VOA标准英语2013--洛杉矶壁画为城市增添色彩,个性

 

Los Angeles Murals Add Color, Character to City 洛杉矶壁画为城市增添色彩,个性

LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles is famous for its murals, located on the sides of buildings and highway overpasses¹. Artists say the murals add character and color to the urban landscape.

洛杉矶——洛杉矶位于建筑和公路立交桥两侧的壁画闻名于世。艺术家说,壁画为城市添加色彩。

Many drivers pass a giant mural of the Los Angeles Chamber² Orchestra on their daily commute³.

Easily seen from the freeway near the city center, the towering work features the orchestra's violinist, oboe and viola players.

Created in 1991 by muralist Kent Twitchell, the work reminds L.A. residents of the city's culture beyond its crowded freeways.

Another mural on a two-story house a short distance from downtown was done in 1971, an early work by artist Twitchell.

“I decided⁴ to paint my favorite actor, Steve McQueen. I didn't fancy myself to be some heavy-duty modernist artist. I was one of the folk artists. I just painted what felt good to me," said Twitchell.

Photographs of that mural made Twitchell famous.

His other works range from a tribute to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, to panels depicting⁵ America's founding fathers. Some important murals, however, have been painted over or defaced by graffiti.

“I was so naive⁶. I thought I was living in Florence and that people would just appreciate and love it. But that didn't turn out to be the case in many instances, and a lot of the great L.A. murals are gone now," he said.

Some historic art in Los Angeles has been restored. Leslie Rainer of the Getty Conservation Institute says the 1932 mural by visiting Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros was painstakingly⁷ conserved⁸.

“He painted this very controversial image of a crucified central figure with an eagle looming⁹ above him, and some revolutionaries aiming their rifles at the eagle," said Rainer.

She says the mural's message is not entirely¹⁰ clear. The eagle could represent the United States, or Mexico, which both embrace the bird as a national symbol. But the image offended local city leaders and it was painted over. Yet the Siqueiros mural served as an inspiration to muralists who have taken up their brushes since the 1960s.

Artist Lydia Emily conveys a social message with her wall art. She tells the story of a victim of sexual trafficking named Jessica in one of her murals. It shows a young woman's face and a bird that represents freedom.

“I did an interview with Jessica where I learned her entire story, how she was kidnapped, how she was sexually trafficked for her whole life, how she was rescued, how she became who she is today. And then I tried to paint the narrative," said Emily.

Lydia Emily painted another work of art in the homeless neighborhood called Skid¹¹ Row. It shows an African woman of the Masai tribe and native birds of Kenya, and she says it represents the plight¹² of the world's indigenous¹³ people.

Los Angeles officials, once hostile to street art, have embraced it - if it's done with the permission of the property owners. Officials recently loosened regulations on street murals in an effort to get more art and color in the city. 

1 overpasses   

n.立交桥，天桥，高架道路( overpass的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Is that why they're constructing so many underpasses, overpasses and highways? 那就是他们建这么多天桥、地下通道和公路的原因吗？ 来自辞典例句
• I also find more overpasses and elevated highways have been built. 我也发现建造了更多人行天桥和高架道路。 来自互联网

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

4 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。

5 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

6 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

7 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。

8 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句

9 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 skid   

v.打滑 n.滑向一侧；滑道 ，滑轨

参考例句：

• He braked suddenly,causing the front wheels to skid.他突然剎车，使得前轮打了滑。
• The police examined the skid marks to see how fast the car had been travelling.警察检查了车轮滑行痕迹，以判断汽车当时开得有多快。

12 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

13 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。