AMERICAN MOSAIC - 'Lost' Is Found on Millions of Televisions

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - 'Lost' Is Found on Millions of Televisions Worldwide
By Lawan Davis and Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Friday, September 30, 2005

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

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I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We hear some music by two sisters known as Mary Mary …

Answer a question about the International Spy Museum …

And report about an award-winning and popular television show.

'Lost'

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Last week, the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented its Emmy Awards for the best television programs of last season. The program "Lost" won the award for best dramatic series. "Lost" is one of the most popular television shows in the world. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN: "Lost" follows more than forty survivors³ of an airplane crash on what appears to be an island in the Pacific Ocean. The strangers must work together to stay alive and find help to rescue them. Every week, the program shows more information about each survivor² before the crash. And every week, they form new relationships.

The survivors include an American doctor named Jack⁴ and a criminal named Kate. Others include a Korean husband and wife, a former Iraqi soldier and a British rock musician.

Critics say "Lost" is popular because of the mysteries the survivors find on the island. For example, last season, a huge unknown animal killed the pilot of the plane and continued to terrorize the survivors. A strange French woman who lives alone on the island stole the newborn baby of one of the survivors. The survivors discover another group of people on the island who they call "The Others." And one of the survivors who could not move his legs before the plane crash is able to walk normally on the island.

That man's name on the show is John Locke. He and the doctor at times appear to be competing for leadership. In the first show of the new season last week, John decides to take action and explore a strange covered hole in the ground. The doctor questions his decision:

JACK: "John, what are you doing?"

JOHN: "I'm getting some cable."

JACK: "What for?"

JOHN: "It's for the hatch⁵. I'm going in."

JACK: "Do you think that's the smartest thing to do right now, John?"

JOHN: "I doubt it. In fact, you're right. The safest thing is to stay here, wait for morning. Wait for these others to see if they ever show up. Wait for the brave folks on the raft to bring help. But me? I'm tired of waiting."

In May, fans of "Lost" criticized the show for withholding⁶ the secret of that hole until the beginning of the second season. People watching the show in the United States now know what is down there and if it will help or hurt the survivors. But we are not going to tell because some of you may not have seen that story yet. To find out, you will just have to watch "Lost."

International Spy Museum

HOST: Our VOA listener question this week comes from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Mister Kamruzzamamn asks about the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

The International Spy Museum opened in two thousand two. It presents information about the men and women who worked as spies for countries around the world. The museum has the largest permanent collection of international spy material on public display. This includes photographs of many spies and hundreds of pieces of equipment that they used. For example, visitors can see different kinds of radios that spies used to send and receive information during World War Two. They can see special cameras used to take secret photographs. One of these cameras looks like a package of cigarettes.

The museum also has a collection of weapons used by spies. One gun looks like a man's leather glove that fits over the hand. The museum also shows the many kinds of technology used by spies, from planes to satellites.

The museum teaches about the history of spying, too. One example is called "The Sisterhood of Spies." It tells about some female spies from the American Civil War in the eighteen sixties through the beginning of the twentieth century.

The museum explains that a spy may be considered guilty of treason in one country and a hero in another country. The museum also shows that spying is a very dangerous job. It tells what happened to some spies who were caught. One of these was a woman known as Mata Hari. She was found guilty of spying for the German government and executed during World War Two.

A new exhibit is opening at the spy museum next week, and will continue until the spring of next year. "Spy Treasures of Hollywood" will include thirty-five of the most famous objects from movies and television shows about spies. These include the gun used by the movie character James Bond in the series of spy movies.

Hollywood filmmaker Danny Biederman lent the museum objects from his private collection. Mister Biederman owns the world's largest collection of movie and TV spy material – four thousand objects. Museum Director Peter Earnest says the objects are a perfect addition to the real spy devices at the International Spy Museum.

Mary Mary

 
 
The gospel singing group Mary Mary is made up of two women. They are sisters, but neither is named Mary. Pat Bodner explains.

PAT BODNER: The group Mary Mary is Erica and Tina Campbell. They come from a family of religious singers. Erica and Tina chose the name Mary Mary for their group in honor of two women in the Christian⁷ Bible. They are Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene.

In two thousand, Mary Mary released its first album, "Thankful." It won a Grammy Award. The song "Shackles⁸" was a hit on gospel, soul and pop radio stations.

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Mary Mary is known for combining hip-hop and soul with gospel music. Music critics say the group's success extends beyond gospel listeners. They say songs such as "Biggest, Greatest Thing" show the sisters' ability to sing different kinds of music. "Biggest, Greatest Thing" sounds like a swing song from the nineteen thirties.

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The sisters have written songs for their own albums and for other singers. The group released its third album recently, called "Mary Mary." Some of the songs on the album are about experiences from the women's own lives. In the song "I'm a Believer", Erica Campbell sings about how her family's home caught fire but no one was hurt. Tina Campbell sings about her involvement in a serious car accident.

We leave you with that song by "Mary Mary," "I'm a Believer."

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HOST: I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program.

Our show was written by Lawan Davis and Nancy Steinbach.

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 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 hatch   

n.孵化，舱口；vt.孵，孵出，策划；vi. 孵化

参考例句：

• No one knows how the new plan will hatch out.谁也不知道这新方案将怎样制订出来。
• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。

6 withholding   

扣缴税款

参考例句：

• She was accused of withholding information from the police. 她被指控对警方知情不报。
• The judge suspected the witness was withholding information. 法官怀疑见证人在隐瞒情况。

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 shackles   

手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊

参考例句：

• a country struggling to free itself from the shackles of colonialism 为摆脱殖民主义的枷锁而斗争的国家
• The cars of the train are coupled together by shackles. 火车的车厢是用钩链连接起来的。