英语听力—环球英语 1411 Jiro Ono: A Life of Making Food

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ryan Geertsma.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In Tokyo, Japan, there is a small but famous restaurant. This restaurant is in the busy shopping area of Ginza. To find the restaurant, you must walk down dark and narrow steps. It is underground, near the Ginza train station. When you arrive, you see a simple wooden door. The restaurant does not look important.  Inside, only ten people can sit and eat.  You enter the restaurant.  It is calm and peaceful. You smell warm rice. And an old man stands behind a shiny black serving table. The man is wearing a white cook’s uniform and glasses. He is preparing a special kind of Japanese food called sushi.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This man’s name is Jiro Ono. He is an expert sushi maker² or chef.  His restaurant is called Sukiyabashi Jiro. People from all over the world come to eat here. And they pay $350 for a meal. Many people believe Jiro Ono is the world’s best sushi chef.  But Ono’s success did not happen quickly.  He has been making sushi for over 60 years.  Today’s Spotlight is on Jiro Ono and his life of sushi making.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Sushi is a traditional Japanese food. It is made with a special, cooked rice.  Chefs combine the sushi rice with other foods or ingredients³.  Often, the rice is served with fish or other kinds of seafood⁴. Usually, the fish in sushi is not cooked.  Sushi chefs also combine sushi rice with other ingredients - like egg or vegetables.  Some sushi chefs also make sushi rolls.  They roll rice and other ingredients together, and cover it with dried seaweed. Many people like sushi because it combines different tastes and textures⁵, from salty and smooth to rough and sweet.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Jiro Ono has been working in the sushi business nearly all of his life. Ono was born in 1925. His family was very poor. Ono’s father gave people boat rides.  But his business failed.  Ono’s family could not pay to take care of him. So, when he was just 9 years old, Ono left home. There is a film about Jiro Ono’s life called Jiro Dreams of Sushi.  In it, he explains,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“I was in my first year of school. My father told me ‘You have no home to come back to. That is why you have to work hard.’ I knew that I was on my own. I did not want to have to sleep at a temple or under a bridge.  So, I had to work hard just to survive.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　At age nine, Ono began working to support himself.  Over time, he discovered the business of sushi making. As a child, he began working in sushi restaurants - doing small jobs.  In his twenties, Ono became a sushi making apprentice⁶. An expert sushi chef trained Ono. As an apprentice, Ono learned⁷ many skills and ideas about sushi. Sushi making in Japan is often taught through this apprentice-teacher model.  This way, the traditions of making sushi are not lost.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Ono was an apprentice for many years. During this time, he married and had two sons. But he did not make very much money as an apprentice.  So, he had to work very hard to support his family.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the 1960s, Ono’s many years of hard work brought success.  He became the manager of his own restaurant. As manager and chef, Ono continued to work hard.  He worked every day except on national holidays or funerals.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For many years, Ono did the exact same thing every day. He woke up early.  He left his house at 5 in the morning. He took the train to work. He went to the fish market to buy fresh fish for the day. Then, he returned to his restaurant and made sushi all day. Ono would not return home until after dark.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Ono only plans and serves one meal each day.  He bases the meal on what is fresh at the fish market.  People must eat what Ono plans. Each meal is made of 20 pieces of sushi. He serves them in a particular order, from lighter⁸ tasting to heavier tasting sushi.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Ono’s process and hard work have made him one of the most important sushi chefs in Japan.  But even now, he desires to continue learning⁹ and improving.  In “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” Ono said,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　“Even at my age, in my work, I have not reached perfection¹⁰.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Ono used to be the apprentice. But over time he became the expert teacher.  Ono trained both of his sons in sushi making.  And today, they are also expert sushi chefs. His oldest son, Yoshikazu, works¹¹ at Ono’s restaurant. His younger son, Takashi, has his own restaurant in a different part of Tokyo.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Many other people also want to be Ono’s apprentice.  To do this, a person must agree to work with Ono for 10 years. Apprentices¹² at Ono’s restaurant do not start by making sushi. First, they must learn about all the different kinds of sushi, fish and rice. Then they learn how to cook the rice so it is right. The rice must be sticky¹³, but not too soft. Then the apprentices learn how to prepare the fish. It is only after several years of work that they can begin to make the sushi.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Ono has a long and careful process for making sushi.  However, it has made him the best in the world.  Michelin is an international organization that rates restaurants.  Michelin gave Ono’s sushi restaurant their highest rating¹⁴ - three stars. This rating is a rare honor¹⁵.  In fact, it is the highest honor a restaurant can receive.  And Ono’s restaurant was the first sushi restaurant to ever receive the honor.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The price for the meal at Ono’s restaurant is very high. But that does not stop people from coming. People travel from all over the world to eat Ono’s food.  Often, people must call and make plans months before they are able to eat at the restaurant.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Dan Shapiro is a food expert. He writes for the CNN news organization. He ate at Ono’s restaurant and wrote about the experience. He said,

 

　　Voice 4

 

　　“Jiro Ono’s restaurant deserves¹⁶ its honor as the world’s greatest sushi restaurant. The price was high, but the food was worth it.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer and producer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called “Jiro Ono: A Life of Making Food.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 ingredients   

n.（混合物的）组成部分( ingredient的名词复数 )；（烹调的）原料；（构成）要素；因素

参考例句：

• All ingredients are readily available from your local store. 所有的原料都可以方便地从你当地的商店买到。
• We never use second quality ingredients to build building. 我们决不使用次等材料用于建筑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

5 textures   

n.手感( texture的名词复数 )；质感；口感；（音乐或文学的）谐和统一感

参考例句：

• I'm crazy about fabrics textures and colors and designs. 我喜欢各式各样的纺织物--对它的质地，色彩到花纹图案--简直是入了迷。 来自辞典例句
• Let me clear up the point about the textures. 让我明确了一点有关的纹理。 来自互联网

6 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

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 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

10 perfection   

n.尽善尽美，无比精确

参考例句：

• Their works reach to a great height of perfection.他们的作品到了极完美的境地。
• The picture wants something of perfection.这幅画还有些不够完美。

11 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。

12 apprentices   

学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were mere apprentices to piracy. 他们干海盗仅仅是嫩角儿。
• He has two good apprentices working with him. 他身边有两个好徒弟。

13 sticky   

adj.粘的，闷热的，困难的，令人不满意的

参考例句：

• This paste is not sticky enough.这糨糊不黏。
• Here is a sticky business!这事真难办！

14 rating   

n.级别，等级，额定值，责骂，收视率

参考例句：

• It is a ship with a rating of 500,000 tons.这是一艘五十万吨级的船。
• The opinion polls gave the president a high rating.民意测验显示人民对总统的支持率很高。

15 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

16 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》