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VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - The Art of Play: Video Games Exhibit Opens at Museum in Washington

时间:2012-03-31 08:49:01

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AMERICAN MOSAIC1 - The Art of Play: Video Games Exhibit Opens at Museum in Washington

 
JUNE SIMMS: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I’m June Simms. On the program today, we play new music from Justin Townes Earle…
And we return to a story about the sale of shares in a company that operates a famous New York skyscraper…
But first, we go play games at an art show in Washington…
(MUSIC)
“The Art of Video Games”
JUNE SIMMS: Most art exhibits have a no-touch policy. At the Smithsonian Institution, guards often give a warning if people position themselves too close to works of art. But, right now, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art is inviting2 visitors to play with parts of its new exhibit, “The Art of Video Games.” Mario Ritter has our story.
MARIO RITTER: Six-year-old gamer Jacob Smith enjoys playing at the museum.
JACOB SMITH: “Awesome…”
Jacob was prepared to take a favorite video game he found there.
JACOB SMITH: “I was really excited. I think that you could buy games here. Like I have some money.”
But none of the eighty games are for sale. They all are on loan from Chris Melissinos, who set up the show.
CHRIS MELISSINOS: “Video games have been present in my life since as long as I can remember.”
Chris Melissinos sees video games as more than just play things. He suspects other people feel the same way.
CHRIS MELISSINOS: “I think many of us who grew up with these always knew them to be something more than what they seemed to be on the surface. Whether or not we considered them to be art may have just been from a lack of maturity3.”
Video game creation4 usually starts with pencil-drawn images on paper. The show includes some of these for visitors to look at. The history of video game art is explored through pictures and video in one room of the exhibit. The beauty and complexity5 of modern video games are clear next to earlier games like Pac-Man, which was developed thirty years ago in Japan.
One of the most interesting parts of modern gaming is the increasing involvement of the player. Chris Melissinos says that these days, the gamer really is in the game.
CHRIS MELISSINOS: “We see interactive6 storytelling that lets you guide the story along to make sure your included in the narrative7.”
“Myst” was one of the earliest video games to present the story from the point of view of the gamer. “Myst” came out in the early nineteen-nineties. It is one of the five games that visitors can play with at the “Art of Video Games” show.
Thirty-two year old Brad Pittack says the exhibit was a trip back in time for him.
BRAD PITTACK: “It brings back memories from growing up to see some of the games.”
Brad Pittack also enjoyed playing a new game called “Flower.” It creates the feeling one is floating through the air, like a flower petal8 on the wind. He says the experience was calming, unlike most video games.
“The Art of Video Games” will continue as the most playful exhibit in Washington through the spring and summer. The show at the National Museum of American Art closes on September thirtieth.
(MUSIC)
Empire State Building Update
JUNE SIMMS: We have new information about a report we presented last December. At that time, we talked about the Empire State Building in New York City. We reported on plans by its owner to sell shares in a publicly-traded company that would operate the world-famous structure. Here is Christopher Cruise9 with an update on our story.
CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The Empire State Building has one hundred two floors. It was the tallest building in the world for more than forty years – from nineteen thirty-one to nineteen seventy-two. While it is no longer the tallest, people from around the world visit its eighty-sixth floor observatory10 to see New York from high above. The observatory is one of the city’s most-popular tourist attractions.
Recently, the company that owns the building said it is moving forward with plans to sell one billion dollars in shares in what is called an IPO, or initial11 public offering. Two classes of stock are to be offered. Class “A” shares will be sold to the public. Each Class “A” share is worth one vote. Class “B” shares will be sold to the Malkin family, which controls the company. Each Class “B” stock will hold fifty votes a share.
The Malkin family has spent almost five hundred million dollars fixing and modernizing12 the Empire State Building. The family said it plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on the building and some of the other structures it owns. The money would come from the stock offering.
At least two groups of investors13 have taken legal action in an effort to block the offering. The Reuters news agency reported earlier this month that one group says the IPO awards too much of the value of the underlying14 properties to the Malkins. It says the family would control too much of the new company.
Unless a judge agrees to stop the IPO, shares should go on sale later this month. If that happens, many people will be able to say they are part-owners of the Empire State Building.
(MUSIC)
Justin Townes Earle
JUNE SIMMS: “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now,” is the latest album from Justin Townes Earle. He recorded his fourth album in only four days. Yet somehow he has created a timeless sound in this exploration of love, loss, rescue and recovery.
Justin Townes Earle is the son of Grammy Award winning musician Steve Earle. And like his father, he has had a history of drug problems. The younger Earle’s drug abuse began when he was still a boy. He has been in several recovery programs as an adult. His struggle is expressed in some of the songs on the new album, including “Look the Other Way.”
(MUSIC)
Justin Townes Earle also sings about love. “Baby’s Got A Bad Idea” is about a man who suspects his woman might be keeping a secret from him. But the song is not sad. It has a rock and roll, energetic dance sound.
(MUSIC)
On “Maria” Justin Townes Earle sounds sad and surprised at the loss of love. He sings: It used to be I was the object of affection/ In your eyes alone/But now it seems your heart has found a new direction/And you’re leaving me out in the cold.
(MUSIC)
Justin Townes Earle grew up in Nashville, Tennessee – a city often called the home of Country Music. The thirty year old now lives in New York City. We leave you with a song about the neighborhood he lives in. Here is Justin Townes Earle performing “Lower East Side” from his new album, “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now.”
(MUSIC)
JUNE SIMMS: I’m June Simms. This program was written by Christopher Cruise and Caty Weaver15 who was also the producer.
For transcripts16, mp3s, and now pdfs of this show and others, go to our website www.voanews.cn. We invite you to explore our relationship blog there. Feel free to share any advice you might have for other listeners. Or if you have a question about a relationship issue, write to [email protected]. Put “relationship” in the subject line and please tell us your age, sex and where you live.
Join us again next week for music and more on American Mosaic in VOA Special English.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mosaic CEExS     
n./adj.镶嵌细工的,镶嵌工艺品的,嵌花式的
参考例句:
  • The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
  • The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。
2 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。
3 maturity 47nzh     
n.成熟;完成;(支票、债券等)到期
参考例句:
  • These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
  • This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。
4 creation CzExH     
n.创造,创造的作品,产物,宇宙,天地万物
参考例句:
  • Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
  • The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。
5 complexity KO9z3     
n.复杂(性),复杂的事物
参考例句:
  • Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
  • The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。
6 interactive KqZzFY     
adj.相互作用的,互相影响的,(电脑)交互的
参考例句:
  • The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
  • This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。
7 narrative CFmxS     
n.叙述,故事;adj.叙事的,故事体的
参考例句:
  • He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
  • Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。
8 petal IMIxX     
n.花瓣
参考例句:
  • Each white petal had a stripe of red.每一片白色的花瓣上都有一条红色的条纹。
  • A petal fluttered to the ground.一片花瓣飘落到地上。
9 cruise 2nhzw     
v.巡航,航游,缓慢巡行;n.海上航游
参考例句:
  • They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
  • She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。
10 observatory hRgzP     
n.天文台,气象台,瞭望台,观测台
参考例句:
  • Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
  • Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。
11 initial r7sxZ     
adj.最初的,开始的,词首的;n.首字母,姓名的开头字母;vt.标注姓名的首字母于
参考例句:
  • After she'd overcome her initial shyness,she became very friendly.她克服了起初的羞怯之后,变得十分友善。
  • The experiments have given initial results eventually.那些试验总算初见成效了。
12 modernizing 44bdb80e6ee4cb51b9829f1073fceee0     
使现代化,使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 ); 现代化,使用现代方法
参考例句:
  • Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化,从而达到增加利润,增强竞争力的目的,是一件复杂的事情。
  • The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。
13 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
14 underlying 5fyz8c     
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的
参考例句:
  • The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
  • This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
15 weaver LgWwd     
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。
16 transcripts 525c0b10bb61e5ddfdd47d7faa92db26     
n.抄本( transcript的名词复数 );转写本;文字本;副本
参考例句:
  • Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样,都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
  • You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书,你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

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