VOA标准英语2012--Ballerina's Artistry Infuses Her Cakes

Ballerina's Artistry Infuses Her Cakes

Prima Ballerina
Austin always loved to dance.
Dancing as a profession was never a difficult choice for her; she knew early on that she “absolutely wanted to do this professionally.”
But one day in 2006, while dancing with the prestigious¹ Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Austin experienced a sharp pain.
“It was my first season with the Joffrey,” she remembers, “and we were just about to move into the theater for a performance of "Midsummer Night’s Dream," and I had an injury that took me out in basically an instant.”
Austin later learned she'd broken a small bone in her foot, an injury which wouldn't present a major problem for most people. But for Austin, it was a career ender.
Devastated², she had to find another line of work.
Edible³ art
Since Austin’s other passion was baking, she signed up for a program at the reputable French Pastry⁴ School in Chicago, where she fell in love with the process of making intricate sugar flowers.
After graduating, Austin moved to the Washington D.C. area to be near her sister Jessica. With Jessica’s help, she started selling sugar flowers to local cake makers⁵, but then decided⁶ to make her own cakes.
In 2010, the sisters opened their own business in a sun-drenched studio near Washington.
Simple sophistication
Austin's speciality is elegant, custom-made wedding cakes. She applies the same dedicated⁷ discipline and attention to detail to them as she did to her dancing.
“I think that they have clean lines, they are sophisticated, and romantic, but they have a little bit of an edge to them,” she says. And while they may look simple, in reality, they are not. “They are extremely detailed⁸, so I think that there is an overall grace and simplicity⁹ to them, but the workmanship [is] almost like a couture garment that has just endless amounts of detail that you might not see just upon first glance.”
Her sugar flowers - which are made with gum paste, an edible modeling dough¹⁰ - are intricate and time-consuming. They are edible works of art that Austin's brides have come to cherish, particularly since they can last for a lifetime.
Making individually-tailored cakes is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Even with the help of interns¹¹, it takes Austin an average of three days to create a single cake which she sells at an average cost of $2,000 to $3,000.
Austin is inspired by everything from nature to high fashion. Her sugar oysters¹² are uncanny replicas¹³ of the real thing, and she’s made cakes that are impressive renditions of the designer dresses that inspired them.
Mixing the old with the new
But what Austin has become most renowned¹⁴ for is the frills, or ruffles¹⁵, technique she applies to her more sophisticated creations. They are created using paper-thin layers of fondant, a sugar paste, which are individually applied¹⁶ to the cake.
Their soft, elegant lines hark back to her years in the ballet.
“I think that there’s an aesthetic¹⁷ that is in ballet that can be translated into cakes,” she says.
Today, the former ballerina enjoys creating cakes for her loyal, high-end clients. She also conducts workshops to teach cake enthusiasts¹⁸ how to make sugar flowers.
Austin says she has finally come to terms with the premature¹⁹ end of her dancing career.
“It’s still heartbreaking for me. It’s something that will always be the love of my life professionally, but at the same time I had so many good years and such fond memories…that I can sort of let that be at peace.”

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

3 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

4 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

10 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

11 interns   

n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Our interns also greet our guests when they arrive in our studios. 我们的实习生也会在嘉宾抵达演播室的时候向他们致以问候。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• The interns work alongside experienced civil engineers and receive training in the different work sectors. 实习生陪同有经验的国内工程师工作，接受不同工作部门的相关培训。 来自超越目标英语 第4册

12 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

13 replicas   

n.复制品( replica的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His hobby is building replicas of cars. 他的爱好是制作汽车的复制品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The replicas are made by using a thin film of fusible alloy on a stiffening platen. 复制是用附着在加强托板上的可熔合金薄膜实现的。 来自辞典例句

14 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

15 ruffles   

褶裥花边( ruffle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You will need 12 yards of ribbon facing for the ruffles. 你将需要12码丝带为衣服镶边之用。
• It is impossible to live without some daily ruffles to our composure. 我们日常的平静生活免不了会遇到一些波折。

16 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

17 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

18 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

19 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。