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VOA慢速英语2009-AMERICAN MOSAIC - A New Picture Book Shows 'What

时间:2009-03-13 06:27来源:互联网 提供网友:love小k   字体: [ ]
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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC1 in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week…

We tell about a new children's book on Charles Darwin and his famous theory …

Answer a question from Burma about America's greatest presidents …

And listen to wild and fun music from pop performer Lady GaGa.

(MUSIC)

"What Darwin Saw"

HOST:

Many people enjoy an adventure story. Others like mysteries that lead the reader to an exciting discovery. The story of the young British naturalist2 Charles Darwin combines both of these. That is why author and illustrator Rosalyn Schanzer chose to write the children's book "What Darwin Saw: The Journey that Changed the World." The National Geographic3 Society published her book just in time for the two hundredth anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth on February twelfth, eighteen oh nine. Steve Ember has more.

STEVE EMBER:

"What Darwin Saw" is written in graphic4 novel form. That means it tells its story through pictures as well as words.
 
Rosalyn Schanzer

Rosalyn Schanzer carefully gathered Darwin's thoughts and observations from his diaries, letters and books. Many of the words in the book are Darwin's own.

Miz Schanzer also traveled to the Galapagos Islands and South America. She researched some of the places Darwin visited on his trip on the ship H.M.S. Beagle in the eighteen thirties. She took thousands of pictures. These helped her create the book's beautiful and colorful drawings. These pictures show young readers what led Darwin to form his great discovery: the evolution of species through natural selection.

"What Darwin Saw" tells of the adventures of a young man who travels around the world as a ship's scientist. Gone is the popular image of Charles Darwin as an old man with a long, white beard. Rosalyn Schanzer shows readers the young man who was only twenty-two years old when he left Plymouth, England in eighteen thirty-one.

ROSALYN SCHANZER: "He was young and I had a very good time drawing his picture because I used a lot of reference material that were paintings made of him at different times in his life.

Miz Schanzer's pictures of Darwin capture the energy and excitement that she sensed in his early writings.

ROSALYN SCHANZER: "During the voyage he was considered to be the most energetic person on the whole ship, the Beagle. And he would have looked great and been all tan with sun-bleached, maybe, hair. And so I was able to take the pictures, combine them and draw him the way I think he might really, possibly, have looked on that trip."
 
Iguana5 in an illustration from 'What Darwin Saw'

The voyage of the Beagle took Charles Darwin to South America. There he rode horses with cowboys and met Native people in Argentina. He reported the eruption6 of the Osorno volcano and experienced an earthquake in Chile. Darwin's observations showed him that environments can change a little very quickly and a great deal over time.

But Darwin's story is also a mystery. Rosalyn Schanzer brings to life the clues that suggested to Darwin that living things evolve, or change, over time. She illustrates7 the unusual tortoises, birds and lizards8 that Darwin studied in the Galapagos Islands.

She shows how Darwin came to understand that these island animals had differences, developed over time, that helped them survive. And she explains the theory of evolution through natural selection in a way that both children and adults will enjoy.

Great Presidents

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Burma. Kyaw Thu wants to know who the greatest American president was and how he improved the country.

Recently, the television cable network C-Span carried out its second study about the greatest American presidents. Sixty-five presidential historians judged the past forty-two American leaders based on ten qualities of leadership.

The qualities were public persuasion9, crisis leadership, economic management, moral leadership and international relations.

The historians also looked at administrative10 ability, relations with Congress, goal setting and the pursuit of equal justice for all. Finally, the experts considered performance based on the historical period in which the president lived.
 
Abraham Lincoln

The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as America's greatest president. He had also been named best president in a similar study in two thousand. Abraham Lincoln was the only president in American history to lead the nation during a civil war in the eighteen sixties. He united the nation. And he took the first steps that destroyed the institution of slavery in America.

Edna Medford is a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was an adviser11 on this study and the earlier one. She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values that the nation most honors like truthfulness12, moderation and respect for human rights.

The historians named America's first president, George Washington, as second on the list of greatest presidents. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry13 Truman are next in that order. John F. Kennedy, the country's first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list. Like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy was murdered while in office.

Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best president. Bill Clinton was rated fifteenth. And the historians rated former president George W. Bush as number thirty-six. His father, George H.W. Bush, did much better. He was rated as number eighteen.

Lady Gaga

HOST:

Lady GaGa makes music that makes you want to dance. Her performances combine rock, dance, theater and wild clothes. She says that when she discovered the songs of British pop stars David Bowie and Queen, she realized these different things could go together. The twenty-two year old performer says her album "The Fame" is about how anyone can feel famous and all people are invited to the party. Barbara Klein has more.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN:

That was the hit song "Just Dance" from Lady GaGa's first album "The Fame." It gives a good example of her energetic electronic sound.
 
Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa's real name is Joanne Stefani Germanotta. The idea for her stage name came from Queen's song "Radio Gaga." Germanotta was born in Yonkers, New York, and grew up in New York City. She taught herself to play the piano at the age of four. By the age of fourteen she was performing at clubs in New York. When she was seventeen, she was accepted into the music program at New York University. Here is the song "Brown Eyes."

(MUSIC)

Lady GaGa is known for her wild and creative makeup14 and clothing. Sometimes she makes the clothing she wears. But she usually does not wear very much clothing.

Lady GaGa wrote all of the music on her album and plays some of the instruments. She says her goal as an artist is to present a pop record to the world in a very interesting way. We leave you with "Boys Boys Boys."

(MUSIC)

HOST:

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

It was written by Dana Demange, Caty Weaver15, and Mario Ritter, who also was the producer. You can find transcripts16, MP3s and podcasts of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mosaic CEExS     
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 naturalist QFKxZ     
n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)
参考例句:
  • He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业,同时是个博物学爱好者。
  • The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。
3 geographic tgsxb     
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
4 graphic Aedz7     
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的
参考例句:
  • The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。
5 iguana MbWxT     
n.美洲大蜥蜴,鬣鳞蜥
参考例句:
  • With an iguana,you really don't have to say surprise.惊喜两字已经不足以形容这只鬣鳞蜥了。
  • I'm going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguanadj.打开计算机准备制作一部关于我的宠物蜥蜴的电影。
6 eruption UomxV     
n.火山爆发;(战争等)爆发;(疾病等)发作
参考例句:
  • The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
  • The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。
7 illustrates a03402300df9f3e3716d9eb11aae5782     
给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明
参考例句:
  • This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
  • Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生,他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分
8 lizards 9e3fa64f20794483b9c33d06297dcbfb     
n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外,没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
  • Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗? 来自辞典例句
9 persuasion wMQxR     
n.劝说;说服;持有某种信仰的宗派
参考例句:
  • He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说,他才决定离开。
  • After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后,她同意去了。
10 administrative fzDzkc     
adj.行政的,管理的
参考例句:
  • The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
  • He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。
11 adviser HznziU     
n.劝告者,顾问
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
12 truthfulness 27c8b19ec00cf09690f381451b0fa00c     
n. 符合实际
参考例句:
  • Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness. 她有许多的美德,如忠诚、勇敢和诚实。
  • I fired a hundred questions concerning the truthfulness of his statement. 我对他发言的真实性提出一连串质问。
13 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
14 makeup 4AXxO     
n.组织;性格;化装品
参考例句:
  • Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
  • Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗?
15 weaver LgWwd     
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。
16 transcripts 525c0b10bb61e5ddfdd47d7faa92db26     
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
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TAG标签:   VOA慢速英语  Picture  Book  Shows  Picture  Book  Shows
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