VOA标准英语2012--Circus Train is Home to Traveling Performers

Circus Train is Home to Traveling Performers

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s newest show is called Dragons. Ringmaster Jonathan Iverson, a former opera singer, joined the circus about 10 years ago. He was drawn¹ by the history and mystique of the company which calls itself “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

“The part of that mystique is the world’s largest privately² owned train. I love the train," Iverson says. "Three hundred fifty performers and cast and crew and animals are actually traveling on rails across America. That is the world’s greatest carpool.”

That car pool - with 60 cars - is more than a kilometer-and-a-half long and crisscrosses the country for 11 months a year. 

Iverson shares his train car with his wife, a dancer in the show, and their two children. Like the other families on the train, they cook and eat, take showers and do laundry - live their lives - in the privacy³ of their own car.

“It is so much fun. It gives us sort of like a mini-vacation every week," Iverson says. "We really see the country. America is really, really beautiful."

Alex Barney, a second generation clown, agrees. “Traveling by the train you are going through the middle of nowhere getting to the cities, you get to see what is left of the country. Definitely traveling by train is the key highlight for this job.”

In the middle of the 32 family coaches is the Pie Car, which has a custom-built kitchen and dining area. It is also a social center.

Chef Michael Vaughan and his six person staff are in charge of meals. 

Vaughan says it is like feeding a big family. "Everybody here works together, all the groups, clowns, the globe riders, everybody we work together as a family."

Vaughan sets up another kitchen at each performance venue⁴, and often, throws a party after the show. 

Train school

While their parents perform, children learn in a classroom set up behind the scenes. For teacher Manna Kettles, the unusual educational setup has advantages.

“My experience working here with Ringling, in the past, I have seen that they are better off than some of the kids in the regular schools because we get more time with them in a small group and we are able to work one-on one with them,” she says. 

Sofia Petrov, 7, who is from Hungary, likes the circus school. “It is fun. I get to meet a lot of new people from all over the world.”

Dragons, the company's 142nd show, brings together talent from 18 countries, including acrobat⁵ Paulo Dos Santos, who is from Brazil. He recently celebrated⁶ his two sons’ birthday before the show.

“This moment is so good because everybody is coming. I am so happy because I see, you see I have friends here and my children too," Dos Santos says. "We stay together, party together, show together, everything." 

At each stop, they all have a chance to go into town, explore the area or simply do errands⁷, either by bus or in their own cars, which are carried on the train as well.

For ringmaster Jonathan Iverson, the circus train is like a city without a zip code.

"This is home. The backyard changes," he says. "Today’s backyard has Hershey’s Park. Tomorrow’s backyard has the Grand Canyon⁸. That is the magic of it. But we are always home no matter where we are, we are always home." 

That, he says, gives this rolling community a sense of stability⁹.

1 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

2 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

3 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 acrobat   

n.特技演员，杂技演员

参考例句：

• The acrobat balanced a long pole on his left shoulder.杂技演员让一根长杆在他的左肩上保持平衡。
• The acrobat could bend himself into a hoop.这个杂技演员可以把身体蜷曲成圆形。

6 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。

7 errands   

n.errand的复数；差使( errand的名词复数 )；差事

参考例句：

• He often runs errands for his grandmother. 他经常给他的祖母跑腿儿。
• I have a few errands to do in the town. 我在城里有些差事要办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

9 stability   

n.稳定，稳固

参考例句：

• The situation is tending towards stability.局势趋于稳定。
• She lacks emotional stability.她的情绪不稳定。