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VOA慢速英语2010年-American Mosaic - Speeches That Sent O

时间:2010-06-04 06:54来源:互联网 提供网友:419911190   字体: [ ]
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DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to American Mosaic1 in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m Doug Johnson.

Today we listen to new music from Mary Chapin Carpenter …

And answer a question about turkeys ...

But first, we help send off the college graduates of two thousand ten.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: During the months of May and June, colleges and universities across the United States hold graduation ceremonies. Many schools ask a special person to speak to students during the ceremony. Mario Ritter tells us about several of this year’s famous graduation speakers.

MICHELLE OBAMA: “I have one more request to make of you. One more challenge. And that is keep going. Keep giving. Keep engaging. I’m asking you to take what you’ve learned here and embrace the full responsibilities that a degree from an institution like GW gives you. I’m asking your generation to be America’s face to the world.”

MARIO RITTER: That was part of a speech that first lady Michelle Obama gave at George Washington University’s graduation ceremony in Washington, D.C. In September, Missus Obama gave GW students and teachers a test.

Michelle Obama at the George Washington University graduation in Washington

She said that if they could complete one hundred thousand hours of community service, she would give the graduation speech in May. The students and teachers more than met her request. They completed over one hundred sixty-three thousand hours of volunteer work.

Missus Obama joked that if she had known, she would have picked a higher number. She called on GW students to continue to open their minds and serve others.

President Obama was also busy with graduation speeches. At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor2 he spoke3 about creating smarter and better government. He also spoke at Hampton University, a historically black university in Virginia. And he spoke at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

BARACK OBAMA: “And the faces in this stadium show a simple truth: America's Army represents the full breadth of America's experience. You come from every corner of our country -- from privilege and from poverty, from cities and small towns. You worship all of the great religions that enrich the life of our people. You include the vast diversity of race and ethnicity that is fundamental to our nation's strength.”

Several famous actors also spoke at college graduation ceremonies this month. Meryl Streep spoke to the female graduates at Barnard College in New York City. She described her many early efforts at acting4 during childhood. She made a strong statement about the important role of women today.

Alec Baldwin spoke at New York University about the importance of taking risks in life. And, actress Lisa Kudrow spoke at Vasser College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

The writer John Grisham gave many words of advice to students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel5 Hill. He told them to call home once a week and to read at least one book a month. He also called on the graduates to work on finding a voice for themselves that is clear and truthful6.

(MUSIC)

Our listener question this week is from China. Jaetyn Wang wants to know if Americans eat turkey at times other than Thanksgiving. The answer is: Yes! Americans eat turkeys and many foods made with turkey meat all year.

Most of the turkeys eaten in the United States are raised on farms. These are called domesticated7 turkeys. Americans buy these birds at supermarkets. Some are fresh but most have been frozen. They all need to be cooked in an oven for several hours.

Most domesticated turkeys are grown in the state of Minnesota. The National Turkey Federation8 says that more than ninety percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving in November.

Forty-five million birds are sold for that holiday. The average weight is about seven kilograms. Twenty-two million turkeys are sold at Christmas and nineteen million are eaten at Easter.

Seventy percent of an average turkey is white meat while thirty percent is dark meat. In general, Americans like the white meat better than the dark meat.

Twenty years ago, turkeys were thought of as mainly a holiday food. But the turkey-growing industry has changed that. They point out that turkeys are high in protein and low in fat. In nineteen seventy, the average American ate almost four kilograms of turkey a year. In two thousand eight, that increased to almost eight kilograms a year.

So now you can find turkey meat in many different products. Most American markets sell turkey white meat that is cooked and thinly sliced for making sandwiches. There is also ground turkey that people cook like hamburgers. Turkey is also used instead of beef to make the traditional American hot dog. Turkey meat can also be cut into small pieces and added to vegetables and liquid to make soups and stews9.

Turkey has become so popular that turkey production in the United States has grown three hundred percent since nineteen seventy. The United States exports the most turkey meat to Mexico, China, Russia and Canada.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: Mary Chapin Carpenter has been writing and recording10 country-influenced music for over twenty years. Her songs tell simple but poetic11 stories. Her latest album, “The Age of Miracles,” is a personal exploration of sadness, love and life’s many experiences. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS: That was Mary Chapin Carpenter singing “The Way I Feel.” The song is about driving by yourself at night into the unknown and feeling free.

Mary Chapin Carpenter

Three years ago, Mary Chapin Carpenter suffered a life-threatening blood clot12 in her lungs. Afterwards, she spent the years resting and wondering what to do with her extra time. She turned to writing music. She says like many of her albums, “The Age of Miracles” gives a brief look at where she is in her life.

But not all songs on the record are about her own experiences. One song tells about American writer Ernest Hemingway’s first wife. Another, called “4 June 1989,” discusses the efforts of the Chinese artist and activist13 Chen Guang. Here is the song “I Was a Bird” in which she dreams about flying high in the sky.

(MUSIC)

In April, Carpenter received a “Spirit of Americana” award for free speech in music. The award is from the Americana Music Association and Newseum in Washington, D.C. It honors artists who support freedom of speech in their work.

We leave you with the album’s title song, “The Age of Miracles.” Mary Chapin Carpenter describes real events such as Hurricane Katrina, landing on the moon, and protests by religious workers in Burma. She says the song expresses a sense of wonder about the times we live in.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Jim Tedder14 and Dana Demange, who was also the producer.

You can find transcripts15, MP3s and podcasts of our shows at voaspecialenglish.com. If you have a question about American life, send an e-mail to [email protected]. We might answer in on this show. 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.

 


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 arbor fyIzz0     
n.凉亭;树木
参考例句:
  • They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里,边喝茶边聊天。
  • You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
5 chapel UXNzg     
n.小教堂,殡仪馆
参考例句:
  • The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
  • She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午,她在小教堂的演出,可以说是登峰造极。
6 truthful OmpwN     
adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的
参考例句:
  • You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心,他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
  • I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。
7 domesticated Lu2zBm     
adj.喜欢家庭生活的;(指动物)被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务,烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 federation htCzMS     
n.同盟,联邦,联合,联盟,联合会
参考例句:
  • It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
  • Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。
9 stews 8db84c7e84a0cddb8708371799912099     
n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 );烦恼,焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 );煨;思考;担忧
参考例句:
  • Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews. 玉米淀粉在炖煮菜肴中被用作增稠剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Most stews contain meat and vegetables. 炖的食物大多是肉类和蔬菜。 来自辞典例句
10 recording UktzJj     
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。
11 poetic b2PzT     
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的
参考例句:
  • His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
  • His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
12 clot nWEyr     
n.凝块;v.使凝成块
参考例句:
  • Platelets are one of the components required to make blood clot.血小板是血液凝固的必须成分之一。
  • The patient's blood refused to clot.病人的血液无法凝结。
13 activist gyAzO     
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。
14 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
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
15 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  college  college
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