VOA慢速英语2009年-AMERICAN MOSAIC - 'Family of Man' Gets a 2

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Mario Ritter. Today: music, photographs and a basketball star, all brought to you from the City of Angels, Los Angeles, California.

(MUSIC)

21st Century Family of Man

HOST:

Over fifty years ago a photographic exhibit² called "The Family of Man" opened in New York City. It was a popular show with critics and the public. This fall, a similar exhibit opened in Los Angeles. It was organized by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism³ at the University of Southern California. Barbara Klein tells about "The Twenty-first Century Family of Man."

BARBARA KLEIN:
　
A photo from the "Children of Man" part of the exhibit

In nineteen fifty-five, photographer Edward Steichen organized a collection of more than five hundred pictures of and by people all over the world. The photographers were professionals and non-professionals alike⁴.

The collection was called "The Family of Man." It was shown first at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The show was designed to express the connections that link humans everywhere.

Nick Cullen is a professor of public diplomacy⁵ at the University of Southern California. He says Steichen's exhibit brought in crowds as it traveled from country to country.

NICK CULLEN: "I think part of its success was that everybody could recognize something of themselves in the exhibit and so the Family of Man show belonged to everybody."

Twenty-nine-year-old photographer Paul Rockower shows his own Family of Man pictures in the new exhibit at the University of Southern California. He says it is a re-imagining of the first show with a modern touch.

Mister⁶ Rockower has traveled and studied outside the United States since he was a teenager. He always had his camera with him. He took pictures of people, places and things around him. The exhibit presents about seventy of those images.
　
A detail of a photo from the "Faith of Man" part of the exhibit

It is divided into several parts. In the part called "Children of Man," one photograph shows two little girls hugging in the sunlight on the street of an Asian town. In "Family of Man," a dark-haired, light-eyed woman with a bright blue head covering looks intensely⁷ at something hidden from view. In "Cities of Man," one photo shows a street light reflected in water on a stone pathway. Other parts of the exhibit include "Faith of Man" and "Terrain⁸ of Man." "Wonders of Man" includes photos of the Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu in Peru.

Mister Rockower is a graduate student of public diplomacy at the University of Southern California. He says his photographs express a common idea among all the different faces and places.

PAUL ROCKOWER: "I think the theme that comes out is really the unity⁹ of mankind, that we are all the same, the things that we share are things like family, like faith, like friendship. These are the things that are universal qualities found everywhere you go."

"The Twenty-first Century Family of Man" exhibit continues at the Annenberg Gallery at U.S.C. in Los Angeles until May of next year.

(MUSIC)

Kobe Bryant

Our question this week comes from a young listener in China who wants to know about professional basketball player Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant began his career in the National Basketball Association¹⁰ in nineteen ninety-six. He was chosen to join the Charlotte Hornets in the state of North Carolina. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers team in California.

Because of his extraordinary skills, sports critics compared Kobe Bryant to basketball great Michael Jordan. They predicted Bryant would be one of the best basketball players of all time. And they were right. Kobe Bryant has won many honors¹¹ and awards including four NBA Championship victories. The most recent was earlier this year. He also was named Most Valuable Player in this year's NBA finals series.

Kobe Bryant was born in nineteen seventy-eight in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents named him after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan. His father is former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant. The older Bryant later played on basketball teams in Europe. Joe Bryant and his family moved to Italy when he played on a team there. Six-year-old Kobe learned¹² to speak Italian and started playing basketball and soccer.

In nineteen eighty-two, the Bryant family returned to Philadelphia. Kobe attended Lower Merion High School and quickly became one of the school's top basketball players. He led his team to state championships all four years he was a student there.

Kobe received good grades as a student and received many financial offers from major universities. But the seventeen-year-old decided¹³ not to go to college but instead play for the National Basketball Association. In his second season, he was chosen as a starter for the nineteen ninety-eight NBA All-Star Game. He was nineteen years old, the youngest All-Star in NBA history. He has played on a total of eleven NBA All-Star teams.

Kobe Bryant has achieved other successes in basketball. The superstar won a Gold Medal as a member of the United States men's basketball team in the two thousand eight summer Olympic Games in China.

Kobe Bryant has been the top scorer in many basketball games. In two thousand five, he scored eighty-one points in one game. That is the second highest in NBA history.

Weezer and "Raditude"

HOST:

Weezer is a four-member band from Los Angeles. The band released¹⁴ its seventh studio album earlier this month. "Raditude" is number one on Billboard¹⁵ Magazine's chart of top one hundred alternative albums and number seven on its chart of top two hundred albums. Bob Doughty¹⁶ plays some music and tells about Weezer's unusual marketing¹⁷ partner.

BOB DOUGHTY:

Most music critics do not like Weezer's new album "Raditude" as much as the public does. They say it lacks artistic¹⁸ depth. Many critics say Weezer has lost all connection to the alternative band it once was. They say now Weezer's sound is all pop. But a few critics argue that Weezer's pop is good pop.

And they say band leader Rivers Cuomo still writes fresh and funny songs seventeen years after the band started. This song, "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," has something listeners like. It is on Billboard's list of hot one hundred songs based on radio play.

(MUSIC)

Recently, Weezer teamed up with the company that sells a product called the "Snuggie." It is a blanket with sleeves that a person wears to stay warm. The product is heavily advertized on television. Many Americans think the product and commercials are funny. Now there is a "Weezer Snuggie" for sale. The band wore the blankets while performing on the David Letterman late night television show. Weezer members said they were warm in the cold studio and could still play their instruments. They performed "I'm Your Daddy" from "Raditude."

(MUSIC)

The "Raditude" album cover is unusual. It is a prize-winning photograph that appeared in the National Geographic¹⁹ magazine. It shows a dog jumping up high in the living room of an average American home. The dog, Sidney, is a fan of the band. We leave you with Weezer and "Love is the Answer" from "Raditude."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Mario Ritter. Our program was written by Lawan Davis and Caty Weaver²⁰ who was also the producer. 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 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

5 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

6 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”。

7 intensely   

adv.强烈地

参考例句：

• I was intensely curious to know more about him. 我迫不及待地想更多地了解他的情况。
• Her parents were intensely ambitious for her and her younger sister. 她的父母对她和她妹妹有着很高的期望。

8 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

9 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

10 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

11 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

17 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

18 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

19 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 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。