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VOA慢速英语 2007 1221b

时间:2008-03-20 05:27来源:互联网 提供网友:蓝静子   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC1 in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We listen to some holiday music that has been nominated for a Grammy Award ‿/P>

Answer a question about how Americans celebrate Christmas ‿/P>

And tell about a yearly craft show.

Washington Craft Show

HOST:

Earlier this year, we told about the Smithsonian Craft Show that takes place in Washington, D.C., in the spring. This month, another yearly craft show was held in the city. Visitors to the Washington Craft Show could see the work of almost two hundred skilled artists from around the United States. The artists make beautiful works of art out of materials such as glass, cloth, wood, metal and paper. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

The company Crafts America organizes three craft shows every year. The shows are in Westchester County, New York; West Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, D.C.  Every year, Crafts America appoints three craft experts to choose from among one thousand artists who apply to be in the craft show. The judges rate each artist on creativity, skill, and quality.

Walking through the Washington Craft Show is an exciting experience filled with artistic2 surprises. For example, you might see basket containers made by Christine and Michael Adcock. These artists from the state of California weave together fiber3 material from plants.  They create wildly unusual baskets in different shapes and earthy colors.

Jeung-Hwa Park makes colorful scarves to wear around the neck. But her silk and wool creations are more like sculptures than just clothing. She forms the material to make small balls that almost look like bubbles. At the Craft Show, Miz Park hung all her scarves based on color. Her exhibit space looked like a rainbow of cloth art.

 
David D’Imperio's ''La Brea'' light
David D’Imperio is an artist and inventor who works with light. His lights for the home combine the details of machinery4 with the forms found in nature. One light, called "La Brea," is made for placing on a table or desk surface.  It looks like a small bending tree made from stainless5 steel. The branches of the tree have very small LEDs or Light Emitting Diodes. The La Brea light combines modern technology with the timeless beauty of trees.

To see pictures of the work made by these artists and many others, you can visit www.craftsamericashows.com.

Christmas in America

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Burma. Soe Lwin Kyaw asks how Americans celebrate Christmas, December twenty-fifth, the day Christians7 believe Jesus Christ was born.

Not all Americans celebrate Christmas. Members of the Jewish and Muslim religions, for example, generally do not.  But those who do celebrate Christmas do so in many different ways.  Many Christians will go to church the night before the holiday or on Christmas Day. Christian6 ministers will speak about the need for peace and understanding in the world.  This is the spiritual message of Christmas.

Many other Americans will celebrate Christmas as an important, but non-religious, holiday. They have put bright colorful lights on the outside of their houses. For many people, the most enjoyable tradition is buying a Christmas tree, placing it in their house and decorating it with lights and beautiful objects.  On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, the family will gather around the tree to open presents. 
A Christmas tree is a holiday tradition for many Americans 

Some people will travel long distances to be with their families for Christmas.  But others will take a holiday trip to a warm area.  Elizabeth Varela of McLean, Virginia likes to go to Florida with her husband and two little boys.  But, she says, this year they do not feel as carefree about financial issues.  She says they will stay home and save money.

Most Christmas celebrations include some kind of gift exchange. Many young children believe gifts come from Santa Claus.  Tradition says Santa is a fat, happy man who brings presents to children around the world on the night before Christmas.

Some people pay little attention to Santa, however.  Kris Solberg is director of a Baptist pre-school in Falls Church, Virginia.  She says Santa is not a major subject in classes. She says she wants her students to think more about the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Santa Claus is also the subject of debate this year in the United States.  The acting8 Surgeon General Steven Galson recently said the fat man is a bad example for children.  He was speaking at a conference on obesity9 among children.  His comments created much debate for and against fat Santas. 

Americans also continue to debate the appearance of Christmas traditions in public places.  Some argue that such displays may offend or insult people who do not celebrate the holiday.  And they say such displays violate laws that separate religion and government. But opponents say the United States is a majority Christian country based on freedom of religion.  They say moves to restrict displays and traditions connected to the holiday amount to a “War on Christmas.‿

Christmas Music Nominated for Grammies

HOST:

The National Academy of Recording10 Arts and Sciences has announced the list of nominees11 for the two thousand eight Grammy Awards.  The ceremony will be held in Los Angeles, California in February. Barbara Klein tells us about some of them.

BARBARA KLEIN:

The Grammy Awards recognize excellent musical recordings12 and the people who create them.  The award is a small statue that is shaped like the early record player called a gramophone.  The word “Grammy‿is a short way of saying gramophone.

Members of the Recording Academy choose the best music each year.  Awards are given for all kinds of music ‿popular, jazz, classical, country, rap and many others.

Singers nominated for the Traditional Pop Vocal13 Album award this year are Michael 
 
Buble, Queen Latifah, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor and Bette Midler.  Two of the nominated albums have Christmas songs.  The first is "James Taylor At Christmas." Here is one of the songs on that album, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

(MUSIC)

The other Christmas album nominated for a Pop Vocal Grammy this year is Bette Midler's "Cool Yule."  We leave you now with the title song.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson.  I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver14, who also was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. 

Send your questions about American life to [email protected].  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. 

 


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 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
3 fiber NzAye     
n.纤维,纤维质
参考例句:
  • The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
  • The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。
4 machinery CAdxb     
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构
参考例句:
  • Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗?
  • Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。
5 stainless kuSwr     
adj.无瑕疵的,不锈的
参考例句:
  • I have a set of stainless knives and forks.我有一套不锈钢刀叉。
  • Before the recent political scandal,her reputation had been stainless.在最近的政治丑闻之前,她的名声是无懈可击的。
6 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。
7 Christians 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6     
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
  • His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。
8 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
9 obesity Dv1ya     
n.肥胖,肥大
参考例句:
  • One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
  • Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。
10 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
11 nominees 3e8d8b25ccc8228c71eef17be7bb2d5f     
n.被提名者,被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
  • A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网
12 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
13 vocal vhOwA     
adj.直言不讳的;嗓音的;n.[pl.]声乐节目
参考例句:
  • The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
  • Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。
14 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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