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时间:2007-07-05 02:32:09

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(单词翻译)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we begin a series about ways older Americans are keeping mentally active. We tell about Elderhostel, an organization that considers the world its classroom.


Elderhostel volunteers working as keepers at a historic2 lighthouse in Rhode Island

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The American Census3 Bureau estimates that more than seventy-five million of the three hundred million Americans are baby boomers. Baby boomers were born between nineteen forty-six and nineteen sixty-four. That was when the birth rate in the United States rose sharply5, or boomed6, after the end of World War Two.

Every day in two thousand six, almost eight thousand baby boomers turned sixty years old. They are at the age when they are beginning to think about retiring from their jobs. They are wondering what they want to do with this new period in their lives.

VOICE TWO:

Policy makers7 are concerned about the problems government must try to solve because of the rising percentage of older Americans. Each year fewer people will be working and paying into the Social Security System to support an increasing number of retired8 people. Medical costs are rising sharply. More housing is needed for older people who cannot care for themselves.

Most people who have already retired, or are about to, have other concerns about growing older. They do not want to sit at home and slowly die. They know to stay healthy they need to keep active 鈥?not just physically9 but mentally.

Private groups and non-profit organizations are meeting this need. They offer many kinds of programs for aging Americans to keep their minds active. Experts say these programs will expand and change as baby boomers join them.

VOICE ONE:


The Art Institute of Chicago offers an Elderhostel program

Different kinds of continuing education programs exist now in all areas of the United States. For example, colleges let older Americans take classes at a reduced cost. Museums, cultural organizations and non-profit groups offer many educational experiences, especially for retired people.

Older Americans can learn new skills or improve old ones through schools that offer classes in art, photography, writing, handcrafts or languages. And hundreds of thousands of people over the age of fifty-five take part every year in educational and travel programs offered by Elderhostel.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

It was nineteen seventy-five. Marty Knowlton, a former teacher, had recently returned to the United States. He had spent four years walking through Europe. He had enjoyed all the things he saw and did. He had enjoyed sleeping in the low-cost hotels for young people, called youth hostels10. And he had noted11 that many older Europeans seemed more active than older Americans.

Mister Knowlton thought there should be ways older Americans could remain active and continue to learn after retiring from their jobs. He shared stories of his travels with David Bianco, an official at the University of New Hampshire. Mister Bianco suggested the university create an elder hostel1. The name became the idea for a program for older people providing exciting learning experiences in simple but comfortable places to stay.

VOICE ONE:

In the summer of nineteen seventy-five, five colleges in New Hampshire offered the first Elderhostel programs to two hundred twenty people. The idea was an immediate12 success. Five years later, twenty thousand people took part in Elderhostels in all fifty states and most of Canada.

Many different subjects were taught in the Elderhostels -- from history to nature to music to art. People stayed in rooms at colleges, motels13 or cabins. The cost of an Elderhostel included all meals, a place to stay and teachers or guides. The model remained the same as Elderhostel grew. It now is the largest non-profit education travel organization for adults over fifty-five.

VOICE TWO:

Elderhostel now offers more than eight thousand programs a year in the United States, Canada and more than ninety other countries. More than one hundred sixty thousand people take part every year. Their average age is seventy-two. One man who is one hundred three has taken part in more than one hundred Elderhostels and is still going strong.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

People go on Elderhostels for different reasons. Nancy Gallagher of Silver Spring, Maryland, has gone on thirty-nine Elderhostels. The first one she and a friend tried was a cross-country skiing trip in Vermont. They liked the activities and the people a lot so next they went to a music program at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. And they just kept going.

One year, Nancy Gallagher and her friend flew to New Mexico and went to three different Elderhostels while they were there. Another time they flew to Europe for one Elderhostel in Florence, Italy and a second one in Paris, France. Recently she went to an Elderhostel that followed the path taken in eighteen-oh-four by the North American explorers, Lewis and Clark.

VOICE TWO:

Carol Honsa of Washington, D.C. recently went on a two-week Elderhostel to explore national and state parks in California. It was her third Elderhostel. She says about thirty interesting and lively people were part of the group. Most of their time was spent outdoors learning while experiencing the beauty of the parks.

Miz Honsa says the people she has met in Elderhostel are serious about learning. So, she says, it is important that the leaders are knowledgeable14 and that local experts such as geologists15 and naturalists16 also talk to the group.

VOICE ONE:

An Elderhostel changed the lives of John and Brenda Bell. They lived for many years between two big cities on the East Coast. Mister Bell was interested in astronomy17. They both liked to watch birds. Yet it was difficult to see the stars or find many birds where they lived.

Missus Bell says they went to Elderhostels about birding and astronomy in different areas of the United States. They visited places they would not have gone to on their own. And they met people who shared their interests in learning and having a good time doing it.

Then Mister and Missus Bell went to an Elderhostel program in the small town of Fort4 Davis, Texas. He found it perfect for observing the stars. The area was so far from big cities that the sky was very dark at night. She liked the warm climate and wide-open space. So they returned to the East Coast, sold their home, and moved to Fort Davis.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Elderhostel develops its programs in cooperation with more than five hundred independent educational and cultural organizations. They include colleges, museums, scientific research centers, performing arts centers, and national and state parks.

Traditional Elderhostels were held in one place and two or three subjects were taught. One example was an Elderhostel held years ago at Ghost Ranch18 in northern New Mexico. People made pit- fired pottery19, heard from Native American storytellers and learned about Spanish history in the Southwest. In recent years, most non-travel programs center on one subject.

Elderhostel has developed many other kinds of learning experiences. Intergenerational programs are for grandparents and their grandchildren. Adventures Afloat programs are held on ships. Active Outdoor programs combine learning with sports such as horseback riding and bicycling. Individual Skills programs offer older adults a chance to learn new skills such as painting, cooking or pottery-making.

VOICE ONE:

Adam Hurtubise is director of public relations for Elderhostel. He says Elderhostel began a new program in two thousand four because of requests from baby boomers. It is called Road Scholar. Some of these programs are trips to unusual places such as Bhutan or Antarctica. Others are five- to seven-day programs in one place.

Mister Hurtubise says many baby boomers do not plan to completely retire. They want to work part-time. So they want shorter programs that are more intense. They want a high level of activity and learning in a shorter period of time. He says they also want more free time to learn on their own and fewer people in a program.

Mister Hurtubise says Elderhostel is always developing new programs. It is creating different kinds of learning experiences to meet the demands of the growing number of older Americans.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Marilyn Christiano. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can read scripts and download audio of our programs at our Web site, www.unsv.com. Listen again next week for another EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.
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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 hostel f5qyR     
n.(学生)宿舍,招待所
参考例句:
  • I lived in a hostel while I was a student.我求学期间住在青年招待所里。
  • He says he's staying at a Youth Hostel.他说他现住在一家青年招待所。
2 historic AcNxw     
adj.历史上著名的,具有历史意义的
参考例句:
  • This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
  • We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
3 census arnz5     
n.(官方的)人口调查,人口普查
参考例句:
  • A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
  • The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。
4 fort pi3x4     
n.要塞,堡垒,碉堡
参考例句:
  • The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
  • No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证,任何人不得进入要塞。
5 sharply UiRziL     
adj.锐利地,急速;adv.严厉地,鲜明地
参考例句:
  • The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
  • Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。
6 boomed d60db83e05549ab4624bdd7b217c4fcb     
v.激增( boom的过去式和过去分词 );猛涨;发出隆隆声;以低沉有力的声音说话
参考例句:
  • The big man's voice boomed out above the rest. 这位大汉低沉的声音压过了其他人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Chicano literature boomed in the social movements of the 1960s. 奇卡诺文学勃兴于20世纪60年代社会运动的高潮中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 makers 22a4efff03ac42c1785d09a48313d352     
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
9 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
10 hostels ab4b19d7b454001216859ffc34f2fdf3     
n.旅舍,招待所( hostel的名词复数 );青年宿舍
参考例句:
  • The students were protesting at overcrowding in the university hostels. 学生们在抗议大学宿舍过于拥挤。 来自辞典例句
  • Are there any cheap hostels in Nanjing for one person? 南京有没有便宜的旅店可以一个人住? 来自互联网
11 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。
12 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
13 motels 633557e1314db80358d6e53ad0636382     
n.汽车旅馆( motel的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • All the motels lie beside the road. 所有的汽车旅馆都位于公路旁边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • A lot of motels lie beside the turnpike. 很多汽车旅馆都位于付费公路旁边。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 knowledgeable m2Yxg     
adj.知识渊博的;有见识的
参考例句:
  • He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
  • He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。
15 geologists 1261592151f6aa40819f7687883760a2     
地质学家,地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
  • Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。
16 naturalists 3ab2a0887de0af0a40c2f2959e36fa2f     
n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 );(文学艺术的)自然主义者
参考例句:
  • Naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value. 自然学者对于不同性状决定生物的属的含义上,各有各的见解。 来自辞典例句
  • This fact has led naturalists to believe that the Isthmus was formerly open. 使许多自然学者相信这个地蛱在以前原是开通的。 来自辞典例句
17 astronomy hOQyf     
n.天文学
参考例句:
  • Mathematics is connected with astronomy.数学与天文学有联系。
  • Astronomy is an abstract subject.天文学是一门深奥的学科。
18 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。
19 pottery OPFxi     
n.陶器,陶器场
参考例句:
  • My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
  • The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

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