VOA慢速英语2009年-AMERICAN MOSAIC - These Trash Collecto

 

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson.

Today, we play music from a new album by Rosanne Cash …

And answer a question about the strange secret language called Pig Latin² …

But first, we tell about a business that provides non-polluting transport services.

(MUSIC)

Pedal³ People

HOST:

On Monday, leaders from around the world will meet in Denmark for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. But locally, people are working every day to improve the health of the planet⁴ in smaller ways. Pedal People in Northampton, Massachusetts, has found an inventive way of transporting goods and services without creating pollution. Mario Ritter tells us more.

MARIO RITTER:

Pedal People calls itself a worker-owned, human-powered transport service. It was started in two thousand two by Ruthy Woodring and Alex Jarrett. The city of Northampton does not provide trash and recycling pick-up services.

So, Mister⁵ Jarrett would take his recycling materials to the local center himself using his bicycle and a trailer. He and Miz Woodring thought that other people in town might pay them to remove trash and recycling materials instead of using a private trash company that uses trucks.

Ruthy Woodring helped start Pedal People

The two wanted to use bicycles as transport because they believe strongly in human power. They do not like the idea of depending on vehicles that use gasoline⁶. They created Pedal People as a way to create a useful service that helps the local economy and is environmentally friendly. Miz Woodring says she enjoys bicycling everywhere. She can get to know her neighborhoods paths, enjoy the trees and experience the changes in weather.

Today, Pedal People has twelve workers. More than four hundred people pay for their services. And, the city of Northampton is one of their biggest customers.

The eleven owners of Pedal People not only pick up and remove trash and recycling. They also remove large objects such as washing machines, beds and refrigerators. The workers use trailer devices⁷ which link to their bicycles and can carry up to about one hundred thirty kilos. They also pick up and transport food to home owners. And, they provide gardening services that are environmentally friendly. They do all this work year-round, even during the cold and snowy winter months in Massachusetts.

We asked Ben Winter how he came to work for Pedal People. He said he has always been interested in different ways of making a living. He said at first he just thought the idea of Pedal People was really cool. Now he says it has also become a rewarding livelihood⁸.

Pig Latin

HOST:

Our question this week comes from China. Yuqi Cao wants to know about the strange language called Pig Latin, or Igpay Atinlay in Pig Latin.

First of all, how Pig Latin got its name is a mystery. The language has nothing to do with farm animals or ancient Rome. Pig Latin is simply minor⁹ changes that are made to words to make a funny, secret language.

In traditional Pig Latin, the first consonant¹⁰ sound of a word is moved to the end of the word and then an -ay is added to that.

So, pig becomes igpay. Latin becomes atinlay. Some words start with vowels¹¹. So, these words just get an -ay, or sometimes a -way, sound on the end. Ant becomes antay or antway, excellent changes to excellentay, and so on.

Sometimes children use Pig Latin. They can share information with their friends without their parents, or other adults, knowing what they are saying.

For example, you might hear the following in a school hallway around examination¹² time:

"Eatgray ewsnay, udesday! Eganmay otgay ethay answersway otay ethay esttay extnay eekway!" or:

"Great news, dudes! Megan got the answers to the test next week!"

Of course, all adults were once children. And Pig Latin is hardly new. Journalist John Hailman wrote that President Thomas Jefferson wrote whole letters to friends using Pig Latin in the early eighteen hundreds. So, it is probably not the safest secret language for those really private talks.

Pig Latin is not the only coded¹³ language that children use. Gibberish adds the sound dduguh to every syllable¹⁴ of each word. So, hello becomes heddugell-uddugo.

(SOUND)

She said: "Gibberish is tricky¹⁵ but worth it. Fewer people know it than Pig Latin."

Reporter Caty Weaver¹⁶ learned¹⁷ Gibberish and another secret language, called Ibeese, in middle school. She and her best friend still use it, especially when they do not want their children to know what they are talking about.

(MUSIC)

Rosanne Cash

HOST:

Rosanne Cash is a singer and songwriter best known as a country musician. But her songs are also influenced by rock and pop music. Her latest album, "The List," is based on advice given to Rosanne by her father, the country music great Johnny Cash. Katherine Cole tells us more.

KATHERINE COLE:

When Rosanne Cash was eighteen years old, she was traveling with her father on a performance tour. They started talking about well known country and folk songs. Johnny Cash realized that his daughter did not know many of his favorite songs. So, he sat in the back of the bus and spent the rest of the afternoon making a list of one hundred important songs. These were the songs he felt his daughter had to know. He told her that the songs would be her education.

Rosanne Cash's latest album, "The List", features twelve of the songs her father chose for her thirty-five years ago. Here is the nineteen fifty song "I'm Movin' On", written by Hank Snow.

(MUSIC)

Rosanne Cash says she made a point of learning¹⁸ most of the songs on her father's list. But then she moved on to have a successful career performing her own songs. In two thousand five, she found the list again and realized it was time to record some of the songs. Here is "Long Black Veil," first released¹⁹ in nineteen fifty-nine.

(MUSIC)

Rosanne Cash asked singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen to perform one song with her on the album. We leave you with their version²⁰ of the nineteen sixty-one hit "Sea of Heartbreak."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange and Caty Weaver, who was also the producer. For transcripts²¹, MP3s and podcasts of our programs, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also comment on our programs.

Do you have a question about people, places or things in America? Send it to [email protected] we may answer it on this show.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

 

1 mosaic   

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 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

3 pedal   

n.踏板；adj.脚的，踏脚的；v.用脚踏动，踩踏板

参考例句：

• He pressed down the accelerator pedal of his car.他踩下汽车的加速器踏板。
• I saw him pedal to school every morning.我看到他每天早晨骑自行车上学。

4 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

5 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

6 gasoline   

n.(美)汽油

参考例句：

• This car runs 5 miles on a gallon of gasoline.这部汽车一加仑汽油可以行驶五英里。
• There is still some gasoline left in the tank.油箱里还剩下一些汽油。

7 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

8 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。

11 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

12 examination   

n.考试，考查，试题；检查，调查

参考例句：

• Teachers always judge their students on the final examination.老师常根据期末考试来评价他们的学生。
• He put up a good show in the final examination.他在期末考试中表现得不错。

13 coded   

adj.电码的，编码的；译成电码的v.译成密码(code的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• a coded warning of a bomb at the airport 告知机场有炸弹的密码警报
• Have you coded the material for the computer? 你有没有把那份材料译成计算机电码？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

15 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

16 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。

17 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

18 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

19 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

20 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

21 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句