在线英语听力室

VOA慢速英语2015--66号公路十个必看景点

时间:2015-11-27 15:46:22

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

AS IT IS 2015-11-22 Ten Must-See Route 66 Attractions 66号公路十个必看景点

The United States is full of odd roadside attractions. Route 66 is home to some of the oldest – and arguably most bizarre – roadside attractions of them all. Here are 10 attractions you should see along the Mother Road:

1. Paul Bunyan and a Hot Dog

Route 66 travelers pass by many fiberglass giants right along the road. These giants were a popular form of advertising1 in the 1960s. Many of them stood in front of service stations. They held car parts, such as mufflers. The collection of Route 66 giants became known as “Muffler Men.” Businesses hoped the strange statues would get travelers’ attention.

The first fiberglass giant was a “Paul Bunyan” figure, built in the early 1960s. Paul Bunyan is a famous lumberjack in American folklore2.

It originally advertised the Paul Bunyan Cafe on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. There, the Paul Bunyan statue held an axe3.

But in 1965, a man in Illinois bought the statue and brought it to his state. He used the giant Paul Bunyan to advertise his restaurant in Cicero, Illinois. He also replaced the axe with something very different: a hot dog.

The statue was moved again in the early 2000s, this time to Atlanta, Illinois. Paul Bunyan still stands there today, nearly six meters tall, with one giant hot dog in hand.

2. Crown Candy Kitchen and Jamaica Ray

Crown Candy Kitchen has been serving Route 66 travelers from the very beginning. It is just a few short blocks from the 66 path through St. Louis, Missouri. The family-run soda4 fountain shop opened more than 100 years ago, and has been making candies, malts, and meals ever since. 

On weekends, people sometimes wait in line for a table at Crown Candy for over an hour. Luckily there is free entertainment right outside. Jamaica Ray, a local folk artist, creates unusual sculptures.

Jamaica Ray was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but was raised in Jamaica. When he returned to his birth city a few years ago, he brought with him a unique style of art. Jamaica Ray creates very life-like sculptures out of cloth, plastic and other materials he finds. And he plays music for customers on his homemade steel drums.

3. The World's Largest Rocking Chair

Fanning, Missouri, is home to one of the strangest Route 66 attractions. Just off the road sits an almost 13-meter-tall rocking chair.

The structure was completed in 2008 on the first of April, or April Fools Day. The same year, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded it the title of “World’s Largest Rocking Chair.” 

At one time the chair actually rocked. But officials decided5 it had to be permanently6 still to be safe. People are not permitted to climb the chair. We suspect, however, that it probably happens once in a while when no one is watching.

4. Big Texan's Steak Challenge

Few places better represent the common expression “Everything’s Bigger in Texas” than the Big Texan Steak Ranch7. Since 1960, it has appealed to travelers with big appetites -- and a big love of beef.

It is hard to miss the huge yellow restaurant -- or the giant cow statue that sits out front. The cow advertises Big Texan’s special deal, and what has made this steak ranch famous: a “free” 72-oz -- or 2 kilogram -- steak. There is one trick: the steak is only free if you can eat the entire thing in one hour.

A special table is in the middle of the restaurant for the daring diners who accept the challenge. Since 1990, more than 9,000 diners have eaten the entire 2-kilogram steak.

5. Cadillac Ranch - A Colorful Burial Ground for Cars

Of all the strange attractions along the Mother Road the best known is in Amarillo, Texas: Cadillac Ranch

There, ten Cadillac cars are partly buried, front first, in the hard, flat earth. Their back ends, several with iconic tail fins8, point toward the big Texas sky.

A group of artists called Ant Farm created the installation in 1974. It is on private land but the owner has always left the area open for visitors. The installation is meant to represent the golden age of cars.

Huge numbers of tourists visit Cadillac Ranch every day. Many bring along cans of spray paint. Visitors are encouraged to leave their marks on the colorful cars.

6. Beautiful Blue Swallow

Some of the most treasured attractions on Route 66 are motels. Bright neon motel signs transport the traveler back in time. These motor court-style motels became popular as the automobile9 rose to importance in the U.S. The small, independent motels remain a symbol of the American road trip.

Along Route 66 today, the majestic10 Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, stands out. The Blue Swallow opened in 1940. It has been renovated12 and modernized13. But it still has many of motel’s classic and original features. A vintage car still sits out front.

Blue Swallow’s sign, though, is what makes it so special. The photogenic neon sign features a swallow -- a type of bird -- with a leaf in its beak14. The bird’s lights blink on and off.

Route 66 travelers today can still stay the night in one of Blue Swallow’s 12 rooms. It remains15 one of the most famous motels along the route. 

7. What is a Wigwam?                                           

Some of Route 66’s motels are just kooky. The Wigwam Village in Holbrooke, Arizona, is an example. Wigwam villages are motels built in America beginning in the 1930s. They were designed to look like traditional Native American homes. Each room is actually a separate building, tall and cone16-shaped. 

However, that kind of Native home is actually called a tipi. Native wigwams are short and round like a dome17.

The builders may have gotten the name wrong, but visitors loved the motels anyway. And the Wigwams remain a popular Route 66 attraction.

8. Take It Easy on One Famous Corner!

Winslow, Arizona, is home to a relatively18 new attraction along Route 66.  It honors a popular old song. The American group the Eagles released “Take it Easy,” in 1972. It goes: “I’m standing19 on a corner in Winslow, Arizona / and such a fine sight to see.”? 

In 1999, Winslow officials opened a small public park that honors the song that made the town famous. A statue of a man holding a guitar was put up on the corner of 2nd and Kinsey streets. A large painting on a brick wall behind the statue also depicts20 a line of the song with the words Winslow Arizona painted above.

9. Flagstaff's Lively Museum Club

The Museum Club in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a honky tonk right along Route 66. If you are wondering what a honky-tonk is, we will get to that later. First we will tell you about the business’ original purpose. It opened in the 1930s. The owner, Dean Eldredge, built it to be the biggest log cabin in the world.

Mr. Eldredge was in the taxidermy business. He placed the animals he stuffed along the walls and beams of the business, and called it a museum.

Later, the museum became a place to gather and drink. It also became a popular spot for travelers along Route 66. The business added country-western music and dancing. Over the years, the club got wilder and rougher.

“Bar brawls” were not uncommon22. That is how the Museum Club earned its title as a honky-tonk.  A honky-tonk is a bar that features country-music, low-cost drinks and wild behavior.

Today, the Museum Club again is respectable, but still lively. And the heads of animals still hang in the club.

10. Hollywood in the Desert: El Trovatore

The El Trovatore Motel in Kingman, Arizona, opened in the late 1930s. It was once the one of the most modern and expensive motels along Arizona’s stretch of Route 66. It was the state’s first air-conditioned motel.

The area around Kingman was once a popular place to film western movies. So, Hollywood actors stayed in the area during filming.

El Trovatore’s past guests include Hollywood icons23 like Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and James Dean.

And El Trovatore’s connection to Hollywood still remains strong today. Many of the motel rooms celebrate a different Hollywood celebrity24. Guests can choose to stay in a Marilyn Monroe room, an Elvis Presley room, or a John Wayne room.

Another famous El Trovatore attraction? It is now home to the world’s longest Route 66 map. 

Words in This Story

fiberglass - n. a light and strong material that is made from thin threads of glass and that is used in making various products — often used before another noun

muffler - n. a device that is attached to the engine of a vehicle to make it quieter

lumberjack - n. a person whose job is to cut down trees for wood

daring - adj. willing to do dangerous or difficult things

golden age - n. a time of great happiness, success, and achievement

treasured - v. highly valued and appreciated

majestic - adj. impressively beautiful

renovate11 - v. to make changes and repairs to (an old house, building, room) so that it is back in good condition

kooky - (informal) adj. strange; different than usual

dome - n. a large rounded roof or ceiling that is shaped like half of a ball

cone - n. a shape that has a pointed25 top and sides that form a circle at the bottom

taxidermy - n. the job of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of dead animals so that they look like they did when they were alive

bar brawl21 - n. a fight that happens in a drinking place


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
2 folklore G6myz     
n.民间信仰,民间传说,民俗
参考例句:
  • Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
  • In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。
3 axe 2oVyI     
n.斧子;v.用斧头砍,削减
参考例句:
  • Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利,你要当心。
  • The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。
4 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
5 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。
6 permanently KluzuU     
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地
参考例句:
  • The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
  • The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
7 ranch dAUzk     
n.大牧场,大农场
参考例句:
  • He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
  • The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。
8 fins 6a19adaf8b48d5db4b49aef2b7e46ade     
[医]散热片;鱼鳍;飞边;鸭掌
参考例句:
  • The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关,与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
  • Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句
9 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。
10 majestic GAZxK     
adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的
参考例句:
  • In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
  • He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。
11 renovate 0VOxE     
vt.更新,革新,刷新
参考例句:
  • The couple spent thousands renovating the house.这对夫妇花了几千元来翻新房子。
  • They are going to renovate the old furniture.他们准备将旧家具整修一番。
12 renovated 0623303c5ec2d1938425e76e30682277     
翻新,修复,整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
  • The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。
13 modernized 4754ec096b71366cfd27a164df163ef2     
使现代化,使适应现代需要( modernize的过去式和过去分词 ); 现代化,使用现代方法
参考例句:
  • By 1985 the entire railway network will have been modernized. 等到1985年整个铁路网就实现现代化了。
  • He set about rebuilding France, and made it into a brilliant-looking modernized imperialism. 他试图重建法国,使它成为一项表面华丽的现代化帝业。
14 beak 8y1zGA     
n.鸟嘴,茶壶嘴,钩形鼻
参考例句:
  • The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
  • This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。
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 cone lYJyi     
n.圆锥体,圆锥形东西,球果
参考例句:
  • Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
  • The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。
17 dome 7s2xC     
n.圆屋顶,拱顶
参考例句:
  • The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
  • They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。
18 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
19 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
20 depicts fd8ee09c0b2264bb6b44abf7282d37f6     
描绘,描画( depict的第三人称单数 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
  • He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
21 brawl tsmzw     
n.大声争吵,喧嚷;v.吵架,对骂
参考例句:
  • They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
  • I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。
22 uncommon AlPwO     
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的
参考例句:
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
23 icons bd21190449b7e88db48fa0f580a8f666     
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 );(计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的)符号,图像
参考例句:
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下,后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
24 celebrity xcRyQ     
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望
参考例句:
  • Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
  • He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
25 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。