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VOA慢速英语2013 底特律必须出售著名的艺术收藏品吗?

时间:2013-08-21 12:41:11

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Will Detroit Have to Sell Its Famous Art Collection? 底特律必须出售著名的艺术收藏品吗?

Welcome to American Mosaic1 from VOA Learning English.

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

On the show today, we play music from some singing nuns2.

We also learn about a program that helps troubled women start new lives.

But first, we go Detroit, Michigan where some city residents are worried about the future of their famous art museum.

The Detroit Institute of Arts museum in Michigan is home to valuable paintings, sculptures and ancient objects from around the world. But the collections belong to the city of Detroit.

The city has requested bankruptcy3 court protection. Many people are concerned that the arts collections could be sold to pay some of the city's debts. Avi Arditti reports.

Inside its huge rooms, more than 60,000 objects make up the Detroit Institute of Arts, or DIA for short. It is one of the most respected art collections in the United States.

Visitors to the museum can see Vincent Van Gogh's brush strokes up close on his painting "Self Portrait." They can also examine William-Adolphe Bouguereau's "Nut Gatherers." The work is so finely detailed4, it looks more like a photograph than a painting.

But that is not what brought Virginia-based airline pilot Terrence O'Toole from Virginia to the DIA. He wanted to take a look at Diego Rivera's large wall paintings of the Detroit automobile5 industry.

"And I thought it was interesting to come in here and see the murals depicting6 the diversity of the plant."

Throughout the museum, many of the signs that describe each object share the same four words: "City of Detroit Purchase."

That is what makes the DIA different from most other major museums in America. The city of Detroit owns the DIA building and most of its collections.

Kevyn Orr is Detroit's emergency manager. He asked about the DIA's collections before he filed for bankruptcy protection for the city. The art world and many residents of Detroit were shocked and angered.

"It's a slam against all the citizens of this city and a slam against the citizens of the whole area here."

That is bookseller John King. He has lived in Detroit all his life. He remained in the city even as its population shrank. Mr. King says the DIA is important to what is left of Detroit's spirit. He says he hopes those owed money by Detroit do not force the sale of the collection.

"It's sad they're even talking about going after that asset. I mean they have other assets they could go after, and they shouldn't really be touching7 the Detroit Institute of Arts."

Amiyatosh Purnanandan is a finance professor in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He says the total value of the DIA's collection is far below the amount Detroit owes.

"You're looking at $18 billion of debt. The art museum will fetch you one to two billion dollars. Even if you sell that, it's not going to solve your problems."

Pilot Terrence O'Toole adds that selling the collection would hurt tourism, the very thing Detroit needs rights now.

"It brings visitors, it brings cash flow to this community, which this city is in desperate need of some cash flow."

The nonprofit group ArtServe Michigan says the state earned $2 billion from tourism in 2011. Visitors spent it mostly on cultural institutions, like the Detroit Institute of the Arts. Experts say selling the collection would harm more than just tourism. They say a flood of rare and important art onto the market could weaken Detroit's ability to get the best price for the works.

Baltimore, Maryland, has one of the largest numbers of homeless people and substance abusers in the United States. About one-third of the city's more than 4,000 homeless are women with drug abuse problems.

One organization that seeks to help those women is a place called Marian House. It has provided help toward recovery, including treatment and housing assistance, for more than 30 years.

"Heroin8, cocaine9, pills, whatever that would take me out of my own head, I had hit rock-bottom. Marian House is a beautiful place to be."

Robin10 is one of the more than 1,000 women Marian House has helped to rebuild their lives. The center was established first as a temporary program for women coming out of prison. Today, it provides a helping11 hand for other women. Executive Director Katie Alston calls it a refuge.

"A home for women who are in need in the things that they've suffered through: Rape12, domestic violence, sexual attack, mental illness, addiction13. All of those things. A term that we've been using lately is a therapeutic14 recovery community."

Cassaundra says she got to Marian House after a long struggle with drugs and alcohol. She tells what happened to her.

"Ultimately, I ended up in bad relationships, domestic violence. My last relationship ... ended up with 29 stitches to the face, from the eyebrow15 down around to the neck."

Cassaundra says it is hard to get into the center. Women are questioned before they can be admitted. They need to show that they are willing and ready to do something different. Cassaundra says when she did this, she had, in her words, "nothing left...absolutely nothing." She says she needed Marian House desperately16.

Katie Alston describes life at Marian House as like living in a dormitory for college students. But Ms. Alston says the center has strong rules.

"We have curfews, we have restrictions17 on visitors. We have an expectation, the first week they are on blackout. They can't leave the building. After the first week, they have earlier curfews than they will later on."

She says the women are expected to be involved in all required parts of the program. If they fail to attend a counseling meeting, they receive a written warning from a counselor18.

Ms. Alston is happy about the women who complete the Marian House program. She says the program requires a great deal of bravery. She says some women often give up all of the life they have known.

Ms. Alston says there are thousands more women -- in the United States and overseas -- who need such a refuge but cannot find it. She says some women might not know a place like Marian House exists, while others might not be ready for such a program.

But she hopes that someday, women in need of help will find a place – and especially that those nearby will find Marian House.

Marian House was begun by two groups of Roman Catholic nuns. Now, Christopher Cruise introduces you to some nuns who make music to better the world.

The choir19 is the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. It just released its first CD. "Mater Eucharistiae" is filled with holy music.

Mater Eucharistiae means "Mother of the Eucharist" in Latin. The Eucharist is something Catholics eat during a service. It usually starts as a piece of round, flat bread. Then a priest prays over the bread. Catholics believe this turns the bread into the body of Christ.

Here the religious workers sing "Adoro Te" which means I adore you.

The Dominican Sisters are perhaps the most famous Catholic religious workers in the United States. They have appeared on television several times, including two visits to the Oprah Winfrey Show.

They say they recorded the CD to "unite their voices to glorify20 God and the beauty of His holy Catholic Church."

"It's an opportunity to go into people's homes and to go into their cars, you know, to, to bring some of what we are to them."

Sister Joseph Andrew is a leader of the group. She supervised the project, played the organ on some of the songs and wrote two, including this one, "Holy Mary Mother of God."

The CD was recorded live at the group's chapel21 in the city of Ann Arbor22, Michigan. Sister Joseph Andrew told VOA the music represents the sisters' Dominican spirituality, which they say they want to share with the popular culture.

"We've put a lot of ongoing23 prayer behind this. And, it would be our prayer that everyone who hears this is brought closer to God, has a more open heart for God's love for each individual."

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. Our program was written Christopher Cruise and Caty Weaver24, who was also the producer.

Do you have a question about American life, people or places? Send an e-mail to [email protected]. We might answer your question in a future show. You can also visit our website at 51voa.com to find transcripts25 and audio of our shows.

Join us again next week for music and more on American Mosaic from VOA Learning 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 nuns ce03d5da0bb9bc79f7cd2b229ef14d4a     
n.(通常指基督教的)修女, (佛教的)尼姑( nun的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句
3 bankruptcy fPoyJ     
n.破产;无偿付能力
参考例句:
  • You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产,就必须节省开支。
  • His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。
4 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
5 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。
6 depicting eaa7ce0ad4790aefd480461532dd76e4     
描绘,描画( depict的现在分词 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
  • The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。
7 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
8 heroin IrSzHX     
n.海洛因
参考例句:
  • Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
  • Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。
9 cocaine VbYy4     
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
参考例句:
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
10 robin Oj7zme     
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
参考例句:
  • The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
  • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
11 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。
12 rape PAQzh     
n.抢夺,掠夺,强奸;vt.掠夺,抢夺,强奸
参考例句:
  • The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
  • He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。
13 addiction JyEzS     
n.上瘾入迷,嗜好
参考例句:
  • He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
  • Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。
14 therapeutic sI8zL     
adj.治疗的,起治疗作用的;对身心健康有益的
参考例句:
  • Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
  • When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候,音乐有治疗效力。
15 eyebrow vlOxk     
n.眉毛,眉
参考例句:
  • Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
  • With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬,似乎既感到吃惊,又觉有趣。
16 desperately cu7znp     
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地
参考例句:
  • He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
  • He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。
17 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
18 counselor czlxd     
n.顾问,法律顾问
参考例句:
  • The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
  • Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。
19 choir sX0z5     
n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱
参考例句:
  • The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
  • The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。
20 glorify MeNzm     
vt.颂扬,赞美,使增光,美化
参考例句:
  • Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
  • We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝,竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。
21 chapel UXNzg     
n.小教堂,殡仪馆
参考例句:
  • The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
  • She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
22 arbor fyIzz0     
n.凉亭;树木
参考例句:
  • They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里,边喝茶边聊天。
  • You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。
23 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
24 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
25 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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