VOA常速英语2020--玻璃之城

City of Glass

I started working with glass in 1999 and decided¹ that this was for me.

我在1999年开始从事与玻璃相关的工作，并认为它是适合我的。 

So, right now we have a solid piece of glass on the end of a hollow pipe.

现在我们在一个空心管子的末端有一块实心玻璃。  

In order to start a bubble,Ill blow into the pipe,

为了产生气泡，我要对着管子吹气， 

trap the air inside of the pipe with my thumb and force it out through the molten glass.

用我的拇指夹住管子，把空气夹在中间，然后通过熔化的玻璃挤出来。  

I am attracted to the medium of glass because of its physical properties.

我被玻璃这种介质所吸引是因为它的物理特性。 

Blow a little harder.

再用力点。 

The way that it behaves using centrifugal force, using gravity,this kind of plasticity that it has,

它利用离心力、重力，这是它所具有的可塑性， 

as well as the fact that its a material that you cant² really physically³ touch with the hand until its actually cooled down.

还有，它是一种冷却之前你无法用手实际触摸的物质。  

Its something that really requires a lot of attention and a lot of respect.

这真的需要专注和尊重。 

Toledo is the glass city because of the industry in the area.

因为这一产业，托莱多成为玻璃之城。  

We have the Libbey Glass Company, Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, NSG Pilkington.

我们有利比玻璃公司、欧文斯-伊利诺伊、欧文斯科宁、NSG皮尔金顿。  

This is the kind of work that Libby Glass was making when they first moved to Toledo.

这就是利比玻璃公司开始搬到托莱多时所做的东西。  

They came here from New England in 1888 and at the time the company was kind of struggling.

1888年，他们从新英格兰来到这里，当时公司正处于困境。  

So, Libby actually packed up the physical factory and the workers and moved here and set up shop here in Toledo.

所以，利比把工厂和工人都全部搬到了这里，在托莱多开了家店。 

You can see with the elaborate surface treatment of the vessel⁴, just how much work actually went into it.

你可以看到容器表面的精心处理，实际上做了多少工作啊。  

And then to find out that all of these decorative⁵ elements were actually carved and polished by hand,

然后发现所有这些装饰元素实际上都是手工雕刻和抛光的， 

just really illustrates⁶ the amount of care and effort that went into these types of pieces.

这真的展示了在这类作品中所付出的心血和努力。 

The Toledo Museum of Art was the place that sparked an entire art movement.

托莱多艺术博物馆是引发整个艺术运动的地方。 

The museum itself is something that one studies as a student of glass.

博物馆本身就是一个学习玻璃的学生需要学习的事物。 

A man named Harvey Littleton came to the museum and initiated⁷ a series of workshops.

一个名叫哈维?利特尔顿的人来到博物馆，发起了一系列的研讨会。  

And he invited other ceramicists to come and just explore and experiment with the material.

他还邀请了其他陶艺家来探索和实验这种材料。 

This workshop turned into another workshop,

这个车间变成了另一个车间， 

and really acted as this catalyst⁸ and this watershed⁹ moment,

真正起到了催化剂和分水岭的作用， 

for glass being something that comes out of the factory and into the hands of the individual artists.

因为玻璃是从工厂里出来并落入艺术家手中的东西。 

A lot of the artists in this case that participated in the original workshops went on to teach themselves across the country.

在这个案例中，很多艺术家参加了最初的研讨会，然后在全国各地自学。 

Some of whom are still doing so.

其中一些人仍在这样做。 

Its really amazing to see how influential¹⁰ all of this was and how its still so relevant today.

看到这一切的影响力是如此之大，它在今天仍然如此重要，真是令人惊讶。  

Stop. I think that with any glass maker¹¹, you know,

停。我认为任何一个玻璃制造商都会认为， 

theres so much credit that needs to be given to the steps taken by those pioneers back in 62.

62年那些先驱者们所采取的措施值得高度赞扬。 

Flip¹². A lot of the technique, a lot of the ways in which ideas can coalesce¹³ with material,

翻转。很多技术、很多想法与材料结合的方式， 

has to be given credit to those workshops and to the history of this area.

应该归功于这些作坊和这个地区的历史。 

The fact that Im making work out of glass is a direct result of the history of Toledo and the Toledo Museum of Art.

我正在从事与玻璃相关的工作这件事，是托莱多历史和托莱多艺术博物馆的直接结果。 

1 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。

2 cant   

n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔

参考例句：

• The ship took on a dangerous cant to port.船只出现向左舷危险倾斜。
• He knows thieves'cant.他懂盗贼的黑话。

3 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

4 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

5 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

6 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

7 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

8 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

9 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。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

12 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

13 coalesce   

v.联合，结合，合并

参考例句：

• And these rings of gas would then eventually coalesce and form the planets.这些气体环最后终于凝结形成行星。
• They will probably collide again and again until they coalesce.他们可能会一次又一次地发生碰撞，直到他们合并。