VOA慢速英语20060707b

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - The Story of How a 1907 Painting by Klimt Just Sold for a Record $135 MillionBy Dana Demange, Sarah Randle and Nancy Stienbach

Broadcast: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 16:00:00 UTC

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English. I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question about dams in the United States ...

Play some music from the Dixie Chicks ...

And report about the record-setting sale of a famous painting.

Klimt Painting


Adele

A famous painting called Adele Block-Bauer One was recently sold to a museum in New York City. The head of the museum reportedly paid one hundred thirty-five million dollars for the painting. This would be the highest price ever paid for a painting. However, this big price is not the only reason the painting is special. Mario Ritter tells us more about the complex, unusual history of this beautiful painting.

MARIO RITTER:

One hundred years ago, Adele Bloch-Bauer was a young woman living in Austria. She was smart, beautiful and rich. Her husband, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, loved her very much. He asked the famous artist Gustav Klimt to paint her portrait in nineteen-oh-seven.

Mister² Klimt painted a wonderful portrait. The woman in his painting looks mysterious and beautiful. The background of the painting is a rich gold. Many experts said the painting looks like pictures painted by Egyptian artists thousands of years ago. Klimt had created four other paintings for the Bloch-Bauer family. Adele Bloch-Bauer died in nineteen twenty-five.

In nineteen thirty-eight, the Nazi³ German dictator⁴ Adolf Hitler invaded⁵ Austria. Because he was Jewish⁶, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer quickly fled to Switzerland. He wrote that the Klimt paintings should be given to the surviving members of his family. It was too late, however. The Nazis⁷ had already seized all the family's property, including the valuable paintings.

Maria Altmann is a member of the Bloch-Bauer family who escaped from Austria. She lives in Los Angeles, California. In nineteen-ninety eight, the Austrian government passed a law about works⁸ of art stolen by the Nazis. The law requires museums to return such art works to the families that owned them before World War Two. So Maria Altmann went to court to gain back her family's paintings.

The legal arguments lasted for seven years. In January, a group of experts in Vienna decided⁹ that the paintings should be returned to Missus Altmann and her family.

Last month, the family sold the painting Adele Bloch-Bauer One to Ronald Lauder and others. Mister Lauder is the founder¹⁰ and president of the Neue Galerie, a small museum of Austrian and German art in New York.

Maria Altmann said she wanted to make sure the public could always see her family's famous paintings. All five Klimt paintings will be shown at the Neue Galerie for two months, starting next week.

Dams in U.S.

HOST:


Hoover Dam

Our VOA listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Misan Ho wants to know the purpose of dams and which is the biggest dam in the United States. The purpose of all dams is to reduce or prevent flooding by controlling the water in a river.

The United States Society on Dams lists many reasons why dams are important. It says they provide clean water to drink. They also provide water for industry and farming. They create lakes for fishing and other kinds of fun activities. Dams also provide water to produce hydroelectric power.

Naming the biggest dam in the United States is not easy. Is it the tallest dam? The one that contains the most concrete material? Or the one that produces the most electricity?

If you ask an American to name the most famous dam in the country, he or she would probably say Hoover Dam. It is on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, Nevada. Hoover Dam was the tallest dam in the world when it was finished in nineteen thirty-six. Until nineteen forty-eight, it was also the largest producer of hydroelectric power.

But this is no longer true. The United States Society on Dams says the highest dam in the United States is the one on the Feather River near Oroville, California. The Oroville Dam is two hundred thirty-five meters high. It was completed in nineteen sixty-eight to provide electric power, drinking water and water for agriculture in central and southern California.

The dam that produces the most hydroelectric power in the United States is the Grand Coulee Dam in the state of Washington. It controls flooding on the Columbia River and is said to be the largest single producer of electricity in the country. It is the main source of electric power to the northwestern states. The Grand Coulee Dam was completed in nineteen forty-two. It is one of the largest concrete structures in the world.

Hoover Dam is still at the top of the list of dams in one way. The building of the dam created Lake Mead¹¹, the largest man-made lake in America. People use Lake Mead for boating, swimming and other activities that would not be possible in that desert area.

Dixie Chicks' New Album


The Dixie Chicks' latest album

The Dixie Chicks used to be known as the biggest-selling female¹² group in music history. Now they are known as one of the most disputed¹³. These three women are making a lot of noise with their new album Taking the Long Way. Katherine Cole has more.

KATHERINE COLE:

In two thousand three, Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, was in the news. During a concert in London, she criticized¹⁴ President Bush for his political actions. She spoke¹⁵ less than two weeks before the invasion¹⁶ of Iraq. The Chicks did not realize the effect of those words. They soon lost fans. They even received death threats. The comment changed the direction of their lives, music, and beliefs.

(MUSIC)

That was The Long Way Around by the Dixie Chicks -- Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. The song shows their new musical direction. It is about acting¹⁷ and thinking freely¹⁸. Maines openly sings about criticizing¹⁹ the president. She says she learned²⁰ about herself by expressing her beliefs.

The song also represents the Chicks' new musical style. In the past, they only sang songs influenced by country music. They did not always write their own music. Now, they are adding the sound of rock to their song collection. And they wrote every song on the album.

Here is Lullaby. This calming song is about loving someone forever.

(MUSIC)

Taking the Long Way quickly became the top-selling album in the country when it was released²¹ at the end of May. But many country music radio stations will not play music by the Dixie Chicks. Many people in the country music industry now oppose the band for criticizing the president.

We leave you with Not Ready to Make Nice. The Dixie Chicks express the importance of standing²² firmly and bravely for what you believe -- no matter what people may think or say.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

Our show was written by Dana Demange, Sarah Randle and Nancy Stienbach. Mario Ritter was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio²³, go to our Web site, www.unsv.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.

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 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”。

3 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

4 dictator   

n.独裁者，爱发号施令的人

参考例句：

• We felt quite impotent to resist the will of the dictator.我们感到无力抗拒独裁者的意志。
• A dictator must have a firm hand.独裁者的手段是很厉害的。

5 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Jewish   

adj.犹太人的，犹太民族的

参考例句：

• The coin bears a Jewish symbol.硬币上有犹太标记。
• They were two Jewish kids;I was friendly with both of them.他们是两个犹太小孩；我同他们都很要好。

7 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

9 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。

10 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

11 mead   

n.蜂蜜酒

参考例句：

• He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
• He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。

12 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

13 disputed   

v.辩论，争论( dispute的过去式和过去分词 )；争夺；阻止；就…进行辩论adj.有争议的

参考例句：

• They disputed over how to get the best results. 他们争论着如何能得到最好的结果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers disputed every inch of ground when the enemy attacked. 敌人进犯，战士们寸土必争。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 criticized   

vt.批评(criticize的过去式)v.评论，批评( criticize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The decision was criticized by environmental groups. 这个决定受到了环保团体的批评。
• The movie has been criticized for apparently legitimizing violence. 这部电影因明显地美化暴力而受到了指责。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 invasion   

n.入侵，侵略，侵犯

参考例句：

• They are ready against the possible invasion.他们防备可能的入侵。
• It is our duty to shield our country from invasion.保卫祖国不受侵犯是我们的责任。

17 acting   

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。

18 freely   

adv.自由地，随便地，无拘无束地

参考例句：

• She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水，痛痛快快地哭了起来。
• A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动，无固定形态。

19 criticizing   

v.评论，批评( criticize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He committed the cardinal sin of criticizing his teammates. 他犯了指责队友的大错。
• She's always criticizing her husband for being sloppy. 她总是指责她的丈夫做事马虎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 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。

22 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

23 audio   

n./adj.音频(响)(的)；声音(的)，听觉(的)

参考例句：

• Often,the meeting is recorded on audio or video media for later reference.通常这种会议会以视频或者音频形式记录下来，供以后查阅。
• You don't even have to pay for audio programs.你大可不必为自己听这些节目付费。