AMERICAN MOSAIC - In a Galaxy Far, Far Away, 'Star Wars' Com

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - In a Galaxy² Far, Far Away, 'Star Wars' Comes to an End
By Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver³

Broadcast: Friday, May 27, 2005

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HOST: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

Award winning country music …

A question from a listener about our Special English announcers …

And a report about the opening of the last Star Wars movie.

Last 'Star Wars' Movie

 
 
"Star Wars: Episode Three -- Revenge of the Sith" opened last week around the world. In the United States, it earned more money in its first twenty-four hours than any other movie in history. It sold fifty million dollars worth of tickets in one day. The film also earned more money in the United States in its first four days than any other movie – more than one hundred fifty eight million dollars. It also earned more than one hundred forty-four million dollars in other countries. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS: "Revenge of the Sith" is the last in the series of six "Star Wars" movies. American film director George Lucas produced the first "Star Wars" movie in nineteen seventy-seven. The first three movies in the series told the story of wars among planets that took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Those three movies were "Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi". The main characters were Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the evil Darth Vader.

But George Lucas wanted to tell more stories about what happened in the years before the first "Star Wars" movies take place. He wanted to explain more about Darth Vader and his connections to the other characters. Lucas waited for years to make those movies until motion picture technology developed the special effects he wanted.

"Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom⁴ Menace" opened in nineteen ninety-nine. It is about Anakin Skywalker, the boy who would grow up to become Darth Vader. Three years later, "Attack of the Clones" continued the story of Anakin Skywalker. It ended with his secret marriage to Padme Amidala.

The new movie, "Revenge of the Sith," tells how Anakin Skywalker turns away from the good Jedi knights⁵ and becomes their enemy, Darth Vader. It explains why his children, Luke and Leia, were separated at birth.

Critics generally said "Revenge of the Sith" is one of the best of the six movies. Some said it is the best one. They especially praised the action in the film and the special effects. However, they said it is more violent than the other "Star Wars" films and is not for young children.

So what will George Lucas do now that the "Star Wars" series is finished? He told Time Magazine recently that he is planning to produce a film about African-American fighter pilots in World War Two. And he wants to make another movie about the action hero he created, Indiana Jones.

Special English Announcers

Our question this week comes from a listener in Kabul, Afghanistan. Inamullah Mohmand asks about the announcers for Special English programs. He wonders if all of them are from the United States. And he asks which American state accent is considered the standard for English pronunciation in the United States and on the program.

These questions are complex! We decided⁶ to find out more from our announcers. Gwen Outen is one of the newest voices in Special English. She was happy to tell us a little about her background.

Gwen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But she was raised in Nashville, Tennessee. That is the traditional home of country music at the Grand Ole Opry. Gwen is the first to admit that she has a Southern, country accent.

But Gwen tries not to speak with an accent when she is on the radio. She likes to present a more neutral sound on air.

However, this does not mean that different accents are unacceptable. Former Special English announcer Mary Tillotson has a clear southern accent. And, Shirley Griffith has a very apparent northern accent that comes all the way from Canada where she was born. Shirley has lived in the United States most of her adult life. But, you can still hear the Canadian accent in words like "house" and "about."

And, now, a little about me, one of the oldest --- or, let us say, more experienced -- Special English announcers. I come from Milford, Delaware. My accent is referred to as "Eastern Shore." They call people from my area "hitiders" or "high tiders." We come from "Delware" or Delaware.

Like Gwen, I try to keep my sound neutral when I broadcast. But, my accent slips in sometimes. There are just some words I do not know how to say any other way, even on air. But, I am not going to tell you those words. I do not want you to notice in the future!

Country Music Awards

The Academy of Country Music Awards celebrated⁷ its fortieth birthday last week. The Academy presented its yearly awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gwen Outen tells us about some of the winners.

 
 
GWEN OUTEN: Each year, the Academy of Country Music honors the biggest and newest stars in country music. This year, the Academy honored singer Tim McGraw for his hit record, "Live Like You Were Dying." It was named top single record and best song.

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Gretchen Wilson won two Academy of Country Music Awards -- for top new artist and best female singer. Her first album was "Redneck Woman." Here is the title song.

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The Academy of Country Music's top award is entertainer of the year. The winner this year was singer Kenny Chesney. We leave you with a song from his latest album, "When The Sun Goes Down."

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HOST: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

Our show was written by Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver, who also was our producer. Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

3 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。

4 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

5 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。