VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - After Long Fight, DC Wins Right to a Statue in the Capitol Building

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - After Long Fight, DC Wins Right to a Statue in the Capitol Building

JUNE SIMMS: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I’m June Simms.

On our show this week, we play some songs from a new album by Dwight Yoakam.

And, we tell about a small but meaningful victory for the people of Washington D.C. who seek more representation in the United States Capitol building.

(MUSIC)

Frederick Douglass Statue for the Capitol Building

JUNE SIMMS: The people of Washington DC won a long fought battle earlier this month. No, not statehood or a vote in the United States Congress. But, a little more representation than before.

Lawmakers approved a measure permitting a statue of a former Washingtonian to be placed in the Capitol building. The statue of writer, scholar and anti-slavery leader Frederick Douglass will be set up near or in Statuary Hall.

Each state is permitted two statues in the Capitol. Each statue represents someone from that state. For example, Virginia provided statues of President George Washington and General Robert E. Lee. Hawaii chose native chief Kamehameha the First as one of its statues. Alabama has a statue of Helen Keller. And so on.

But for years the District of Columbia was denied a statue because it is not a state. And that has angered DC’s congressional representative, Eleanor Holmes Norton. She serves on House of Representatives committees, but her powers are limited. For example, she is not permitted to vote on legislation.

But Ms. Norton attempts to have her say on all issues that affect the citizens of Washington, including statuary representation in the Capitol building. She has been working to pass a measure in Congress for years.

Ms. Norton expressed great pleasure about the final passage by both houses last week. “D.C. residents pay more than their share of federal taxes, and are entitled to have two statues in the Capitol, like every state,” she said.

Frederick Douglass was not a native son of Washington, D.C. But he was born in the neighboring state of Maryland sometime around eighteen eighteen.

Douglass was born a slave. But he escaped to freedom as a teenager. Douglass had learned to read and write as a boy. He continued to educate himself his whole life.

As a leader of the movement to end slavery, Douglass spoke² to crowds in many American cities. He is still considered one of the most powerful speakers in American history. He also was a writer and served as an advisor³ to President Abraham Lincoln.

The District of Columbia asked artist Steven Weitzman to create the bronze statue of Frederick Douglass. It was completed in two thousand seven. The statue shows Douglass standing⁴ at a lectern, giving a speech. He is holding a pen and paper to represent his work as a writer.

Mr. Weitzman has also spent years pushing for the statue’s move to the Capitol. Now, he has to wait only a little longer for President Obama to sign the measure into law.

But Delegate Norton’s battle will continue. She says she will keep fighting to get a second statue representing D.C. in the Capitol.

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JUNE SIMMS: Country music lovers have been waiting five years for Dwight Yoakam to make a new album. That wait ended this week when Warner Brothers Records released “3 Pears.” The singer and songwriter told a reporter the album is, in his words, “a return to the seventeen year old version of me.” Christopher Cruise has more.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Dwight Yoakam covers a lot of musical territory. He had always honored country music traditions, but added the sharper edge of rock and roll. The songs he writes explore the human condition more deeply than most country pop. His audience is large and mixed as a result. He can count punk, country, pop and blues⁵ music lovers among his fans.

“3 Pears” is a perfect example of Dwight Yoakam’s inclusive style. He co-wrote one song with rapper Kid Rock. “Take Hold of My Hand” is about learning to trust love.

Yoakam spoke about that idea with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. He said he believes in “that universal sense that somewhere in existence is the agape version of love. We share something in common with the fabric⁶ of the whole universe that connects us,” he said.

In “Take Hold of My Hand,” Yoakam sings: Take hold of my hand / And I'll do what I can / To make everything right / At least for tonight.

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Dwight Yoakam also shares production credits on “3 Pears” with indie musician Beck. Yoakam told Billboard⁷ magazine that the two of them had crossed paths several times over the years. Yoakam decided⁸ to ask Beck to come listen to a few songs. Dwight Yoakam says none of the songs he played for the indie musician became the songs he produced. But he says Beck was helpful giving him direction for making “3 Pears.”

Beck produced “Missing Heart” on the album and this song, “A Heart Like Mine.” You can hear a Beatles influence in the guitar work and percussion⁹.

(MUSIC)

Dwight Yoakam wrote most of the songs on “Three Pears.” However, he does cover a few songs made famous by others. There is a version of the celebrated¹⁰ Johnny and June Carter Cash song, “Ring of Fire.” It is available only on the “3 Pears” CDs sold at Target stores. This is also true of Yoakam’s surprising cover of the Bee Gees¹¹ hit, “To Love Somebody.” But the artist also does a modern version of Joe Maphis’ old country hit, “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke.”

(MUSIC)

Dwight Yoakam has sold more than twenty-five million records since his first release in nineteen eighty six. “3 Pears” is his thirteenth studio album. Yoakam also has a successful career as an actor, film writer and producer in Hollywood.

We leave you with Dwight Yoakam performing “Trying” from his new album “3 Pears.”

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: I’m June Simms. This program was written and produced by Caty Weaver¹².

Go to www.voanews.cn to find transcripts¹³ and MP3s of our programs and to post comments on our relationship advice blog. If you want to ask our audience for advice, write to [email protected]. Type "relationship" in the subject line. We won't publish your name but please include your age, gender¹⁴ and country.

Join us again next week for music and more on AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA 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 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。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 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。

5 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。

6 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

7 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。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

10 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。

11 gees   

n.（美俚）一千元（gee的复数形式）v.驭马快走或向右（gee的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• When the lunch bell rang, she peeled the gees and ate them. 中午吃饭铃响时她就剥开鸡蛋吃起来。 来自互联网
• How do you want you gees? 你要怎么样的蛋呢？ 来自互联网

12 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。

13 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

14 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。