美国国家公共电台 NPR Notre Dame Fire Revives Demand For Skilled Stone Carvers In France

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

It's been a little more than three months since Notre Dame¹ burned. French officials say the 856-year-old cathedral is still being stabilized². When restoration work truly begins, there'll be a demand for people with the skills to rebuild the historic structure.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley visited a class of aspiring³ stone carvers and sends this report.

(SOUNDBITE OF STONE CHISELING)

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE⁵: In an airy and light-filled workshop in the north of Paris, students chip and chisel⁴ away on heavy slabs⁶ of stone. Each works on his own piece, yet they are all sculpting⁷ the same project - the base of a Corinthian column. These young people are earning a professional degree in stone carving⁸. France turns out about 30 stonemasons a year. Francois Menut will be one of them.

FRANCOIS MENUT: (Through interpreter) I've always been passionate⁹ about drawing and art history. But I also wanted a job that was physical. With stone carving, we give life to an edifice¹⁰ and perpetuate¹¹ history. We're also creating a link with the past and transmitting values that are important to conserve¹².

BEARDSLEY: These students watched in horror as Notre Dame burned. Some now hope they will have the chance to help restore the cathedral, but no one thinks the job can be done in five years, as President Emmanuel Macron suggested. As Menut puts it, you can't be president and stone carver at the same time.

In medieval days, stone carving and masonry¹³ was a masculine profession. But today, there are women studying the trade. Marjorie Lebegue says her male classmates have always been supportive and welcoming.

MARJORIE LEBEGUE: (Through interpreter) In the beginning, it was my own parents who were surprised when I left my architecture studies to do this. But most everyone who finds out I'm studying to be a stone carver says, wow, what a beautiful profession.

BEARDSLEY: Professor Luc Leblond says there's no reason stone carving should be just for men.

LUC LEBLOND: (Through interpreter) Men have a little more physical force. But, as a professor, I see that women have a sharpened sensitivity for the more detailed¹⁴ work, so it's complementary.

ELIETTE COUTHERUT: (Speaking French).

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: Eliette Coutherut is head of the school where the students are earning their degrees - the Saint Lambert Building Apprentice¹⁵ Institute.

COUTHERUT: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: While greeting the young people, she stresses the need for professionalism by making them remove caps and EarPods before shaking hands. Coutherut says their degree demands coursework in math, French, computer design, geography and art history.

COUTHERUT: (Through interpreter) Art history is extremely important. You can't work the stone without knowing its history and the different currents that influenced architecture.

BEARDSLEY: The students mix age-old techniques with cutting-edge technology. Marjorie Lebegue is bent¹⁶ over a 3D stone carving diagram on a computer, but she also has a drafting pad and compass on her desk.

LEBEGUE: (Through interpreter) The stone carving computer design programs - they help you gain in time and accuracy. But you still have to learn to represent things in space and have a 3D vision, and drawing by hand is the best way to acquire that skill.

BEARDSLEY: Each student has a part-time apprenticeship¹⁷ with one of the 100 or so companies that are qualified¹⁸ to work on historic buildings and monuments in France. Frederic Letoffe is president of their professional association.

FREDERIC LETOFFE: (Speaking French).

BEARDSLEY: "We are short of skilled labor¹⁹ in a dozen traditional professions," he says. His group of companies, together with the government, has just launched a campaign to revive young people's interest in professions like stone carving. Letoffe says the fire at Notre Dame woke the country up.

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

(SOUNDBITE OF MARK PRESTON'S "...AND IT WILL RISE WITH THE SUN")

1 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

2 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 chisel   

n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿

参考例句：

• This chisel is useful for getting into awkward spaces.这凿子在要伸入到犄角儿里时十分有用。
• Camille used a hammer and chisel to carve out a figure from the marble.卡米尔用锤子和凿子将大理石雕刻出一个人像。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

7 sculpting   

雕刻( sculpt的现在分词 )； 雕塑； 做（头发）； 梳（发式）

参考例句：

• The quality of the result is determined by a Craft( sculpting) check. 由手艺（刻）定决定结果质量如何。
• Another difficulty in the process of ice sculpting is time control. 冰雕过程中的另一项困难是时间的掌控。

8 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。

9 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

10 edifice   

n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室)

参考例句：

• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
• There is a huge Victorian edifice in the area.该地区有一幢维多利亚式的庞大建筑物。

11 perpetuate   

v.使永存，使永记不忘

参考例句：

• This monument was built to perpetuate the memory of the national hero.这个纪念碑建造的意义在于纪念民族英雄永垂不朽。
• We must perpetuate the system.我们必须将此制度永久保持。

12 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

13 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。

14 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。

15 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

16 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

17 apprenticeship   

n.学徒身份；学徒期

参考例句：

• She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
• He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。

18 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

19 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。