VOA慢速英语20060918b

THIS IS AMERICA - Great-Grandma Did What?! Becoming an Explorer of Family HistoryBy George Grow and produced by Caty Weaver¹

Broadcast: Monday, September 18, 2006

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our subject this week is an area of study that interests millions of people -- genealogy², researching family history.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

People study their family history for different reasons. For some, genealogy is important to their religion. This is especially true for Mormons.

Genealogy is also important for membership³ in some historical or cultural organizations. These include the General Society of Mayflower Descendents and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Candidates⁵ for membership may be asked for evidence about when their families came to America.


Artifacts used by an American writer to trace⁶ his family's genealogy

Other people who get involved in genealogy may want to confirm stories they heard about a family member. Or they may just want to learn more about the strange-looking people in old family pictures.

VOICE TWO:

Some people say their interest in genealogy came from watching an eight-part series on television called Roots. Roots was first broadcast in nineteen seventy-seven. It was extremely popular.

It was based on a book by the writer Alex Haley. He wanted to find the history of his family. He described how the story began long ago in Africa, as slave traders captured⁷ one of his ancestors and brought him to America.

After watching Roots, many Americans wanted to investigate their own roots. In some cases, what they found surprised them.

VOICE ONE:

For example, one man knew that a member of his family had crossed the United States with members of the Mormon Church in the eighteen hundreds. His ancestor was a builder and did many jobs for the group.

The early Mormon Church permitted men to marry more than one woman. A genealogy search showed that the builder was, in fact, married to seven women and had at least thirty children.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

So how exactly does someone start a genealogical investigation⁸? Experts say you should start with yourself. Write down your own history, then if possible work back to your parents and grandparents.

One idea is to ask your parents what they can remember about their parents or grandparents. Find out all you can about your ancestors. Where did they live? What kind of work did they do?

Many people use sound or video recorders as they talk to family members. That way they create a permanent record of family memories.

And, like any good investigator⁹, do the best you can to separate facts from stories that may or may not be true.

VOICE ONE:

You can often find a lot of information in family pictures, letters and other documents. Some of these things may be hidden inside old books.

Resources on local history may also provide useful information. Large libraries may have hundreds of helpful books.

In the United States, several groups have large collections of genealogical materials. These include the New England Historic⁴ Genealogical Society and the Family History Library of the Mormon Church. These collections are open to the public.

VOICE TWO:

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, has about two thousand visitors each day. The library has information from almost every area of the world. Most records are from the years fifteen fifty through nineteen twenty.

Some people travel to Utah to use the library. But the Mormon Church has established more than four thousand Family History Centers around the world.

The church also has a Web site to help people look for information about their family history. The address is familysearch.com.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Records kept by religious groups are among the most dependable for family research projects. Often the most helpful documents are records of marriages and deaths.

Death records, for example, tell where the person lived. They also list the names of the person's parents. And they list the cause of death.

Governments usually keep official copies of birth, marriage and death records.

You should also examine other records -- you never know what you might find. Useful information might be found in local court and tax records. And local governments may have copies of wills. These statements of final wishes often contain details about a person's life and possessions.

VOICE TWO:

Governments often have many helpful records for genealogists. The United States government, for example, has done population studies every ten years since the end of the seventeen hundreds.

Early census¹⁰ records had few details. They gave the name of the head of the family. They listed the number of people in the family. Recent census records provide more information. They show the value of a family's property. They also tell where a person's parents were born.

VOICE ONE:

For privacy¹¹ reasons, Census Bureau¹² information on individuals is not made public until after seventy-two years.

Copies of old census records are kept on microfilm at centers around the country. More information about Census Bureau records can be found at census.gov.

One of the most important places for genealogy researchers is the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The National Archives keeps not only census records but also records on men and women who served in the armed forces. Military records give details of the person's position and dates of service. These records can show if an ancestor fought in any wars.

The National Archives also has records of early settlers who received land from the government. And it has lists of immigrants¹³ who arrived in America by ship. More information about the National Archives can be found on the Internet at nara -- n-a-r-a -- dot g-o-v (nara.gov).

Passenger records for immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island in New York can be searched online at ellisisland dot o-r-g (ellisisland.org). That site is operated by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation¹⁴.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Today, many people use the Internet as they research their family history. There are thousands of Web sites related¹⁵ to genealogy. These can guide people to historical records. They can also provide information about how to write down your family's history. Some people put all of the information and pictures they collect into nicely designed books and have copies made for family members.

Beginning genealogists often believe they can do all of their research on the Internet. But experience has shown that people are often able to gather only a small amount of useful or correct information. Also keep in mind that Web sites may be operated by businesses and groups that are trying to sell products and services.

VOICE ONE:

Finding¹⁶ your family roots is not always easy. But continuing to search can sometimes produce results.

For example, there was a man who knew that part of his family had lived in the same area of Pennsylvania for almost two centuries. He knew the names of many of his ancestors, but nothing more. He searched for additional¹⁷ information but could not find any.

Then the man bought a copy of an old map of the area. The map had been produced more than one hundred years earlier. Many burial grounds at that time were near churches. During a trip to the area, the man used the map to find these old burial grounds.

The information he found on burial markers answered some of his questions about his ancestors. Yet the answers raised several new questions. This often happens in genealogy.

VOICE TWO:

People who seek their roots through genealogy say the search is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Many people say it also helps them learn more about history. Their search not only brings history to life by making it more personal. It also gives them a better understanding of their family's place in history. And it gives them a better understanding of themselves.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by George Grow and produced by Caty Weaver. You can download transcripts¹⁸ of our programs, and find links to the Web sites we listed, at www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

I'm Shirley Griffith. We hope you can listen again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 genealogy   

n.家系，宗谱

参考例句：

• He had sat and repeated his family's genealogy to her,twenty minutes of nonstop names.他坐下又给她细数了一遍他家族的家谱，20分钟内说出了一连串的名字。
• He was proficient in all questions of genealogy.他非常精通所有家谱的问题。

3 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

4 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

5 candidates   

n.报考者( candidate的名词复数 )；申请求职者；攻读学位者；最后命运或结局如何已显然可见者

参考例句：

• Employers must consider all candidates impartially and without bias. 雇主必须公平而毫无成见地考虑所有求职者。
• one of the leading candidates for the presidency 总统职位的主要候选人之一

6 trace   

n.痕迹，踪迹，微量；vt.追踪，找出根源，描绘；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• There isn't a trace of a smile on her face.她脸上没有一丝笑容。
• We have lost all trace of him.我们找不到他的踪迹。

7 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

10 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

11 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

12 bureau   

n.提供或收集消息的机构；局，司，处；署

参考例句：

• The weather bureau makes daily reports on weather conditions.气象局每天报告天气状况。
• The Tourist Bureau arranged everything for our journey to Rome.旅游局已为我们去罗马旅行准备了一切。

13 immigrants   

n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
• Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 foundation   

n.[pl.]地基；基础；基金会；建立，创办

参考例句：

• The foundation of the university took place 600 years ago.这所大学是600年前创办的。
• The Foundation gives money to help artists.那家基金会捐款帮助艺术家。

15 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

16 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

17 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

18 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