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VOA慢速英语2013 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Muslims and Jews Share Life Stories and Build Friendships in LA

时间:2013-02-04 08:59:51

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AMERICAN MOSAIC1 - Muslims and Jews Share Life Stories and Build Friendships in LA

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms.

On our show this week, we play new music from singer Aaron Neville.

We also tell about an effort in California to build friendships between young Muslims and Jews…

But first, we tell about a businessman who is providing free services for people in need…

Free Car Repairs for Those in Need

Car repairs can be very costly2. Such expenses can be especially hard on the unemployed3. So, a car repair business in Virginia is doing what it can to help local jobless people keep their vehicles on the road. Faith Lapidus has more.

Sharon and Gene4 Ward5 are disabled and cannot work as a result. They had to leave their home last September because they could not make its rental6 payments. They ended up living in their automobile7.

Sharon Ward says it is difficult.

“You don’t have a place to take a shower. You got to only carry a certain amount of things with you. The thing that scared me more than anything is winter, when the cold temperatures come and the snow.”

Her husband agrees.

“I try to make sure that we always have gas so we can run the motor for heat.”

When their van started making funny noises the Wards9 became very upset.

“Our car started to sound like a million crickets chirping10.”

The couple took their vehicle to a repair shop. They were told it would cost more than 300 dollars to fix it.

Luckily, the Wards heard about another shop where the price would be much better.

W.D. Wiygul’s Automotive Clinic has four shops in Virginia. Mr. Wiygul offers free minor11 repairs to people experiencing money troubles.

“Several months ago, give the state of the economy, we decided12 to a put a sign on the street that reads ‘Unemployed? Free small repairs so you can make that interview.’”

Since then, there has been a continual flow of people coming in for help, including Sharon and Gene Ward. Wiygul’s fixed13 the van for free.

“They even polished our headlights, gave us the remote control to their TV here and told us ‘watch TV and have something to drink, hot chocolate, coffee.’”

But the shop did not stop there. W.D. Wiygul called a local religious group that helped the Wards find a temporary shelter.

“Other people are getting in touch with us – social workers, case workers. It’s like what I’ve been trying to do since September is happening within a week.”

Mr. Wiygul says the experience has been rewarding.

“We’re not here for the glory or to promote our business. We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do. This is our little way to try to kick start our community economy.”

W.D Wiygul hopes other small businesses will also give back to the community – not only getting cars back on the road, but helping14 people get back on their feet.

Building Friendships Between Jews and Muslims in L.A.

Young Muslims and Jews in Los Angeles, California, are making friends with each other in an unusual way. They gather together at meetings set up by a group called NewGround. And they share personal stories to help build new relationships. 

On this particular evening, a Muslim neurosurgeon explains to the group that he was orphaned15 as a child. He says he was raised by a Jewish family who insisted that he follow the Islamic faith. A Jewish woman shares childhood memories of her grandparents. They were Holocaust16 survivors17 from Eastern Europe. This is all taking place during a storytelling event organized by a group called NewGround.

Tanzila Ahmed is a Muslim from Bangladesh. She says the storytelling event helps celebrate the differences in cultures.

“It is such a kaleidoscope of stories and colors and different perspectives that when you are able to get narratives18 from the different communities, you can actually move the community together for a cause a lot easier.”

Edina Lekovic works for a Muslim support group. She says conflict in the Middle East reaches into Los Angeles and can build a wall between the Jewish and Muslim communities. She co-founded NewGround as a way to bring the two communities together.

“They know how to engage one another. They have authentic19 relationships, and at the same time, they are not trapped by what is going on overseas, but instead they are invested more so in what is happening here in Los Angeles.”

Each year, 20 young Muslim and Jewish professionals are selected to take part in an interfaith program. The program is aimed at helping them gain the skills, relationships and contacts necessary to affect how Muslims and Jews relate to each other in the United States. The participants attend two weekend gatherings21 and meet twice a month from November to June to learn from each other and from community leaders.

At one recent gathering20, a presentation on the history of Islam sparked a discussion among the latest group of NewGround fellows. 

Rabbi Sarah Bassin ((PR: BA-sin) is the executive director of NewGround. She says many organizations bring Jews and Christians22 together, but few exist to connect Jews and Muslims.

“That conversation largely has not begun. We do not have the vocabulary to sit down at the same table in the same way that the Jewish-Christian communities have worked out over the last 50 or 60 years, especially in a post-Holocaust era.”

New Jewish member Abbie Barash says has made some good friends through the group.

“And we have already become so close and I have just known them for like a month now. So it has become extremely valuable for me.”

Actor Amir Abdullah, a Muslim, says differences between the two groups will remain.

“No, Muslims and Jews are not going to agree on everything. Heck, most Muslims are not even going to agree with each other on everything. But if we are able to share those experiences and share how we feel, we can at least get to understand one another, and I think that is really important.”

NewGround members hope these efforts to build relations between Muslims and Jews will spread far beyond Los Angeles.

Aaron Neville “My True Story”

The singer Aaron Neville has turned back time in his latest album, “My True Story.” Neville dug up 12 songs from the 1950s and 60s, and recorded them with the help of producers Don Was and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Ted8 Greenfield plays some of the new, old tunes24.

In 1964, the group The Drifters recorded “Under the Boardwalk.” The tune23 was a hit single, going to number four on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Many other artists also recorded “Under the Boardwalk” in the years that followed. Interestingly, among those artists was Keith Richards. He and the Rolling Stones recorded the song in the same year as the Drifters. 

Aaron Neville says he loved “Under the Boardwalk” when he was young. But the singer says he did not even know what a boardwalk was. The walkways are found in many seaside communities, but not the city of New Orleans, where he grew up.

Aaron Neville says “Under the Boardwalk” is a song you can do without any instrumental music. The harmony of voices is all that is needed.

Aaron Neville is now 72 years old. He says that, when he was still a boy, his brother worked at a record store. He would bring new records home. The singer says the song “Ting-a-ling” was one of the first single discs he heard. He says he loved everything about the vinyl sound, even the scratchy noise as the needle touched down on the record.

Critics have praised, “My True Story.” Q magazine called it a “joyful and respectful collection.” We leave you with Aaron Neville performing the bouncy 1952 song, “Money Honey.”

 


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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 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
3 unemployed lfIz5Q     
adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的
参考例句:
  • There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
  • The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
4 gene WgKxx     
n.遗传因子,基因
参考例句:
  • A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
  • The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。
5 ward LhbwY     
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开
参考例句:
  • The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
  • During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时,我要点根火把,抵挡蚊虫。
6 rental cBezh     
n.租赁,出租,出租业
参考例句:
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
  • We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。
7 automobile rP1yv     
n.汽车,机动车
参考例句:
  • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
  • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
8 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
9 wards 90fafe3a7d04ee1c17239fa2d768f8fc     
区( ward的名词复数 ); 病房; 受监护的未成年者; 被人照顾或控制的状态
参考例句:
  • This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
  • It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区,下设三个分区。
10 chirping 9ea89833a9fe2c98371e55f169aa3044     
鸟叫,虫鸣( chirp的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • The birds,chirping relentlessly,woke us up at daybreak. 破晓时鸟儿不断吱吱地叫,把我们吵醒了。
  • The birds are chirping merrily. 鸟儿在欢快地鸣叫着。
11 minor e7fzR     
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
参考例句:
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
12 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。
13 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
14 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。
15 orphaned ac11e48c532f244a7f6abad4cdedea5a     
[计][修]孤立
参考例句:
  • Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
  • He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。
16 holocaust dd5zE     
n.大破坏;大屠杀
参考例句:
  • The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
  • Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀,因为他像希特勒一样残忍。
17 survivors 02ddbdca4c6dba0b46d9d823ed2b4b62     
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
  • survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
18 narratives 91f2774e518576e3f5253e0a9c364ac7     
记叙文( narrative的名词复数 ); 故事; 叙述; 叙述部分
参考例句:
  • Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点,然而也是一个伟大的开始。
  • This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。
19 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
20 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
21 gatherings 400b026348cc2270e0046708acff2352     
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
参考例句:
  • His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
  • During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
22 Christians 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6     
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
  • His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。
23 tune NmnwW     
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
参考例句:
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
24 tunes 175b0afea09410c65d28e4b62c406c21     
n.曲调,曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调
参考例句:
  • a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
  • When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时,她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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