VOA慢速英语2009-AMERICAN MOSAIC - NFL Broadcaster John Madden Re

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. This week …

We travel to Louisiana for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage² Festival ...

And answer a question about a group of landscape painters.

But first, we tell about the retirement³ of football broadcaster John Madden.

John Madden

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HOST:

Last weekend National Football League teams began choosing players for the next season. As young players prepare to begin their professional careers in the sport, one important person in American football announced his retirement. Bob Doughty⁴ tells us more about popular broadcaster John Madden.

BOB DOUGHTY:

American football broadcaster John Madden is loved by sports fans, coaches and players throughout the United States.
　
John Madden

The former football player and coach brought his excitement and love for the sport to television viewers every time he announced a game. John Madden is known for his friendly personality and sense of humor⁵. He is also known for explaining football as he announced the games. This helped people understand and enjoy the sport even more.

Last month, John Madden announced his retirement as a National Football League broadcaster. Madden is seventy-three. He says he wants to spend more time with his wife and family, especially his five grandchildren. Madden says his decision to retire was difficult because he loves everything about football.

He started as a professional football player. But an injury to his knee in nineteen fifty-eight ended his short career. He began his career as a head football coach in nineteen sixty-nine, when he was selected to lead the Oakland Raiders. He coached the team for ten years. He led the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory in nineteen seventy-seven. Two years later he retired⁶ and became a sports announcer⁷ for the NFL. John Madden was named to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in two thousand six.

Madden has announced eleven Super Bowl games during his thirty-year broadcasting career. He has won sixteen Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality on television. His last game as a football announcer was this year's Super Bowl in February.

John Madden's huge influence on the sport of football continues. His video game, "Madden NFL," is the best-selling sports video game in history. It has sold more than seventy million copies worldwide during the last twenty years.

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Hudson River School

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from an artist in Ukraine. Mykhailo Sydorenko wants to know about two American painters -- Frederic Edwin Church and Albert Bierstadt.

These two artists were linked to a nineteenth century group of painters known as the Hudson River School. A "school" of painters refers to a group of artists whose work has a common influence. The Hudson River School painters are considered the first official school in American art.
　
Detail from "Heart of the Andes" by Fredric Edwin Church

Their detailed⁸ landscape paintings showed the huge expansiveness of American wilderness⁹. These paintings expressed a sense of wonder for America's natural environment and its endless possibilities. The paintings also had a moral¹⁰ and spiritual message. The painters believed that nature was a direct representation¹¹ of God.

The school was named after the Hudson River Valley in the state of New York. Many of the artists painted this valley and its surrounding areas. Some of the artists also traveled to paint in other countries.

The painter Thomas Cole is said to be one of the first members of this group. He became very successful, starting in the eighteen twenties. Like later members of the group, Cole was well educated in the traditions of European painting. But Cole made a clear case for creating a new art for the new land of America.

One of Cole's students was Frederic Edwin Church. His famous painting "Heart of the Andes" was completed in eighteen fifty-nine. To create this work, Church had traveled for nine weeks in Ecuador making drawings. When the large painting was shown to the public, thousands of people paid money to see its strikingly¹² real style.

Albert Bierstadt is best known for his paintings of the American West. He was influenced by later members of the Hudson River School. Bierstadt received his training as an artist in his native Germany. Although he started painting in New York and other eastern states, he began traveling west in eighteen fifty-nine.

His eighteen sixty-six painting "Yosemite Valley" gave many people on the East Coast their first introduction to California's beautiful mountain area.

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New Orleans Jazz Fest

HOST:

The birds are back, the bees are buzzing¹³ and the flowers are in full bloom¹⁴. It is that time of year again. Warm weather means outdoor music festivals and one of the biggest is happening right now. Every year thousands of bands and fans travel to the southern state of Louisiana for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

The festival is celebrating its fortieth anniversary¹⁵ this year. More than five thousand musicians are expected to perform during the huge seven-day event. About four hundred thousand people are expected to attend. Whether you like blues¹⁶ or rock, Cajun, folk, Zydeco, country, or of course, all that jazz, you are guaranteed to hear it at Jazz Fest.
　
Wynton Marsalis

Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is a native of New Orleans. Here is "The Razor Rim¹⁷" from his newest CD "He and She."

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The nine-time Grammy Award winning Marsalis is one of the headliners at this year's festival. Other famous performers include Neil Young, Etta James, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Rait and Sugarland. The Dave Matthews Band is also performing. This band's mix of jazz, world music, folk and rock is a perfect fit for the festival. Here the band performs "Funny the Way It Is."

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Traditionally, most of the performers at the festival are not well known outside of Louisiana. More than eighty percent of the performers are locals, including Buckwheat Zydeco. Here is his song "I'm Gonna Love You Anyway."

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While the music may be at the top of the menu, let us not forget about the food. Lip-smacking, mouth-watering New Orleans cuisine¹⁸. Visitors are enjoying crawfish etouffees, red beans and rice, gumbo, jambalaya and the famous fried¹⁹ pastries²⁰ called beignets. We leave you with music from another New Orleans native. Harry²¹ Connick, Junior sings his song honoring²² the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

(MUSIC: "All These People")

HOST:

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

It was written by Lawan Davis, June Simms, and Dana Demange who was also the producer. For transcripts²³, MP3s and podcasts of our programs, go to voaspecialenglish.com.

Send your questions about American life to [email protected]. Please include your full name and where you live.

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 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 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。

5 humor   

n.(humour)幽默，诙谐

参考例句：

• He is distinguished for his sense of humor.他以其幽默感著称。
• American humor is founded largely on hyperbole.美式幽默主要以夸张为基础。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 announcer   

n.宣布者；电(视)台播音员，报幕员

参考例句：

• The radio announcer said it was nine o'clock.电台播音员报时9点整。
• The announcer tells the listeners what programme comes next.广播员告诉听众下一个是什么节目。

8 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。

9 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 moral   

adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德

参考例句：

• Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
• He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。

11 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

12 strikingly   

adv.显著地

参考例句：

• The quagga was a strikingly beautiful variant of the zebra. 斑驴是一种极美丽的斑马变种。
• The model strikingly confirms the potent effect of Himalaya-Tibet on the circulation. 该模式惊人的证明了喜马拉雅西藏高原对环流的重要影响。

13 buzzing   

adj.嗡嗡响的v.发出嗡嗡声( buzz的现在分词 )；（发出）充满兴奋的谈话声[闲话，谣言]；忙乱，急行；用蜂鸣器（发信号）

参考例句：

• The computer made a buzzing noise that she found off-putting. 计算机发出的嗡嗡声让她心烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Bees are humming [buzzing] around from flower to flower. 蜜蜂在花丛中嗡嗡地飞来飞去。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 bloom   

n.花，花期；vi.开花；容光焕发，显露出健康

参考例句：

• The park is a picture when flowers are in bloom.当鲜花盛开时，这个公园的景色美极了。
• The flowers in the garden are now in full bloom.花园里的花盛开。

15 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

16 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

17 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

18 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

19 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

20 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

21 harry   

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。

22 honoring   

v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They sat in silence, honoring the clan Jordache for a moment. 他们默默地坐了一会儿，对乔达虚家族表示了一番敬意。 来自辞典例句
• Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check. 美国没有履行这项神圣的义务，只是给黑人开了一张空头支票。 来自辞典例句

23 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