空气与空间博物馆落成二十五周年纪念日

74 空气与空间博物馆落成二十五周年纪念日

DATE=7-23-01
TITLE=THIS IS AMERICA #1074 - Air and Space Museum Birthday
BYLINE=Jill Moss¹

VOICE ONE:  
This year, the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D-C (1)celebrates its twenty-fifth birthday. Almost two-hundred-twenty-million people have visited the museum since it opened.  The Air and Space Museum is the most popular museum in the world.   I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long.   The National Air and Space Museum is our report today on the V-O-A Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
"The Future Takes Off From Here."  This is what National Air and Space Museum officials are calling their year-long (2)anniversary celebration.  The museum first opened its doors on July first, Nineteen-Seventy-Six.  This was three days before the United States celebrated² its two-hundredth birthday.   At that time, President Gerald Ford³ called the museum a "perfect birthday gift from the American people to themselves."  And what a gift it has been for the millions of people who have visited the museum. About nine-million people visit the Air and Space Museum each year. 
VOICE TWO:
Retired⁴ United States (3)Marine (4)Corps general and (5)pilot John Dailey is the director of the Air and Space Museum.  He says the museum has succeeded beyond everyone's hopes.  Now General Dailey says the museum is taking new steps to educate people and support discovery.  During the next year, the museum plans to hold several special events.  They (6)include free talks by space experts, a (7)series of films, and the release⁵ of several new books. General Dailey said the (8)launch of the year-long celebration on July first was a chance for the museum to thank its friends and supporters.  There was free food at the celebration, balloons for children, and music by the United States Air Force Band.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE ONE:
The National Air and Space Museum is part of the (9)Smithsonian Institution.  The Smithsonian includes sixteen museums, the National Zoo and several research centers.  Nine of the Smithsonian's museums, including Air and Space, are on the National Mall in Washington. They are between the United States (10)Capitol building and the Washington Monument honoring⁶ America's first president.
The Air and Space Museum's (11)collection of (12)historic⁷ objects dates back to the Eighteen-Seventies when China gave the United States twenty hand-held kites.   A kite is an object that flies at the end of a rope.  It is made with a small support or (13)frame, and covered with paper or cloth.  During the celebration at the museum, hundreds of children learned⁸ how to make their own kites. 
VOICE TWO:
One of the most famous objects at the Air and Space Museum is the first airplane.  In Nineteen-Oh-Three, Wilbur and Orville Wright built a wood and cloth plane called the Wright Flyer.  The plane made its first flight from Kitty Hawk⁹, (14)North Carolina. Orville Wright was piloting the Wright Flyer.  It flew thirty-six meters.  This historic first flight lasted just twelve seconds.  Yet it launched¹⁰ the discovery and development of flying machines.  
VOICE ONE:
Visitors can see another famous American airplane at the Air and Space Museum. It is the (15)Spirit of (16)Saint¹¹ Louis.   In Nineteen-Twenty-Seven, Charles Lindbergh became the first pilot in history to fly cross the Atlantic Ocean alone.  The trip lasted thirty-three hours.  Lindbergh flew from Long Island, New York to Paris, France.  He flew more than five-thousand-eight-hundred kilometers without stopping.  His successful trip in the Spirit of Saint Louis made Charles Lindbergh a world hero.
VOICE TWO:
The National Air and Space Museum also has the world's fastest airplane.  The North American X-Fifteen has a (17)rocket for an engine.  In Nineteen-Fifty-Nine, it became the first plane with wings to travel more than four times faster than the speed of sound. Its top speed was more than seven-thousand kilometers an hour. 
The heaviest airplane in the world is also at the National Air and Space Museum.  The Douglas D-C-Three was built in Nineteen-Thirty-Five.  It was the first successful passenger plane to transport people all over the world. This plane weighs more than seven-thousand-five-hundred kilograms.  Yet it hangs from the top of the museum as if it were a toy.  
The Air and Space Museum was (18)designed to be able to hang airplanes and (19)spacecraft.  The museum has steel supports on its roof, which are hidden from the public.  To bring airplanes in and out of the building, the glass wall at the museum's west end opens like a huge sliding glass door. 
VOICE ONE:
Children of all ages especially love the National Air and Space Museum.  For three-year-old Everest from (20)Maryland, the airplanes are the best part of the Air and Space Museum. 
(CUT ONE: FIRST LITTLE BOY)
But Ian from New Jersey¹² thought the museum's spaceships and rockets were more exciting. 
(CUT TWO: SECOND LITTLE BOY)
VOICE TWO:
One of the most famous spacecraft in the museum is (21)Columbia.  It carried Apollo Eleven astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz¹³ Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon in Nineteen-Sixty-Nine.  Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to step foot on the moon.  Their historic success led to more Apollo trips to the moon during the late Nineteen-Sixties and early Nineteen-Seventies.  
The last Apollo trip to the moon was in Nineteen-Seventy-Two.  Astronauts brought back a piece of the moon.  Visitors to the Air and Space Museum can touch this moon rock.  It is almost four-thousand-million years old. 
The museum also has many games and (22)educational areas for children to learn more about space.  This song, for example, teaches children about space and the planets¹⁴ in our (23)solar system. 
(CUT THREE: SONG)
VOICE ONE:
Visitors usually enjoy all the objects at the National Air and Space Museum. But there was one airplane that caused much (24)criticism¹⁵. From Nineteen-Ninety-Five to Nineteen-Ninety-Eight, the museum (25)displayed the Enola Gay¹⁶.  This American B-Twenty-Nine airplane dropped a (26)nuclear bomb on (27)Hiroshima, Japan during World War Two. 
When the museum first (28)announced its plans for the (29)exhibit¹⁷, former American soldiers and some members of (30)Congress (31)denounced it.  They said the (32)proposed exhibit would have showed the Americans as (33)aggressors and the Japanese as (34)victims. They said it would have (35)provided too much information about nuclear war and not enough about the (36)bravery of American soldiers.  
 After much public criticism, the Air and Space Museum changed its plans.  But other critics (37)criticized the resulting exhibit as a limited view of history.  The entire (38)incident forced then-director Martin Harwit to (39)resign as head of the museum.
(MUSIC BRIDGE)
VOICE TWO:
The Air and Space Museum is huge. Yet it only holds about ten percent of the museum's historic collection of objects.  Another ten percent is on (40)loan to other museums around the world.  The remaining eighty percent of the collection is in a building in Maryland.  The objects will be moved to a new (41)structure (42)currently being built near Washington Dulles International Airport in (43)Virginia.  It will cost an (44)estimated two-hundred-forty-million dollars to build. 
This new Air and Space Museum is expected to open in Two-Thousand-Three.  It will show more than two-hundred airplanes, one-hundred-thirty-five spacecraft, and many other historical objects.  Most of these objects have never been shown to the public.  About twelve-million people are expected to visit the new museum each year.  These visitors to the new Space Museum will be able to see many more interesting objects that show the exciting history of flight. 
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:  
This program was written by Jill Moss.  It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁸. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes.  I'm Shirley Griffith.  
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Sarah Long.  Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the V-O-A Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

(1)celebrate [ 5selibreit ]v.庆祝
(2)anniversary [ 7Ani5vE:sEri ]n.周年纪念
(3)marine [ mE5ri:n ]n.舰队
(4)corps [ kC: ]n.军团
(5)pilot [ 5pailEt ]n.飞行员
(6)include [ in5 klu:d ]vt.包括
(7)series [ 5siEri:z ]n.系列
(8)launch [ lC:ntF, lB:ntF ]n.发射
(9)Smithsonian Institution史密森学会
(10)capitol [ 5kApitEl ]n.国会大厦
(11)collection [ kE5lekFEn ]n.搜集
(12)historic [ his5tCrik ]adj.历史上著名的, 有历史性的
(13)frame [ freim ]n.结构
(14)North Carolina [ 5nC:W7kArE5lainE ]n.美国北卡罗来纳州
(15)Spirit [ 5spirit ]n.精神
(16)Saint Louis n.圣路易(位于北美)
(17)rocket [ 5rCkit ]n.火箭
(18)design [ di5zain ]v.设计
(19)spacecraft [ 5speiskrB:ft ]n.航天飞机
(20)Maryland [ 5mZErilAnd ]n.马里兰
(21)Columbia [ kE5lQmbiE ]n.哥伦比亚
(22)educational [ 7edju(:)5keiFEnl ]adj.教育性的
(23)solar [ 5sEulE ]adj.太阳的
(24)criticism [ 5kritisiz(E)m ]n.批评
(25)display [dI5spleI]vt.展览
(26)nuclear [ 5nju:kliE ]adj.[核]核子的, 原子能的, 核的
(27)Hiroshima [ 7hirE5Fi:mE ]广岛[日本本州岛西南岸港市]
(28)announce [ E5nauns ]vt.宣布
(29)exhibit [ i^5zibit ] n.展品
(30)congress [ 5kCN^res ]n.(代表)大会, [C～] (美国等国的)国会, 议会
(31)denounce [ di5nauns ]vt.公开指责
(32)proposed被提议的
(33)aggressor [E5^resE(r)]n.侵略者, 攻击者
(34)victim [ 5viktim ]n.牺牲者
(35)provide [ prE5vaid ]v.提供
(36)bravery [ 5breivEri ]n.勇敢
(37)criticize [ 5kritisaiz ]v.批评
(38)incident [ 5insidEnt ]n.事件
(39)resign [ ri5zain ] v.辞职
(40)loan [ lEun ]n.贷款
(41)structure [ 5strQktFE ]n.建筑物
(42)currently [5kQrEntlI]adv.现在, 当前
(43)Virginia [ vE(:)5dVinjE ]n.维吉尼亚
(44)estimate [ 5estimeit ]v.估计, 估价

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 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。

3 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

6 honoring   

v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They sat in silence, honoring the clan Jordache for a moment. 他们默默地坐了一会儿，对乔达虚家族表示了一番敬意。 来自辞典例句
• Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check. 美国没有履行这项神圣的义务，只是给黑人开了一张空头支票。 来自辞典例句

7 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

8 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

11 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

12 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

13 buzz   

v.充满了激动或活动的声音，发出低沉的声音

参考例句：

• My brain was in buzz.我的脑袋嗡嗡响。
• A buzz went through the crowded courtroom.拥挤的法庭里响起了一片乱哄哄的说话声。

14 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星

15 criticism   

n.批评，批判，指责；评论，评论文章

参考例句：

• Some youth today do not allow any criticism at all.现在有些年轻人根本指责不得。
• It is wrong to turn a deaf ear to other's criticism.对别人的批评充耳不闻是错误的。

16 gay   

adj.同性恋的；色彩鲜艳的；n.(男)同性恋者

参考例句：

• I don't know he was a gay person.我不知道他是同性恋者。
• Spring comes round to the earth again and everything looks fresh and gay.春回大地，万象更新。

17 exhibit   

vt.展览，展出，陈列；n.展览品；陈列品

参考例句：

• Next week those goods will exhibit in that shop. 下个星期，这些货物将在那家商店展出。
• The economy continued to exhibit signs of decline in September.9月份，经济继续呈现出衰退的迹象。

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。