加热的，供暖的

参考例句：

• They will install a heating and lighting system in our house.他们将在我们家装上供热供电系统。
• If the pressure is too low,the heating system will act up.如果压力太低，供暖系统就会出毛病。

6 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

7 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

8 weir   

n.堰堤，拦河坝

参考例句：

• The discharge from the weir opening should be free.从堰开口处的泻水应畅通。
• Big Weir River,restraining tears,has departed!大堰河，含泪地去了！

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

12 barn   

n.谷仓，饲料仓，牲口棚

参考例句：

• That big building is a barn for keeping the grain.那幢大房子是存放粮食的谷仓。
• The cows were driven into the barn.牛被赶进了牲口棚。

13 fancy   

n.想像力，幻想；喜好，爱；adj.想像的，时髦的，华丽装饰的，奢侈的；技巧的；vt.想象，自认为，喜好

参考例句：

• He seemed to have taken quite a fancy to her.他似乎相当喜欢她。
• I have a fancy that it's going to rain.我想大概要下雨。

14 expelled   

驱逐( expel的过去式和过去分词 )； 赶走； 把…除名； 排出

参考例句：

• She was expelled from school at 15. 她15岁时被学校开除了。
• After the outbreak of fighting,all foreign journalists were expelled. 战斗开始后，所有的外国记者都被驱逐出境。

15 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

16 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

17 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

18 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

19 bible   

n.《圣经》；得到权威支持的典籍

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• This dictionary should be your Bible when studying English.学习英语时，这本字典应是你的主要参考书。

20 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

21 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

22 elections   

n.选举，当选，推举( election的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• He emerged victorious in the elections. 他在竞选中脱颖而出获得胜利。

23 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

24 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。