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VOA慢速英语2012 THIS IS AMERICA - Mob Museum Hits Vegas, but It's No Sure Bet

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THIS IS AMERICA - Mob Museum Hits Vegas, but It's No Sure Bet

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Shirley Griffith. Today we take you to the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. The museum opened earlier this year in America’s gaming capital – Las Vegas, Nevada. Christopher Cruise went there and has our report.

(MUSIC)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Las Vegas is famous for excitement, entertainment and casinos, businesses where lots of money can be won and lost. The city is not known for its arts or cultural organizations. But Las Vegas now has a world-class museum. It is the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. It tells about organized crime and one of the most famous crime groups: The American Mafia, also called the mob.

The Mob Museum is both informative1 and entertaining. It is filled with well-documented historical displays and interactive2 exhibits. When I visited, children and adults were enjoying the museum. It is one of the few places in Las Vegas that does not have slot machines or other games of chance -- except in its displays.

The Mob Museum opened this year on February fourteenth -- Valentine’s Day, an important day in Mafia history. It was on Valentine’s Day eighty-three years ago that the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre3 happened. Seven members of the Bugs4 Moran gang were shot and killed in Chicago, Illinois.

The killers5 belonged to a competing group headed by Al Capone. Al Capone was one of the most-feared and best-known criminals of the time. News of the killings6 appeared in newspapers across the country.

The Mob Museum has the brick wall where the seven men were lined up and murdered. It is used as a screen for a short film about the killings. It is blood-covered and marked with bullet holes.

(MUSIC)

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place long ago. But organized crime is still a problem. Last year, federal agents arrested more than one hundred twenty individuals said to have connections to the Mafia. The charges included murder, drug trafficking and illegal gambling7.

The Mob Museum says “there are two sides to every story – and then there’s the truth.” The museum tells the story of the Mafia’s effect on Las Vegas and the nation, and the relationship between the Mafia and law enforcement.

It is not possible to tell the history of Las Vegas without noting the influence of organized crime. The city would not be what it is today if not for the Mafia. The group was important in the creation of modern Las Vegas, helping8 to build it up from a small town in the desert to an internationally-known city.

Las Vegas is known for destroying old buildings and putting up new ones in their place. Yet the Mob Museum is in an historic, old structure that once held a federal courthouse and a post office.

On November fifteenth, nineteen fifty, a committee of the United States Senate held a hearing in one of the building’s courtrooms. It was the seventh in a series of fourteen hearings about organized crime held nationwide in nineteen fifty and fifty-one. The hearings were called to publicize the workings of the Mafia and help law enforcement bring it under control. As part of repairs to the building, the second-floor courtroom has been made to look exactly as it did sixty years ago.

As a result of the committee hearings, many mobsters moved their operations to Nevada. That is because gambling was permitted in the state, but illegal in other states. The Mafia made a lot of money from gambling, as well as the sex industry and alcohol sales.

The Mob Museum tells how the Mafia grew out of American cities over a century ago. Many immigrants who settled in cities were hard-working and wanted to succeed. But instead of traditional roads to success, some chose a life of crime. Many, however, died because of their decision or were jailed for criminal activity.

Museum displays show the bloody9 violence of the Mob. They also show how federal agents wire-tapped telephones and listened in on the plotting of mobsters and how they “skimmed,” or stole money from Las Vegas casinos. Museum visitors can fire a machine gun – although it does not use real bullets.

They also can sit in a real electric chair. Before sitting down, I made sure the chair was not connected to an electrical outlet10.

(MUSIC)

Carolyn G. Goodman is the mayor of Las Vegas. Her husband Oscar formerly11 held the position. Before Oscar Goodman was elected mayor, he provided legal representation to suspected members of the Mafia. Lawyers who represent such suspects are known as “mob lawyers.”

From the nineteen sixties through the nineteen eighties, Mr. Goodman represented some of the men believed to be top Las Vegas gangsters12.

Mr. Goodman says that during his term in office, he began planning for the museum. He told VOA, “It is my vision, my baby, my project.” He says he wanted to find a way to bring people and jobs to the city’s downtown area.

Most Las Vegas casinos are on what is called the Strip, far from the center of the city. There is not much to do in downtown Las Vegas. However, a tourist attraction called “The Fremont Street Experience” is just a short walk from the museum. About fifteen million people go there every year to gamble, watch musical performers and other activities.

Across the street from Mr. Goodman’s mayoral office stood a former courthouse. He negotiated with the federal government to take control of the building. The government sold the building to the museum for one dollar. Mr. Goldman told VOA his city is the best place in the country for a museum about the Mafia.

OSCAR GOODMAN: “You know, Las Vegas is different than any other city because of where we came from. Basically we are a product of the Mob, who moved here from other places. And I said this would be a great place to have a Mob Museum.”

Years ago, some Italian-Americans were reported to be heading organized crime groups in the United States. Mr. Goodman admits Italian-Americans did not like the idea of a museum about the Mafia.

OSCAR GOODMAN: “There was an awful lot of resistance in the beginning that we would be glorifying13 the Mob, or that certain ethnic14 groups would be targeted and it would be defamatory towards them but, I said ‘No, it is going to be an even-handed presentation.’”

But Mr. Goodman says none of the Mafia suspects he represented in court objected to the Mob Museum. In fact, he says, some of them wanted to donate materials to the museum, hoping their story would be told there.

(MUSIC)

The Mob Museum cost forty-two million dollars. Thirty million of that was spent to restore and repair the old building. Nine million dollars in federal, state and local money was used to pay for the project.

But a group called the Taxpayers15 Protection Alliance has objected to the use of tax money to create the museum. It says the museum is evidence of pork-barrel spending and irresponsible government at a time when many families are struggling. The group is concerned that, if the museum does not have enough paying customers, tax dollars will be used to support its continued operation.

Mr. Goodman told VOA that critics of the museum can, in his words, “go jump in a lake as far as I’m concerned.”

The people who designed the museum also worked on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Both are successful businesses.

At one time Mr. Goodman hoped that as many as eight hundred thousand people would visit the Mob Museum every year. Now, museum officials hope the number is closer to three hundred thousand visitors. Executive Director Jonathan Ullman told VOA the museum will meet or exceed that number. He says it will make a profit as long as there are at least two hundred sixty thousand visitors every year.

The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement is open seven days a week. Adults must pay eighteen dollars for admission. Children and teachers pay less. So do older adults, police officers, Nevada state residents and members of the military.

A single visit is not long enough to see, read and hear all that the museum has to offer. A visitor could be occupied by the museum for days. There are exhibits on activities of organized crime throughout the world. Another exhibit shows some of the misinformation about the Mafia in the media and movies. Mr. Goodman has said he wanted the museum to be “a real museum with a real connection to history.”

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Christopher Cruise wrote and presented our report. Our producer was Brianna Blake. I’m Shirley Griffith. You can see pictures and videos of the Mob Museum from our visit on our website www.voanews.cn. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 informative 6QczZ     
adj.提供资料的,增进知识的
参考例句:
  • The adverts are not very informative.这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。
  • This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.这本引人入胜的书既有思想性又富知识性。
2 interactive KqZzFY     
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的
参考例句:
  • The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
  • This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。
3 massacre i71zk     
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀
参考例句:
  • There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中,这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
  • If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀,大屠杀就有可能再次发生!
4 bugs e3255bae220613022d67e26d2e4fa689     
adj.疯狂的,发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 );病菌;虫子;[计算机](制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的)错误
参考例句:
  • All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞,都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 killers c1a8ff788475e2c3424ec8d3f91dd856     
凶手( killer的名词复数 ); 消灭…者; 致命物; 极难的事
参考例句:
  • He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
  • They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。
6 killings 76d97e8407f821a6e56296c4c9a9388c     
谋杀( killing的名词复数 ); 突然发大财,暴发
参考例句:
  • His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
7 gambling ch4xH     
n.赌博;投机
参考例句:
  • They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
  • The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。
8 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
9 bloody kWHza     
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染
参考例句:
  • He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
  • He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。
10 outlet ZJFxG     
n.出口/路;销路;批发商店;通风口;发泄
参考例句:
  • The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
  • Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。
11 formerly ni3x9     
adv.从前,以前
参考例句:
  • We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
  • This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
12 gangsters ba17561e907047df78d78510bfbc2b09     
匪徒,歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
  • One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。
13 glorifying 1f84c1020d395ee8281fcd2ddf031934     
赞美( glorify的现在分词 ); 颂扬; 美化; 使光荣
参考例句:
  • I had no intention of either glorifying or belittling Christianity, merely the desire to understand it. 我并没有赞扬基督教或蔑视它的立意,我所想的只是了解它。
  • You are glorifying a rather mediocre building. 你正在美化一栋普普通通的建筑。
14 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
15 taxpayers 8fa061caeafce8edc9456e95d19c84b4     
纳税人,纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
  • She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

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