VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - Pets and Disasters; Presidential Security; New Album from The Killers

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - Pets and Disasters; Presidential Security; New Album from The Killers²

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms.

On our show this week, we play new music from The Killers…

We also look at the people who protect the president…

But first, we tell about efforts to protect pets and other animals from natural disasters.

Pets in Natural Disasters

The northeastern United States continues to clean-up, repair and re-build in communities hit by Hurricane Sandy. Many people ignored warnings to leave their homes for emergency shelters. Often, this was because of their pets or livestock³. Shelters rarely permit animals.

This issue comes up in almost all floods, large wildfires and earthquakes. Christopher Cruise tells about efforts in the state of Oregon to inform people about how to protect their animals from disasters.

“Thank you for coming to our ‘Animals and Emergency Preparedness’ class…”

That is Jo Becker of the Oregon Humane⁴ Society. She is opening a training program with pictures taken in New York during and after super-storm Sandy blew through the city last month.

“…firemen immersing themselves in chest deep water for dogs and cats. We don’t want our firefighters immersing themselves in polluted water…”

A number of people drowned in their homes because they stayed with their pets.

“Emergency shelters won’t accept animals. If you’re lucky, people and animal shelters will be located close to each other.”

It is a nationwide policy to keep pets, except for service dogs, out of human shelters. Many people suffer allergic⁶ reactions to animal fur. There is also the danger of fighting between animals, attacks on humans and other possible problems.

Some estimates suggest as many as seventy-three million American households include a cat, dog or other pet. So what are these animal owners to do when natural disasters strike?

Class attendee Wendy Colvin is among those millions.

“We own two pygmy goats and about a dozen chickens.

Wendy Colvin signed up as a volunteer with a disaster aid service after the Hurricane Katrina wrecked⁷ much of the coastline along the Gulf⁸ of Mexico. So, she has learned about helping⁹ her human neighbors recover from disaster. But, what about animals? She says the rule against animals at shelters leaves her with little choice.

“If we had to move them, I guess we would probably put them into the pick-up truck and take them wherever we had to go.”

Holly¹⁰ Smith works at an animal hospital in Olympia, Washington. She says she has a plan for her dog, two cats and two rabbits. She has plastic boxes ready to go with a seven day supply of pet food, toys and other things. She also has pet carriers for all members of her little zoo. Holly Smith says her animals are more prepared for an emergency than she is. But she wants to do more.

“My biggest thing is getting the government to realize that animals need to be part of the solution and part of the plans. Otherwise they are going to be a major hiccup¹¹, a major problem.”

Ms. Smith studied her local government’s plan for sheltering animals. She found it lacking. So, she volunteered to work on an animal and agricultural disaster plan for Thurston County Emergency Management. And, she says progress has been made.

“We’re looking several different horse arenas¹², horse stable facilities, dairy farms. We have a couple of dairy farms, or cattle farms, that have gone out of business. The properties are there. They have everything on the property, stables and all that stuff. We could just come in and use them.”

Thurston County is just one of many communities working to improve safety plans for animals in disasters. But experts say pet owners themselves should remember a general rule. Whatever you do to prepare yourself for emergencies, do the same for your pets.

Presidential Security

Last week we talked about how the president of the United States gets from place to place. Sometimes he flies on Air Force One. Other times he rides through towns on a black bus called Ground Force One. Even more often, the president is driven around Washington in a big car called “The Beast.” In fact, if you visit the city, you might find yourself stopped in traffic so the president can pass by.

However he travels, the president never goes anywhere alone. He has special guards with him at all times, even at home in the White House. These guards are members of the United States Secret Service.

The Secret Service has been protecting American leaders and their families since nineteen-oh-one. But the agency was created almost forty years earlier as part of the Department of Treasury¹³. The Secret Service first served to investigate and prevent financial crimes in the United States, especially the use of counterfeit¹⁴ money. Illegally-made money was a big problem in the years following the Civil War.

But in nineteen-oh-one, President William McKinley was murdered. He was the third president to be assassinated¹⁵ while in office. So Congress expanded the duties of the Secret Service to include protection of the president.

Secret Service agents have many methods for protecting presidents. For example, they examine the president’s food to protect him from poison. They also make detailed¹⁶ security plans before all presidential appearances. They study and secure the places he expects to visit before he arrives. Agents even decide how he will get there to make sure it is safe. And the Secret Service works closely with security experts in other parts of the government, like the military, to ensure the president’s safety.

The Secret Service also protects the Vice⁵ President and his family. Secret Service protection is also required for all major presidential and vice presidential candidates, starting three months before the election.

Federal law also requires that former presidents and families receive protection, unless they refuse it.

The Secret Service also protects foreign leaders when they visit the United States. And the president can order the Secret Service to protect other people, too.

The Secret Service became part of the Department of Homeland Security soon after its formation in two thousand two. More than six thousand people work for the Secret Service. It has about one hundred fifty offices in the United States and around the world.

More than-one-thousand agents provide security at the White House, the Vice President’s official home and other buildings.

The Killers “Battle Born”

The Killers released their fourth album in September. “Battle Born” is the band’s first release in four years. The group’s members spent some of that time working on individual projects. But they also just needed a break. Katherine Cole has some on the songs from the new album.

Band members say this record was difficult. Several very successful, and persuasive¹⁷, producers were involved in the process. Lead singer Brandon Flowers said he was nervous about whether the new work would be liked. He said “bands that say they don’t care about how their records sell are liars¹⁸.

Last summer, when the record was being made, Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci spoke¹⁹ to Rolling Stone magazine. He said the record was “living up to its title.”

The Killers released “Runaways” as the album’s first single.

Most critics have noted²⁰ a return to an edgier²¹ rock and roll sound on “Battle Born.” Brandon Flowers credits the Killers drummer. He said Ronnie Vannucci told the band “we’re ditching disco and going back to rock.”

But the song “From Here On Out” has a clear country-western sound.

The Killers sold more than fifteen million copies of their first three albums. “Battle Born” entered Billboard²² Magazine’s Rock Albums chart at number one. The band is currently on a concert tour to support the new album.

We leave you the love song “Miss Atomic Bomb” from the Killers’ new album, “Battle Born.”

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 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

7 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

11 hiccup   

n.打嗝

参考例句：

• When you have to hiccup,drink a glass of cold water.当你不得不打嗝时，喝一杯冷水就好了。
• How long did he hiccup?他打嗝打了多久？

12 arenas   

表演场地( arena的名词复数 )； 竞技场； 活动或斗争的场所或场面； 圆形运动场

参考例句：

• Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
• Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗？

13 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。

14 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。

15 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

16 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

17 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

18 liars   

说谎者( liar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest liars talk most of themselves. 最爱自吹自擂的人是最大的说谎者。
• Honest boys despise lies and liars. 诚实的孩子鄙视谎言和说谎者。

19 spoke   

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。

20 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

21 edgier   

adj.不安的，易激怒的( edgy的比较级 )

参考例句：

• The Hill is an upstart competitor that's a little edgier. 国会山是一个有点边缘化的新晋竞争者。 来自互联网
• Despite the edgier aspects of his personality, Anakin possesses a guileless charm. 除去他性格中的边缘性，阿纳金拥有一种坦率的魅力。 来自互联网

22 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。