VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Art on the Street in

DOUG JOHNSON:

Welcome to American Mosaic¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson.

Today on our show we play music by She & Him…

And take a look in Washington at some art on the street that is not street art.

But first we report on American efforts to get Hispanics to take part in the population count called the census².

(MUSIC)

Hispanics and the Census

An artist's version of the New York Avenue Project with sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle

DOUG JOHNSON: By law, the United States is required to count its population every ten years. In the last national census, or population count, Hispanics, or Latinos, made up twelve percent of the total population. Hispanic-Americans are the fastest growing group in the country. The census is taking place again. Officials say it is important that all Hispanics are counted. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN: Many Hispanics are recent immigrants who work in factories or on farms. Many others work as day laborers³. Many of them are living in the United States without legal immigration papers. But the census law says they still need to be counted.

Everyone living in the United States received census forms to fill out in March. They were supposed to mail back the form last month. Now, millions of census workers are visiting homes that did not return their census forms.

A U.S. Census Bureau advertisement supporting minority involvement in the 2010 Census

The census count is important because areas with higher populations will get more representation in Congress. Highly populated areas also get more money from the federal government. A Census Bureau official says four hundred billion dollars in grants and loans will be available over the next ten years. That money will be given out based on how many people live in different communities.

The census form asks ten questions, including the number of people living in each house, their ethnic⁴ group and race. Officials say that personal information will not be shared publicly. Still, the number of people in immigrant communities who respond to the census is low. Los Angeles, California is home to many Hispanics. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says immigrants are among the groups that need to be urged to provide the information.

Officials believe that language difficulties cause problems for many in the Hispanic community. In addition, more than ten million immigrants are thought to be in the United States illegally.

Most of them are Hispanic. These people often have false documents. Many live in fear of being caught and sent back to their home countries. But census officials are not permitted to ask about a person’s legal status or share information with immigration enforcement officials.

Officials in Los Angeles have launched a major media campaign aimed at Hispanics, including videos and digital networking. Actress Rosario Dawson starred in one of the videos. She says a correct census means more money for immigrant communities.

ROSARIO DAWSON: “I’m saying that this money, this opportunity that could be lost if it’s not used will not happen to you again for another ten years, ten years. So it’s really very important that you make your voices heard.”

A New Public Art Project for Washington

DOUG JOHNSON: The National Museum of Women in the Arts has brought some major color and sparkle to Washington, D.C.’s New York Avenue. The museum recently created an outdoor sculpture area in the center of the city. Four large, colorful statues by the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle are bringing art outdoors so people who live and work nearby can enjoy it every day.

In the future, other works by female artists will be shown as part of the museum’s “New York Avenue Sculpture Project”. Katherine Cole has more.

KATHERINE COLE:

“The Three Graces” is one of four sculptures newly on display on New York Avenue. It gives a good example of Niki de Saint Phalle’s playful art. The work is made up of three huge female forms that seem to be dancing.

Three Graces" by Niki de Saint Phalle

They are covered in colorful pieces of broken glass tiles. One woman has black skin, another has white skin and the third has yellow skin. The work celebrates woman in her many forms.

Another work, “Nana on a Dolphin,” shows a curvy woman balancing on the back of a brightly colored dolphin. The woman’s body is covered with silver tiles which shine brightly in the sunlight. A sculpture called “#23 Basketball Player” is the artist’s energetic representation of Michael Jordan soaring into the air.

Niki de Saint Phalle was born in France, but spent much of her life in the United States. She died in two thousand two. Her large sculptures represent both the modern and the ancient. Many of them explore heroes, imaginary creatures, and the female body.

We asked several people visiting New York Avenue on Wednesday what they thought of the new art project. Will Thomas from San Diego, California praised the works.

WILL THOMAS: “I think they bring a little life to this street. I like them! I think that they are uniquely representative of the United States, of different cultures, our passions. And, I think they’re a nice addition.”

Jackie, who works nearby, has seen the statues at different times of day.

JACKIE: “I really like them! I like the colors, I like everything about them. And you know, they are really nice when they light up at night.”

One couple we talked to was visiting from France. They said they were very happy to turn the corner and see works by an artist they recognized from museums in their own country.

Nancy Harris from Washington also liked the artwork.

NANCY HARRIS: I think they are fabulous⁵. They are colorful, and voluptuous⁶ and active. Like women!”

This is the first of four stages of the New York Avenue Sculpture Project. The project will last until two thousand fifteen and will show the work of several other female artists.

She & Him

DOUG JOHNSON: Zooey Deschanel is best known as an actress in small, independent films. But she is also making a name for herself as a singer and songwriter. She performs in the band She & Him with musician Matt Ward⁷. They recently released a second album called “Volume Two.” Their dreamy songs sound like they came from another time period. Mario Ritter has more.

(MUSIC)

MARIO RITTER: That was the song “Home” from She & Him’s album “Volume Two.” Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward make a good team. She writes and sings the songs and he plays guitar and produces them. They first worked together while making a song for the movie “The Go-Getter,” which starred Deschanel.

Zooey Deschanel performing last month with her band She & Him

She had been writing songs for years. But she had never met a musician she felt fully⁸ shared her musical point of view until she met Matt Ward. Here is the song “Me and You.”

(MUSIC)

Deschanel and Ward have said that they chose the name “She & Him” because it was simple and did not call attention to itself. They named their albums “Volume One” and “Volume Two” for the same reason. They wanted the music to come first so that the songs would be what people remember most. We leave you with “Over it Over Again.”

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange and Jim Tedder⁹ with reporting by Mike O’Sullivan. Caty Weaver¹⁰ was the producer.

You can find transcripts¹¹, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes at VOA Learning English. If you have a question about American life, send an e-mail to [email protected]. Or write to Special English, Voice of America, Washington, DC 20237, USA. Please remember to tell us your 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 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

6 voluptuous   

adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的

参考例句：

• The nobility led voluptuous lives.贵族阶层过着骄奢淫逸的生活。
• The dancer's movements were slow and voluptuous.舞女的动作缓慢而富挑逗性。

7 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 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