VOA标准英语2010年-Making Art Out of Scraps of Metal

Most works of art - paintings, sculptures, artistic¹ jewelry² - are created for a collector or patrons who visit a gallery. The artist makes something, and someone else buys it and takes it home.

Others create large public art - sculptures and statues in plazas³ and parks, or murals on the sides of buildings. A government agency, corporation, or wealthy individual pays for these oversized pieces and displays them for everyone to enjoy.

Charlotte, North Carolina, for instance, is so full of great new artwork that it's considered one of the trendiest cities in the land. And the old city of Chicago is so committed to public art that every Spring, helicopters swoop⁴ down along the Lake Michigan shoreline and drop off huge pieces of art. In the fall, the choppers come back and pick them up again.

A lot of public art - including some statues and many abstract sculptures - is created by what are called metal artists. That's a fancy term for welders⁵ who make art out of all kinds of metal.

Some do it as a living. Others who have ordinary jobs do it for fun, relaxation⁶, and to put a few extra bucks⁷ in their pockets.

On weekends in New Orleans, for instance, all kinds of people come together in an old warehouse⁸, where they busy themselves with welding torches, turning raw and ragged⁹ pieces of steel and aluminum¹⁰, copper¹¹ and tin - even gold - into works of art.

Not just New Orleans' famous wrought-iron balconies and fences but also exuberant¹² metal Mardi Gras decorations, eccentric advertising¹³ signs, even bizarre metal headboards for beds. One public-relations executive who relaxes with a welding torch, making picture frames, candlesticks, and other smaller pieces, calls the experience her mental floss.

By no means does every art welder's creation turn out to be a work of art. There are many mistakes and failures. That's why the slogan of the metal-art warehouse in New Orleans is, Metals bent, hearts broken, egos mended
 

1 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

2 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。

3 plazas   

n.（尤指西班牙语城镇的）露天广场( plaza的名词复数 )；购物中心

参考例句：

• At focal points, there are seating plazas as rest points for users. 在主要主景点上，有空间较大的广场提供休息的地方。 来自互联网
• Such products are suitable for lighting and decoration of plazas, courtyards, parks, residential district and roadside. 本产品适合于广场、庭院，公园、小区草坪和道路的装饰和照明。 来自互联网

4 swoop   

n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击

参考例句：

• The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
• We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。

5 welders   

n.焊接工( welder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifty welders were declared redundant. 已公布削减五十名焊工。 来自辞典例句
• Arcs more readily than AC welders, with longer arcing. 起弧比交流电容易，电弧加长一倍。 来自互联网

6 relaxation   

n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐

参考例句：

• The minister has consistently opposed any relaxation in the law.部长一向反对法律上的任何放宽。
• She listens to classical music for relaxation.她听古典音乐放松。

7 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

9 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

10 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

11 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

12 exuberant   

adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的

参考例句：

• Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
• All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。

13 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。