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VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Boxer Rau’shee Warren Heads to Third Olympics; Mike Tyson Hits Broadway

时间:2012-07-07 03:42:50

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AMERICAN MOSAIC1 - Boxer2 Rau’shee Warren Heads to Third Olympics; Mike Tyson Hits Broadway

JUNE SIMMS: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m June Simms. This week, we recognize some of the music world’s biggest stars who are celebrating birthdays.

We also tell about former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

But first, we tell about an American boxer who is making final plans to compete at the London Olympics.

Rau’shee Warren

JUNE SIMMS: Rau’shee Warren is set to make history at the London Olympic games. By competing, he will become the first American boxer to be a three-time Olympian. He failed to win medals when he fought at Athens and Beijing. But as we hear from Faith Lapidus, the boxer says this time will be different.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Rau’shee Warren is a winner. He defeated Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand in the flyweight division finals at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in two thousand seven.

Rau’shee Warren was sure he would win a gold medal at the two thousand eight Olympics. But, instead of winning, he lost in the first round to Lee Ok-Sung of South Korea. Thinking he had more points, the American stopped throwing hard punches at the end of the fight. He was heart-broken when the judges said Lee had won. But the loss has made him train harder for the London Games. 

RAU’SHEE WARREN: “So my coach kind of been putting me in training that for nine minutes we’re fighting three rounds each round, three minutes each round. And he wants me to, you know, no rest and no break (for) nine minutes straight with my opponent, like as far as with my training partner if I’m in the gym, and he want me to, you know, go all out, and no get tired in the ring.”

Rau’shee Warren has been in training for almost twenty years. Warren grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was following in the steps of his three brothers, all amateur boxers3, when he fought for the first time at age six. He was much smaller than most fighters and often had to fight larger boys. But by age eight, he won his first amateur or non-professional fight. The American says fighting older and possibly stronger opponents has been good for him.

RAU’SHEE WARREN: “It helped me through a lot because I was learning all the small things as far as stepping with the jab and using the combinations and bobbing, weaving, plus I was watching a lot of people growing up before me that were in the gym like Ricardo Williams. He was a silver medalist at the two thousand Olympics in Sydney.”

Warren also watched videos of another American boxer, Pernell Whitaker, a gold medalist at the nineteen eighty-four Olympics. Now, it is on to London where he will probably turn heads because he has dyed part of his hair bright red. 

RAU’SHEE WARREN: “I’m just trying to set a trend, just doing something different with my hair and just knowing like if nobody remembers my name, they’re going to remember the boy with the red hair.”

If he wins a medal, his mother, Paulette, will wear it. She has always been there for him, win or lose. After the loss in Beijing, she helped persuade him to try out for his third Olympics. Rau’shee Warren might compete as a professional boxer after the games.

RAU’SHEE WARREN: “Whatever I decided4 to do she was with it, and I told her I wanted to go back again because I wanted to get that medal and put it around your neck. Just the fact that the struggle that we’ve been going through, that right there, just can complete my trophy5 case. And by giving that to her, I could move on to bigger and better things.”

For now, his goal is to win an Olympic medal. And he has a good chance to do it. I’m Faith Lapidus.

(MUSIC)

Mike Tyson Takes on Broadway

JUNE SIMMS: Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is bringing his one-man show to New York City. The show opened three months ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. It closed in less than a week. Christopher Cruise witnessed one of the performances and spoke6 with the former champ. He tells us about Mike Tyson’s plans to play on Broadway. 

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Some critics liked the Las Vegas show, but others did not. And the show was not a big hit with the general public. Some seats were empty. So a lot of people were surprised by the announcement that Mike Tyson had found financial “backers” to bring his show to Broadway. Perhaps the fact that a famous movie director agreed to direct the show helped to influence some investors7.

Mike Tyson has lived a very public and, in many ways, tragic8 and sickening life. In Las Vegas, he promised to tell his “no-holds-barred” story, and he did. The show is called “Undisputed Truth” because, for years, he was the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion. In fact, he was the youngest undisputed heavyweight champ in boxing history. As to whether everything Mike Tyson says in his show is the truth, let me say it was the truth as he sees it.

Two months ago, I presented a report about the Las Vegas show in the VOA Special English program THIS IS AMERICA. As noted9 then, much of what the former champ said during his show cannot be broadcast. That is because his language - like his life - was often disrespectful, threatening and shocking. But at times it could also be funny and interesting. 

The forty-five-year-old American has had huge successes and even bigger failures. He earned - and spent – an estimated four hundred million dollars. People he trusted, he says, stole much of his money or did a poor job protecting it.

Mike Tyson told the crowd he liked trouble, and he “was a horrible kid.” He said he had won many boxing matches by the time he was fourteen, which made him feel, he said “invincible, like God.” But he admitted he had emotional problems. And he said, “I was still an empty guy even though I was the world champion.” 

Mike Tyson says he keeps away from violence now. When the audience laughed at that line, he said “I’m trying.”

Spike10 Lee will be directing the Broadway show. A well-known and successful director of movies, he has never before directed a production on the Great White Way, as Broadway is sometimes known.

At the announcement of the show, Spike Lee said people are “going to hear a great American story.” He said Mike Tyson was showing a lot of courage to step onto a Broadway stage and tell his story.

The show will run for two weeks in late July and August at Broadway’s oldest theatre - the Longacre, in Times Square. Tickets cost between seventy-five and one hundred ninety-nine dollars. For three hundred dollars, people will get a ticket and have a chance to meet Mike Tyson. I’m Christopher Cruise. 

(MUSIC)

Musical Birthdays

Several music artists are celebrating birthdays this week.

Ringo Starr will celebrate his seventy-second birthday on Saturday. The former Beatles drummer plans to spend the day in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be performing at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium11. His latest single is a re-recorded version of his song “Wings,” which first appeared on his nineteen ninety-seven album “Ringo the 4th.”

Ringo says so much has changed since then. He says at that time an album still meant a vinyl record. Here he is with the latest version of “Wings.”

(MUSIC)

Pop music star Huey Lewis turned sixty-two on July fifth. He and his San-Francisco based group “The News” were among the world’s most popular bands throughout the nineteen eighties. They are perhaps best known for their hit single “The Power of Love” from ninety eighty-five. That song gained worldwide fame after it appeared in the film “Back to the Future.” It became the band’s first number one hit on Billboard’s Hot One Hundred music chart. It also was nominated for an Academy Award.

(MUSIC)

Rhythm and Blues12 singer Bill Withers13 celebrated14 his seventy-fourth birthday on July Fourth, America’s Independence Day. This year marked the fortieth anniversary of the release of his hit song “Lean on Me.” It remains15 one of his most popular songs. It was awarded a Grammy in nineteen eighty-seven. The song officially entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in two thousand five.

(MUSIC)

Pop singers Taylor Dayne and Laura Branigan also are celebrating birthdays this week. So did former rocker Debbie Harry16 from the band Blondie. And American pop and country singer Michelle Branch turned twenty-nine years old. The singer is just as famous for being half of the singing duo The Wreckers as she is for her solo work.

Her third solo album, “West Coast Time,” has been repeatedly delayed. It is now expected to be released later this year. Its first single, “Loud Music,” was a Top Twenty Hit on the Adult Contemporary music chart.

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: I’m June Simms. This program was written by Milagros Ardin and Christopher Cruise. Mike Richman provided additional reporting. For transcripts17, MP3s and podcasts of our stories go to www.voanews.cn. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Join us again next week for music and more on AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mosaic CEExS     
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 boxer sxKzdR     
n.制箱者,拳击手
参考例句:
  • The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
  • He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。
3 boxers a8fc8ea2ba891ef896d3ca5822c4405d     
n.拳击短裤;(尤指职业)拳击手( boxer的名词复数 );拳师狗
参考例句:
  • The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The boxers slugged it out to the finish. 两名拳击手最后决出了胜负。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 decided lvqzZd     
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。
5 trophy 8UFzI     
n.优胜旗,奖品,奖杯,战胜品,纪念品
参考例句:
  • The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
  • He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。
6 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
7 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
8 tragic inaw2     
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的
参考例句:
  • The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
  • Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。
9 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
10 spike lTNzO     
n.长钉,钉鞋;v.以大钉钉牢,使...失效
参考例句:
  • The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
  • They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。
11 auditorium HO6yK     
n.观众席,听众席;会堂,礼堂
参考例句:
  • The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
  • The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出,伸入观众席。
12 blues blues     
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
参考例句:
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
13 withers e30bf7b384bb09fe0dc96663bb9cde0b     
马肩隆
参考例句:
  • The girl's pitiful history would wring one's withers. 这女孩子的经历令人心碎。
  • "I will be there to show you," and so Mr. Withers withdrew. “我会等在那里,领你去看房间的,"威瑟斯先生这样说着,退了出去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
14 celebrated iwLzpz     
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。
15 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
16 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
17 transcripts 525c0b10bb61e5ddfdd47d7faa92db26     
n.抄本( transcript的名词复数 );转写本;文字本;副本
参考例句:
  • Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样,都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
  • You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书,你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

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