VOA慢速英语20060109b

THIS IS AMERICA - 'Phantom¹ of the Opera' Rewrites Broadway History After 18 YearsBy Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, January 09, 2006

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Today we hear music from The Phantom of the Opera. That show sets a record this week.


Phantom of the Opera

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A mysterious man who covers his deformed² face with a mask. A beautiful young singer who falls under the man's control. Her lover³, who does not believe that this phantom exists.

The story has made The Phantom of the Opera the longest-running show ever performed on Broadway.

Its success is told in numbers: as of Monday night, seven thousand four hundred eighty-six performances in New York City alone. There have been tens of thousands of performances around the world. 'Phantom' has brought in more than three thousand million dollars in ticket sales.

VOICE TWO:

Until now, the longest-running show on Broadway was Cats. Composer⁴ Andrew Lloyd Webber who wrote the music for Phantom, was also responsible⁵ for Cats. That show closed in New Year in two thousand.


Andrew Lloyd Weber

The Phantom of the Opera was first seen at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in nineteen eighty-six. The show opened in New York on January twenty-sixth, nineteen eighty-eight. It has won many top awards in Britain and the United⁶ States.

VOICE ONE:

The Phantom of the Opera is based on a book by Gaston Leroux. The Phantom lives in a strange world under the Paris Opera House.

He loves a young woman named Christine. She wants to be a great singer. The Phantom wants Christine to sing his music. But she falls in love with a wealthy and good-looking man named Raoul.


Christine and the Phantom

Listen as Christine and Raoul -- Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton -- sing Think of Me.

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VOICE TWO:

Christine loves Raoul. But she wants to be an opera singer. The Phantom gives her singing lessons. She believes he is her Angel⁷ of Music. Michael Crawford is our Phantom.

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VOICE ONE:

The Phantom takes Christine to his place under the opera house. He believes that only Christine can sing his music. He calls it the music of the night.

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VOICE TWO:

In the Phantom's strange home, Christine faints⁸. She wakes up hours later. She decides to pull away the mask that always covers most of the Phantom's face. She is horrified⁹ at what she sees.

Christine and the Phantom return to the surface. But he tells her, now that she has seen his face, she will never be free.

The Phantom demands that the producers of a new opera make Christine the lead singer. They refuse. The Phantom becomes angry. He does something to the voice of the lead singer to make her sound terrible. And he kills an opera worker and throws the body onto the stage.

VOICE ONE:

Christine and Raoul flee¹⁰. Raoul tries to tell her there is no Phantom of the Opera. But she says she has seen the man. Raoul promises to protect her. They sing a love song. The song is called All I Ask of You.

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VOICE TWO:

The Phantom hears their song. In great anger, he makes a huge chandelier fall onto the stage.

Act Two opens months later at a masquerade party. The guests all wear masks to hide their identity¹¹.

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VOICE ONE:

Raoul wants to announce that he and Christine are planning to marry. But she fears that the Phantom would not like it.

The Phantom appears at the party, uninvited. He orders the opera managers to perform an opera he has written. At first they refuse.

But then, Raoul and the opera managers decide to use the Phantom's musical drama¹² to trap¹³ him. They are sure the Phantom will appear if Christine has a lead part.

VOICE TWO:

Christine does not want to sing in the Phantom's opera. But she hears his voice calling to her.

Christine goes to the burial¹⁴ place of her father. She sings to him. The song is called Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.

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VOICE ONE:

The Phantom is at the burial ground. He wants Christine to join him. But Raoul comes and takes her away.

She sings in the Phantom's opera. On opening night, guards and policemen surround the theater. They hope to catch the Phantom.

With Christine singing, the Phantom appears on stage as expected. But things do not happen as Raoul and the managers had planned. The Phantom escapes with Christine. She again looks at his face. This time, instead of fear, she reacts¹⁵ with sympathy¹⁶.

VOICE TWO:

Raoul follows them. The Phantom gives Christine a terrible choice. She can stay with him forever -- or he will kill Raoul. The Phantom says they have reached the point of no return.

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VOICE ONE:

At this point, Christine tells the Phantom that forcing her to make a choice has changed her feelings again. Now, instead of feeling sorry for him, she hates him. This causes the Phantom of the Opera to make a decision of his own.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁷. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Internet users¹⁸ can read and listen to our programs at www.unsv.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

2 deformed   

adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的

参考例句：

• He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
• His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。

3 lover   

n.情人，恋人；爱好者

参考例句：

• Every lover sees a thousand graces in the beloved object.情人眼里出西施。
• Mr.Smith was a lover of poetry.史密斯先生是一名诗歌爱好者。

4 composer   

n.作曲家，作家，设计者

参考例句：

• Brooks is an excellent composer.布鲁克斯是一位杰出的作曲家。
• The composer expresses his sorrow in his music.这位作曲家用音乐表达他的悲伤。

5 responsible   

adj.有责任的，应负责的；可靠的，可信赖的；责任重大的；vi.休息，睡；静止，停止

参考例句：

• He must be responsible to me for this matter.这件事他必须对我负责。
• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。

6 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

7 angel   

n.天使，守护神，可爱的人

参考例句：

• The angel of death's in the house!死神在屋里呢！
• I can say without exaggeration that she is an angel.我可以毫不夸张地说她是个天使。

8 faints   

n.（蒸馏开始和完毕时产生的）劣质酒精；昏倒( faint的名词复数 )v.晕倒，昏倒( faint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It faints me to think what follows. 一想到即将到来的事就使我失去勇气。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Customer service (within an inch of faints) : That opens your computer. 客服（差点晕倒）：那就打开你的电脑。 来自互联网

9 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

10 flee   

vt.逃避，逃跑，逃走；vi.逃，消失

参考例句：

• Why does she always flee any kind of responsibility?她为什么总是逃避责任？
• He was lucky to flee the burning hotel.他很幸运逃出了失火的旅馆。

11 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。

12 drama   

n.戏剧；戏剧艺术

参考例句：

• He acted his part very well in the French drama.他在这出法国戏剧中演得很成功。
• The college published a drama review.学院出版了一份戏剧评论刊物。

13 trap   

vt.使陷入困境，使受限制；设陷，坑害；n.陷阱，诡计；困境；活板门，存水弯；（双轮）轻便马车；vi.设圈套，设陷阱

参考例句：

• The hunter laid a trap for the tiger.猎人设置了陷阱捕捉老虎。
• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap.奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。

14 burial   

n.埋葬，埋藏，掩埋

参考例句：

• The priest prepared the body for burial.牧师给死者作安葬准备。
• The Premier's burial was a solemn occasion.总理的葬礼是个庄严的场面。

15 reacts   

起反应( react的第三人称单数 )； 反对； （对食物等）有不良反应； 物质起化学反应

参考例句：

• A dog reacts to kindness by wagging its tail. 狗摇尾巴以报答人们的爱护。
• The eye reacts to the light. 眼睛会对光作出反应。

16 sympathy   

n.同情，赞同，同感，慰问，吊唁

参考例句：

• He felt great sympathy for these people.他很同情这些人。
• Sympathy is his best quality.同情心是他最好的品质。

17 weaver   

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。

18 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。