VOA慢速英语2011--Smithsonian Exhibit Celebrates Rescue of

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Smithsonian Exhibit Celebrates Rescue of Chilean Miners

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DOUG JOHNSON:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
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I'm Doug Johnson. This week on our show, we have music from a new album by the Swedish electronic group Little Dragon ...
And we answer a question about the history of blue jeans ...
But, first, we take you to a new exhibit in Washington about last year’s rescue of thirty-three miners in Chile.
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Chilean Miners Exhibit
DOUG JOHNSON: One of the Smithsonian museums in Washington has a new exhibit about the rescue of thirty-three trapped miners in Chile. It opened on August fifth, the one-year anniversary of the mine collapse². Pat Bodner has more.
PAT BODNER: The exhibit is called “Against All Odds³: Rescue at the Chilean Mine.” It tells about the geology of the Andes Mountains, where the San Jose mine is located. The area is rich in minerals including copper⁴ and small amounts of gold.
The Smithsonian exhibit is in the gems⁵ and minerals area of the National Museum of Natural History. It explains the rescue operation with images and a timeline. All descriptions are in English and Spanish. The exhibit includes objects like a Bible and a watch that belonged to the miners.
Last August fifth, at one forty in the afternoon, there was a huge collapse. The miners were taking a break near the bottom of the mine. All of them survived the collapse. But huge piles of fallen rock meant they were trapped.
The Chilean government launched a rescue effort. There were three separate drilling operations. These used different technologies in case one operation failed.
Workers drilled a small opening to send food, water and other supplies to the miners.
The exhibit notes that people from around the world came together to organize the rescue. Workers and drilling equipment came from the United States, Canada and other nations. The American space agency gave Chilean officials information to help the miners survive long-term isolation⁶. NASA also helped design the rescue container that brought the men to safety. 
An example of this steel “Phoenix” rescue capsule is part of the exhibit. The capsule is very narrow, about fifty-three centimeters in diameter. Nutrition experts kept the miners on a careful diet to make sure they would be able to fit inside.
On October thirteenth, rescue workers used the container to lift the thirty-three men, one by one, out of the mine. They had been trapped for sixty-nine days. A large screen in the exhibit shows video of the men arriving at the surface.
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However, recent reports say life has not been easy for the miners in the past year. Some are still being treated for the emotional trauma⁷ of being trapped more than half a kilometer underground. Many are unemployed⁸. Movie and book deals have yet to lead to the wealth the men had been promised.
The rescue increased the popularity of President Sebastian Pinera. But now his policies have made him the target of violent anti-government protests. And some people have turned against the rescued miners for seeking millions of dollars in legal damages. The men -- once celebrated⁹ as heroes -- have brought action against the Chilean government and the owners of the mine.
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Blue Jeans
DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from Kazakhstan. Lunara Katayeva wants to know the history of blue jeans.
Actually another listener in Russia asked the same question a couple of years ago. But we will answer it again because blue jeans represent American culture.
Levi Strauss did not invent jeans, but he is considered the first person to make and sell great numbers of them.
He was born in Bavaria, an area that today is part of Germany. In eighteen forty-seven he and his family immigrated¹⁰ to the United States.
Levi Strauss opened a small dry goods store, first in New York, then in San Francisco, California. Among the products he sold were jeans. These pants were especially useful for miners in California. They needed clothing made from a strong material. Jeans are usually made from a heavy cotton cloth called denim¹¹.
Levi Strauss partnered with a clothing maker¹² named Jacob Davis. Davis had invented a process for making rivets¹³ for jeans. These little metal connectors helped hold the pieces of cloth together to make the jeans stronger.
In eighteen seventy-three, the government gave Strauss and Davis a patent for their invention. That meant no one else could legally copy it without their permission. They began producing what they called “copper-riveted waist overalls¹⁴.”
In nineteen twenty-eight the Levi Strauss company registered the word “Levi’s” as a trademark¹⁵ for their product.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington has one of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s.
Writer James Sullivan published a book called “Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon¹⁶.” In it, he says jeans represent two American values, creativity and rebellion.
Cowboys wore jeans in the old Wild West. In the nineteen fifties, people saw famous Hollywood actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando wearing jeans in movies.
Today jeans come in blue but also lots of other colors and in many styles and in all prices. Some designers charge three hundred dollars or more for a pair of jeans.
Some people like to buy jeans that look fresh and new. Others like to buy new jeans that are torn and look old. What kind of jeans do you like? Tell us at voaspecialenglish.com.
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Little Dragon “Ritual Union”
HOST: Little Dragon will be performing next week in California and New York. Christopher Cruise tells us about this four-member band from Sweden and the new album they just released.
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CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: That song is called “Shuffle a Dream” from Little Dragon’s new album, “Ritual Union.” Yukimi Nagano sings about a rich, self-important man. The song says he can choose any girl but “why would you want someone so vain?”
You can hear the influence of rhythm and blues¹⁷ and jazz in the dreamy music of Little Dragon. But this song called “Summertearz” has a world-beat sound.
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Little Dragon first came together in nineteen ninety-six, but did not release their first album until two thousand seven. “Ritual Union” is the band’s third album. We leave you with the title track.
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DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange and Caty Weaver¹⁸, who was also our producer. If you have a question about American life, send it to [email protected]. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter at VOA Learning 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 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

8 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

9 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

10 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

11 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

12 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

13 rivets   

铆钉( rivet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Straighten the rivets, please. 请把那铆钉铆直。
• Instead of rivets there came an invasion, an infliction, and a visitation. 但是铆钉并没有运来，来的却是骚扰、混乱和视察。

14 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

15 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

16 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

17 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。

18 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。