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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC1 in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson. Today we play music from Dengue Fever …

Answer a listener question about the oldest university in America …

And report on four Kings of fiction writing.

(MUSIC)

The Kings of Fiction

HOST:

Stephen King is one of the most popular living writers in the world. He has written more than forty books and two hundred short stories. His books have sold hundreds of millions of copies around the world. Most of his stories are about frightening and mysterious events. Stephen King is not the only writer in his family. His wife and two sons have also published books. Barbara Klein tells us about the writers of the King family.

BARBARA KLEIN:
 
Stephen and Tabitha King

Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, met in college in the state of Maine. Both were already writers. They did not have much money or much time for writing because they soon had three children. But, both worked hard to find time to write. Tabitha King helped start Stephen's career. She rescued his early version of the book “Carrie” from the waste basket where he had thrown it in a moment of hopelessness. Stephen King published “Carrie” in nineteen seventy-four. It became a best seller. The money from this book as well as his short stories meant that the Kings could spend their time writing.

Over the years Stephen King has written many famous horror stories. These include “The Shining,” “Cujo” “It” and “Misery.” All of these popular books have been made into movies. His imaginative2 and unforgettable stories have made him one of the most famous writers in the world.

Tabitha King has published nine books. Her latest book is called “Candles Burning.” Her friend, writer Michael McDowell, started writing the book. When he died, she was asked to complete the book.

The Kings’ son Joe publishes his books under the name "Joe Hill." This way, he established a career that was separate and independent from his father. He waited eight years to tell his book agent that his father was Stephen King. Joe’s book, “Heart-Shaped Box,” has received great critical praise.
 

Owen King

And, Stephen and Tabitha’s son Owen King also writes books. His published short story collection is called “We’re All in This Together.”

Tabitha, Stephen and Owen King recently came to Washington, D.C., for a reading event at the PEN/Faulkner organization. The three writers gave entertaining and often funny readings of their work. They also met with local students to speak about the importance of reading and writing. Stephen King said reading is like exercise. The more you read, he said, the easier and more pleasurable it becomes.

Oldest U.S. University?

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Ali Awod. He wants to know which university in the United States is the oldest.
 

Harvard University

That question is not as easy to answer as it sounds. There are disputes among a few schools over the claim to being the oldest. The problem? Not everyone agrees on what a university is. That being said, we are going to go with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's Web site avoids the “oldest university” debate this way. It says Harvard is the “oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.”

Harvard is three hundred seventy-two years old. It opened as Harvard College in sixteen thirty-six when the American colonies were under British rule. It had nine students at the time.

Harvard was named after its first financial supporter, John Harvard. He was a Christian3 clergyman from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He left his library and half of everything else he owned to the school when he died in sixteen thirty-eight.

Harvard admitted only men for most of its history. It opened an allied4 college for women called the Harvard Annex5 in eighteen seventy-nine. This was later established as Radcliffe College. Women were permitted to attend Harvard classes beginning in the nineteen forties. But it was nineteen sixty-three before women were officially enrolled6 in Harvard University and permitted to earn Harvard degrees.

Today, Harvard has about eighteen thousand students in undergraduate and graduate programs. It is considered one of the best universities in the country, the richest, and the most difficult to gain admission. Drew Gilpin Faust is the twenty-eighth president of Harvard. She is the first female president in the university's history.

Harvard has had many famous graduates. Several American presidents are among them, including the current president, George Bush. He graduated from Harvard's business school. A current American presidential candidate is also a former Harvard student. Senator7 Barack Obama graduated from its law school.

Harvard has also had its share of famous drop-outs. Bill Gates began at Harvard in nineteen seventy-three and left two years later without graduating. We think he did pretty well in life, even without the Harvard degree, but the school gave him an honorary degree last year.

Dengue Fever (the Band)

HOST:

Dengue Fever is a six-member rock band based in California. They are influenced by Cambodian rock music from the nineteen sixties. Two brothers, Zac and Ethan Holtzman, formed the group seven years ago. Dengue Fever’s latest album, “Venus on Earth,” has songs in English as well as in Khmer. Critics are praising this record for its inventive and energetic sound. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:
 

Dengue Fever

About eleven years ago, Ethan Holtzman visited Cambodia. He discovered that he liked Cambodian popular music from the nineteen sixties. So, he brought back recordings8 of this music when he returned home to the United States.

Later, Ethan Holtzman and his brother decided9 to form a band to play their own version of Cambodian rock music. But first they had to find a singer who would be true to the Cambodian music tradition. They asked the well-known Cambodian performer Chhom Nimol to join their group. She was performing in an area of Long Beach, California that has a large Cambodian population. Here is the song “Sober Driver” from Dengue Fever's album “Venus on Earth.”

(MUSIC)

Chhom Nimol comes from a family of well-known Cambodian singers. She and the American members of her band returned to Cambodia in two thousand five to perform there. Chhom Nimol has said that it was important to her to bring Cambodian rock music back to her country. Many of the stars of Cambodian popular music were killed or disappeared during the rule of the Khmer Rouge10 in the nineteen seventies. Dengue Fever has helped revive11 this tradition in an inventive way. Here is the song “Monsoon of Perfume.”

(MUSIC)

Dengue Fever will be playing their music in Europe in May and June. Crowds there might hear them sing “Tiger Phone Card.” It tells about two people in love who live far apart.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written Dana Demange and Caty Weaver12, who was also the producer.

Send your questions about American life to [email protected]. And please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special 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 imaginative qa3xq     
adj.富有想象力的,爱想象的
参考例句:
  • The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
  • Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。
3 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
4 allied iLtys     
adj.协约国的;同盟国的
参考例句:
  • Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
  • Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。
5 annex HwzzC     
vt.兼并,吞并;n.附属建筑物
参考例句:
  • It plans to annex an England company in order to enlarge the market.它计划兼并一家英国公司以扩大市场。
  • The annex has been built on to the main building.主楼配建有附属的建筑物。
6 enrolled ff7af27948b380bff5d583359796d3c8     
adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 );登记,招收,使入伍(或入会、入学等),参加,成为成员;记入名册;卷起,包起
参考例句:
  • They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起,他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 senator UzJwm     
n.参议员,评议员
参考例句:
  • The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
  • The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。
8 recordings 22f9946cd05973582e73e4e3c0239bb7     
n.记录( recording的名词复数 );录音;录像;唱片
参考例句:
  • a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
  • old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐
9 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。
10 rouge nX7xI     
n.胭脂,口红唇膏;v.(在…上)擦口红
参考例句:
  • Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂,使脸更漂亮。
  • She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮,不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。
11 revive cWwxV     
v.(使)复苏,(使)重振活力,恢复生机,复兴
参考例句:
  • These flowers will revive in water.这些花在水中会再活。
  • They managed to revive the injured driver with cardiac massage.他们通过心脏按压使受伤的司机苏醒了过来。
12 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。

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