VOA标准英语2011--Teen Actors Make Portraits Come Alive

Teen Actors Make Portraits Come Alive

Teenagers are making portraits come alive this summer at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., this summer.
They put on makeup¹ and make final alterations² to their costumes. It’s like being backstage in a theater, but in this case the stage is the museum itself.
Dressed in a blue velvet³ suit and carrying a cane⁴, just like the woman in the portrait behind her, Taylor Marsh⁵ looks like a younger version of educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune.
She's one of 10 students participating in "Portraits Alive!" at the National Portrait Gallery. Like most of the students, she came to the program because she's interested in theater.
Taylor Marsh performs for visitors at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
“I had no idea what this program was going to be about,” says Marsh. She was told they would be doing tours of the museum, but the tours they give rely on acting⁶ skills.
“I look for students who are interested in the performing arts,” says Geri Provost Lyons, who is in charge of the program.
“They choose a portrait, and they do research on the people that are in these portraits, and then they perform in costume a monologue⁷ which they have written.”
Students spend the first four weeks preparing, then perfecting and rehearsing their monologues⁸ in front of each other.
Taylor Marsh performing as educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
“Writing the monologue was the hardest part,” Marsh says. She was one of the few students who didn’t pick an entertainer or movie star.
Bethune was born in 1875, just a decade after the end of slavery. She founded a school for African American girls in 1904 and organized the National Council of Negro Women in 1932. In 1936, she became an adviser⁹ to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
“It wasn’t really the occupation I thought of, it was more the person in general,” says Marsh. “She was a strong woman, she had a lot of things going for her, and I wanted someone who was headstrong.”
Sydney Hall chose Hollywood star Katharine Hepburn, who died in 2003. “I didn’t know anything about Katharine Hepburn. I was just passing her portrait and I thought she looked very angelic in it, and she looked very cool.”
Hall says the program has had an impact on her. “I don’t spend a lot of time in museums. DC born and raised and I’ve been to all the museums, but now I’m actually taking the time to learn.”
Rashawn Alexander portrayed¹⁰ Latin music star Selena, who was murdered by a fan in 1995 at the age of 23. She was an icon¹¹ for young people, and Alexander was impressed by how she gave back to the community, offering a free concert to students who improved their grades.
Student actress Rashawn Alexander portrays¹² Latin music star Selena, who was murdered by a fan in 1995.
“I picked her because me and her have a lot in common," says Alexander. "We both want to see kids do well in our community.”
Alexander says she, too, now takes time to read about the art work in the galleries, instead of just glancing at it.
Geri Provost Lyons says that’s true of a lot of the students in the program. “They will take time to go to different museums and learn more and want to see more.”
And that, she says, is one of the goals. As for the students, it doesn't hurt that they get paid for the performances - $7.25 an hour.

1 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？

2 alterations   

n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变

参考例句：

• Any alterations should be written in neatly to the left side. 改动部分应书写清晰，插在正文的左侧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code. 基因突变是指DNA 密码的改变。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

4 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

5 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

6 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。

7 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

8 monologues   

n.（戏剧）长篇独白( monologue的名词复数 )；滔滔不绝的讲话；独角戏

参考例句：

• That film combines real testimonials with monologues read by actors. 电影中既有真人讲的真事，也有演员的独白。 来自互联网
• Her monologues may help her make sense of her day. 她的独白可以帮助她让她一天的感觉。 来自互联网

9 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

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 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

12 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》