VOA慢速英语2009-AMERICAN MOSAIC - Star Humanitarians Use Their F

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. This week:

We listen to new music from Ben Harper …

And answer a listener question about the White House ...

But first, a report on entertainers who lend their fame and more to social, political and environmental efforts

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Star Humanitarians³

HOST:

Movie stars and musicians are experts at getting the attention of the media and public. More and more of these famous people are using their popularity to bring attention to humanitarian² and environmental causes that are important to them. Some people say these famous "diplomats⁴" help to humanize an issue. Mario Ritter tells us more.

MARIO RITTER:

Leonardo DiCaprio is best known for his roles as adventurous⁵ young men in popular movies including "Titanic," "The Aviator⁶" and "Blood Diamond." But the thirty-four year old actor has taken on an important role in real life as well.

About ten years ago, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. Its aim is to increase public awareness⁷ about environmental issues by working with other organizations. Two years ago, DiCaprio worked on a movie called "The Eleventh Hour." It is about the damaging effects of climate change and other environmental problems affecting the planet.
　
Angelina Jolie

The actress Angelina Jolie is another famous American who has become a social activist⁸. Since two thousand one she has worked with the United Nations Refugee Agency to raise public awareness about the serious problems of refugees around the world. She has visited many countries and donated millions of dollars to help refugees and children in need. She says that people should praise refugees for what they have survived. Angelina Jolie has been called the most respected celebrity⁹ humanitarian.

Peter Kessler works with the U.N. Refugee Agency. He believes that famous "diplomats" help bring a human face to important causes.

PETER KESSLER: "As we saw with Princess Diana when she first held the hand of an AIDS victim, it's spreading that message that these people are safe. They're not a threat, they're threatened. And you also can reach out to them in your own way. You don't have to be a VIP celebrity."

Some experts say famous people may bring public awareness to an issue. But this increased attention does not mean anything without effective action.

The actress Mia Farrow has traveled to refugee camps in Sudan more than twelve times. She recently took action in a very personal way. Mia Farrow began a hunger strike to protest the situation of refugees in Darfur. She has written messages on her Web site that describe her experience. She links her own situation with the daily experience of millions of hungry and sick refugees in Darfur.

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The White House

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Vietnam. Khoa Pham wants to know more about the White House, home of the American president and his family.

ANNCR:

The White House was the largest house in the country until after the Civil War in the eighteen sixties. The White House has one hundred thirty-two rooms, including sixteen family and guest rooms, thirty-five bathrooms and three kitchens. There are six levels. The first level has many famous rooms. For example, the West Wing of the White House includes the Oval Office.
　
The Blue Room of the White House

This is where the president works and meets with his advisers¹⁰. The president receives guests in the Blue Room. And the State Dining Room can hold one hundred forty people for official dinners in honor of foreign leaders.

The second and third floors are the family's private areas. When it is cold outside, the president and his family can warm up near one of the White House's twenty-eight fireplaces. And when it is hot outside, they can swim in the outdoor pool.

The White House offers lot of things to do for entertainment. The first family can watch a movie in the small theater, play ping-pong in the family game room or bowl in the small bowling¹¹ alley¹². Former President Richard Nixon had the bowling alley built in nineteen sixty-nine. The White House's newest occupant, Barack Obama, is not much of a bowler¹³. But he is a big fan of basketball. He has already been seen shooting hoops¹⁴ on the basketball court outside. President Obama is said to be considering replacing the bowling alley with an indoor basketball court.

The Obama family recently added an outdoor playground for their two young daughters. It has a swing set, a climbing section, a slide and a tire for swinging. The Obamas can also play tennis on a court on the South Lawn, hit a few golf balls on the putting greens or run around the jogging track.

The White House has been home to forty-three presidents. America's first president, George Washington supervised the building process which began in seventeen ninety-two. But he never lived there. John and Abigail Adams became the building's first family in eighteen hundred. Since then, the White House has experienced many changes. And each presidential family has left its own historical mark on America's most famous house.

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Ben Harper

HOST:

Ben Harper is back with his own special kind of blues¹⁵ music. His music is a mix of many different styles. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:
　
Ben Harper and Relentless7

As a boy, Ben Harper spent a lot of time at his grandparents' record store called The Folk Music Center and Museum in California. By the age of twenty-three he was performing with the famous blues musician Taj Mahal. You can hear the influence of these experiences in his music, a mix of folk, blues, rock and fusion¹⁷.

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That was "Shimmer¹⁸ and Shine," the first release from Ben Harper's new CD, "White Lies for Dark Times. It is Harper's first CD with his new band, Relentless¹⁶ Seven. Harper took his band on the road last year as part of the effort to get young people to vote. The group began many of its performances with this song, "Up to You Now."

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The members of Relentless Seven all come from Texas. Guitarist Jason Mozersky worked part-time driving bands back and forth¹⁹ to a performance center in Texas. Mozersky was lucky enough to get Ben Harper as a passenger. He played his music for Harper and the rest, as they say, is history. We leave you with the opening track from "White Lies for Dark Times." Here is "Number with No Name."

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HOST:

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

It was written by Dana Demange and June Simms. Caty Weaver²⁰ was the producer. For transcripts²¹, 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 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 humanitarians   

n.慈善家( humanitarian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finally, humanitarians saw it as a means of helping to feed the hungry of the world. 人道主义者把这一计划看成是为世界上那些忍饥挨饿的人提供粮食的一项措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• All humanitarians fought against slavery. 所有人道主义者都为反对奴隶制而斗争过。 来自互联网

4 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

6 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

10 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

11 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

12 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

13 bowler   

n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手

参考例句：

• The bowler judged it well,timing the ball to perfection.投球手判断准确，对球速的掌握恰到好处。
• The captain decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.队长决定把斯诺撤下，换一个动作慢一点的投球手试一试。

14 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

15 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。

16 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

17 fusion   

n.溶化；熔解；熔化状态，熔和；熔接

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc. 黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• This alloy is formed by the fusion of two types of metal.这种合金是用两种金属熔合而成的。

18 shimmer   

v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光

参考例句：

• The room was dark,but there was a shimmer of moonlight at the window.屋子里很黑，但靠近窗户的地方有点微光。
• Nor is there anything more virginal than the shimmer of young foliage.没有什么比新叶的微光更纯洁无瑕了。

19 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

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。

21 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