VOA慢速英语2010年-AMERICAN MOSAIC - Banknote Knowledge:

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)I'm Doug Johnson.
This week, we play songs from two new albums from music greats Elton John and Leon Russell and Elvis Costello.
We also answer a question about the faces found on American money ...
But first, a report on a shiny gem² new to the Smithsonian museum in Washington.
(MUSIC)Cullinan DiamondDOUG JOHNSON: The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History recently added a new gem to its collection. The Cullinan Diamond necklace is now on view at the museum with another famous jewel, the Hope Diamond.
Though smaller than the Hope Diamond, gemologists say the Cullinan Diamond is just as beautiful. Curator Jeffrey Post says it is one of the greatest gifts the museum has ever received. Katherine Cole has more.
KATHERINE COLE: The silver necklace has two hundred fifty-one diamonds. It has a beautiful bow and oval-shaped design in the center. Nine extremely rare blue diamonds are part of the design. The rare blue diamonds total more than five carats.
Newly printed $20 bills, with the image of President Andrew Jackson, at the Bureau of Engraving³ and Printing in Washington Like the Hope Diamond, the Cullinan Diamond also has a rich history. It is named after Thomas Cullinan, a famous South African explorer. He owned the Premier⁴ Diamond Mine in South Africa.
Mr. Cullinan had promised his wife that he would find her the largest diamond in the world. His workers found such a diamond in nineteen-oh-five. It weighed almost three thousand one hundred seven carats before it was cut and polished. At that time, it was the biggest diamond ever discovered.
Thomas Cullinan sold the uncut diamond to the Transvaal government. It was later given to British King Edward VII on his birthday. The diamond was then cut into a number of different jewels which became part of the British Royal Family collection. The most famous of the pieces is known as the Star of Africa.
Mr. Cullinan had the Cullinan Diamond Necklace created as a special present for his wife in nineteen ten. The necklace was passed down to the first daughter of each family until it was sold by a great-granddaughter in the early nineteen eighties.
Experts say the design of the Cullinan Diamond Necklace is an example of the jewelry⁵ of the Edwardian time period when the necklace was created.
Thomas Cullinan, owner of the Cullinan Premier mine in South Africa, gave his wife the Cullinan Blue Diamond necklace The Cullinan Diamond Necklace is on view at the Harry⁶ Winston Gallery in the National History Museum. It is on a shiny blue cloth which helps bring out the beauty of its rare blue diamonds.
An unidentified person gave the necklace to the museum in honor of its one hundredth anniversary.
It will remain on view at the Harry Winston Gallery until next spring when it moves to its permanent home in the National Gem Gallery.
Men on the MoneyDOUG JOHNSON:
Our listener question this week comes from Iraqi Kurdistan. Farman Salih wants to know about the men whose pictures are on American paper money and why they were important.
The picture of George Washington is on the one-dollar bill. He served as America’s first president from seventeen eighty-nine to seventeen ninety-seven. President Washington has been called the "Father of his Country."The third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, is on the two-dollar bill. He was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence in seventeen seventy-six. Jefferson was one of the most influential⁷ of the nation’s Founding Fathers. He was also a plant expert, architect, musician and inventor.
Another of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, is on the five-dollar bill. He served as the sixteenth president from eighteen sixty-one until eighteen sixty-five. He successfully led the country through the Civil War, saved the Union and ended slavery.
The picture of Alexander Hamilton appears on the ten-dollar bill. Hamilton was never president. But he was the first Secretary of the Treasury⁸ and one of the Founding Fathers. He was also an economist⁹ and political philosopher.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president, serving from eighteen twenty-nine to eighteen thirty-seven. He supported popular democracy and individual liberty. His picture is on the twenty-dollar bill.
Another president is on the fifty-dollar bill. Ulysses S. Grant served from eighteen sixty-nine to eighteen seventy-seven. Before serving as president, Grant was the military commander of Union forces during the Civil War. Under his command, the Union Army defeated Confederate forces.
So who do you think is on the one hundred-dollar bill? It is Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was never elected president, but was one of the Founding Fathers. He was also a leading writer and printer, political thinker, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic¹⁰ activist¹¹ and diplomat¹².
These American statesmen are on front of the one, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred dollar bills. The backs of the notes show images from the nation’s history or famous places. They are, in order, the Great Seal of the United States, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Lincoln Memorial. The others are the Treasury Building, the White House, the Capitol building and Independence Hall.
You can learn about how American money is made on the Special English program THIS IS AMERICA on Monday.
T-Bone BurnettDOUG JOHNSON: Musician T-Bone Burnett recently produced two albums. He worked with Elvis Costello, Elton John, Leon Russell and others. Mario Ritter plays some music and tells about the new records.
MARIO RITTER: This is not the first time T-Bone Burnett has worked with singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. They have produced several albums together. T-Bone Burnett has also written and performed on Costello’s albums.
"National Ransom¹³" is the latest. It is a double album. It has been released digitally and on CD but there is also a vinyl recording¹⁴ for sale. And Costello thinks this is the way it sounds best. He says digital may be easier to get. But he says listeners cheat themselves if they do not hear the vinyl version.
Here Elvis Costello performs "Jimmie Standing¹⁵ in the Rain" from "National Ransom."(MUSIC)T-Bone Burnett also produced the album "The Union." It features two singer-songwriters, Elton John and Leon Russell. Burnett says the record was made because Elton John considered Leon Russell a musical hero and had always wanted to work with him. Here they perform "Jimmie Rodgers Dream."(MUSIC)Last month, T-Bone Burnett got all three men and a few other artists he works with to perform live together. They held concerts in Boston and New York to raise money for arts and music education in public schools.
We leave you with Elton John and Leon Russell performing "Hearts Have Turned to Stone" from their new album "The Union."(MUSIC)DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by June Simms, Shelley Gollust and Caty Weaver¹⁶, who also was our producer.
You can get transcripts¹⁷, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning English.
If you have a question about American life, write to [email protected]. Be sure to include your name and country.
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 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

3 engraving   

n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• He collected an old engraving of London Bridge. 他收藏了一张古老的伦敦桥版画。 来自辞典例句
• Some writing has the precision of a steel engraving. 有的字体严谨如同钢刻。 来自辞典例句

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

6 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。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

8 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

9 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

10 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

11 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。

12 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

13 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

14 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

15 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

16 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。

17 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