VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - New York Museum Show Just Crawling with Spiders

 

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - New York Museum Show Just Crawling with Spiders

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms.

On our show this week, we tell play a few songs from new albums by Green Day, Mumford & Sons and Lupe Fiasco.

We also tell about a Native American man working to help keep his culture alive.

But first, we go to a New York City museum to learn about some eight legged creatures.

What has eight legs, comes in forty-three thousand species and has a serious public image problem? If you said a spider, you are right!

The spider family has lived on Earth for about three hundred million years. But it has had trouble making friends with people. A new show at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City hopes to improve those relations. Christopher Cruise has more.

“Spiders Alive!” includes live examples of twenty different spider species. Visitors can get up close and personal with arachnids including the famed tarantula, the small but powerful black widow and the little known fishing spider. And there are many more spiders to learn about at the exhibition.

The American Museum of Natural History claims the largest collection of the animals in the world.

Most people think of spiders as insects. But insects have wings and antennae². Spiders do not. And spiders’ bodies are made up of two parts while insects have three. Finally, spiders, like all arachnids, have eight legs. Insects have six.

Scientist Norman Platnick has been gathering³ and studying spiders for more than forty years. He was responsible for organizing the exhibit.

Mister Platnick says people need spiders because the creatures help keep the insect population down. He says they can eat more than thirty-five kilograms of bugs⁴ each year on about less than half a hectare of land.

“If the spiders were not here, we might not be here either because insects would have devoured⁵ all those crops.”

Another interesting fact about spiders: they can live after the loss of a leg.

“And, in fact, if it happens young enough when the spider still has several molts⁶ before it becomes an adult, it can even regrow that leg. So clearly, if you lose them, having more is an advantage.”

The show explains the strange spider method of capturing and eating its food. Human beings begin to break down food inside our mouths. But most spiders do not chew. So they break down food before it enters the body. A spider will inject its victim with a poison that very quickly makes the prey⁷ unable to move. Then a spider spits digestive fluid into the body of the prey. This turns the food into a liquid that the spider can suck up.

It sounds like a horrible death. But spiders can also have what seems like a soft touch. For example, some spiders carry as many as one hundred young around on their back for up to a week. And although most spiders carry some kind of poison, few can hurt humans. In fact, says Norman Platnick, some spider venom⁸ may be good for human health.

“So, for example, some spider venoms⁹ or some component¹⁰ of the venoms of some species of spiders seem to be able to inhibit¹¹ the transmission of certain nerve impulses across synapses¹². So people are looking at those kinds of venoms as potential cures for certain kinds of neurological diseases like epilepsy that involve those kinds of transmissions.”

The new exhibit is a good start at undoing¹³ the web of mystery and misunderstanding that surrounds the spider. The show closes December second.

In the middle to late seventeen-hundreds, special schools were opened on Native American reservations in the United States. The goal was to make young Indians become Christian¹⁴ and accept other parts of European culture.

The use of native languages and culture was not supported in the schools. Over time, many Indian children grew up knowing little about their culture or languages.

But, Tsimshian tribesman David Boxley of Washington state is working to keep his native culture alive.

Mr. Boxley is a dancer, songwriter and wood carver. He is also an ambassador for Tsimshian culture and heritage.

"We call it art now, but it was a way for people to say, This is how I am. This belongs to me, or this is my clan¹⁵, this is my crest¹⁶, this is my family history, carved and painted in wood."

Mr. Boxley was raised by his grandparents. He says the influence of Christian missionaries¹⁷ was strong while he was young, so he learned little about his native culture.

After college, he went to work as a teacher. He also began to research Tsimshian wood carving¹⁸ in museums and other cultural collections. In nineteen eighty-six, he left teaching to spend his time on wood carving and bringing attention to Tsimshian art and culture.

“I guess I came along at the right time. Our people really needed a shot in the arm. Our culture wasn't very prominent after all that missionary¹⁹ influence, and years and years of not having anybody be in that kind of position to guide."

That was almost thirty years ago. Since then Mr. Boxley has created seventy totem poles. Totem poles tell a story. Earlier this year, he finished carving an especially important totem pole, made of red cedar²⁰ wood.

"The title is Eagle and the Young Chief."

The totem pole tells the story of a young chief who rescued an eagle caught in a fishing net. Years later, when the chief's village was starving, the eagle repaid the chief for his kindness.

"A live salmon²¹ fell out of the sky, and he looked up and he saw the eagle flying away. And every day for days and days, the eagle brought salmon to feed the village."

“The Eagle and the Young Chief” was transported to Washington, DC. It now stands at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, as part of its permanent collection.

Mr. Boxley says a totem pole that he carved in honor of his grandfather is closest to his heart. But, he says, the one at the museum is a close second.

"This one is going to be seen by millions over the next hundred years. And it is not just me and my son; it is all of my people that are proud. My tribe."

Some huge names in music released albums this month. We decided²² to take a listen to a few of them in one show. Mario Ritter has more on the new records from Green Day, Mumford and Sons and Lupe Fiasco.

Green Day’s new album “Uno!” is the first of a series of three albums. “Dos!” And “Tre!” are to follow. The California band had spent most of the last few years producing the rock opera “21st Century Breakdown” and a show for Broadway, “American Idiot: The Musical.”

Most critics say “Uno!” is a return to Green Day’s punk roots. The single “Oh Love” entered Billboard²³ Magazine’s American rock songs chart at number one.

Lupe Fiasco’s real name is Wasalu Muhammad Jaco. The thirty-year-old has been performing hip-hop music for over ten years. He became a star in two thousand six with his first album, “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor.” 

Now comes the release of album number four, “Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Part One.” The album is political just like its singer. Fiasco raps about unfair treatment of blacks and Native Americans in the United States, as well as the struggles of oppressed minorities around the world.

But like most musical artists, unreturned love is also a theme, as in Fiasco’s song “Battle Scars.”

Finally, Mumford & Sons new album “Babel,” is having huge sales in album stores and digitally. Billboard Magazine reports six-hundred thousand copies of the album are expected to sell by the end of its first week released.

The British band helped put folk music back in style with the first group’s first album “Sigh No More,” released in two thousand nine. Mumford & Sons continues to favor soft, quiet lyrics²⁴ and mostly non electric versions of guitar, banjo, accordion²⁵ and other instruments on “Babel.” We leave you with the album’s first single “I Will Wait.”

 

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 antennae   

n.天线；触角

参考例句：

• Sometimes a creature uses a pair of antennae to swim.有时某些动物使用其一对触须来游泳。
• Cuba's government said that Cubans found watching American television on clandestine antennae would face three years in jail.古巴政府说那些用秘密天线收看美国电视的古巴人将面临三年监禁。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

6 molts   

v.换羽，脱毛( molt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The snake molts its skin. 蛇在蜕皮。 来自辞典例句
• After a few moments, the transfigured person molts back into themselves. 过一会儿，被变形的人就会渐渐褪去羽毛恢复原形。 来自互联网

7 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

8 venom   

n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨

参考例句：

• The snake injects the venom immediately after biting its prey.毒蛇咬住猎物之后马上注入毒液。
• In fact,some components of the venom may benefit human health.事实上，毒液的某些成分可能有益于人类健康。

9 venoms   

n.（某些蛇、蝎子等分泌的）毒液( venom的名词复数 )；愤恨的感情或语言；毒物

参考例句：

• Spider venoms are exquisitely refined to interfere with the nervous systems of insects. 蜘蛛的毒液非常微妙，专门损坏昆虫的神经系统。 来自百科语句
• Venoms (especially upgraded) are the ideal unit for taking out husks. 毒液（特别是升级后的）是消灭外壳的理想单位。 来自互联网

10 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

11 inhibit   

vt.阻止，妨碍，抑制

参考例句：

• Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
• They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。

12 synapses   

n.（神经元的）突触( synapse的名词复数 )；染色体结合( synapsis的名词复数 )；联会；突触；（神经元的）触处

参考例句：

• Nerve cells communicate with one another at the synapses, where their membranes almost touch. 神经细胞在突触部位彼此沟通，在这里它们的膜几乎接触到一起了。 来自辞典例句
• Glutamatergic synapses are common excitatory chemical connections in mammalian central nervous system. 谷氨酸性突触是哺乳动物神经系统的主要兴奋性突触。 来自互联网

13 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

14 Christian   

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。

15 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

16 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

17 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

19 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

20 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

21 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

22 decided   

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。

23 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

24 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

25 accordion   

n.手风琴；adj.可折叠的

参考例句：

• The accordion music in the film isn't very beautiful.这部影片中的手风琴音乐不是很好。
• The accordion music reminds me of my boyhood.这手风琴的乐声让我回忆起了我的少年时代。