AMERICAN MOSAIC - Sunday Is World Environment Day

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Sunday Is World Environment Day
By Dana Demange,Shelley Gollust,...

Broadcast: Friday, June 03, 2005

(MUSIC)

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

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

Music from Tony-nominated Broadway shows…

A question from a listener about American highways…

And a report about World Environment Day.

World Environment Day

 
 
Every year on June fifth many countries celebrate World Environment Day. The United Nations established this special day in nineteen seventy-two to get people to think about taking care of the planet². Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Public events for World Environment Day are taking place from June first through June fifth. The events and conferences help teach world leaders and citizens how to protect the environment.

Every year World Environment Day is celebrated³ in a different city. This year it is being held in San Francisco, California. This is the first time since the beginning of World Environment Day that the conference is being held in the United States.

The main message of World Environment Day this year is "Plan for the Planet." The events and conferences will show how to have "Green Cities." This means that people will talk about ways that cities can have healthy environments.

Most people in the world live in cities. This makes them especially important areas of environmental concern. Cities use more than seventy-five percent of the world's natural resources such as water and gasoline⁴. World Environment Day will center on how people in cities can work together to help save the planet.

San Francisco is holding public talks to discuss pollution reduction⁵, clean energy sources and the importance of healthy parks and gardens. Special experts are among the speakers. For example, former vice-president Al Gore⁶ will talk about climate change. There also are fun events such as music concerts, movies, art shows, parades, bicycle rides and tree plantings. Local farmers and restaurant owners will serve food that has been naturally grown.

The Mayor⁷ of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, invited city leaders from all over the world to attend this conference and share ideas. Representatives from many environmental organizations also are attending. The United Nations hopes to create an international agreement that countries and citizens will follow to help improve the Earth's environment.

Highways and Freeways

 
A highway in Chicago.
HOST: Our listener question this week comes from Russia. Andrey Borzenko asks the difference between a highway and a freeway in the United States.

A highway is a main public road, especially one that connects cities and towns. A freeway is a broad highway designed for high-speed traffic. A freeway is also called an expressway, motorway⁸, pike, state highway or superhighway.

In the United States it is possible to drive more than four thousand kilometers from the east coast on the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast on the Pacific Ocean. You can also drive more than two thousand kilometers from near the Canadian border south to the Mexican border.

You can drive these distances on wide, safe roads that have no traffic signals or stop signs. In fact, if you did not have to stop for gasoline or sleep, you could drive almost anywhere in the United States without stopping at all.

This is possible because of the Interstate Highway system. This system has almost seventy thousand kilometers of roads. It crosses more than fifty-five thousand bridges and can be found in forty-nine of America's fifty states.

The Interstate Highway system is usually two roads, one in each direction, separated by an area that is planted with grass and trees. Each road holds two lines of cars that can travel at speeds between one hundred and one hundred twenty kilometers an hour.

The Interstate Highway system has been an important part of the nation's economic growth during the past forty years. Experts believe that trucks using the system carry about seventy-five percent of all products that are sold. Jobs and new businesses have been created near the busy Interstate Highways all across the United States. These include hotels, motels⁹, eating places, gasoline stations and shopping centers.

The highway system has made it possible for people to work in a city and live outside it. And it has made it possible for people to travel easily and quickly from one part of the country to another.

Tony-Nominated Musicals

HOST:

Who will win top honors¹⁰ for Broadway plays this year? Producers, actors and others in the industry will find out at the Tony Awards ceremony Sunday night in New York City. The rest of America can watch it on television. Steve Ember tells about the nominees¹² for Best Musical Play.

STEVE EMBER: Four plays are competing for the Tony Award for Best Musical Play. "Dirty Rotten¹³ Scoundrels" is based on a funny movie of the same title. The play is about two men who trick women out of their money. One man makes women fall in love with him. The other makes women feel sorry for him. Listen as the two men sing "Dirty, Rotten Number."

(MUSIC)

 
Looking on the bright side: Spamalot.
"Monty Python's Spamalot" is another comedy competing for Best Musical. It is based on the funny movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It tells about King Arthur and his knights¹⁴. The play received fourteen Tony nominations¹⁵, the most of any play this year. Several cast members sing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

(MUSIC)

"The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County¹⁶ Spelling Bee," is about students who take part in a spelling competition. William Finn wrote the songs in the show. Critics say the songs are both funny and emotional¹⁷. Here the spellers sing "Why We Like Spelling."

(MUSIC)

The final nominee¹¹ is "The Light in the Piazza¹⁸." It is based on a book and a movie. The story tells about an Italian man and an American woman who fall in love. But the woman's mother tries to keep them apart. We leave you now with the lovers¹⁹ singing " Say It Somehow."

(MUSIC)

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

Our show was written by Dana Demange, Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver²⁰, 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 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

3 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。

4 gasoline   

n.(美)汽油

参考例句：

• This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里。
• There is still some gasoline left in the tank.油箱里还剩下一些汽油。

5 reduction   

n.减少，减低，减缩；减少，减低

参考例句：

• Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.减少所得税将受到热烈欢迎。
• You will have a reduction for cash.付现金可以打折扣。

6 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

7 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

8 motorway   

n.高速公路，快车道

参考例句：

• Our car had a breakdown on the motorway.我们的汽车在高速公路上抛锚了。
• A maniac driver sped 35 miles along the wrong side of a motorway at 110 mph.一个疯狂的司机以每小时110英里的速度在高速公路上逆行飙车35英里。

9 motels   

n.汽车旅馆( motel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All the motels lie beside the road. 所有的汽车旅馆都位于公路旁边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A lot of motels lie beside the turnpike. 很多汽车旅馆都位于付费公路旁边。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

12 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

13 rotten   

adj.腐烂(朽)的；令人不愉快的；糟糕的

参考例句：

• The book was pretty rotten.这本书糟透了。
• Rotten eggs give off a bad smell.臭蛋散发出难闻的气味。

14 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。

15 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

16 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。

17 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

18 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

19 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

20 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。