VOA标准英语2008年-New York Museum Celebrates Legacy of Woodstock

By Kate Miller¹
New York
06 June 2008

Relive the decade of the sixties, a time of change and transformation², at the new Museum at Bethel Woods in New York State. The museum explores the experience of the 1969 Woodstock festival, one of the iconic events of the 1960s. From VOA's New York Bureau, Kate Miller reports on a museum that uses modern day technology to celebrate the music and culture of the radical³ decade.
　

The Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods, New York, 15 May 2008

The museum is part of the larger Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, an outdoor performing arts center. The complex is set among the rolling hills of upstate New York at the historic site of the original 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

The now famous Woodstock festival, overcoming a rocky start, turned into three days of celebration and music in a decade known for its turbulence⁵. The museum includes numerous artifacts, photographic murals, a psychedelic colored hippie bus, and films taken at the festival.

Wade⁶ Lawrence, Director of The Museum at Bethel Woods, reflects on the ten years of strife⁷ and controversy⁸.

"The 1960s were a pivotal time in American culture, world culture, both politically and culturally," he noted⁹. "And the Woodstock Festival could not have happened if not for the events leading up to it, the Kennedy election to the Kennedy assassination¹⁰, to the tumultuous events of 1968. To the escalation¹¹ of the war in Vietnam, civil rights movement, the birth of the women's movement, all of these things had their genesis in the 60s, and Woodstock brought together an entire generation of young people who were questioning authority, questioning the path their parents had chosen."

American culture changed dramatically during the 60s, and that change inspired a group of music lovers to create the largest music festival of all time. Their idea became the exclamation¹² point of that decade. Patrick Gallagher, the museum designer, sees it as such a moment.

"It's a watershed¹³ event in American cultural history," he explained. "It's one of those things that when you talk to people, historians, musicians, people that have really studied culture, pop culture; it's a point of reference. It is like the closing of one of the greatest, most tumultuous, most amazing decades, and that was the 60s."

After months of planning, the Woodstock Festival leaders had to deal with a last minute relocation crisis, no money, an overflowing¹⁴ crowd of 500,000 people and the shut down of the highway. Then, a torrential rainstorm hit the concert.

Souful singer Richie Havens¹⁵ was the first to perform. It was almost impossible to get through the huge crowds, so he was helicoptered in, and had to play so long he ran out of material. Desperate for something to sing, fueled by inspiration and the upheaval¹⁶ of the times, he gave voice to a song called "Freedom".

At a ceremony previewing the museum, Havens remembered Woodstock.

"Even those who got soaking wet for three days and stayed, what could you say, you know? It's like, they're not going anywhere now, that's it, ya know, I'm here for the duration, and til it's over, this is where I'll be," he recalled.

Many of the area residents pitched in to help supply the mud-covered, drug-using, joyful¹⁷ concertgoers with food and water.

The Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian was there, savoring¹⁸ the music as a member of the audience, but in the freewheeling spirit of the event he ended up on stage performing.

"My favorite performance was Creedence Clearwater," he said. "I guess John Fogerty didn't think their performance was up to par⁴, but as an audience member I was just totally twisted, I thought wow, what a great three piece band."

Another Woodstock hippy original was Duke Devlin, who came from Texas to participate, and never left.

"The other side of the road over there, where the barn was, we had the artist pavilion," he noted. "Where that field is over there, that green over there, was the heliport right over there."

Devlin has a true flower child's look at the present, and the past.

"You know I always say the reason we're all here is because we're not all there," he added.

So take a step back in time, and experience an event and a decade that remains¹⁹ a defining moment in history.

1 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

2 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

5 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。

6 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

7 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

8 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

9 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。

10 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

11 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

12 exclamation   

n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词

参考例句：

• He could not restrain an exclamation of approval.他禁不住喝一声采。
• The author used three exclamation marks at the end of the last sentence to wake up the readers.作者在文章的最后一句连用了三个惊叹号，以引起读者的注意。

13 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

14 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

15 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

16 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

17 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

18 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

19 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。