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VOA慢速英语 2007 0126b

时间:2007-07-05 06:35:19

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(单词翻译)

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC1 in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question about American lawmakers ...

Play some music from the North Mississippi Allstars ...

.And report about a world famous expert on dogs.

The Dog Whisperer

HOST:

Americans own about seventy-three million dogs. Many people have problems training their animals. Some are turning to dog expert Cesar Millan. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:


Cesar Millan

Cesar Millan's television show is called Dog Whisperer. It is broadcast in several countries, including the United States, Japan and Thailand. Millan has also written a book about his life and ideas about dog training. It is called Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems.

The TV show and book try to improve the relationships between people and their dogs. Millan also works with difficult dogs at his Dog Psychology2 Center in Los Angeles, California.

Cesar Millan says dogs are happy and calm when they know and trust their leader. He says dog owners must be the leader or the dog will become confused and act in anti-social ways. The animal might become uncontrollable. It may bark all the time or even bite someone.

Cesar Millan says the best way to train a dog is to prevent this behavior in the first place. He says the owner must be a good leader and provide a lot of exercise to keep the dog happy.

Pet owners call on him when they have a problem. These situations appear on his television show, Dog Whisperer. Recently, he visited a home where the dog barked loudly when people used some cooking equipment. The dog was afraid of the noise, and its loud barking was interfering3 with the lives of its owners.

Cesar Millan placed the dog in a small space. Then he operated the equipment very close to the animal until the dog stopped barking. The owners said the dog stopped being afraid of the noise after that.

However, not all dog experts agree with all of Millan's methods. They say it is true that dogs need good leadership and a lot of exercise. But they say it can be cruel and dangerous to force a dog to face its fears as in the example we described. They say the animal might attack. Some dog experts are concerned about people trying the methods they see on television without getting good advice about their own dog.

Cesar Millan has said that his methods are not the only ways to train dogs successfully. He also has said that people should seek professional help when trying to change their pet's behavior. And his television show repeatedly tells people not to try the methods without professional help.

Terms in Congress

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Sabuj asks about the difference between the words senator4 and congressman5.


The Capitol building

The United States Congress has two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. House lawmakers are called representatives. Those in the Senate are called senators6. All of them can be called legislators. They can also be called members of Congress. But not all can be called congressmen. Why? Because some of them are women.

Currently7, seventy-one of the four hundred thirty-five members of the House of Representatives are women. In the Senate, sixteen of the one hundred senators are women.

You might hear the media use the title of congressman or congresswoman for members of the House of Representatives. Rarely is a senator addressed this way, although it would not be wrong.

When Congress meets, there are special rules about how members behave. One of the rules deals with what to call a member. In the House of Representatives, members speak of another member as the gentleman or gentlewoman from the state they represent. They are not permitted to call members by name. Members also may speak of another member as my colleague, or my distinguished8 colleague. This is also true in the Senate.

Members of the House of Representatives must not speak until the speaker of the House calls on them to do so. In the Senate, the presiding9 officer gives permission for members to speak. Members of both houses of Congress are also barred from using offensive10 language in meetings.

All these rules deal with what is called congressional decorum. And, like all rules, sometimes they are violated11. Punishment differs based on the violation12. However, sometimes the worst punishment is unofficial. For example, offensive language on the floor of the House or Senate can seriously harm an elected official's public image.

The North Mississippi Allstars

HOST:

The North Mississippi Allstars play music that combines the sounds of southern blues13 with rock and roll. Their songs are an energetic mixture of old and new styles. Critics have praised the six albums this group has made over the years. They say the North Mississippi Allstars represent a new kind of musicians. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN:


North Mississippi Allstars

The North Mississippi Allstars are three musicians. Chris Chew and the brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson are all from the southern state of Mississippi. This is an area with a rich and old tradition of music. But these men do not just recreate music of the past. They have reinvented the sound of the blues into something fresh and different. Listen to Deep Blue Sea from their latest album, Electric Blue Watermelon.

(MUSIC)

The Dickinson brothers grew up in a world filled with musical influences. Their father is a well-known record producer named Jim Dickinson. In fact, he helped the North Mississippi Allstars make this latest record. He says there is a special musical spirit in the Mississippi hill country.

Here is a song the band sings with the country singer Lucinda Williams. It is called Hurry Up Sunrise.

(MUSIC)

The North Mississippi Allstars are performing around the United States. People around the country can hear their lively songs and experience a new version of the blues. We leave you now with the title song from an earlier album, Fifty-One Phantom14.

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.

It was written by Dana Demange, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver15, who was also our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, www.unsv.com. And join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in 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 psychology U0Wze     
n.心理,心理学,心理状态
参考例句:
  • She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
  • He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
3 interfering interfering     
adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词
参考例句:
  • He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事!
  • I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预,让我自己拿主意。
4 senator UzJwm     
n.参议员,评议员
参考例句:
  • The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
  • The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。
5 Congressman TvMzt7     
n.(美)国会议员
参考例句:
  • He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
  • The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
6 senators 1181a181f18e7836f23146bc18668881     
n.参议员( senator的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • When the senators vote, the ayes will have it. 参议员投票时,投赞成票的人将占多数。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The committee concluded that the senators had engaged in improper conduct. 委员会断定议员们从事了不正当活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 currently SvMzI2     
adv.通常地,普遍地,当前
参考例句:
  • Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
  • Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。
8 distinguished wu9z3v     
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
参考例句:
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
9 presiding ab401adf38369ecac65b48cda24c40b2     
主持会议的,指挥的
参考例句:
  • Mercury was the presiding divinity over commerce. 墨丘利是商业之神。
  • A presiding or participating employee may at any time disqualify himself. 主持之雇员或参与之雇员的资格得在任何时候取消。
10 offensive OI9xc     
adj.令人不快的,侮辱的,攻击用的;n.进攻
参考例句:
  • His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
  • If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行,我将采取攻势。
11 violated e9bdc00380e8f8d539ac7e2a7aa6a9c8     
亵渎( violate的过去式和过去分词 ); 违反; 侵犯; 强奸
参考例句:
  • Note that thick, strong angles of tibia are not violated. 注意肥厚、结实的胫骨成角部分未受损坏。
  • The soldiers violated the church by using it as a stable. 士兵们把教堂当马厩,亵渎了教堂。
12 violation lLBzJ     
n.违反(行为),违背(行为),侵犯
参考例句:
  • He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说,那是违反规则的。
  • He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。
13 blues blues     
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
参考例句:
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
14 phantom T36zQ     
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的
参考例句:
  • I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她,好像她是一个幽灵。
  • He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。
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。

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