MISSION LANGUAGE LAB

"Emperor Penguin: The World's Greatest Love Story" from VOA.

2012-02-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Today, we tell about a very special bird called the emperor penguin. This bird struggles to survive in one of the most extreme climates in the world.

There are seventeen kinds of penguins in the world. All of them live in the southern hemisphere. Only a few species live on the continent of Antarctica at the bottom of the world. The emperor penguins are the largest. They are about one hundred centimeters tall and weigh about thirty kilograms. Their special method of mating makes them different from all other penguins.

For thousands of years the emperor penguins have lived on the freezing continent of Antarctica. These black and white birds live in large groups or colonies. There are about forty emperor penguin colonies on Antarctica. In total, there are about four hundred thousand birds.

These birds spend the summer swimming in the ocean in search of food such as fish and squid. Penguins are not able to fly, but they are excellent swimmers. They can dive as deep as four hundred and sixty meters and hold their breath for up to twenty minutes. But when summer ends, so does this easy time spent by the water. The penguins jump out of the water and onto the ice. They know it is time to find a mate and reproduce.

(MUSIC)

In order to mate, the penguins must travel many kilometers inland from the ocean. They do this to find a safe area to spend the many months needed to produce and develop an egg. They must find an area with some shelter from the freezing winds.

Hundreds of penguins walk in a single line for up to seventy kilometers to find a mating place. This trip is a long and cold one. Winter is beginning. The days are getting shorter and temperatures are quickly dropping. The trip takes many days. The birds must walk carefully on their short legs through icy areas. When their feet get tired, they slide themselves on their stomachs across the ice.

Once they arrive at the right place, the mating process begins. Males and females walk around and make singing noises as they decide on a mate. They must also memorize their mate's special song. Penguins are unusual because they stay with the same mate for the entire period of producing a baby penguin or chick.

After the female produces an egg, she must carefully slide it onto her feet. Then she must pass it to her mate. This can be a very difficult act. If the birds are not careful, the egg will fall on the freezing ice. If the egg touches the ice or breaks, the chick will die. All of their hard work will have been wasted. Once the female passes the egg to the male, he places it on his feet and protects it with his body. Both male and female penguins have a special place on their body to protect their young. A piece of skin under their stomachs forms a pocket or pouch where an egg or chick is protected from the cold.

The male penguin incubates the egg for about two months. This means that he keeps it warm while the baby penguin inside the egg develops.

During this time, the mothers must leave the colony and walk many kilometers back to the sea. The females are tired from mating and producing an egg. They are also starving from more than one month without food. During this period, female penguins can lose up to one-third of their body weight. Many do not survive the long walk back to the sea. The ones that do survive dive into the ocean to catch fish. They eat for several months to gain weight. They must also get food for their chicks.

While the mothers are feeding, the hundreds of male penguins work together to survive. They stand very close to one another to form a tight group. This helps them keep warm. They continuously change places. The colder penguins on the outside of the group move to the warmer places on the inside of the group.

(MUSIC)

Winters in Antarctica are difficult for the penguins. There are only a few hours of sunlight a day. Temperatures can drop to minus fifty degrees Celsius. Air masses called catabatic winds blow over the continent at speeds of up to two hundred kilometers per hour.

The penguins have developed special bodies to survive such freezing temperatures. They can control their body temperature with a special system of blood exchange. The centers of their bodies keep warm, while the outer parts of their bodies stay almost as cold as the outside temperatures.

Another way they survive the cold is by releasing a special oil from their skin. This oil helps waterproof the feathers that cover their bodies. A layer of air between their skin and the oil provides protection from the cold. Also, they have a thick layer of body fat that further protects them from the cold.

Two months later, the females return to the colony and must find their mates. Many of the chicks have hatched and come out of their eggs. The family is united for the first time. However, the father must leave immediately to go feed in the ocean. He has not eaten for more than three months and has lost a great deal of weight. Before he leaves, though, he must learn the voice of his chick. The chick also memorizes his father's voice. When the father returns, he must be able to identify his chick in order to bring it food.

(MUSIC)

The male and female penguins continue to take turns caring for their chick and bringing back food from the sea. When the chicks are about one month old, they start to spend time outside their parents' pouch. When they get bigger, the chicks stay together in large groups. Their parents still bring them food. But when they are about five months old, the chicks must feed themselves. They make their first trip to the ocean.

However, not all the chicks survive this long. About twenty-five percent die due to starvation or cold. Some chicks are hunted and killed by large birds called giant petrels. However, if the chicks survive their first year, they generally live through adulthood. When they reach the age of five years, it is time for the young penguins to mate. A new generation begins this special mating process of travel and survival.

(MUSIC)

In two thousand five, a French filmmaker named Luc Jacquet released a film about these special birds. The film is called "March of the Penguins." It beautifully shows how the birds survive in the extreme environment of Antarctica. This rare look at their lives is truly special.

You can see the penguins walking across the white ice of Antarctica. Diving deep into the ocean waters. Moving their egg carefully from the mother's feet to the father's feet. Crowding together to keep warm in a snowstorm. Kissing their newly hatched chicks.

"March of the Penguins" is the first full-length film to show the life of the emperor penguin. The crew chose to film a colony of penguins that was near a scientific research center. This way, the filmmakers had a base where they could live. They were also able to cooperate with the nearby Institute for Polar Research.

Producing this film was very difficult. The movie crew had to survive the extreme cold for a whole year of filming. If the weather was too bad, they could not go outside and film. Also, trying to film the birds from very close up was not easy. The filmmakers had to be very careful not to harm the penguins. They made special devices that helped them get close to the penguins without interfering with them. Luc Jacquet even hired a specialist to film the underwater scenes.

"March of the Penguins" was difficult to make for other technical reasons. The crew had to have special cameras made that could work in extremely cold temperatures. Also, they could not watch what they had filmed. This is because they did not have the equipment to develop the film. So, they had to remember the details of every picture they took and hope they turned out well. When they finished filming, they had more than one hundred twenty hours of film.

Director Luc Jacquet says his film crew had to treat the penguins with care and consideration. He says his movie is a story of bravery and excitement. He also calls his movie about the emperor penguins one of the most beautiful love stories on Earth.

(MUSIC)

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Faith Lapidus. And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Emperor Penguins begin to mate and bear chicks __________________ .
a: during the winter
b: at the end of summer
c: during the summer
d: at the end of spring

2. When a penguin father returns, he can find his chick by the chick's ____________ .
a: appearance
b: flying movements
c: song
d: mother

3. The word "hatch" means ___________________________ .
a: the mother brings out the egg
b: the egg is protected by the parents
c: the egg passes from father to mother
d: the egg breaks and the chick is born

4. __________________ are not a threat to newborn chicks.
a: Giant petrels
b: Winter storms
c: Hungry fathers
d: Freezing temperatures

5. Probably the least difficult part of producing "March of the Penguins" was ____________ .
a: editing the 120 hours of film
b: getting close ups of the penguins
c: shooting film during extreme cold
d: shooting underwater scenes

6. Director Luc Jucquet calls "March of the Penguins" one of __________________ love stories on earth.
a: most beautiful
b: the more beautiful
c: the most beautiful
d: the beautifulest

7. If chicks survive their first year, they ________________ adulthood.
a: generally live through
b: might reach
c: sometimes live through
d: still might not reach

8. A special oil penguins release from their skin helps to _________________ .
a: keep their wings from becoming too stiff
b: keep them from starving
c: waterproof their feathers
d: make their journey from the sea smoother

9. "Catabatic" is a type of _____________________ .
a: penguin
b: fish in the sea penguins catch
c: very powerful wind
d: extremely cold ice found on Antartica

10. While the mother penguins are feeding in the sea, the male penguins ___________________ .
a: fly in search of warmer territory
b: band together in a tight group to keep warm
c: march to the sea
d: fight each other over precious eggs

Luc Jacquet calls his movie about the emperor penguins one of the most beautiful love stories on Earth. Why does he call his movie a beautiful love story? Discuss this question with a friend or partner. Or, write your answer in the comment field at the end of this post.

Here is the trailer for the film, "March of the Penguins"

"Marian Anderson and Her Song" from Voice of America

2012-01-22T13:42:00.000-08:00

VOICE ONE:

I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today, we begin the first of two reports about singer Marian Anderson.

(MUSIC: "Wide River")

VOICE ONE:
Marian Anderson performing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939
A tall black woman is singing in a concert hall. Her eyes are closed. She is not looking at the crowd of people sitting silently before her. But she feels their presence. She tries to make the music touch their minds and hearts. Her deep, powerful voice reaches out to all parts of the concert hall.

She finishes, and there is a long silence. Then the people clap and cheer. They call out for another song. And they call out her name: Marian Anderson.

VOICE TWO:

Marian Anderson was an American. But she found success in Europe before finding it in her own country. She was born in eighteen ninety-seven in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up surrounded by poverty. Yet she remembered her family as a happy one.

The Andersons were deeply religious and involved in their church. It was in church where Marian first began to sing in public. She was six years old. The songs she sang were spirituals -- the religious songs that African Americans sang as slaves. The songs are about suffering, and the hope of a better life after death.

VOICE ONE:

Marian's interest in music grew as she got older. When she was eight, her father brought home an old piano. She never thought she would be able to play it. One day, however, she heard piano music coming from an open window. She looked inside the house. There she saw a woman, playing ever so beautifully. Her skin was dark, like Marian's. She knew then that if another black woman could play the piano so could she.

The Andersons were too poor to pay someone to teach Marian. So she was able to teach herself only a few simple songs. Her voice remained her most important musical instrument.

VOICE TWO:

Marian's father died when she was ten years old. She had to go to work to help support her family. She continued to sing at church on Sunday. Soon, other churches heard of the young girl with the beautiful, deep voice. They invited her to sing for them. Marian accepted. She began singing in African-American churches all over Philadelphia.

VOICE ONE:

At about this time, several people told Marian that she should have a voice teacher. They told her that a beautiful voice can be destroyed if it is not trained. Marian said she always sang naturally, without any thought of how she did it. She realized that she would need some training.

The people in Marian's church were very proud of her. They wanted to help, even though many of them were as poor as the Anderson family. They collected enough money to pay for a few voice lessons. She went to a local music school in Philadelphia.

VOICE TWO:

A group of girls was waiting to enter the school. Before Marian could enter, however, a young white woman who worked in the school told her to go away. "We do not take black people here," she said. Marian was shocked. Never before had anyone insulted her because of her race. Years later, she remembered her feelings:

VOICE ONE:

"I just looked at the woman. I was shocked that such words could come from someone so young. I did not understand how a person surrounded by the joy of music could not have some of its sense and beauty inside her. It was as if a cold and horrible hand had touched me. I had never heard such brutal words. My skin was different, but not my feelings. "

VOICE TWO:

Marian Anderson was to hear those hateful words many times again during her life.

(MUSIC: "Wide River")

VOICE ONE:

Marian Anderson continued to sing at churches and special gatherings. Her singing became more widely known. But she still felt that her voice needed training. Finally, a friend promised to help her meet a well-known voice teacher. The teacher was Giuseppe Boghetti. Only the best singers in Philadelphia were his students.

Marian went to see Mister Boghetti. She was nervous, because she wanted to please him. He told her that he already had too many students. He made it clear that he would listen only because he knew her friend. Marian's nervousness disappeared when she began to sing. The song she chose was one she knew best. It was called "Deep River".

(MUSIC: "Deep River")

VOICE TWO:

Mister Boghetti sat quietly when Marian finished. There were tears in his eyes. Finally, he said: "You will start training at once. I will need just two years with you. After that, you will be able to go anywhere and sing for anybody. "

Marian Anderson was very happy. Her friends agreed to help pay for her lessons. Mister Boghetti taught her how to control and direct her voice. He also taught her how to breathe correctly. Marian learned to sing classical music -- the songs of the great European composers.

(MUSIC: "Die Forelle")

VOICE ONE:

Marian Anderson grew to love opera, because it joined singing and acting. But Mister Boghetti advised her not to choose opera as a way to make a living. He knew that black singers in America were not permitted to sing with white opera groups. Instead, he told her she could be successful by singing in concert theaters. She followed his advice.

In nineteen twenty-four, Anderson sang in New York City for the first time. In those days, a singer had to be recognized in New York to be successful everywhere else. She sang in one of the most important concert theaters in the city -- Town Hall.

She sang some spirituals and some classical music. She wanted to make sure she would be judged as a singer who happened to be black -- not as a black singer.

(MUSIC: "Ch'io mai vi possa")

VOICE TWO:

Marian Anderson's town hall concert was not successful. Few people came to listen. The next day, newspapers sharply criticized her. They said she sang the European music without feeling or understanding. Anderson was crushed. She decided to return to Philadelphia. She thought about never singing again.

(MUSIC: "Heav'n Heav'n")

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English. We continue the story of Marian Anderson and how she went on to gain great success as a singer.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Marian Anderson began to sing in public _______________ .
a: in Town Hall, New York City.
b: in her church
c: in Europe
d: in an opera house

2. Marian Anderson's church helped her _____________________ .
a: learn the piano
b: pay for voice instruction
c: sing in a Philadelphia choir
d: rise out of poverty

3. A _____________________ inspired Marian Anderson to play the piano her father bought for her.
a: voice teacher
b: a member of her church
c: a next door neighbor
d: a piano repair person

4. The first type of music that Marian Anderson sang was a _______________ .
a: jazz song
b: ragtime song
c: blues song
d: spiritual

5. When a white woman at the voice class rejected Marian because of her race, Marian didn't understand how anybody ________________ could be racist.
a: who lived in the United States
b: who lived in the South
c: who knew the joy of music
d: who studied African-American history

6. Philadelphia's best voice teacher agreed to teach Marian Anderson because _____________________ .
a: he was moved to tears when she sang "Deep River."
b: he was a member of Marian's church
c: he was also African-American.
d: she agreed to pay him a lot of money

7. During Anderson's childhood, her family was ____________________ .
a: very involved in music
b: very involved in education
c: very involved in their church
d: very involved with advancing Marian's singing career

8. Giuseppe Boghetti didn't teach Marian Anderson how to ____________________.
a: pursue an opera career
b: direct and control her voice
c: breathe correctly
d: sing classical music

9. Marian Anderson's first appearance in New York City's Town Hall was _______________ .
a: very successful
b: praised in all the newspapers
c: before a full theater
d: not successful

10. Marian Anderson wanted to be judged primarily as __________________ .
a: a singer who happened to be African-American
b: an African American singer
c: a singer of spirituals
d: a singer of European music

Marian Anderson sings: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the big round world in His hands,
He's got the wide world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the wind and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the rain in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the gamblin man right in His hands,
He's got the lion man right in His hands,
He's got the crapshoot man in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the little bits of baby in His hands,
He's got the little bits of baby in His hands,
He's got the little bits of baby in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got you and me brother in His hands,
He's got you and me sister in His hands,
He's got you and me brother in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got everybody in His hands,
He's got everybody in His hands,
He's got everybody here right in His hand,
He's got the whole world in His hands

Marion Anderson, Great African American Opera Star: Part Two

"Ella Fitzgerald: America's First Lady of Song", from Voice of America

2012-01-05T10:50:00.001-08:00

ANNOUNCER:

Now, the VOA Special English program, People in America. Today, Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember tell about the jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. She was known as America's first lady of song.

(MUSIC: "How High The Moon")

VOICE ONE:

The year was nineteen thirty-three. The place was New York City. Ella Fitzgerald was sixteen years old. She had entered a competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She was going to dance. But she had just watched two dancers perform. They were better dancers than she.

So, instead of dancing, she sang a song called "Judy. " People watching the competition urged her to sing another song. She did. She won first prize - twenty-five dollars.

Chick Webb
That competition at the Apollo Theater changed Ella Fitzgerald's life forever. Band leader Chick Webb was watching the competition. He hired Ella to sing with his band. He taught her about singing in public. He even showed her what kind of clothes to wear. In three years, she had her first hit record, "A-Tisket-a-Tasket":

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ella Fitzgerald was born in the southern city of Newport News, Virginia in nineteen seventeen. Her father left soon after her birth. Her mother took Ella and moved to New York City. Ella's mother died when Ella was fifteen years old.

The next year, Ella started singing with Chick Webb's band. She stayed with Chick Webb until he died in nineteen thirty-nine. Ella kept his band together after he died until World War Two started. Then most of the band members joined the armed forces. While she was with the band, Ella recorded almost one hundred fifty songs.

VOICE ONE:

Ella Fitzgerald was greatly influenced by the experimental music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. It was called be-bop. She used be-bop rhythms in her singing. In nineteen forty-five, she recorded the song "Flying Home," using the be-bop method known as "scat". In scat, the singer's voice sounds like another instrument in the orchestra. Critics say it was the most influential jazz record of the time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ella with Norman Granz
In nineteen forty-nine, jazz musician Norman Granz invited her to join his band. It was with his band in Berlin, Germany in nineteen sixty that Ella sang a famous song in a very different way. A man asked her if she knew the song "Mack the Knife. " Ella said she had heard it a few times but the band did not have the music for it. She said she would try to sing it anyway. This recording shows how she continued to sing "Mack the Knife" when she did not remember the words. The people listening loved it.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Norman Granz later became her manager. He started a new recording company just for her. It was his idea for Ella to record the now famous series of record albums called the “Songbooks." On each record, she sang works of a different songwriter.

She recorded songbooks of the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen. Critics say the best songbook is Ella singing the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. Ira Gershwin reportedly said: "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them. Here, she sings the Gershwin song, "I Got Rhythm":

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Ella Fitzgerald also appeared in movies and on television. She became popular internationally. She performed in concerts around the world sometimes forty weeks a year. She also recorded for different record companies.

In the nineteen sixties, she began to sing more modern songs such as those written by the Beatles and Burt Bacharach. But she was not very successful with that kind of popular music. She returned to jazz in Nineteen seventy-three, again with Norman Granz. She also began performing with symphony orchestras.

VOICE ONE:

Ella Fitzgerald was married two times. Both marriages ended in divorce. She raised three children who were not her own.

Ella lived quietly in Beverly Hills, California. Throughout her life she was a very private person. She wanted to be known only for her music. Her friends included members of the Duke Ellington band, Count Basie's band, and singers like Sarah Vaughn and Peggy Lee.

Ella Fitzgerald began to have health problems during the nineteen seventies. She had the disease diabetes which caused problems with her eyes. She had a heart operation in nineteen eighty-six. In nineteen ninety-three, the effects of diabetes led to operations to remove both her legs. She died June fifteenth, nineteen ninety-six.

VOICE TWO:

People around the world loved Ella Fitzgerald's joyful singing. Critics said she had raised the American popular song to the level of art.

She won many awards. She received the National Medal of the Arts and a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime work. The University of Maryland named a performing arts center for her.

Ella Fitzgerald's wonderful voice lives on in her two hundred fifty albums. She won thirteen Grammy awards given each year for the best recordings. Her last Grammy was for the nineteen ninety record: "All That Jazz":

(MUSIC)

ANNOUNCER:

This Special English program was written by Nancy Steinbach. The announcers were Shirley Griffith and Steve Ember. I'm Sarah Long. Listen again next week for another People in America program on the Voice of America.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. In the "scat" style, the singer's voice ___________________ .
a: is lower in pitch
b: sounds like one of the instruments in the orchestra
c: is slower than usual
d: repeats the same words over and over

2. In 1960, in Berlin, Ella Fitzgerald sang a famous song a different way. That song was "________________".
a: How High the Moon
b: Flying High
c: Judy
d: Mack the Knife

3. Ella Fitzgerald entered a competition at the Apollo theater in Harlem _____________________ .
a: one year after her mother died
b: ten years after her father left her and her mother
c: three years before her mother died
d: six years after Chick Webb died

4. Ella Fitzgerald __________________________ .
a: never married
b: never divorced
c: was a very private person
d: had two children from her first marriage and one from her second marriage

5. A Grammy is ___________________________ .
a: another word for grandmother
b: a type of jazz recording similar to be-bop
c: an award for the best recording
d: a type of record that is contains twelve separate songs

6. The "Songbooks" are records that Ella made. The songs are _____________________ .
a: all composed by Ira and George Gershwin
b: all composed by Ella Fitzgerald
c: composed by different song writers
d: composed by Ella's manager, Norman Granz

7. Diabetes is ____________________ .
a: a type of disease
b: a singing style
c: an instrument commonly played by a jazz orchestra
d: a type of therapy for regaining lost eyesight

8. In her competition, at first she was going to dance. But there were other dancers who were better. So, ________________ dancing, she decided to sing.
a: because of
b: in spite of
c: even though
d: instead of

9. "How faint the tune" means ________________________ .
a: the sound of the music is much too loud
b: the sound of the music is very soft
c: the music is wonderful
d: the music is terrible

10. Ella kept Chick Webb's band together until _____________________ .
a: Chick Webb died
b: Ella became famous
c: World War Two
d: 1933

Here's Ella in Japan in 1963, rippin', improvisin', and tearin' up that stage!
Can you dig it??

Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
There is no moon above
When love is far away too
Till it comes true
That you love me as I love you

Somewhere there's music
How near, how far
Somewhere there's heaven
It's where you are
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart

How high the moon

Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon

Another "Ella Fitzgerald" Comprehension Check that gives you a chance to practice grammar

"Edward Hopper's Mysterious World" from Voice of America

2011-12-03T19:31:00.001-08:00

"Hotel Lobby" 1943, by Edward Hopper

VOICE ONE:

I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about artist Edward Hopper. He painted normal objects and people in interesting and mysterious ways.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Edward Hopper's "Cape Cod Morning", 1950
In June of two thousand-six, visitors entered the redesigned Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. for the first time. When these people walked into the building, they saw two simple, colorful paintings. These paintings showed normal scenes from American life. But they looked mysterious and beautiful. American artist Edward Hopper painted both of these famous pictures.

VOICE TWO:

Edward Hopper was born in eighteen eighty-two in Nyack, a small town in New York state. From a young age, Edward knew he wanted to be a painter. His parents were not wealthy people. They thought Edward should learn to paint and make prints to advertise for businesses. This kind of painting is called commercial art. Edward listened to his mother and father. In nineteen hundred, he moved to New York City to study commercial art. However, he also studied more serious and artistic kinds of painting.

VOICE ONE:

One of Hopper’s teachers was Robert Henri, a famous American painter in the early twentieth century. Henri was a leader of a group of artists who called themselves the Ashcan School painters. The Ashcan artists liked to paint normal people and objects in realistic ways. Henri once expressed his ideas about painting this way: “Paint what you feel. Paint what you see. Paint what is real to you.”

Edward Hopper agreed with many of these ideas about art. He told people that Henri was his most important teacher.

VOICE TWO:

Hopper studied with Henri in New York City for six years. During those years, Hopper dreamed of going to Europe. Many painters there were making pictures in ways no one had ever seen before. Many of them had begun to paint pictures they called “abstract.” The artists liked to say these works were about ideas rather than things that existed in the real world. Their paintings did not try to show people and objects that looked like the ones in real life. Most American artists spent time in Europe. Then they returned to the United States to paint in this new way.

VOICE ONE:

With help from his parents, Hopper finally traveled to Europe in nineteen-oh-six. He lived in Paris, France for several months. He returned again in nineteen-oh-nine and nineteen-ten.

"Summertime" 1943

Unlike many other people, however, Hopper was not strongly influenced by the new, abstract styles he found there. “Paris had no great or immediate impact on me,” he once said. At the end of these travels, he decided that he liked the realistic methods he had learned from Robert Henri.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

When Edward Hopper returned from Paris for the last time, he moved into a small apartment in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. He took a job making prints and paintings for businesses. However, the paintings he made outside of his job were not helping him earn money or recognition. He had a show of his work at a gallery in New York. However, most people were not interested in his simple, realistic style. Very few people bought his paintings.

VOICE ONE:

Things began to improve in nineteen twenty-three. He began a love relationship with an artist named Jo Nivison. Soon they married. His wife sometimes said that Edward tried to control her thoughts and actions too much. However, most people who knew them said they loved each other very much. They stayed married for the rest of their lives. Also, Jo was the model for all of the women in Hopper’s paintings.

Success in art soon followed this success in love. In nineteen twenty-four, Hopper had the second show of his paintings. This time, he sold many pictures. Finally, at age forty-three, he had enough money to quit his job painting for businesses. He could now paint what he loved. Edward and Jo bought a car and began to travel around the country to find interesting subjects to paint.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

"The House by the Railroad" 1925
Most people say that Hopper’s nineteen twenty-five painting “The House by the Railroad” was his first mature painting. This means that it was the first painting that brought together all of his important techniques and ideas.

“The House by the Railroad” shows a large, white house. The painting does not show the bottom of the house. It is blocked by railroad tracks. Cutting scenes off in surprising ways was an important part of Hopper’s style. He became famous for paintings that are mysterious, that look incomplete or that leave viewers with questions.

Shadows make many parts of the home in “The House by the Railroad” look dark. Some of the windows look like they are open, which makes the viewer wonder what is inside the house. However, only dark, empty space can be seen through the windows. Strange shadows, dark spaces, and areas with light were important parts of many Hopper paintings.

There are no people in the painting, and no evidence of other houses nearby. Hopper was famous for showing loneliness in his art. People often said that, even when there were many people in his paintings, each person seems to be alone in his or her own world.

VOICE ONE:

During the great economic depression of the nineteen thirties, many people saw Hopper’s lonely, mysterious paintings of everyday subjects. They liked the pictures because they seemed to show life honestly, without trying to make it happier or prettier than it really was. As a result, Hopper continued to sell many paintings during those years, even though most Americans were very poor.

VOICE TWO:

"Nighthawks" 1942, Click on the
painting to enlarge it.
In nineteen forty-two, Hopper painted his most famous work, “Nighthawks.” The painting shows four people in an eating-place called a diner late at night. They look sad, tired, and lonely. Two of them look like they are in a love relationship. But they do not appear to be talking to each other. The dark night that surrounds them is mysterious and tense. There is no door in the painting, which makes the subjects seem like they might be trapped.

Hopper painted “Nighthawks” soon after the Japanese bomb attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Many people thought the painting showed the fear and unhappiness that most Americans were feeling after the attack. The painting became very famous. Today, most Americans still recognize it. The painting now hangs in a famous museum in Chicago, Illinois.

VOICE ONE:

“Nighthawks” was not Edward Hopper’s only great success. In nineteen fifty, he finished a painting called “Cape Cod Morning.” It shows a brightly colored house in the country. In the middle of the painting, a woman leans on a table and looks out a window. She looks very sad. However, nothing in the painting gives any idea about why she would be sad. Today this painting hangs in a special place in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington. It is one the paintings we noted at the beginning of this program.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Edward Hopper began to struggle with his art during the nineteen fifties and sixties. He had trouble finding interesting subjects. When he did find good things to paint, he struggled to paint them well.

"Morning Sun" 1953

At the same time, the artistic community became less interested in realistic paintings. In the nineteen fifties, the Abstract Expressionist style became very popular. These artists refused to have subjects to paint. They wanted to “paint about painting” and “paint about ideas.” They thought Hopper’s style was no longer modern or important. As a result, the paintings he did complete met less success than during the earlier years.

Edward Hopper died in nineteen sixty-seven. His wife Jo died less than a year later.

Many years after his death, Hopper’s work is still popular in this country and outside America. In two thousand four, the famous Tate Art Gallery in London had a show of his paintings. This show brought the second-largest number of visitors of any show in the history of the museum. Today, people say Edward Hopper was one of the best American artists of the twentieth century.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Sarah Randle and produced by Mario Ritter. I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson. You can read, listen to and download this program at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. When Edward Hopper visited Paris in 1906, ______________ .

2. When Edward Hopper’s parents saw that the young Edward was interested in painting, ________________ .
a: they were disappointed
b: they suggested he become a lawyer instead
c: they suggested that he become a commercial artist
d: they told him he should study abstract art

3. The following is not one of Hopper’s techniques for making his paintings seem mysterious:
a: using shadows
b: painting people who seem to be alone
c: cutting off the view of the painting in surprising ways
d: painting realistic objects

4. Edward Hopper’s paintings sold well in the Depression because __________ .
a: by that time, he was a famous artist
b: he sold his paintings at a discount so people could afford them
c: people appreciated his honest representation of life
d: there were very few competing artists at that time

5. The people in the diner in Hopper’s painting “Nighthawks” look ______________
a: sad, tired, and lonely
b: hungry for a large breakfast
c: afraid to leave the diner because of what might be outside
d: angry about the slow service

6. Edward Hopper’s paintings became less popular in the 1950s and 60s because _____________ .
a: there were other painters who were more realistic
b: abstract expressionism became more popular
c: he was unfaithful towards his wife
d: his paintings were considered less mysterious than before

7. Many years after his death, Edward Hopper’s paintings are ______________ .
a: seldom exhibited
b: still very popular, but only in Europe
c: still very popular both in the U.S. and in other countries
d: not considered important or modern

8. _____________ said, “Paint what you feel, what you see, what is real to you.”
a: the abstract expressionists
b: Robert Henri and the Ashcan Group
c: Edward Hopper’s parents
d: Edward Hopper’s wife

9. Another name for this article could be “______________.”
a: The Life and Art of Edward Hopper
b: The Realistic School of Art
c: How to Create Mysterious Paintings
d: Edward Hopper’s Career in Commercial Art

10. This article is mainly about _________________ .
a: one of America’s finest artists
b: the loss of Edward Hopper’s popularity
c: why Edward Hopper was able to paint what he felt
d: the extremely changeable tastes in art

A video tribute to Edward Hopper from Youtube:

"Sun in an Empty Room", 1963

Here is another great painting from Edward Hopper
"Early Sunday Morning", 1930

Question. Who can answer this? Look at the picture entitled "Morning Sun". Now, look at the picture entitled "Early Sunday Morning". What do you notice about the two pictures? Tell me your answer in the comment field.

"Mysterious Change in the Forest" from Edcon Publishing

2011-11-06T19:47:00.001-08:00

Something you will read about: "millipede" a small, worm-like creature with many legs.

The harmony of the forest was about to be disturbed, and would bring about some drastic changes. As the winter was drawing to a close, the animals of the forest were preparing for the activities which would take place in spring. Birds were building nests of leaves and twigs, Monarch butterflies had returned from their flights to warm climates, and the eggs of the praying mantis were hatching out of their hidden cocoons.

Bears and other hibernating creatures were waking from their long winter sleep, and were preparing, once again, to join the forest community. All was peaceful and in order. There was harmony between the animals, as there had been for so many years before. But, in another place and time, a strange event had taken place that was not only a rarity, but also unexplainable.

Some sort of natural disaster had occurred, leaving few animals alive. The survivors were forced to find a new home, so they set out, searching. Many of the survivors were old and died shortly after. The young were left to survive on their own. They did not know where to live, what to eat or how to protect themselves. Instinct was very little help now. They would have to learn quickly how to adapt and survive in a strange land.

Two of these animals, a male and a female, set out to do just that. They were of eagle size, with strong curved beaks and they had talons for feet. But they certainly didn't look like eagles, because they were bright orange. They were indeed a rarity.
Picture the forest. It is spring, and all is green except for occasional splashes of color on those flowers which are beginning to bloom. The other animals of the forest almost blend in with their surroundings.

These new animals didn't mean to intrude. They were just trying to find their place. For the moment, the residing animals let the newcomers be, for the forest was big enough for two more, and after all, what could possibly go wrong?

First in the order of things for the young newcomers was the problem of food. They were hungry, but didn't know just where to find food. Surely, if they just watched some of the other birds, they could learn.

At that point, they heard a sharp, rapping sound. A Downey woodpecker was pecking away at a tree and obtaining insects to nourish itself. That seemed easy enough, so the newcomers tried to fly to the same location on a different tree, but this proved to be very difficult. Their wings were too big to fly among the lower branches. Not to be discouraged, they found a spot closer to the ground, and tried the same method. It didn't work. Where the woodpecker's beak was long and sharp, the newcomer's was broad and curved.

Surely there must be some food suitable for their beaks. They looked around, but it seemed that all life had vanished. How strange, and how conspicuous the orange newcomers suddenly felt in the forest. There was no time to search for camouflage now, since their hunger still had not been satisfied. But what was this?

Millipede
The male newcomer had turned over a decaying log, and it was full of things to eat. Surely these sowbugs, lightning bug larvae, and millipedes would nourish them, but again their beaks were not suitable. They finally managed to eat a few berries from a shad bush and their hunger was momentarily satisfied. The next problem was where could they sleep?

Again, their alert senses told them that merely closing their eyes was not sufficient. They needed to find a comfortable location which would offer protection and privacy, for they sensed, too, that it was time to mate. A tree seemed most suitable; in fact, they had seen smaller birds in a nest, but how could they get up there, since they couldn't utilize their wings and there just was not enough room? They settled, instead, in a hole at the base of a tree, vacated by a raccoon.

Nighttime fell on the forest, and different sounds could now be heard. The newcomers awoke to the sound of splashing water. Clearly, the splashing of water must mean another source of food; hopefully a more adequate one than the shade-bush. Their progress toward the sound was slowed somewhat by the fact that they didn't feel completely comfortable walking. Their feet were actually claws, but since flying was almost impossible for them in the dense forest, walking was the only alternative. As they arrived at the edge of a stream, they saw a raccoon reaching for something. It must be food. It was, but again, the newcomers had a problem, for their legs weren't long enough. They went back to complete their rest.

Meanwhile, spring turned into summer. Owls hunted for snakes, but the search was useless for there were none. Skunks, weasels and foxes seemed to be disappearing. Woodpeckers pecked away, and hardly got an insect, and though deer-berries were in season, the blue jays could find very few.

The delicate balance of nature was being upset. Small holes were causing young trees to topple due to root damage, and lower leaves and branches were all chewed away. Most living things seemed to have decreased in number, except for mice. They had increased by the hundreds and were all over the forest floor. Could it be the newcomers who were causing this chaos?

But, how could it be? They did not mean to intrude. Certainly these orange eagle-like birds didn't eat all the snakes, skunks, weasels and foxes. And what about the damage to the plants and trees, and all the holes? If the newcomers ate the snakes and even the foxes, they wouldn't need those other things, and what could account for all the mice?

But, indeed, the newcomers had caused all these changes. They had found camouflage in the darker, denser summer forest, had multiplied by the dozens, and for nourishment, ate snakes. They had finally found a food that was suitable to their physical characteristics. They were able to grasp a snake with their talons and quickly puncture it with their sharp, curved beaks.

The newcomers were responsible for the disappearance of the skunks, foxes and weasels as well, although not in the same manner as the snakes. They had simply scared them away.

The newcomers had found their place. They had privacy in the hole in the tree, snakes for food, and shade as camouflage, providing protection from others. They had everything that animals need in order to survive. Everything seemed perfect, but could it last?

They had eaten all the snakes and chased away other animals who usually eat mice. Mice normally give birth very often, so without these animals to keep the population down, the mice multiplied, and in so doing, the foods they ate, the insects, berries, twigs and roots, were utilized rapidly. Animals that were dependent on these sources of nourishment soon disappeared.

Change had affected the newcomers, and they had, in turn, caused change. The forest community was able to survive the change, and gradually conditions returned to normal. The eagles began to explore and soon found places which were much more suitable for them. They gradually lost their conspicuous orange color and wandered into an area that had far fewer trees, and they flew. They fit in better here. Their sources of food varied - snakes, small rodents and fish that they could swoop down upon. Their protection came from flight as well as nesting high in a tree or on a mountain ledge. They had finally found a place that fit in with everyone else's.

1. The orange birds ____
a. had been covered by a layer of paint.
b. were eagles that had survived a disaster.
c. were beautiful pigeons.
d. were really a new breed of creature.

2. As soon as the newcomers arrived in the forest, _____
a. they searched for food.
b. all the mice died.
c. the woodpeckers stopped pecking.
d. they looked for shelter.

3. In the darkness of the forest, the new birds _____
a. destroyed the young trees.
b. found protection and multiplied.
c. ate mice.
d. slowly died.

4. Because of their broad curved beaks, the big orange birds could eat only ______
a. foxes.
b. mice.
c. leaves.
d. snakes.

5. The intruders ________
a. indirectly caused all of the changes in the forest.
b. had no effect on the peaceful forest.
c. shared all the advantages of the forest with the other animals.
d. were unnoticed in the dark, dense forest.

6. The mice multiplied quickly because ______
a. they were eating more.
b. most of their natural enemies were gone.
c. they found better hiding places.
d. the orange birds protected them.

7. If the newcomers had continued to search for a more suitable living area, they would _______
a. have died in the attempt.
b. have been too tired to fly.
c. have turned color.
d. not have caused so much damage.

8. According to this selection, which of the following statements is not true?
a. The forest cannot survive any changes.
b. Woodpeckers eat insects.
c. Newcomers to the forest must adapt, not destroy.
d. Talons are really claws.

9. Another name for this selection could be _______
a. "Big Bald Eagles."
b. "Spring in the Forest."
c. "Hundreds of Mice."
d. "The Intruders."

10. This selection is mainly about _____________
a. how a radical change affects the harmony of nature.
b. the habits of big orange birds.
c. the eagles' life in the desert.
d. the rebuilding of a devastated forest.

Forest Meditation from Youtube. Relax and enjoy:

Edgar Allan Poe - Writer and Poet, from VOA

2011-10-21T18:49:00.003-07:00

(Note: This article was first broadcast in 2009)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. This year is the two hundredth anniversary of the birth of writer Edgar Allan Poe. The United States Postal Service is honoring him with a stamp. And several museums in cities where he lived are remembering him with plays, readings and other events. This week on our program we explore his life and the continuing influence of his work.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Edgar Allan Poe wrote stories and poems of mystery and terror, insanity and death. His life was short and seemingly unhappy.

He was born Edgar Poe on January nineteenth, eighteen hundred and nine in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were actors. He was a baby when his father left the family. And he was two when his mother died. At that time they were in Richmond, Virginia.

Edgar went to live with the family of a wealthy Richmond businessman named John Allan. John Allan never officially adopted him as a son, but the boy became known as Edgar Allan Poe.

He attended schools in England and in Richmond. He also attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He was a good student. But he had a problem with alcohol. Even one drink seemed to change his personality and make him drunk. Also, he liked to play card games for money. Edgar was not a good player. He lost money that he did not have.

John Allan refused to pay Edgar's gambling losses. He also refused to continue paying for his education. So the young man went to Boston and began working as a writer and editor for monthly magazines.

VOICE TWO:

Poe served in the Army for two years, before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point to become an officer. He was dismissed from the academy in eighteen thirty-one after six months. By then he had already published three books of poetry.

He began writing stories while living with his aunt in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. In October of eighteen thirty-three, he won a short story contest organized by a local newspaper. He received fifty dollars in prize money and got a job editing the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. He published many of his own stories.

In eighteen thirty-four, Poe married his cousin Virginia Clemm, the thirteen year old daughter of his father's sister. They moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in eighteen thirty-eight. There, Poe served as editor of Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and continued to write.

He published many of his most frightening stories during this time. These included "The Black Cat," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum."

VOICE ONE:

Edgar Allan Poe did something unusual for writers of his time: he used a narrator in a story to describe what was happening. A good example is the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart."

The narrator claims that he is not mad, yet reveals that he is a murderer. He has killed an old man for no apparent reason. He cuts up the body and hides the parts under the floorboards of the victim's house.

Police officers arrive after getting reports of noises from the house. The murderer shows them around the house and is proud of the way he has hidden all the evidence. But he begins to hear a sound. The others in the room cannot hear it.

READER:

Yet the sound increased -- and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound -- much a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath -- and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly -- more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men -- but the noise steadily increased. Oh God what could I do? I foamed -- I raved --I swore. But the noise continually increased. It grew louder -- louder -- louder!

VOICE TWO:

Edgar Allan Poe is also remembered for the kind of literature known as detective fiction. These are stories of an investigator who has to solve murders and other crimes.

In fact, Edgar Allan Poe is considered the father of the modern detective novel. His fictional detective C. August Dupin first appeared in his story "The Murders In the Rue Morgue" in eighteen forty-one. Dupin also appeared in two later stories, "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and "The Purloined Letter."

Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, wrote about Poe's influence on other crime writers: "Each may find some little development of his own, but his main art must trace back to those admirable stories of Monsieur Dupin, so wonderful in their masterful force, their reticence, their quick dramatic point."

VOICE ONE:

Jeff Jerome is the curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum in Baltimore. He says Poe's influence can also be seen in the work of H.G. Wells and Alfred Hitchcock, to name a few. Poe's influence extends to plays, movies, operas, music, cartoons, television, paintings -- just about every kind of art.

Poe's creation of the detective novel is recognized by the Mystery Writers of America. The writers group presents the yearly Edgar Awards to honor the best detective and suspense books, movies and TV shows.

An award also goes to an individual, organization or business for working to continue the influence of Edgar Allan Poe. The award is named for Poe's most famous work. This year, the Edgar Allan Poe Society and the Poe House in Baltimore will receive the Raven Award.

VOICE TWO:

Edgar Allan Poe became famous after "The Raven" was published in eighteen forty-five. The poetry is rich in atmosphere. The rhythm suggests music.

The narrator of "The Raven" is a man whose love has died. He sits alone among his books late at night. He hears a noise at the window:

READER:

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word "Lenore!"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"
Merely this, and nothing more."

VOICE TWO:

The man finds a large black bird and asks it questions. The raven answers with a single word: "Nevermore." At the end of the poem, the man has quite clearly gone mad from grief:

READER:

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted -- nevermore!

VOICE ONE:

The sadness and horror in Poe's writing might lead readers to suspect a disordered mind. Yet people who knew him reported him to be a nice man. Some even called him a real gentleman.

His wife died in eighteen forty-seven. Virginia Clemm Poe had suffered from tuberculosis for many years. At the same time, Poe's magazine failed, and so did his health. He died on October seventh, eighteen forty-nine, under mysterious conditions.

He was found in a tavern in Baltimore. He did not know where he was or how he got there. He was dressed in rags. He died four days later in a hospital. He was forty years old.

VOICE TWO:

Over the years, historians and medical experts have tried to explain the cause of Poe's death. Some say he killed himself with drink. Others say he developed rabies from an animal bite. Many in Baltimore believe he was beaten by local criminal gangs.

Every year about two thousand people visit Edgar Allan Poe's grave at the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore. And every year on January nineteenth -- Poe's birthday -- people watch for a man dressed in black to appear. His face is covered. He places a bottle of French cognac and three roses on the grave.

No one in Baltimore really wants to know the visitor's identity. They prefer that it remain a mystery, much like Edgar Allan Poe himself.

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Doug Johnson was our reader. To hear the short story "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, listen at this time Saturday for the program AMERICAN STORIES. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Comprehension Check

1. "The Tell Tale Heart" is about an insane ___________ .
a. policeman
b. old man
c. murderer
d. housekeeper

2. Edgar Allan Poe was raised by ___________ .
a. a rich businessman
b. a single mother
c. an actor father
d. an insane aunt

3. Edgar Allan Poe didn't have a problem with ____________ .
a. alcohol
b. gambling
c. debts
d. poetry

4. Edgar Allan Poe died in a hospital in __________ .
a. Baltimore
b. Washington D.C.
c. Boston
d. San Francisco

5. Poe used the fictional detective ____________ in several stories.
a. Sherlock Holmes
b. August Dupin
c. John Allan
d. Jeff Jerome

6. Poe's poem, in which the narrator speaks with a bird is called "___________."
a. Nevermore
b. The Bluebird
c. The Pigeon
d. The Raven

7. Edgar Allan Poe's influence can be seen in the works of ________________ .
a. Alfred Hitchcock
b. William Shakespeare
c. Leonardo da Vinci
d. Walt Whitman

8. Poe wrote poems and stories about _____________ .
a. Love and Separation
b. War and Peace
c. Mystery and Horror
d. History and Science

9. Another name for this selection could be _____________ .
a. "Alcoholism"
b. "Twentieth Century Fiction"
c. "A Great American Writer"
d. "Halloween Stories"

10. This selection is mainly about _____________ .
a. "The Tell-Tale Heart"
b. the life of Edgar Poe
c. unhappy writers
d. gambling and drinking.

A short biography of Poe from Youtube:

"Traveling Down The Nile River" from Voice of America

2011-09-30T22:08:00.001-07:00

I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Today we visit the Nile River valley to explore one of the greatest civilizations in human history. The people of ancient Egypt developed the first nation-state, which would set the stage for a culture that would last thousands of years.

For centuries, the art, architecture, and traditions of ancient Egypt have captured the attention of historians, writers, and travelers around the world. Join us as we travel down the Nile and back through time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE THREE:

"We shall never enjoy another place like Ipsamboul; the absolute solitude of it - the absence of a present, of any of one’s fellow-creatures … I came out of the [temple] and looked again upon the glorious colossi. I wish all my friends could see them once in their lives, if only for a moment; or that I could describe to anyone the look of intense repose in those faces."

Those were the words written by British medical worker Florence Nightingale. She traveled to Egypt in 1849 to explore its many sites. She is describing the temple of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt. Like many European visitors, Miss Nightingale wrote a detailed description of her months of travel through this country.

Our own trip down the Nile begins at the temple of Abu Simbel. The Egyptian ruler Ramses the Second built this extraordinary temple over 3,200 years ago. The temple is dedicated to the Egyptian gods Ra-Horakhty, Amun and Ptah. But it is really meant to show the power and strength of Ramses the Second who led Egypt for over 60 years. Like other pharaohs, Ramses was considered an earthly representation of a god.

Four 20-meter tall statues of Ramses guard the front of the temple, which is carved into the side of a mountain. Staring up at these huge statues, you suddenly feel very small and impermanent compared to this timeless structure.

Inside the temple, detailed carvings on the walls show Ramses defeating his enemies in battle. The walls also show examples of hieroglyphics, the form of Egyptian writing that uses pictures. This is the oldest known system of writing in the world. Like many Egyptian temples, Abu Simbel has a first room or hypostyle hall filled with column supports. Next, there is a second hall, followed by a sanctuary. Only religious workers and the pharaoh were permitted to enter this last room. The sanctuary of Abu Simbel contains statues of the temple’s four gods.

Next to this building is a smaller temple honoring the wife of Ramses the second, Nefertari. In the 1960s, both temples were moved stone by stone from their original sites and rebuilt 200 meters away. This was done as protection from the rising water of the Nile as a result of the building of the Aswan High Dam.

(MUSIC)

Our trip continues in the town of Aswan where many travelers start their river trip on a boat that is like a hotel. There are many interesting places to visit in Aswan. They include the Nubian museum, the Aswan Botanical Gardens and the Old Cataract Hotel. The British mystery writer Agatha Christie wrote part of her book "Death on The Nile" in this hotel.

You can also visit the Aswan High Dam and the water it collects in Lake Nasser, the largest man-made lake in the world. The dam was built starting in 1960 under Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Its aim was to control the flow of water of the Nile. The dam has greatly increased the amount of farmland in Egypt and supplies the country with hydroelectric power. But the dam has also caused environmental and cultural problems. Our guide, Egypt expert Mohamed Fahmy tells us about the native people most affected by the dam.

MOHAMED FAHMY: "The Nubians used to live here. There were 100,000 Nubians living in this place. But after the creation of the lake they had to be displaced. Half of them decided to stay in Aswan. They took the left bank of Aswan to be their new Nubia. The rest of them, they went to Sudan."

Another popular area near Aswan is the Greco-Roman temple of Philae. Philae is one of many monuments built after the Macedonian warrior Alexander the Great took control of Egypt about 2,300 years ago.
One of his generals, Ptolemy, took control of Egypt after Alexander’s death. He established a line of Ptolemaic leaders that ruled for 300 years. To see Philae, visitors must take a boat to a small island.

(SOUND)

If you go at night, you can see a sound and light show. During the show, recorded voices of actors give a theatrical history of the temple while it is lit up in bright colors.

ACTOR: "Oh Nile, father of life. All hail to you. When your waters rise and your bounty overwhelms us.

The earth trembles with ecstasy, life is reborn, all is nurtured.

But when you subside, the very gods despair.

And men become slighter than their shadows."

This temple was built in honor of the goddess Isis over 2,000 years ago. One of the most famous buildings at Philae is the Kiosk of Trajan. It was a favorite subject in paintings by 19th century European travelers.

Continuing down the Nile, we arrive at the temple of Kom Ombo. This Ptolemaic temple was built to honor two gods, the crocodile god Sobek and Haroeris. It is unusual because it has double gates and rooms in order to honor both gods. The wall carvings show the traditions and daily life of Egyptians. One wall has detailed carvings of medical tools. Our guide Mohamed Fahmy tells us about them.

MOHAMED FAHMY: "Here they depicted some of their medical instruments. Come closer to see it. Most of these, we are still using today. You can see a scissor, you can see a sponge, two stones to sharpen the cutters. And you can see a scale to weigh the materials. You can see two eyes in here. These are the eyes of Horus, symbol of protection."

Further north, there is also the Temple of Horus at Edfu. This Ptolemaic temple is one of the most completely preserved temples in Egypt.

(MUSIC)

Now, we sail about 100 kilometers north. This gives us time to enjoy the river scenes along the Nile. From the boat you can see palm trees, children playing in fields and local people rowing small boats. And you can wave to travelers on other hotel boats.

Our next stop is the ancient city of Thebes, known today as Luxor.

Starting around 3,500 years ago, a series of pharaohs built secret burial structures in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Pharaohs chose to be buried in this rocky area because it was far away from people and easy to protect. These burial structures were more secretive than the large pyramids of earlier pharaohs. Builders of these tombs dug tunnels that led to burial rooms for the ruler’s body and his treasures. These objects and the many paintings on the walls were designed to help the ruler in the next life.

Few things were as important to Egyptian rulers as preparing for their death while they were still alive. This meant building complex burial structures that could help guarantee they would live forever in the afterlife. Egyptians developed a detailed method of preserving dead bodies, called mummification.

They believed that a body had to be carefully prepared and stored to survive in the afterlife.

The most famous tomb in the valley belonged to the pharaoh Tutankhamun. He was not known for his activities as a ruler. Instead, he is famous for the treasures found in his tomb when it was discovered in 1920. Most other tombs in the area were robbed over the centuries. But this one was in perfect condition and has taught experts a great deal about Egyptian funeral traditions.

Also nearby is the village of Karnak. It was built to honor the gods of Thebes, a capital of Egypt in ancient times. For over fifteen hundred years different pharaohs built their own additions to the series of buildings at Karnak. The most striking room of the Karnak Temple is the Great Hypostyle Hall, which covers 6,000 square meters. It contains 134 huge stone columns. The columns were once brightly painted and held up a roof covering.

The pharaoh Amenhotep built the central area of the nearby temple of Luxor about 3,300 years ago. Other rulers also added to the building. At the entrance to the temple there is a long row of sphinx statues that once measured three kilometers long. These sphinx statues combine the body of a lion with the head of a human. Visiting this place at night is pure magic. As you walk along the rows of glowing sphinx statues, you feel like you have traveled back through time to a very ancient and extraordinary past.

(MUSIC)

Next week we continue our travels in the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo. This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus. To see pictures of Egypt, visit our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. The Egyptian Pharaoh was _____________________ .
a: elected every twenty years
b: only one voice in the ruling class of nobles
c: considered the earthly representation of a god
d: a dictator supported by a powerful army

2. The four statues guarding the entrance to Abu Simbel were all ________________ .
a: representations of Ramses the Second himself
b: representations of the gods
c: representations of different pharaohs
d: part human, part lion

3. Resulting from the building of the Aswan Dam were all except one of the following:
a: Abu Simbel had to be moved higher on the hill.
b: The tombs in The Valley of the Kings had to be protected.
c: 100,000 Nubians lost their homeland.
d: The fertility of nearby farmlands greatly increased.

4. All of the tombs in The Valley of the Kings were disturbed except the tomb of _______ .
a: Ramses the Second
b: Tutankhamun
c: Abdel Nasser
d: Ra-Horakhty

5. A medical tool not found on the wall carving at Kom Ombo is __________ .
a: scissors
b: two stones to sharpen cutters
c: a thermometer
d: a sponge

6. The ancient Egyptians believed that the dead body had to be carefully prepared and stored so that it could __________________ .
a: survive the ravages of weather patterns and earthquakes
b: survive in the afterlife
c: defend itself against the certainty of disturbance by robbers and plunderers
d: remain attractive to future archeologists

7. The 134 stone columms at the Temple of Karnak near Thebes was for the purpose of __________________ .
a: honoring the gods
b: honoring the many pharaohs who were buried at The Vally of the Kings
c: honoring the builders of the many temples in Karnak and Thebes
d: supporting a roof covering

8. There is a sound and light show at the Greco-Roman Temple at Philae. An Actor speaks to the Nile, calling it the father of life. The lines suggest that ______________ .
a: when the Nile rises, agriculture does very well
b: when the Nile retreats, agriculture does extremely well
c: when the Nile rises, the floods cause people to despair
d: when the Nile doesn't rise, the people are thankful

9. Another name for this article could be "_______________________ ."
a: The Valley of The Kings
b: A Trip Down the Nile is a Trip Back in Time
c: The Changes in Egypt Resulting from Alexander the Great's Conquest
d: The Friendly People Along the Nile River

10. This article is mainly about ________________________ .
a: the adventure of traveling down the Nile and learning about its history
b: reasons why Egyptians mummified their pharaohs
c: the only surviving monuments along the Nile River
d: the effects of building the Aswan Dam on the inhabitants of Egypt

The following clip is fascinating history of Egyptian Mythology which played a very important part in the burial customs, the statues, and buildings we just read and heard about from VOA.

"The Tallest Buildings in the World" from VOA

2011-09-03T21:48:00.001-07:00

BOB DOUGHTY: I’m Bob Doughty.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we look up into the skies to explore the past and present of the tallest buildings in the world. Skyscrapers were first built in the late nineteenth century. Engineers then probably would not believe the soaring heights of today’s tallest buildings.

Skyscrapers represent modernity, power, and the expanding boundaries of human invention and new technology.

(MUSIC)

"Home Insurance Building", Chicago, 1885

BOB DOUGHTY: Skyscrapers were invented in the United States. As early as the eighteen eighties, two new technical developments made these taller buildings possible. One development was the mechanical elevator. It meant that people would not have to climb many steps to reach the upper floors of tall buildings. The development of steel building technology also helped make taller buildings possible.

Many experts consider the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois to be the first skyscraper. Built in eighteen eighty-five and later expanded, this tower was about fifty-five meters tall.

STEVE EMBER: Today this would not be considered much of a skyscraper. But at the time, this height was striking. The structure was built using a steel frame. This frame was load-bearing, meaning that the steel skeleton would support the building’s weight, not its walls. Before this technology, a taller building required creating thicker stone walls to support its weight. Thick walls are extremely heavy, and allow less room for windows and light.

William Jenney was the engineer who helped build the Home Insurance Building. He realized the possibilities that steel frames could offer. Some people consider him the father of the skyscraper.

Soon after his building was finished, builders in Chicago and New York City began copying and improving on the idea of building up. Builders in these cities and others would also begin competing for the title of “tallest building.”

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: The Empire State Building in New York City is probably one of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. It held the title of tallest building for over forty years. It was completed in nineteen thirty-one and stands three hundred eighty-one meters tall.

The next building to hold the record no longer exists. One World Trade Center tower in New York City was completed in nineteen seventy-two. It measured four hundred seventeen meters. It was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, two thousand one.

Chicago’s Sears Tower is now called the Willis Tower. It became the world’s tallest building in nineteen seventy-four, at four hundred forty-two meters.

The next records for tallest buildings are in other countries. The two Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia measure four hundred fifty-two meters.

They were followed by the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan, which is five hundred eight meters tall.

STEVE EMBER: The most recent addition to this list is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This building measures eight hundred twenty-eight meters in height. It cost an estimated one and a half billion dollars to create. It contains space for apartments, offices, a restaurant, hotel and Muslim religious center. The building’s footprint is shaped like a “Y”, with three wings extending from its center. This design was influenced by the shape of a desert flower that grows in the area.The building’s Web site says that as many as twelve thousand people were working on the building at the same time.

The Burj Khalifa was built as a major attraction for travelers and business people. But the timing of its opening in January has been difficult. In December, Dubai entered a major debt crisis. And in February, the Burj Khalifa closed its observation deck, reportedly because of electrical problems.

(MUSIC)

BOB DOUGHTY: You might be wondering how the height of a building is officially measured. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat is in Chicago, Illinois. The group is supported by building designers and experts connected to the operation of tall buildings. The Council helps decide on the official heights of buildings. The Council also sets rules about what defines a building. For example, the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada is not included in the tallest building category because it is a communication tower. To be a building, half of a structure’s height must have usable floor space.

STEVE EMBER: Calculating building height was not a complex measurement in the late nineteenth century with early skyscrapers like the Home Insurance Building in Chicago. The Council explains on its Web site that early tall buildings were generally measured from the ground floor to the top of the building, not including flagpoles. By the nineteen thirties, some of the possible record-making skyscrapers were being designed with spires. Spires are the thin, pointy tops of buildings. These spires were considered an architectural part of the building, so their length was included in the building’s height measurement.

BOB DOUGHTY: Sometimes measurements can lead to debates and disputes. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat decided in nineteen ninety-six to include the height of the spires of the Petronas Towers. This led to its surpassing the height of the Sears Tower in Chicago by about ten meters. Many people felt this was unfair, because the Sears Tower’s tall antenna was not included in the official height measurement.

As a result, the Council now considers other height categories, such as highest occupied floor and highest antenna. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is not only the world’s tallest building architecturally. It is also the tallest building when measuring height to tip, and highest occupied floors. But this record will probably not last for long. Builders in Dubai and China have already started plans for surpassing the Burj Khalifa’s height.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: So far, we have discussed the reality of skyscrapers. But what would tall buildings look like if your imagination was the only limit? A building design magazine called eVolo has been published for about two years. A group of architecture students at Columbia University in New York started eVolo. The magazine also holds a yearly skyscraper competition for the best ideas for redefining the role of skyscrapers.

BOB DOUGHTY: Carlo Aiello is the editor of the magazine. He says that skyscrapers are clearly popular around the world because they provide a huge amount of shelter and use less land space. But he says they also act as representations of a country’s wealth and geopolitical power. He wanted the eVolo skyscraper competition to be less about the height of the buildings, and more about supporting environmental and community responsibility. The aim of the award is also to bring attention to the ideas of young designers.

STEVE EMBER: Judges for this contest studied how each design looks and how it uses new technologies and materials. This year there were four hundred thirty entries from forty-two countries. The judges chose three winners and gave special recognition to twenty-seven others.

First place went to a design for a skyscraper jail made by architecture students in Malaysia. Their aim was to create a prison city in the sky. It was designed to permit prisoners to live free and productive lives that would help people in the city below. The jail would contain fields and factories so that the prisoners could work to provide services to the larger community. The idea was to make it easier for prisoners to rejoin their communities after they served their jail sentences.

BOB DOUGHTY: Second place went to a team in Indonesia. They designed a large building that would clean a polluted river in Jakarta.

And, third place went to a team in the United States for their “Nested Skyscraper.” Built like a robot, this building can change, based on the conditions of the climate and city around it. The designers wanted to rethink the fixed and boxy skyscraper. Their building can bend, move, and change to be more useful in its setting in Tokyo, Japan.

These interesting buildings are helping to show what skyscrapers and our cities might look like in the future.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

BOB DOUGHTY: And I’m Bob Doughty. You can comment on this program on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. You can also see pictures of the winning eVolo skyscraper design. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Before the technology of steel frames, tall buildings required ______________ .
a: mechanical elevators
b: thicker walls
c: tall wooden posts
d: complicated architecture

2. The Empire State Building in New York is __________________ .
a: one of the most famous skyscrapers
b: the most difficult skyscraper to build
c: the first skyscraper
d: the tallest skyscraper

3. Spires are included in the measurement of a building's height _______________ .
a: if they contain usable floor space
b: if they are a certain thickness
c: because they are considered part of the building's architecture
d: because they are necessary for the building's safety

4. The world's tallest building today is located in _____________ .
a: New York, U.S.A.
b: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
c: Hong Kong, China.
d: Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

5. The first place winner for the eVolo skyscraper design competition was ______________ .
a: an insurance building
b: to be taller than Burj Khalifa
c: a jail
d: a building that would have mostly office space

6. One development that made very tall, modern buildings possible was ________________.
a: spiral staircases
b: fire extinguishers
c: restaurants on some floors
d: mechanical elevators

7. There weren't any skyscrapers before ___________________ .
a: 1900
b: the 1880s
c. World War One
d: the 1920s

8. One World Trade Center in New York City was never _______________ .
a: the tallest building in the world
b: rebuilt
c: the object of a terrorist attack
d: designed by an architect

9. Another name for this article could be "_________________ ."
a: Imaginary Skyscrapers
b: Buildings That Reach for the Sky
c: Tall Buildings Outside the U.S.
d: The Competition for Building Designs

10. This article is mainly about ___________________ .
a: the development of the skyscraper and its future
b: the competition held by eVolo magazine
c: methods for calculating building heights
d: Sears Tower's tall antenna

The architecture of the future, from the eVolo architecture competition. These are buildings your children might see in their lifetime.

Textile Art From Around The World - from Voice of America

2011-08-27T20:52:00.001-07:00

"Variations on T" by B.J. Adams, Textile Artist

VOICE ONE:

I'm Doug Johnson.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. At craft shows and corporate headquarters across the United States, you might see works by the artist B.J. Adams. She makes extremely detailed wall coverings that often show flowers, trees, and hands made from thread.

Her work "Variations on H" is made up of different colors of finely made hands connected together to form a flowing cloth. How did Ms Adams make this work? Today we answer this question as we explore the world of textile art.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

For thousands of years, people have developed creative ways to produce textiles. A textile is a piece of cloth that has been formed by weaving, knitting, pressing or knotting together individual pieces of fiber. Yarn is a general term for long pieces of interlocked fibers. Yarn can be made from natural materials such as cotton, linen, silk and wool. Or it can be made from manufactured materials such as nylon, acrylic and polyester. The paints that give color to yarn are called dyes.

Many people today might not think much about the shirt, pants, or socks they are wearing. Manufacturing cloth is now a very low cost process. But this was not always the case.

VOICE TWO:

Until the nineteenth century, all cloth was made by hand. It took a great deal of time and effort to gather fibers from plants or animals to make into yarn which could then be made into cloth. Humans probably first made textiles to meet important needs. These include textiles for keeping warm, creating shelter, and holding goods. But cultures around the world also developed methods of making cloth that were artistic, creative, and beautiful.

Weaving is one way to produce cloth. A set of threads called the warp form the base of the cloth. Other threads called the weft are placed over and under the warp. The device used to weave together warp and weft threads is called a loom. If you look down at a piece of fabric as though it were a map, the warp threads would go in a north-south direction. The weft goes in an east-west direction.

VOICE ONE:

A tapestry is a special kind of weaving method in which the weft does not go continuously through the whole width of the fabric. A weaver uses the weft threads to create individual areas of color. The designs and images on the surface of a tapestry are woven into the cloth as opposed to being only on the surface of the cloth.

Some famous examples of wall tapestries were produced in Europe, starting around the fourteenth century. These include the seven Unicorn Tapestries that are part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

These extraordinarily fine tapestries were made in the early sixteenth century. They were thought to have been designed in Paris and woven in Brussels, then part of the Netherlands. They are so detailed they look more like paintings than weavings. The textiles tell a story about a group of hunters and wealthy people searching for a magical creature. During this period, wealthy people used finely made tapestries to bring color and warmth to their large houses.

VOICE TWO:

Kilims are a kind of tapestry made across North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey and the Caucasus.

Kilims were often made by tribes that moved from place to place. Kilims were made to cover the floors of tents or to hold goods. In these nomadic cultures, women were usually the weavers. A mother would pass down weaving traditions to her daughter. Kilims are woven with many bright patterns and complex geometric forms. Each tribe or area has its own kilim traditions.

Another method for making floor coverings involves tying pieces of yarn onto the warp. Unlike kilims, these "pile" carpets are not flat, they are deep and soft because their surfaces are covered with the ends of thousands of pieces of yarn. These carpets are often called "Oriental" or "Persian" carpets. The National Gallery in Washington, D.C. has several fine examples of pile carpets from Iran. One red and gold carpet from the seventeenth century has complex patterns and animal designs.

VOICE ONE:

There are more methods for producing artistic textiles than we have time to discuss. For example, in the United States the tradition of making quilts has a long and rich history. Quilts are made by piecing together layers of cloth to make colorful coverings. The Amish religious group is well known for their inventive and bold quilt patterns.

There also many different ways to change the appearance of the surface of a textile. Embroidery work involves using colored yarn and a needle to create designs on the surface of cloth. One famous example of embroidery work is called the Bayeux Tapestry.

This eleventh century work is not actually a tapestry. It is a seventy meter long cloth covered in embroidery stitches.

The images sewn on the cloth tell about the events leading up to the Norman invasion of England in ten sixty-six. The work includes hundreds of soldiers, horses, boats, and weapons.

There are also many methods for coloring fabrics with dyes. In Indonesia, the batik method of dying fabric involves using wax to make complex patterns:

In Japan, the shibori method involves tying cloth in different ways so that some areas of it receive the dye:

What kind of textile traditions exist where you live?

Mayan Weaving

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

These textile traditions are ancient. Modern artists use these methods and others in creative and inventive ways to make new and exciting work. Artists who make art from textiles are often called fiber artists. We visited the studio of B.J. Adams in Washington, D.C. to see a fiber artist at work.

B. J. Adams uses a sewing machine and thread like a painter uses color. She guides the cloth she is working on so that the machine makes stitches and slowly colors the work. This is called free-motion embroidery.

B.J. ADAMS: "I started out with drawing and painting in school. And, I always made all my own clothes. And one time, in nineteen sixty, I started to see contemporary embroidery. And I'd never seen any embroidery except what the Girl Scouts show you. And it was so good and so interesting, I thought it was combining two things I love, art and sewing."

VOICE ONE:

Ms. Adams is always testing new ideas and methods. For example, she recently used heat transfers to copy images of paintings she made years ago onto cloth. Usually, she will cover the lines of her drawings using a straight stitch on her sewing machine. But for this series, she is experimenting with a zig-zag stitch that looks like a line made up of angles.

B.J. ADAMS: "I'm doing the whole thing in zig-zag. Just trying something new."

"Catching The Moment" - B.J. Adams

(SOUND)

VOICE TWO:

Many of her works are influenced by nature, trees, and flowers. Some have a dreamy, surreal look. Others are very realistic. One work shows a large embroidered white magnolia flower sewn onto a painted surface. It is so detailed that unless you look up close, you would think it was a painting.

B.J. ADAMS: "This is one from my drawings of the magnolia, which we have in our backyard. The magnolias die so quickly when you bring them in, so I had to draw it quickly before I started in on the stitching."

VOICE TWO:

Below the flower, Ms. Adams embroidered leaves in a range of colors to show how they change as they dry.

"Rebound"

B.J. ADAMS: "They started out this kind of dark jelly and then they go to yellow, green, and brown. It's called "Catching the Moment" because they die so quickly."

VOICE ONE:

Many works by B. J. Adams are abstract. This means there is no image, just an arrangement of forms and colors. One series is based on her time teaching in New Zealand. She used very dense stitches that are very close together to make flowing lines of bright colors.

B.J. ADAMS: "Now that one and this one are both results of bungee jumping in Queenstown. And that's called "Bungee Attitude" and that's called "Rebound."

VOICE TWO:

Other works are influenced by gallery shows that have a set theme.

B.J. ADAMS: "This one is "Variations on K", because this is the word kiss in every language, including sign language.

And it was made for a show that had the theme of kiss. And they required this size piece, so that was the one I created."

A detail of "Variation on H" by B.J. Adams

VOICE ONE:

Earlier, we discussed the work "Variations on H." It hangs on a window in her colorful studio. It is made up of about forty drawings of Ms. Adams' hands. She made each hand as an example to students while she was teaching a class on drawing using free-motion embroidery. She decided to piece together the hands into one work.

B.J. Adams sewed the drawings onto special fabric which melted away after she washed it. What is left is pure embroidery. This complex work honors the artist's most important tool, her hands. And, it gives a good example of the endless creative possibilities of fiber art.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Doug Johnson. You can see pictures of B. J. Adams' fiber art on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

Seasonal Spectrum

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Dyes are __________
2. All cloth was made by hand ______________
3. The tradition of quilt making originated in __________________ .
4. Tapestries in the Middle Ages _________________
5. ______________ is a famous contemporary fiber artist.
6. ______________ are tapestries made in the Middle East by nomadic tribes.
7. One eleventh century tapestry depicts ________________
8. Like a painter uses color, a fiber artist uses _____________
9. Another name for this article could be _____________
10. This article is mainly about ______________
Here are two videos about the Medieval tapestry, "The Lady and The Unicorn". They are beautifully produced with nice restful music and excellent camera work that shows the details of this fine textile art.

Yosemite National Park from VOA

2011-08-03T14:17:00.001-07:00

VOICE ONE:

This is Phoebe Zimmermann.

VOICE TWO:

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about one of the most famous national parks in the United States. You can find it high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western state of California. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its name is Yosemite.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Yosemite National Park is a place of extremes. It has high mountains. It has valleys formed by ancient ice that cut deep into the Earth millions of years ago. Water from high in the mountains falls in many places to the green valley far below. There are thirteen beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite Valley. One of these waterfalls, Yosemite Falls, is the fifth highest on Earth.

Up in the mountains are clear lakes, quick-moving small rivers, and huge formations of rock. One huge rock is called Half Dome. It rises more than two thousand seven hundred meters into the air.

Yosemite has a beautiful slow-moving river and large grassy areas where you can see wild animals. More than sixty kinds of animals live in the park. Deer are very common. You can see them almost everywhere. They have little fear of humans. You might even see a large black bear. You can also see two hundred different kinds of birds.

Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National ParkIn a place called the Mariposa Grove, visitors can see some of the largest, tallest and oldest living things on Earth. These are the giant Sequoia Trees. One of these trees is called Grizzly Giant. It is more than one thousand eight hundred years old. One tree is almost ninety meters tall. Another is more than ten meters around. The huge old trees can make you feel very, very small.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The story of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the area that is Yosemite National Park begins about five hundred million years ago. The area then was at the bottom of an ancient sea.

Scientists believe strong earthquakes forced the bottom of the sea to rise above the water. After millions of years, it was pushed up into the air to form land and mountains. At the same time, hot liquid rock from deep in the Earth pushed to the surface. This liquid rock slowly cooled. This cooling liquid formed a very hard rock known as granite.

Many centuries of rain caused huge rivers to move violently through this area. Over time, these rivers cut deep into the new mountains. During the great Ice Age, millions of tons of ice cut and shaped the cooled granite to form giant rocks. Millions of years later these would become the giant rocks called Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite Park.

VOICE ONE:

Humans have lived in the area of Yosemite for more than four thousand years. The first people who lived there were hunters. Most were members of a tribe of Native Americans called the Miwok. They lived in Yosemite Valley near the river.

During the extremely cold winters, these people would move to lower, warmer areas. They would return when the winter months had passed.

The first white Americans may have been hunters looking for fur animals. A famous American hunter and explorer named Joseph Walker passed through the area in the eighteen thirties. He reported about the huge rock formations and said there was no way to reach the valley below.

VOICE TWO:
Yosemite Valley
Citizens who had formed a military group were the first real modern explorers of the valley. They were at war with the local Indians and came into the valley. The white soldiers called the Indians Yosemites. The valley was named for the Indian tribe. Soon, reports of its great natural beauty were sent all the way back to Washington, D.C.

In eighteen sixty-four, a United States senator called for legislation to give the Yosemite Valley to the state of California as a public park. The legislation said the valley should be preserved and protected. President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill after Congress approved it.

This event was extremely important in the history of the United States. It was the first time that a government had approved a law to preserve and protect land because of its great beauty. The land was to be kept for the public to enjoy. Yosemite became the first state park. It was the first real park in the world. In eighteen ninety, it became a national park. The National Park Service is responsible for the park today. It is preserved and protected for all people to enjoy.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

No major roads lead to Yosemite National Park. Visitors must leave the highways and drive their cars over smaller roads. Yosemite is about three hundred twenty kilometers east of San Francisco.

It is deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The roads leading to the park pass over lower parts of the huge mountains. Then the road goes lower and lower into the area of the park called Yosemite Valley.

Visitors can stay in different kinds of places in Yosemite Park. Several beautiful old hotels have been built on the property. Some are very costly. Others cost less. Many people bring temporary cloth homes called tents. It costs only a few dollars a day to place a tent in the approved areas.

Visitors can walk through many areas in the beautiful valley and the mountains. These walking paths are called trails. The National Park Service has improved more than one thousand one hundred kilometers of trails. It is fun to explore these trails. Some take only a few minutes to walk. Others can take several days to complete.

VOICE TWO:
El Capitan
People come from all over the world to climb one of the huge rock formations at Yosemite. The most famous of these is called El Capitan. People who climb it call it "El Cap." Climbing El Cap is only for experts. This activity is called "hard rock climbing." It is extremely difficult and can be very dangerous.

A climber must have expert skill and great strength. The climb is straight up the face of a rock wall. Experts say it can take about three days to climb to the top of El Cap. The climbing is very slow.

Climbers must look for cracks in the rock. They place their hands and feet in the cracks and then work their way up. They also use ropes and special equipment. From the bottom of the valley to the top of El Cap is about one thousand one hundred meters.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In the summer months, Yosemite Park is filled with visitors. Large buses bring people from San Francisco to spend the day.

They leave San Francisco very early in the morning and arrive back late at night. They drive from one place to another to see Yosemite. Other visitors come by car.

Some even come by bicycle. Some visit for just a few hours. Others take several days or weeks to enjoy the park. Many visitors come to Yosemite again and again. About four million people visit the park every year.

VOICE TWO:

In the winter, heavy snow falls in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite. The snow usually begins to fall in the month of November. Heavy snow forces some of the roads into Yosemite to close during the winter months. The National Park Service works hard to keep most of the roads open.

Drivers must use special care because of ice and snow on the roads. They enjoy a special beauty never seen by the summer visitors. Many winter visitors come to Yosemite to spend their time skiing at Badger Pass. Badger ski area is the oldest in California. It has a ski school for those who want to learn the exciting sport.

Many visitors come to enjoy the park with its heavy coat of winter snow. In some areas the snow is many meters deep. Some of the tall mountains keep their snow until the last hot days of summer.

VOICE ONE:

Whenever visitors come to Yosemite, they experience great natural beauty. A visit to the park provides lasting memories of what nature has produced. Most people who come to Yosemite usually bring a camera. They take many of pictures of the huge rocks, the beautiful Yosemite Valley, the waterfalls and the giant trees.

But you do not really need a photograph to remember its great natural beauty. Yosemite will leave its image in your memory forever.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. Our studio engineer was David Bodington. This is Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.

1. Yosemite has many animals, but probably not __________

a. deer.
b. black bears.
c. sharks.
d. many species of bird.

2. The Grizzly Giant is a __________

a. ferocious animal.
b. a popular hotel.
c. a cartoon character.
d. a huge sequoia tree.

3. Yosemite became the first state park __________

a. in 1890.
b. three millon years ago.
c. in 1864.
d. after Abraham Lincoln died.

4. Yosemite can be found in __________

a. Northern Mexico.
b. The Rocky Mountains.
c. Washington State.
d. The High Sierras.

5. The Miwok __________

a. live in Yosemite today.
b. lived in Yosemite year round.
c. left Yosemite in the winter.
d. were conquered by the Yosemites.

6. Yosemite used to be __________

a. on the East Coast.
b. on the bottom of a sea.
c. further north.
d. near Los Angeles.

7. If you live in San Francisco, it's possible to see Yosemite and return to San Francisco in __________

a. one week.
b. one day.
c. three days.
d. three weeks.

8. The valleys in Yosemite were formed by __________

a. trucks with shovels.
b. earthquakes.
c. an ancient sea.
d. ice.

9. Another name for this selection could be __________ .

a. "The History of Yosemite"
b. "National Parks"
c. "Climbing Half Dome"
d. "Ancient Glaciers"

10. This story is mainly about __________

a. the animals that dwell in Yosemite.
b. the highest trees in the world.
c. a park enjoyed by millions.
d. a remote jungle in California.

Half Dome Trek:

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The Louvre Museum in Paris, France - from Voice of America

2011-07-11T09:56:00.001-07:00

STEVE EMBER: I’m Steve Ember.

BARBARA KLEIN: And I’m Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we travel to Paris, France, to visit one of the most famous and most visited art collections in the world. From the twelfth to the eighteenth century, the Louvre was the home of the ruling families of France. In seventeen ninety-three the Louvre became a national museum to house the country’s treasures. The thirty-five thousand works of art in the museum represent thousands of years of human culture and come from all over the world.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: One of the most striking ways to begin a visit to the Louvre Museum is to start in its central courtyard. This is an area where past and present building traditions meet. On three sides, you are surrounded by the museum’s carved stone walls.

In the center of the courtyard, there is a huge glass and steel pyramid surrounded by water fountains and smaller pyramids. This modern addition was designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. You can enter the glass building and walk downstairs to an underground visitors center.

(SOUND)

BARBARA KLEIN: The next decision is which area of the huge museum to explore first. It would take days to fully explore the museum. So we will have to settle for a few favorite works. We will explore works from the three parts of the Louvre -- the Denon, Richelieu, and Sully wings.

First, we stop to see one of the most famous sculptures in the world. It is called the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This sculpture takes the form of a woman with wings. But this is not just any woman. This is the Greek goddess of victory. She is standing on the front of a ship facing the strong island winds. The artist carved her flowing clothing with such detail it is hard to believe she is made of stone. Experts believe this statue was made by the people of Rhodes about two thousand two hundred years ago as a religious offering to honor a naval victory.

STEVE EMBER: Nearby, there is another famous Greek statue of a woman. The Venus de Milo was made about a hundred years after Winged Victory. This marble statue is widely believed to be the goddess of love and beauty. The work was named after the island of Melos where the statue was discovered in eighteen twenty. This Venus wears nothing but a cloth draped over her curving waist and legs. She is easy to identify because she is missing both arms. The statue is somewhat mysterious. Experts still do not know what identifying objects those arms might have once held.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Visitors to the Louvre can watch the evolution of Renaissance art by looking at several hundreds of years of Italian paintings. The Italian artist Giotto painted “St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata” in thirteen hundred. Giotto painted St. Francis in a way that shows his very human emotions as he goes through an intense religious experience. Giotto explored how to represent three dimensional space using light and shade. His methods influenced later generations of artists.

STEVE EMBER: The artist Fra Angelico painted “The Coronation of the Virgin” about one hundred and thirty years later. It was made for the central area of a religious center. The painting shows Jesus crowning his mother, Mary. To help express the wonder of this moment, Fra Angelico filled the work with light and gold.

Other paintings show important political leaders and events. For example, Paolo Uccello’s fifteenth century work, “The Battle of San Romano,” shows the intensity of war.

BARBARA KLEIN: It is hard to miss the crowds of people always gathering in one room on this floor. They have come to see what is arguably the most famous painting in the world. It is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Created around fifteen oh three, this is a painting of an Italian woman named Lisa Gherardini. She was the wife of a businessman from Florence named Francesco del Giocondo. It is from him that the painting takes its other name, “La Gioconda.” The woman is sitting in a chair, looking directly at the painter. Behind her is a dreamy landscape. Experts still do not know much about this woman and her famous smile. They do not know why da Vinci painted it, or how it ended up in the collection of French ruler Francis the First. But the painting’s realism and mystery have captured the attention of viewers for centuries.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: For a lesson in French history, we turn to the seventeenth century Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens. The queen of France, Marie de Medici, hired him to create a series of twenty-four paintings. These huge and colorful paintings make a political statement about her rise to power.

“The Lacemaker” by Johannes Vermeer provides a more peaceful and personal example of Dutch art. Painted around sixteen sixty-nine, this small work shows a woman quietly at work making lace. The artist’s method of capturing the effects of light is masterful.

BARBARA KLEIN: We cannot visit a French museum without exploring examples of French art. First, we catch someone lying. Georges de la Tour painted the emotionally expressive “The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds” in sixteen thirty-five. It shows four people playing cards, and one person is not playing fairly.

We move on to several paintings from the nineteenth century period known as Romanticism. “Liberty Leading the People” is an important work by Eugene Delacroix.

This huge painting shows the artist’s representation of a political uprising in Paris in eighteen thirty. Liberty takes the form of a strong woman holding the French flag. She is guiding the French people to fight. There are dead bodies, smoke, and the buildings of Paris in the distance.

STEVE EMBER: “The Raft of the Medusa,” painted in eighteen nineteen, is an emotional work by Theodore Gericault. The subject is based on real events. The painting shows a group of sailors struggling to survive on a floating raft after the sinking of their ship, the Medusa.

They are wildly motioning to a ship in the distance. But they seem to know that death will soon mark their future. This work was disputed at the time. Many people believed art should only show beautiful subjects. But others praised the work for its political message and modernity.

BARBARA KLEIN: Jean-Auguste Dominique Ingres’ painting “La Grande Odalisque” shows a beautiful woman wearing no clothes. She has turned her long curving back to the viewer. She looks over her shoulder in a sensual way.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: We continue our visit to the Louvre with the huge collection of art from ancient Egypt, Persia and the Middle East.

“The Great Sphinx of Tanis” from ancient Egypt dates back over four thousand six hundred years. This stone statue has the body of a lion and the head of an Egyptian ruler. It expresses a sense of permanence and solidity.

Another famous ancient piece is the “Law Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon.” It is almost four thousand years old. This piece of basalt rock has been cut with words in the Akkadian language. It is one of the oldest collections of laws in human history.

BARBARA KLEIN: Two four-meter-tall sculptures stand guard on either side of a door. They are winged bulls with human heads. The sculptures are over two thousand years old. They came from a home built by the Assyrian ruler Sargon the Second in modern day Iraq.

The Louvre’s rich collection of Islamic art will soon have a new home. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia donated twenty million dollars to build a new exhibit area within the Louvre. It is expected to open in two thousand twelve.

STEVE EMBER: For the most part, the Louvre museum’s collection does not extend past works made in the mid-nineteenth century. But the Louvre recently made a special exception.

The American artist Cy Twombly is one of only three modern artists who have been asked to make a permanent piece of art for the Louvre. His work covers over three hundred fifty square meters of ceiling in a room that contains treasures from ancient Greece. The painting is like a bright blue sky with floating circular shapes on its edges.

Mr. Twombly wrote the name of ancient Greek artists in Greek letters. His aim was to honor the skillful work of ancient Greek sculptors. His painting and the Louvre Museum show the importance of celebrating art’s past and its present.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Barbara Klein.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. You can see pictures of some of these works of art at our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

"Woody Guthrie and the Dust Bowl Refugees" from VOA

2011-06-19T07:33:00.001-07:00

MARY TILLOTSON: I’m Mary Tillotson.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today, we begin a two-part story about songwriter and singer Woody Guthrie. He wrote songs about common people and social issues in the nineteen thirties. His music influenced many people.

(MUSIC)

MARY TILLOTSON: Imagine you are in America in the nineteen thirties. A train passes through the countryside. It is night time. And the only sound that can be heard is the long, lonely whistle coming from the train’s engine. Inside the train’s boxcars are groups of men sitting or lying on the floors. The men are dirty and their clothing is torn. In one boxcar, a short man with long, curly brown hair is playing a guitar and singing. His name is Woody Guthrie. He is singing a song about men who look for work as they travel from town to town.

(MUSIC - "I AIN’T GOT NO HOME")

STEVE EMBER: Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was born in nineteen twelve in the American state of Oklahoma. The Guthrie family lived in a small farming town called Okemah. Woody’s father, Charles, was a businessman who bought and sold land. Woody’s mother, Nora, was a school teacher. She also liked to play the piano and sing. When Woody was young, his mother sang him songs she had learned as a girl. These songs told stories about love and death and difficult times.

MARY TILLOTSON: Woody’s early years were happy ones. But his life began to change when he was only ten years old. One day, his sister, Clara, spilled oil on her dress and accidentally set herself on fire. She died the next day. Woody never forgot her death.

As time passed, Woody’s mother began acting strangely. She lost control over her actions and speech. Many people thought she was insane. Because of this, the Guthrie family became more private as they attempted to hide Nora’s problems.

The loss of his daughter and his wife’s suffering ruined Charles Guthrie. He began drinking alcohol. His business soon failed. The Guthrie family left Okemah and lived in several towns in Oklahoma and Texas. Young Woody often had to work instead of attending school because his family was poor.

STEVE EMBER: The first musical instrument Woody learned to play was the harmonica. He learned to play the harmonica by watching an old man play the instrument. Woody learned how to play the guitar by watching his father’s brother play. In the nineteen twenties, Woody was living in the town of Pampa, Texas. Pampa was known as a “boom town” because it had grown quickly after oil was discovered nearby.

On weekends, Woody joined other young men to play music at dances in the town. Years later, Woody described what singing meant to him:

“When you sing a song, it reaches out and enters people’s ears. It makes them jump up and down, and sing it with you. The best part about singing is that you can sing what you think. You can tell all kinds of stories in a song, and put your ideas across to another person.”

MARY TILLOTSON: Woody liked to communicate with other people through his music. Yet he did not like to say much about himself. One reason for this was that he did not want people to know that his mother was in a hospital for insane people. Nora Guthrie suffered from a disease that destroys the brain and nervous system. He was seventeen years old when his mother died, in nineteen twenty-nine. That was the year when the economy of the United States began to slow down. Over the next several years, many Americans lost their jobs. The period became known as the Great Depression.

In Pampa, the oil fields dried up. Farms in many areas failed because little or no rain fell for several years. The land became so dry that wind easily blew away the top soil. These areas of Texas, Oklahoma and other states became known as the Dust Bowl.

STEVE EMBER: Like many other people, Woody Guthrie left Pampa to travel around Texas and the Southwest looking for work. He often made trips by train. But because he had no money, he would jump on the train’s boxcars and ride for free. This was often dangerous, because guards on the train would throw the men off or arrest them. However, Woody found this life exciting. One of the first songs he wrote was about leaving home and fleeing the Dust Bowl.

(MUSIC - "IT’S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YOU")

MARY TILLOTSON: Woody Guthrie married Mary Jennings in nineteen thirty-three. They had three children. Three years later, Woody left his family and traveled to California. He met many kinds of people during his travels. He also learned songs from many different parts of the country. Yet what affected him most was the suffering he saw. He said: “When I saw hard-working people suffering under debts, sickness and worries, I knew there was plenty to make up songs about.”

STEVE EMBER: In California, Woody earned money by playing his guitar and singing. Later, he began performing on a radio program with a friend, Maxine Crissman. She was called Lefty Lou. They had one of the most popular radio programs in Los Angeles. They sang songs Woody had written about social issues. His best songs were about the troubles Americans faced during the Depression. This song is about the dangers of coal mining. It is called “The Dying Miner.”

(MUSIC - "THE DYING MINER")

MARY TILLOTSON: In nineteen thirty-eight, Woody Guthrie left the radio program to travel around California. He found that conditions had become worse for many people who had lost their land and fled the Dust Bowl.

Most of these “Dust Bowl refugees” could only find seasonal farm work like gathering fruit from trees. Farm owners did not pay these workers much money. The workers lived in camps that were often dirty and had no running water. Hunger and sickness were widespread. The people in the camps seemed to have lost all hope of improving their lives. Woody wrote a song about them called “Dust Bowl Refugees.”

(MUSIC - "DUST BOWL REFUGEES")

STEVE EMBER: The oppression and bad conditions in the workers’ camps made Woody Guthrie angry. He began helping labor organizers establish unions to help the workers. Next week, we tell about how he traveled to New York City and became a well-known musician.

(MUSIC - "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND")

MARY TILLOTSON: This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Paul Thompson. I’m Mary Tillotson.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.

The story of Woody Guthrie, Part Two

"An Amazing Collection of Orchids" from VOA

2011-06-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

BARBARA KLEIN: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I’m Barbara Klein.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Today we tell about the beauty and science of orchids, some of nature’s most interesting flowers.

BARBARA KLEIN: Many people think of orchids as beautiful, sweet smelling, costly flowers that grow in hot tropical forests. But that is not the whole story of orchids. Some of the plants are found above the Arctic Circle. Some have an unpleasant smell. Not every species is lovely. And if you want to buy an orchid, it will cost a lot less than it once did.

Orchids are among the most common plant groups in the world. But some orchids that grow naturally are in danger of disappearing from Earth. At the same time, orchids produced in factories have become an important greenhouse crop.

Orchid industry sales are especially important to places like the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. People enjoy orchids as decorative plants and cut flowers.

STEVE EMBER: Orchids come in all shapes, sizes, designs, colors and color combinations. The flowers may be tiny or large. But most have some common characteristics. The sepals of an orchid form the outside of the bud before the flower opens. There also are two regular petals. The third petal is the lip. Orchids share this structure with lilies and irises.

For reproduction, orchid flowers have male and female parts joined into one structure. The structure is called the column. The column is the most important quality that identifies the orchid family.

Not all orchids grow from the ground. Some are “air plants” that grow on trees. Unlike parasites, however, they do not rob the trees of nutrition.

BARBARA KLEIN: Visitors are currently learning about orchids at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. America’s plant museum and the Horticultural Services Division of the Smithsonian Institution are presenting the show “Orchids: A Cultural Odyssey.”

Among the many visitors, Tonya Johnson came to the exhibit with young children from the Shabach Christian Academy in Landover, Maryland. She helped the children make discoveries about orchids.

STEVE EMBER: Live orchids form a rainbow of colors in the Botanic Garden’s conservatory building. Orchid plants are blooming out of pots, climbing on trees or overflowing from baskets among the garden’s permanent collection.

The world has an estimated twenty-five thousand kinds of orchids. A big blue globe near the opening of the exhibit shows places where orchids grow. The number of species in an area is written near its name.

For example, Costa Rica has one thousand five hundred species. The United States has seventy. The far northern nation of Greenland has four.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Signs and overhanging banners help tell the stories of the plants on exhibit. Some of the orchids look like insects – butterflies, bees or spiders. Others look like stars, cups or lighted fireworks.

A colorful figure of a dragon with big teeth attracts attention to information about orchids in Sri Lanka. Orchids play an important part in special events in that country and on that country’s money. One banner shows the flowers on Sri Lanka’s one-hundred rupee note. Another banner shows delicate orchids on a five-dollar note from Singapore.

STEVE EMBER: Many visitors to the exhibit say they recognize some common orchid plants. The Cattleya, for example, gets a lot of attention. The flower is sometimes called the corsage orchid. People wear the cut flower on clothing to celebrate special events like birthdays or Mother’s Day. There are many species of Cattleya. Most come from the treetops in wet tropical forests in Central and South America. They need warm temperatures to grow well.

BARBARA KLEIN: The Cattleya probably owes its existence to William Cattley, a British botanist. In eighteen eighteen, Cattley saved the orchid plant from being thrown away. At the time, the plant was used as packing material that protected other orchid plants arriving from Brazil. Cattley succeeded in getting the unknown plant to flower. Later another botanist named it the Cattleya in his honor.

People often describe the deep color of the Cattleya lip as “showy.” But this part of the flower provides more than beautiful appearance. It serves as a landing area for bees and other insects that spread pollen to the plant. The colors and design of the lip help attract the insects.

STEVE EMBER: The nun’s orchid has an interesting name and shape. Not surprisingly, the flower looks like the head covering worn by some female Catholic religious workers. The nun’s orchid came first from China. It reached the United States in the eighteenth century. The flowers can be big, up to almost thirteen centimeters across. Some are brown with a lip that looks purple. Other possible color designs include yellows, reds and browns.

The vanilla orchid also has an interesting form. The fruit is inside the seedpods of its thick leaves. The leaves grow on tree trunks. Extract of vanilla provides a spice used in foods. The tiny dark dots in vanilla ice cream are from the seedpods of the vanilla orchid. The orchid grows in the rain forests of Mexico. It also grows in Madagascar, South America, Central America and warm areas of Asia and Africa.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: It is illegal to collect orchids growing in nature. But poachers often do so. And orchids reproduce with difficulty. They depend on birds, bees or insects to spread their pollen to another orchid flower.

Some orchids trick their pollinators. Such plants produce a smell that attracts pollinators not normally attracted to them. Other orchids trick male flies by making themselves look like female flies. Still others temporarily trap a pollinator. The action forces the insects to touch the orchid pollen. They pick it up on their bodies and carry it to another flower. Once the second flower is fertilized, seeds begin to form.

Orchid seeds grow slowly. Sometimes they take months to develop inside the seedpods. The very small seedpods contain as many as three thousand seeds. The seeds float in the air when the pods break open. But they do not begin growing just anywhere.

STEVE EMBER: The seeds need to be near what is called a mycorrhizal fungus. The seeds lack nutrients, and the fungus feeds them. But the fungus is rare, and some of its habitats are threatened.

Human development or natural disasters can change that environment. The orchids cannot reproduce if birds and insects are no longer living in the area. He says loss of forests and climate change are part of the problem.

Mister Mirenda also says very little money is available to help orchid conservation. He says financing is seriously endangered, like the orchids themselves.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: Today, science and technology can produce orchids in large numbers in greenhouse settings. In nineteen seventeen, Cornell University scientist Lewis Knudsen found that under certain conditions, the fungus was not needed. He discovered that seeds or spores could grow if the seed could develop in a special preparation. The preparation had a sugar base and was similar to gelatin, a food product. The method was put into use a few years later in greenhouses.

Seed germination in sterile nutrients is now a common way to reproduce orchids.

STEVE EMBER: Mericloning also is a common modern method. The process calls for culturing from the merismatic tissue on a plant. Active growth takes place in that area. In the process, a small piece of tissue is taken from a high quality orchid. The tissue is made into tiny pieces and grown in a laboratory. Many exact copies of the orchid are produced. Whether grown naturally or through technology, people who love orchids say they are the most beautiful flowers on Earth.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN: This program was written by Jerilyn Watson . Our producer was Brianna Blake. I’m Barbara Klein.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. You can comment on this story and other programs. You can share your thoughts and read what other people are saying. You can also find transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and captioned videos. Join us again next week for another program about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

"Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Scientist, Innovator" from VOA.

2011-05-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

"The Last Supper" Leonardo Da Vinci, 1498

STEVE EMBER: I’m Steve Ember.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Shirley Griffith with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about one of the greatest thinkers in the world, Leonardo da Vinci. He began his career as an artist. But his interest in the world around him drove him to study music, math, science, engineering and building design. Many of his ideas and inventions were centuries ahead of his time.

(MUSIC)

Detail from the drawing "Vitruvian Man"
STEVE EMBER: We start with one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous drawings, called “Vitruvian Man.” This work is a good example of his ever questioning mind, and his effort to bring together art, math and science. “Vitruvian Man” is a detailed sketch of a man’s body, which is drawn at the center of a square and circle. The man’s stretched arms and legs are in two positions, showing the range of his motion. His arms and legs touch the edges of the square and circle.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: With this drawing Leonardo was considering the size of the human body and its relationship to geometry and the writings of the ancient Roman building designer Vitruvius.

Leonardo wrote this about how to develop a complete mind: “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

STEVE EMBER: Leonardo da Vinci spent his life studying and observing in order to develop a scientific understanding of the world. He wrote down his thoughts and project ideas in a series of small notebooks. He made drawings and explained them with detailed notes. In these notebooks, he would write the words backwards. Some experts say he wrote this way because he wished to be secretive about his findings. But others say he wrote this way because he was left-handed and writing backwards was easier and helped keep the ink from smearing.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The notebooks show many very modern ideas. Leonardo designed weapons, machines, engines, robots, and many other kinds of engineering devices. When disease spread in Milan, Leonardo designed a city that would help resist the spread of infection. He designed devices to help people climb walls, and devices to help people fly. He designed early versions of modern machines such as the tank and helicopter. Few of these designs were built during his lifetime. But they show his extraordinarily forward- thinking mind.

The notebooks also contain details about his daily life. These have helped historians learn more about the personal side of this great thinker.

(MUSIC)

Vinci, Italy today.
STEVE EMBER: Very little is known about Leonardo’s early life. He was born in fourteen fifty-two in the town of Vinci. His father, Ser Piero da Vinci, was a legal expert. Experts do not know for sure about his mother, Caterina. But they do know that Leonardo’s parents were never married to each other. As a boy, Leonardo showed a great interest in drawing, sculpting and observing nature.

However, because Leonardo was born to parents who were not married to each other, he was barred from some studies and professions. He trained as an artist after moving to Florence with his father in the fourteen sixties.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: It was an exciting time to be in Florence, one of the cultural capitals of Europe. Leonardo trained with one of the city’s very successful artists, Andrea del Verrocchio. He was a painter, sculptor and gold worker. Verrocchio told his students that they needed to understand the body’s bones and muscles when drawing people.

Leonardo took his teacher’s advice very seriously. He spent several periods of his life studying the human body by taking apart and examining dead bodies. Experts say his later drawings of the organs and systems of the human body are still unequalled to this day.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: While training as an artist, Leonardo also learned about and improved on relatively new painting methods at the time. One was the use of perspective to show depth. A method called “sfumato” helped to create a cloudy effect to suggest distance. “Chiaroscuro” is a method using light and shade as a painterly effect. The artist also used oil paints instead of the traditional tempura paints used in Italy during this period.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Leonardo’s first known portrait now hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. He made this painting of a young woman named Ginevra de’Benci around fourteen seventy-four. The woman has a pale face with dark hair. In the distance, Leonardo painted the Italian countryside.

He soon received attention for his extraordinary artistic skills. Around fourteen seventy-five he was asked to draw an angel in Verrocchio’s painting “Baptism of Christ.” One story says that when Verrocchio saw Leonardo’s addition to the painting, he was so amazed by his student’s skill, that he said he would never paint again.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: Leonardo once said the following about actively using one’s mental abilities: “Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” His mind was so active that he did not often finish his many projects.

One religious painting he never finished was called “Adoration of the Magi”. He was hired to make the painting for a religious center. The complex drawing he made to prepare for the painting is very special. It shows how carefully he planned his art works. It shows his deep knowledge of geometry, volume and depth. He drew the many people in the painting without clothes so that he could make sure that their bodies would be physically correct once covered.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Around fourteen eighty-two, Leonardo moved to Milan. There, he worked for the city’s ruler, Ludovico Sforza. This ruler invited Leonardo to Milan not as an artist, but as a musician. Historians say Leonardo was one of the most skillful lyre players in all of Italy. But he also continued his work as a painter. He also designed everything from festivals to weapons and a sculpture for Ludovico Sforza.

STEVE EMBER: One famous work from Leonardo’s Milan period is called “Virgin of the Rocks.” It shows Jesus as a baby along with his mother, Mary, and John the Baptist also as a baby. They are sitting outside in an unusual environment. Leonardo used his careful observations of nature to paint many kinds of plants. In the background are a series of severe rock formations. This painting helped Leonardo make it clear to the ruler and people of Milan that he was a very inventive and skillful artist.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Leonardo later made his famous painting “The Last Supper” for the dining room of a religious center in Milan. He combined his studies in light, math, psychology, geometry and anatomy for this special work. He designed the painting to look like it was part of the room. The painting shows a story from the Bible in which Jesus eats a meal with his followers for the last time. Jesus announces that one of them will betray him.

The work received wide praise and many artists tried to copy its beauty. One modern art expert described Leonardo’s “Last Supper” as the foundation of western art. Unfortunately, Leonardo experimented with a new painting method for this work. The paint has suffered extreme damage over the centuries.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: In addition to the portrait of Ginevra de’Benci that we talked about earlier, Leonardo also painted several other non-religious paintings of women. One painting of Cecilia Gallerani has come to be known as “Lady with an Ermine” because of the small white animal she is holding. This woman was the lover of Milan’s ruler, Ludovico Sforza.

However, Leonardo’s most famous portrait of a woman is called the “Mona Lisa.” It is now in the collection of the Louvre museum in Paris. He painted this image of Lisa Gherardini starting around fifteen-oh-three. She was the wife of a wealthy businessman from Florence named Francesco del Giocondo. It is from him that the painting takes its Italian name, “La Gioconda.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Lisa Gherardini is sitting down with her hands crossed in her lap. She looks directly at the painter. She seems to be smiling ever so slightly. A great deal of mystery surrounds the painting. Experts are not sure about how or why Leonardo came to paint the work. But they do know that he never gave it to the Giocondo family. He kept the painting with him for the rest of his life, during his travels through France and Italy.

Leonardo da Vinci died in France in fifteen nineteen. A friend who was with him at his death said this of the great man’s life: “May God Almighty grant him eternal peace. Every one laments the loss of a man, whose like Nature cannot produce a second time.”

STEVE EMBER: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Shirley Griffith. You can see some of Leonardo da Vinci’s work at our website voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. The painting of "The Last Supper" was damaged because _____________ .

2.There is no evidence that Leonardo da Vinci studied _____________ .
a.architecture
b.archeology
c.music
d.mathematics

3. Leonardo da Vinci teaches us that we can develop a complete mind by _____________ .
a.studying mathematics
b.learning the English language
c.learning how to see, and by realizing that everything is connected
d.devoting yourself to art such as painting and sculpture

4. "The Virgin of the Rocks" shows the Virgin Mary with two infants. One is Jesus, the other is _____________ .
a.Leonardo himself
b.Mona Lisa's baby
c.John the Baptist
d.Ludovico Sforza

5. "The Mona Lisa" is presently __________________.
a.located in The Louvre in Paris, France
b.in a private collection in Milan, Italy
c.at the Vatican Museum
d.in different museums in the United States because it is part of a collection that is on a tour

6. In painting, a method of using light and shadow is called "__________".
a.perspective
b.chiaroscuro
c.abstract expressionism
d.sfumato

7. In one drawing, Leonardo shows the relationships of a man's movement to geometry. That drawing is "__________".
a.The Last Supper
b.The Virgin of the Rocks
c.The Vitruvian Man
d.The Baptism of Christ

8. Leonardo once said, "Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction _____________."
a.sap the vigor of the mind
b.make you a better artist
c.help you to relax after working hard
d.cause a drought in the country

9. Another name for this article could be "_______________".
a.the creation of 'The Last Supper'
b.The Life of a Renaissance Genius
c.Painting Methods During the Renaissance
d.How Renaissance Painters Survived by Gaining Patronage

10. This article is mainly about _______________.
a.a great Renaissance painter who still inspires artists, students, and thinkers today
b.the vast number of paintings created by Leonardo da Vinci
c.why Leonardo da Vinci became a scientist and a mathematician
d.the religious themes in the art of Leonardo da Vinci

"The San Francisco Maritime Museum" from Voice of America

2011-05-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is Gwen Outen. And this is Bob Doughty with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Today we tell about the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This unusual national park celebrates the great harbor of San Francisco, California. It also celebrates the men and women who sailed the ships that made this harbor famous.

(MUSIC)

Our story begins long ago in October, 1769. A group of Spanish explorers have come north from Mexico. They are moving slowly up the coast of the territory of California. The governor of California, Gaspar de Portola, leads the group.

The men and horses are tired. It has been a long trip. Governor de Portola decides to rest for a few days. But he still wants to explore the area. He orders a young man to take some soldiers and search to the north for a few kilometers. The young man is Jose Francisco Ortega.

On the morning of November second, 1769, Ortega leads his small group of soldiers up a hill. What they see from the top of the hill makes them stop. There, below them, is a body of water. They are looking at a huge bay. Its waters seem to stretch for many kilometers to the north, south and east. The waters are very calm.

When the small group of soldiers reports to Governor de Portola, they are excited. They tell him of a huge natural harbor. A Spanish religious worker reports the harbor is so large it could hold all of the ships of Europe.

Six years after the huge bay was discovered, the Spanish ship San Carlos is sailing north along the coast of California. Juan Manuel de Ayala commands the ship. As the little ship sails along the coast, one of the crew reports to de Ayala. He says there is a huge opening in the landmass several kilometers wide.

De Ayala orders the San Carlos to sail carefully into the opening. A crew member reports the water in the opening is more than 120 meters deep. Slowly the little ship enters the huge natural harbor.

For more than a month, de Ayala and his crew will sail their little ship around the huge bay. They make maps and study the area. They discover the bay is more than 80 kilometers long and from three to 19 kilometers wide. On September 18, 1775, the San Carlos leaves the great bay. The San Carlos was the first ship to enter what would become San Francisco Bay.

(MUSIC)

The Spanish exploration was the beginning of the history of San Francisco harbor. That long history is celebrated at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

The park’s main visitor center and museum is only a few hundred meters from the waters of the great harbor. The main building and the surrounding area are part of the history of the city and its link with the Pacific Ocean. It is a memorial to the great ships and those who sailed them.

The Maritime National Park was designed to tell the story of the huge harbor. It also tells of the importance of the bay to the city of San Francisco, the state of California and the United States.

The visitor center holds many objects linked to the past of the great harbor. There are small ships, ship equipment, and hundreds of beautiful old photographs. Many of the photographs from about 1849 show thousands of sailing ships surrounding the city of San Francisco. This is when gold was discovered in California. Thousands of people came looking for gold and wealth.

Many visitors also stop to look at a large painting of a huge sailing ship. The painting shows the ship fighting against an angry ocean. Blue and green waters break against the side of the ship. Men high up in the ship’s masts are trying to control the sails. It is a painting of a ship named the "Balclutha." The ship was built in Scotland in 1886.

Visitors learn that the Balclutha fought storms around the tip of South America on its first trip. It reached the harbor of San Francisco after one 140 days at sea. It carried a cargo of coal from Britain.

Visitors who look at the painting can go out the front door of the visitor center and see the real Balclutha. The Balclutha is the largest of almost 100 ships and boats that are part of the Maritime National Park.

People walking near Fisherman’s Wharf often do not believe their eyes when they first see the Balclutha. Almost everyone stops and looks at the huge ship. Many people take photographs.

The Balclutha is more than 91 meters long. The three tall masts that once carried its sails reach 44 meters into the sky. It seems to be an object from the past that has arrived in modern San Francisco.

The great ship looks almost new. Several years ago, more than one million dollars was spent to repair and paint the Balclutha. Now, more than 200,000 people a year visit the ship. The visitors learn how the Balclutha once traveled the world carrying cargo. They can see a photograph of the first crew of the Balclutha. That crew sailed it into San Francisco harbor with a cargo of coal more than 100 years ago.

(MUSIC)

The Balclutha is perhaps the most popular ship with visitors to the Maritime Park. However they can also visit several others ships. These are also very important to the history of the great harbor. But not all of these ships are open to the public. One that is open is a small steam-powered workboat that was built in 1907.

This small boat is named the Hercules. The Hercules is a tugboat. Until 1924 it pulled ships around the harbor. It pulled huge amounts of wood from trees from the city of Seattle, Washington in the north all the way to Panama. And it moved cargo from place to place within San Francisco harbor.

Another boat popular with visitors is the Eureka. It was built in 1890. It is the largest wooden ship still floating today. The Eureka was a ferryboat. It carried people and cars across San Francisco bay. It did this until the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oakland Bay Bridge were built.

The C.A. Thayer is another sailing ship. It was built in 1895. It carried wood from trees along the Pacific Coast from the state of Washington to California. Later it was used as a fishing boat. It is one of only two West Coast lumber ships in existence. A few years ago, it was badly in need of repair. The park decided to rebuild the ship using traditional materials

The work began in 2003. The C.A. Thayer returned to its home in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in April 2007. The superintendent of the park, Kate Richardson, said the project "preserved an important piece of history and culture."

A much smaller sailing ship is called the Alma. Sailors called this kind of ship a scow. It usually had only two crew members and perhaps a boy who was learning how to work on a boat. The Alma was the kind of small ship used during the California Gold Rush. It delivered cargo across the great harbor and up rivers. Ships like the Alma carried almost everything -- bricks, salt, lumber, grain, food. The little ships could carry as much cargo as a large modern truck.

(MUSIC)

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park also has a very unusual looking museum. It is a large building that almost looks like a ship. The museum is filled with interesting equipment. One room has been made to look like a ship’s radio room

Radio operators show visitors how the equipment was used.

One of the most interesting objects in the museum is a small sailboat only large enough for one person. It is only five-and-one-half meters long. The little boat is named Mermaid. In 1962, Japanese sailor Kenichi Horie sailed the Mermaid alone across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco. No one had ever done such a thing before.

From the top of the building, visitors can watch the ships of the world sail in and out of the great harbor. Visitors to the San Francisco Maritime National Park learn that the history of the harbor is important to the past. And the work of San Francisco harbor continues into the future.

(MUSIC)

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. This is Bob Doughty. And this is Gwen Outen. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSON CHECK

1. Kenichi Horie sailed the __________ from Japan to San Francisco Bay.

2. The largest and most popular ship on display at the Maritime Museum and Park is the __________ .

a. C. A. Thayer
b. Balclutha
c. Santa Maria
d. Titanic

3. Many ships crowded San Francisco Bay during the __________ .

a. Bicentennial Celebration
b. Independence Day celebration
c. Gold Rush
d. 1929 Stock Market Crash

4. Explorers on an expedition led by _____________ were the first Europeans to see San Francisco Bay.

a. Arnold Schwarzenegger
b. C.A. Thayer
c. Juan Manuel de Ayala
d. Gaspar de Portola

5. It is not true that the C. G. Thayer was __________ .

a. restored using traditional materials
b. a fishing boat
c. a cruise ship
d. carried lumber from Washington to California

6. The Alma, used during the Gold Rush, had a crew of __________ .

a. no more than three
b. over a hundred
c. about twenty or twenty-five
d. animals as well as humans

7. The San Francisco Maritime Museum is shaped like a __________ .

a. sea gull
b. sail
c. ship
d. island

8. The first ship to sail into San Francisco Bay was the __________ .

a. Balclutha
b. San Carlos
c. San Bernadino
d. Mermaid

9. Another name for this article could be " __________ ."

a. The History of the Bay Area
b. San Francisco's Harbour
c. A Great Maritime Museum and Park
d. Schwarzenegger's Journey

10. This article is mainly about __________ .

a. different types of vessels
b. Bay Area shipping practices
c. the largest fishing boats in San Francisco
d. the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Park

This is Sweeney Ridge. It is the site of the first view of San Francisco Bay by the Portola expedition. There is a plaque on the ridge that
marks the probable site of the dramatic discovery by Jose Francisco Ortega and his small group. There is a very nice hike to the ridge you can take. You will also enjoy this magnificent view.

Discovery Site, Sweeney Ridge

This not a bad video of the bay, sea gulls, the bridge, and the Maritime Musuem.
The wind sound is soothing. I hope you enjoy it.

"Home to Unusual Creatures: The Galapagos"

2011-04-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Today, we tell about the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean and the unusual creatures that live there.The 19 islands that make up the Galapagos lie along the equator 1,000 kilometers west of Ecuador. The islands are named for the giant tortoises that live there. Galapagos has been called "a living museum and showcase of evolution." The animals on the islands influenced British nature scientist Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution by natural selection.

In 1978, the islands were the first place named to the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Recently, however, UNESCO added the islands to its World Heritage in Danger list. The main reason is the increase in the number of visitors to the islands

The World Heritage Committee said increased tourism, immigration and invasive species threaten the animals of the Galapagos. Many of these animals are found nowhere else in the world. The committee noted that the number of days spent by passengers on ships in the area has increased by 150% in the last 14 years. The number of visitors each year has doubled in five years and grows almost 12% every year. More than 145,000 people visited the islands last year.

The islands' increased tourism has brought thousands of workers from Ecuador to seek jobs. Some workers have brought non-native animals like dogs, cats, pigs and goats. These animals compete for food with the islands' native animals. Some also attack the native animals. Ecuadorian President Rafael Corea declared the islands at risk in April. He has promised more restrictions on tourism and population. Mystery always has been part of the Galapagos. In 1535, a ship carrying the Roman Catholic Bishop of Panama came upon the Galapagos accidentally. Tomas de Berlanga named the Galapagos group the Enchanted Isles. He was surprised to see land turtles that weighed more than 200 kilograms and were more than one meter long. He said they were so large each could carry a man on its back. Bishop Berlanga also noted the unusual soil of the islands. He suggested that one island was so rocky it seemed like stones had rained from the sky.

Ecuador took official possession of the islands in 1832. The British nature scientist Charles Darwin is mainly responsible for the fame of the Galapagos Islands. He visited the islands in 1835. He collected plants and animals from several islands. After many years of research, he wrote the book "The Origin of Species" in 1859. He developed the theory of evolution that life on Earth developed through the process of natural selection

The book changed the way people think about how living things developed and became different over time. Darwin said the Galapagos brought people near "to that great fact -- that mystery of mysteries -- the first appearance of new beings on earth".

One hundred years later, in 1959, the Ecuadorian government declared almost all of the islands a national park. The Charles Darwin Foundation was formed the same year to study and protect the plants and animals on the islands.More than 125 landmasses make up the Galapagos. But only 19 are large enough to be considered islands. Scientists have been wondering for years about the position of the Galapagos in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists used to think that the islands were connected to the South American mainland and floated out to sea slowly

Today, most scientists think the islands were always where they are now. But they think the islands once were a single landmass under water. Volcanic activity broke the large island into pieces that came to the surface of the sea over time.

But scientists wonder how animals arrived on Galapagos if the islands were always so far from the mainland. Scientists think most Galapagos plants and animals floated to the islands. When rivers flood in South America, small pieces of land flow into the ocean. These rafts can hold trees and bushes. The rafts also can hold small mammals and reptiles. The adult Galapagos tortoise clearly is too big for a trip hundreds of kilometers across the ocean. But, turtle eggs or baby turtles would be small enough to float to the islands.

The Galapagos Islands are home to many unusual birds, reptiles and small mammals. Some of the animals live nowhere else on Earth. The tortoise is the most famous Galapagos reptile. But the marine iguana is also unusual. It is the only iguana in the world that goes into the ocean. The marine iguana eats seaweed. It can dive at least 15 meters below the ocean surface. And it can stay down there for more than 30 minutes.

Several strange birds also live on the Galapagos. One of them is the only penguin that lives on the equator. Another is the frigate bird. It has loose skin on its throat that it can blow up into a huge red balloon-like structure. It does this to attract females that make observation flights over large groups of males.

The Galapagos also are noted for a bird that likes water better than land or air. The cormorant is able to fly in all the other places it lives around the world. But the Galapagos cormorant has extremely short wings. They cannot support flight. But they work well for swimming.

The islands also have a large collection of small birds called Darwin's finches. Charles Darwin studied the finches carefully when he visited the Galapagos in 1835. He separated the birds by the shapes of their beaks. He discovered that finches that lived in different places and ate different foods had different shaped beaks.But the most famous animals on the Galapagos Islands are the thousands of giant tortoises. And the most famous of these is the one that scientists call Lonesome George because he is the last of his kind. He has been called the rarest creature on Earth. At one time, the islands were home to about 15 different kinds of land turtles. The largest island, Isabela, has five different kinds of tortoises. But, Lonesome George is not one of them. He comes from a smaller island called Pinta.

Scientists found George in 1971. Humans and non-native animals had caused much damage to the environment on his island. Some animals and plants had disappeared. Lonesome George was the only tortoise found on Pinta.

Scientists took the tortoise to the Charles Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz Island. They wanted to help him find a female tortoise for mating to produce baby tortoises. The scientists had been successful in similar efforts for thousands of other tortoises

The researchers placed George in the same living area as females from the nearby island of Isabela. Scientists thought George would be more closely related to the females from Isabela than to other Galapagos tortoises. However, George has not been able to mate successfully with the female tortoises. No eggs have been produced.

Scientists have been studying the genetic material of tortoises on the islands and around the world. They have not found one with DNA like George's. However, earlier this year, scientists from Yale University in the United States made an important discovery. They identified a male tortoise on Isabela Island that is an offspring of a female from Isabela and a male from Pinta. That means this tortoise has half his genes in common with Lonesome George. Scientists believe there might be a female carrying Pinta genes that could be a mate for George.

However, another scientist has noted that even if such a female is found, George has shown little interest in mating with female tortoises. George is between 70 and 80 years old. But some tortoises live longer than 150 years. If Lonesome George fails to become a father, the Pinta Island tortoises will disappear when he dies.This program was written by Caty Weaver. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Steve Ember. Transcripts and archives of our shows are at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK
1. Lonesome George was discovered in 1971 on the island of ___________ .
a. Isabela
b. Hawaii.
c. Pinta.
d. Ecuador.

2. The group of islands called "Galapagos" were named "The Enchanted Isles" by ___________
a. Charles Darwin
b. Tomas A. Berlanga
c. Rafael Corea
d. Lonesome George

3. The species on Galapagos are not threatened by ______________ .
a. The Marine Iguana
b. Tourists
c. Pigs
d. Immigrants from Ecuador

4. A famous theorist, Charles Darwin, visited the Galapagos ____________ .
a. before Ecuador acquired it.
b. while Ecuador was in the process of acquiring it.
c. twenty years after Ecuador took possession of it
d. three years after Ecuador took possession of it

5. Scientists believe the strange animals that presently occupy the Galapagos got there by __________________ .
a. hitching a ride on a ship
b. swimming from the western shore of South America
c. floating there on rafts formed by small pieces of land
d. floating there on the trunks of fallen trees

6. A species of _______________ lives on the Galapagos Islands. This type of bird is usually found only in the far north or south.
a. finch
b. penguin
c. frigate
d. cormorant

7. Charles Darwin studied finches at Galapagos. He found that different species of finch had different shaped beaks. He realized that these differences in beaks were because _________________ .
a. they were actually different kinds of bird
b. they were eating different kinds of food
c. their beak size depended on slight climate changes
d. those with smaller beaks had smaller stomachs

8. Attempts at getting Lonesome George to mate with a female tortoise on Isabela were ___________________ .
a. unsuccessful
b. successful
c. will possibly be successful in the future, but with a different species
d. will probably not be successful in the future

9. Another name for this story could be __________________ .
a. "Unusual Creatures on Galapagos in Danger"
b. "The Story of Lonesome George"
c. "Charles Darwin's Discoveries"
d. "Ecuador's Struggle to Gain Possession of Galapagos"

10. This story is mainly about ______________ .
a. scientific discoveries of the history of Galapagos.
b. the exotic bird species found in Galapagos
c. the unusual species found on Galapagos and their vulnerability in the face of human presence
d. the struggle of Lonesome George to find a girlfriend and have a family

"Four Western National Parks" from VOA.

2011-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

VOICE ONE:

I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we explore some national parks of great beauty in the American West.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Millions of people from all over the world visit the state of Utah every year. One reason is the many national parks. These are areas of great natural beauty that are protected by the United States government. More than three hundred fifty national parks can be found in the United States. Today we will visit four of them -- all in the state of Utah. These parks include huge colored rock formations, rivers, waterfalls, beautiful trees, other plants and many different kinds of wild animals.

VOICE TWO:

The first area we will visit is Arches National Park, near the town of Moab in eastern Utah. Experts say this park has the greatest number of arches of any similar geographic area in the world. Arches are formations that look like half a circle above an opening or hole in a rock. Arches can also appear as curved bridges between two large rocks.

Scientists say the area began forming almost two thousand million years ago. As time passed, the area filled with material left by rivers. Other rocks buried the area. Then great pressure deep in the Earth created huge mountains.

A soft rock called sandstone began moving under this pressure. The sandstone moved upwards when it met other, harder rocks. These sandstone structures continued to grow for about one hundred fifty million years.

Arches developed from thin rock walls. They resulted when pieces of sandstone fell away from the formations. Scientists say water is the most important element in creating arches. Water destroys the chemicals that keep rock particles together. The rock breaks as the water freezes and expands. Then the wind blows away the loose rock particles.

VOICE ONE:

Scientists say that most arches seen today developed within the past million years. But they say the land formation continues to change slowly over time. New arches form. Older ones fall away. The National Park Service has counted more than two thousand arches in Arches National Park. The smallest of these is an opening of less than one meter; the longest measures more than ninety-three meters.

The rock formations in Arches National Park are mostly a deep red color. Rocks get their color from minerals. The red color is the result of iron oxide or rust. Scientists say the presence of iron in the rock shows that the weather was hot and dry when the rock was first formed.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Arches National Park is not the only place in Utah where visitors can see arches and other beautiful rock formations. They are also found in the nearby national park named Canyonlands.

Canyonlands National Park is a wild, lonely area of rocks, rivers and desert plants. Only Native Americans, cowboys, and explorers entered this area before the park was established in nineteen sixty-four. Even today, it is difficult to walk or ride through the park. The roads are still made of dirt. Driving requires a special vehicle. The National Park Service says Canyonlands National Park is wild America.

VOICE ONE:

Rivers created the area as they cut rock into many different formations. At the center of the park are two deep canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Three areas that surround these rivers are included in the park.

One of these areas is called the Maze District. This area includes rock art made by people who lived there more than two thousand years ago. Yet many people today cannot see the Maze District because it is so difficult to reach. The area is one of the loneliest and wildest in the United States.

Another area of the park is called the Needles. It includes long, thin, red and white rocks that reach high into the air like fingers on a hand.

VOICE TWO:

A good way to see all the areas of Canyonlands National Park is to fly over it. A one-hour trip in a small airplane makes it possible to see the park's red rocks, arches and flat areas where ancient Indian people once lived.

From high in the air, visitors can clearly see the third area of the park -- a high broad flat rock known as the Island in the Sky. The island was formed between the two rivers.

Another interesting formation is called the Upheaval Dome. This is a huge hole about four hundred fifty meters deep and one and one half kilometers wide. It is considered to be the most unusual geologic structure in the area.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Two other national parks in Utah are included on our trip. The first is Bryce Canyon National Park, in southern Utah. The rock formations there are the result of deposits made by ancient lakes and rivers over a period of about twenty million years. The walls and cliffs of Bryce Canyon once were completely covered with water.

About two million people visit Bryce Canyon National Park each year. The park reaches a height of more than three thousand meters. It includes more than eighty kilometers of trails for walking. Or visitors can drive a twenty-nine kilometer long road, stopping off at different points to enjoy the colorful formations.

These rock formations at Bryce National Park are extremely beautiful. Sunlight makes many of them appear to be the color of fire. Some of the most unusual kinds of rocks in the park are called hoodoos. They are tall and thin, and seem to grow from the canyon floor. Their colors are bright red, orange and yellow. Some of the hoodoos have interesting shapes and names, like Thor's Hammer, the Hunter, and the Wall of Windows. One hoodoo known as the Poodle looks like a poodle dog sitting on top of a long narrow rock.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The fourth and final park we will visit today is Zion National Park. It is not far from Bryce. But it is very different. About three million people visit the park each year. Zion National Park is an area of huge rocks that were cut through by a river. The area is really a desert, receiving only about thirty-five centimeters of rain a year.

Visitors to Zion National Park are surprised by the huge mountain structures of red, pink and white. Driving is restricted in much of the park. Instead, visitors travel in small buses that take them to areas where they can walk on paths into the wild areas.

One easy walk is almost two kilometers. It takes hikers to a clear pool of water and waterfalls. One of the more difficult walks is an eight kilometer hike that is not for anyone afraid of high places. That is because the path ends at the top of a rock high above Zion Canyon. Another hike is a twenty-two kilometer walk that ends at an unusual rock formation. Experts say it could be the world's largest free-standing arch.

VOICE ONE:

Visitors who choose not to take long walks can leave the small bus at different stops. At each stop, they can walk a short path to a viewing area where they can see a different part of the park. Some of the huge mountains have interesting names.

One of the park's largest sandstone formations is known as the Sentinel. Another area includes three mountains next to each other. They are called the Three Patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were given the names by a visiting Christian church leader in nineteen sixteen.

VOICE TWO:

Visitors to Zion National Park can sleep under the stars in a camping area. Or they can stay at the hotel in the park. Many people stay in the nearby town of Springdale and travel into the park each day.

Of course, visiting these parks includes time to watch local wildlife. Visitors can see all kinds of birds, deer, foxes, and even mountain lions, elk, moose and bears. But they must be careful not to get too close. Many wild animals can be dangerous if they feel threatened.

Most people who visit America's national parks bring a camera and take many pictures. They want to enjoy again and again the natural beauty of the rocks, plants and wild animals. But many who have seen the parks we have described today say that such pictures cannot really capture the huge, beautiful areas of land. These visitors say that they will never forget the beauty of the four national parks in Utah.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Nancy Steinbach. It was produced by Mario Ritter. You can read this report online and download audio at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. The most important element in the formation of arches is __________

a. sandstone.
b. wind.
c. water.
d. heat.

2. The "Needles" are located in __________

a. Bryce Canyon.
b. Arches Park.
c. Zion National Park.
d. Canyonlands.

3. If wild animals feel threatened, they can be __________

a. dangerous.
b. approached.
c. fed potato chips.
d. loving.

4. Every year, Zion National Park is visited by __________ people.

a. one thousand
b. three million
c. two hundred
d. two million

5. Hoodoos are variously shaped __________

a. trees.
b. rocks.
c. animals.
d. plants.

6. The parks in Utah are famous for their __________

a. wild life.
b. rivers.
c. rock formations.
d. amenities.

7. Red is the predominant color of the rocks. This deep red color comes from __________

a. iron oxide.
b. native American painting.
c. vivid sunsets.
d. ancient pigmentation.

8. A rock in the shape of a poodle dog can be found in __________

a. Arches National Park.
b. Zion National Park.
c. Bryce Canyon Park.
d. Canyonlands Park.

9. Another name for this article could be __________

a. "Canyonlands journey"
b. "How Arches are Formed"
c. "Utah's Wonders"
d. "Colorado Trails"

10. This article is mainly about __________

a. rock formations.
b. lonely places.
c. desert getaways.
d. four parks in Utah.

The following is a beautiful video from Youtube in High Definition. It has a nice
musical score that fits the mood of these strange landscapes. Click between the four arrows in the lower right hand corner to see the video in full size. Just relax and watch it, allowing yourself to be pulled into the rich, varied, and beautiful scenery.

"Can Animals Predict Earthquakes?" from Edcon Publishing

2011-03-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

How valid are these "predictions" made by animals - can they really "predict" earthquakes or are these reactions part of their behavior patterns?

An earthquake can be a brutal occurrence. If some method could be found to foretell the coming of earthquakes, it would prove a boon to mankind. Lives and property could be saved and much fear could be avoided by people living in these areas.

One unique theory that scientists have is that animals can sense the coming of earthquakes. Abnormal behavior by some kinds of animals has been noted to occur some time before an earthquake has struck. This strange behavior has been observed in various parts of the world. Sometimes the behavior is apparent weeks before the earthquake, sometimes only hours or minutes before. Scientists wonder if these numerous reports of abnormal behavior before earthquakes are just coincidence. Since these reports come from all over the world, and are so numerous, there must be some logical explanation. The animals' behavior is so noticeable because it is so unusual. They usually act in extreme ways. For example, if an animal normally sleeps or hides at night, it may suddenly behave in just the opposite manner.

Is this type of behavior a reaction of some kind? If such noticeable behavior has occurred so often, does it mean that animals can foretell earthquakes? In Russia, for instance, scientists reported that before an earthquake fish crawled up onto dry land. In Alaska, bears came out of their hiding places for the winter and migrated to the hills two weeks early. In California, farm animals became increasingly restless just moments before an earthquake. Also, in the same area, a few days before an earthquake, frogs were seen jumping more often than usual and even swimming in directions they ordinarily avoided.

These reports have two things in common. They claim that there is either an increase in animal sounds or a restlessness among animals. Although animals may be able to "predict" earthquakes, there is certain information that they cannot provide the scientist with. For instance, animals would not be able to indicate, without doubt, the strength of the earthquake, the exact center, how long it would last and what the cause was. Yet, by observing animals, a simple "prediction" may save hundreds of lives.

China is one country which seriously considers the idea that abnormal behavior of animals can be used to predict earthquakes. The Chinese government distributes pamphlets instructing rural people to report any signs of abnormal animal behavior. Using this method, China hopes to save the lives of thousands of its people.

Records show that in recent years about fifteen earthquakes have been successfully predicted by observing animal behavior. The approximate location, time and origin of the earthquakes were determined from the peoples' reports of animal actions.

In February 1975, an earthquake struck in a Chinese city of about a million people. Very few people were killed because they were prepared for it and had left the city. Two months before, it was observed that snakes had come out of their winter hiding holes and had frozen to death on the icy land. In addition, thousands of people in this area had reported domestic animals acting peculiarly. Had the government ignored or delayed acting on the "predictions," the losses may have been greater.

Even using animals' "predictions," scientists are not always successful. For example, the Chinese were not so lucky the following year, when an earthquake occurred and as a result, almost one million people died. The theory for this was that not all earthquakes are caused by the same force and abnormal animal behavior is a reaction to only certain types of earthquakes. Earthquakes have individual characteristics. Some earthquakes are the result of changes in air pressure or water levels. Others are due to changes in the tilt of the land or in the earth's magnetic fields. It is the combination of these events that makes predictions of earthquakes so difficult for scientists. The question is: To what physical event or characteristics is the animal responding to that results in such noticeable behavior?

The problem is an extremely difficult one. Scientists do not know enough about how animals can sense these changes in the earth. Their limited knowledge of earthquakes, as well as of the animals' abilities, are the two flaws of using animals to foretell earthquakes. The best guess that scientists have been able to make is that animals sense changes in the earth's magnetic fields. The scientists believe that animals have such delicate systems that they can sense the slightest changes in these fields. Working on this idea, scientists have performed tests with various kinds of birds and fish. With equipment attached to the animals, scientists changed the magnetic fields experienced by the animals. As the fields changed, so did the animals' behavior. If earthquakes are indeed due to changes in the earth's magnetic fields and animals can sense these changes, it is logical to use animals for predictions. What may once have been considered an impossible idea, is now quite possible. However, for earthquakes caused by other forces, animals' "predictions" may not be as reliable.

There is no longer the idea that odd animal behavior before an earthquake is just a coincidence. Since it has been supported by fact, there seems to be some link between certain physical events in the earth and the abnormal activity of animals. But, there is still a great deal of detailed work to be done. Scientists still need to learn what changes in the earth cause these unusual reactions in animals. Once these reactions have been understood, instruments can be developed to record them. But even with such instruments, questions still remain. For instance, do the physical changes in the earth take place far enough in advance to make predictions valid? In order to clear out a place before an earthquake strikes, more than just a few minutes time is needed. Scientists also ask how accurate will these instruments be in providing them with warning time before the occurrence of the earthquake. Will these instruments allow scientists to make long range predictions of earthquakes or will they be useful only for warning that an earthquake will occur in a few short minutes? If only a few minutes passes between a prediction and an earthquake, the prediction will be useless. Regardless of the type of earthquake or the nature of the "prediction," the effect is always the same.

Anyone who has seen films or photographs of the destruction that an earthquake can cause, will realize how important these predictions are. In addition to towns and cities being destroyed, the crumbling buildings may often bury their victims. Families are broken up because some or all of the members have been killed. All the possessions that have been collected during the course of a lifetime can be destroyed in a few short seconds. Life as it once was, is difficult, and often impossible, to restore. People must find new places to live and work so that they can begin new lives. It would be a remarkable achievement if all of this could be avoided by the simple predictions of animals.

"Can Animals Predict Earthquakes?" Comprehension Check. Try it first by listening to the questions and writing a, b, c, d, whichever you think is correct. After you do the test first by listening, then read the following and click the radio button of the answer you think is correct.

1. Finding a way to predict an earthquake would be _________

a. just a coincidence.
b. terrible.
c. remarkable.
d. useless.

2. The country which takes seriously the idea that animal behavior can foretell earthquakes is _________

a. Russia.
b. China.
c. Alaska.
d. Greece.

3. Earthquakes _________

a. are all alike.
b. only occur in California.
c. always cause abnormal behavior in animals.
d. are not all alike.

4. Scientists guess that animals sense the changes in _________

a. rural people.
b. air pressure.
c. detection abilities.
d. the earth's magnetic fields.

5. Earthquakes are serious problems _________

a. in few countries.
b. in farming areas only.
c. only in China.
d. in many parts of the world.

6. The second Chinese earthquake mentioned in the story occurred in _________

a. 1974.
b. 1975.
c. 1976.
d. 1977.

7. Scientists who study abnormal animal behavior would probably know much about _________

a. astronomy.
b. biology.
c. geography.
d. history.

8. The characteristic of earthquakes mentioned after changes in the tilt of the land, was _________

a. changes in human behavior.
b. changes in air pressure.
c. changes in water levels.
d. changes in magnetic fields.

9. Another name for this selection could be _________

a. "Disasters Around the World."
b. "Earthquakes of China."
c. "An Earth-Shaking Discovery."
d. "Why Earthquakes Happen."

10. This selection is mainly about _________

a. the Chinese practice of using animals to predict earthquakes.
b. the danger of using animals to predict earthquakes.
c. the possibility of using animals to predict earthquakes.
d. the impossibility of predicting earthquakes.

This story is an article from a series of Reading Comprehension Workbooks by Edcon Publishing Group. Edcon Publishing has a very large selection of different types of readings and other
materials for learning. I highly recommend this company. - The Teacher

See "Animals and Earthquakes" Website
Earthquake Prediction: Wikipedia
Animal Cognition: Wikipedia
The Intelligence of Animals:Youtube
Animals Predict the Tsunami:Youtube
Sphinx:Youtube

"Sleep Science" the mystery of dreams and dreaming, from VOA.

2011-03-06T14:33:00.001-08:00

Salvador Dali "The Dream". His paintings were often influenced by dream like images.

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Do you dream? Do you create pictures and stories in your mind as you sleep? Today, we are going to explore dreaming. People have had ideas about the meaning and importance of dreams throughout history. Today brain researchers are learning even more about dreams.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Dreams are expressions of thoughts, feelings and events that pass through our mind while we are sleeping. People dream about one to two hours each night. We may have four to seven dreams in one night. Everybody dreams. But only some people remember their dreams.

The word "dream" comes from an old word in English that means "joy" and "music." Our dreams often include all the senses – smells, sounds, sights, tastes and things we touch. We dream in color. Sometimes we dream the same dream over and over again. These repeated dreams are often unpleasant. They may even be nightmares -- bad dreams that frighten us.

VOICE TWO:

Artists, writers and scientists sometimes say they get ideas from dreams. For example, the singer Paul McCartney of the Beatles said he awakened one day with the music for the song "Yesterday" in his head. The writer Mary Shelley said she had a very strong dream about a scientist using a machine to make a creature come alive. When she awakened, she began to write her book about a scientist named Frankenstein who creates a frightening monster.

VOICE ONE:

People have been trying to decide what dreams mean for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed dreams provided messages from the gods. Sometimes people who could understand dreams would help military leaders in battle.

In ancient Egypt, people who could explain dreams were believed to be special. In the Christian Bible, there are more than seven hundred comments or stories about dreams. In China, people believed that dreams were a way to visit with family members who had died. Some Native American tribes and Mexican civilizations believed dreams were a different world we visit when we sleep.

In Europe, people believed that dreams were evil and could lead people to do bad things. Two hundred years ago, people awakened after four or five hours of sleep to think about their dreams or talk about them with other people. Then they returned to sleep for another four to five hours.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Early in the twentieth century, two famous scientists developed different ideas about dreams. Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud published a book called "The Interpretation of Dreams" in nineteen hundred. Freud believed people often dream about things they want but cannot have. These dreams are often linked to sex and aggression.

For Freud, dreams were full of hidden meaning. He tried to understand dreams as a way to understand people and why they acted or thought in certain ways. Freud believed that every thought and every action started deep in our brains. He thought dreams could be an important way to understand what is happening in our brains.

Freud told people what their dreams meant as a way of helping them solve problems or understand their worries. For example, Freud said when people dream of flying or swinging, they want to be free of their childhood. When a person dreams that a brother or sister or parent has died, the dreamer is really hiding feelings of hatred for that person. Or a desire to have what the other person has.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung worked closely with Freud for several years. But he developed very different ideas about dreams. Jung believed dreams could help people grow and understand themselves. He believed dreams provide solutions to problems we face when we are awake.

He also believed dreams tell us something about ourselves and our relations with other people. He did not believe dreams hide our feelings about sex or aggression.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Today we know more about the science of dreaming because researchers can take pictures of people's brains while they are sleeping.

In nineteen fifty-three, scientists discovered a special kind of sleep called REM or rapid eye movement. Our eyes move back and forth very quickly while they are closed. Our bodies go through several periods of sleep each night. REM sleep is the fourth period. We enter REM sleep four to seven times each night. During REM sleep, our bodies do not move at all. This is the time when we dream. If people are awakened during their REM sleep, they will remember their dreams almost ninety percent of the time. This is true even for people who say they do not dream.

VOICE TWO:

One kind of dreaming is called lucid dreaming. People know during a dream that they are dreaming.

An organization in Canada called The Dreams Foundation believes you can train yourself to have lucid dreams by paying very close attention to your dreams and writing them down. The Dreams Foundation believes this is one way to become more imaginative and creative. It is possible to take classes on the Internet to learn how to remember dreams and use what you learn in your daily life.

There is a great deal of other information about dreams and dreaming on the Internet. There is even a collection of more than twenty thousand descriptions of dreams called the DreamBank. People between the ages of seven and seventy-four made these dream reports. People can search this collection to help understand dreams or they can add reports about their own dreams.

VOICE ONE:

Scientists have done serious research about dreams. The International Association for the Study of Dreams holds a meeting every year. At one meeting scientists talked about ways to help victims of crime who have nightmares. Scientists have also studied dreams and creativity, dreams of sick people and dreams of children. The group will be meeting next month in Chicago, Illinois. An Australian professor named Robert Moss will talk about how dreams have influenced history.

For example, he says Harriet Tubman was able to help American slaves escape to freedom because she saw herself flying like a bird in her dreams. Mister Moss also teaches an Internet course to help people explore and understand their dreams.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Scientists who study dreaming often attach wires to the head of a person who is sleeping. The wires record electrical activity in the brain. These studies show that the part of the brain in which we feel emotion is very active when we dream.

The front part of the brain is much less active; this is the center of our higher level thinking processes like organization and memory. Some scientists believe this is why our dreams often seem strange and out of order.

Researcher Rosalind Cartwright says the study of dreams is changing because scientists are now spending more time trying to understand why some people have problems sleeping. Ms. Cartwright says for people who sleep well, dreaming can help them control their emotions during the day. Researchers are still trying to understand the importance of dreams for people who do not sleep well and often wake during the night.

VOICE ONE:

Other researchers are studying how dreaming helps our bodies work with problems and very sad emotions. Robert Stickgold is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard University in Massachusetts. Doctor Stickgold says that when we dream, the brain is trying to make sense of the world. It does so by putting our memories together in different ways to make new connections and relationships. Doctor Stickgold believes that dreaming is a biological process. He does not agree with Sigmund Freud that dreaming is the way we express our hidden feelings and desires.

The Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dali, 1931
Scientists believe it is important to keep researching dreams. Doctor Stickgold says it has been more than one hundred years since Sigmund Freud published his important book about dreaming. Yet there is still no agreement on exactly how the brain works when we are dreaming or why we dream.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Karen Leggett and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Click here to test your understanding of this article:

"Sleep Science: The Mystery of Dreams and Dreaming" Comprehension Check

Salvador Dali in Wikipedia, a biography of the great painter.

Salvador Dali, Online Exhibit of His Artwork

"Hang Gliding" from Edcon Publishing.

2011-02-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

People you will read about:
Leonardo da Vinci: a great Italian artist and experimental scientist.
Icarus: a man in Greek legends.

For this flyer, an ancient dream has come true.
Harnessed to a sail of metal and fabric, a human bird pushes off the side of a cliff. As the sail fills, we watch from the ground with a feeling of anxious excitement - part fear, part admiration, part pure wonder. We are watching one of man's oldest dreams come true.

The wish to fly was probably born the moment the first human saw the first bird. Ancient myths of many countries tell of men riding the skies on the backs of huge winged creatures or strange contraptions. Perhaps. the story most familiar to us is that of Icarus, who flew on wings made of feathers and wax. So great was the sensation of power and freedom,that Icarus was tempted to fly higher and higher. In the end, he flew too near the sun, and the heat melted the wax of his wings. One by one the feathers dropped, and Icarus fell into the sea.

For centuries, the idea of flying remained a subject for myths and dreams. Among others, the famous Leonardo da Vinci was excited by the idea. About 1500, he designed a pair of wings large enough to carry a man. That experiment was given up when a servant, testing the wings, jumped from a roof and broke his leg.

The age of the airplane began on December 17, 1903, when the Wright Brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Since then, planes have grown so big and comfortable that the thrill of flying is almost lost. Perhaps that explains the growing appeal of an aerial sport one might have thought had begun and ended with Leonardo's servant.

Hang gliding, one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, takes us back to the early dream of birdlike flight. One advanced type of glider is called "Icarus." Other types actually resemble the W right brothers' plane, but most hang gliders are much simpler than that. Many of those flying from the dunes near Kitty Hawk today look very much like big, brightcolored kites.

In fact, when Francis M. Rogallo first perfected his design for a wing, he could sell it only as a toy kite. Not for ten years, until the early 1960s, were man-sized models of Rogallo's wing to be used for the new sport of gliding.

In 1969, an Australian named Bill Bennett performed daring exhibitions in the United States. Bennett's feats stirred great interest, but he and others were towed by small planes. The sport we now call hang gliding, in which the pilot uses his own muscle power to propel himself into the air, began only in 1971. Injust five years there were over 16,000 members in the United States Hang Gliding Association.

By far the most common type of glider is the Rogallo wing. Though many companies manufacture it in bold, bright colors, few modify its standard design. A large triangle of aluminum tubing covered with sturdy fabric, it weighs about thirty-five pounds. Under the wing, held by six strong wires, is a small triangle called the "trapeze." The pilot hangs from the wing in a harness. He pushes the trapeze forward or back to change the angle and speed of the wing.

In the past, many people had tried to design wings, but failed. The secret of the Rogallo wing is its shape. Moving air above the wing pushes down, while the air underneath pushes up. A rounded hump on top of the wing creates a longer path for the air moving over it. This causes the above-wing pressure to drop slightly. The greater pressure under the wing can then lift it into the air.

Are you ready for your first aerial adventure? You have already spent hours at ground school learning about your glider, how to handle it, and what to expect. Now you and your instructor climb a low dune, carrying your folded wing. The dune is ideal for your initial attempt because no rocks, trees, fences, or power lines can get in your way, and the sand will make a soft landing place in case you don't complete a perfect flight. A light, steady breeze is blowing at about ten miles per hour. Flight conditions couldn't be better.

"We're not going all the way to the top," your instructor reminds you. "A short hop is all we're after the first time."

You double-check every piece of equipment and spend a long time setting up your gear. Finally you get into the harness and snap it carefully to the frame. Lifting the wing until you feel a slight pull on the harness, you bend forward a little, leaning into the 'wind. You check the wind line, the direction of the wind, knowing how important it is to propel yourself straight into it. Your helmet is on, harness tense, wings level, path clear. Raising the nose of your glider a bit, you begin to run, remembering to move smoothly, leaning forward.

Air fills your wing, and suddenly you are flying. Skimming along a foot above the ground, you have done it - you've conquered the skies! You pull the trapeze a fraction of an inch toward you, letting the nose of the glider drop so it will pick up speed. You've been flying for fifteen seconds, and you're almost to the bottom of the dune. Hoping to make a perfect stand-Up landing, you push the trapeze, tilting the wing back so it will catch more air and go into a stall. The timing is a little tricky here, and somehow you find yourself bouncing along the sand on the seat of your pants. No wonder they call this type of landing a "tail burner." But you can't wait to try again. You're eager for the longer, higher flights you know you'll be making soon, and you're eager to prove you can land on your feet.

Though a short, low flight may cause a few bumps and bruises, you don't expect to be hurt badly. Yet there are injuries and deaths from hang gliding accidents. Is hang gliding a dangerous sport? Is the hang glider pilot, like Icarus, always tempted to fly a little longer, a little higher than is really safe?

The United States Hang Gliding Association is an organization which sets safety standards for the sport. Flight schools are listed, and the' USHGA urges that all beginners be trained. Hang gliding sites and pilots are rated on a scale from one to six. A site rated Hang Three, for instance, should be attempted only by pilots with a rating of three or higher. An instructor must have a rating of six.

The organization tells pilots not to build their own wings or modify those they buy. Many accidents are caused by poor equipment, often because gliders are home made or not assembled with care.

The other main cause of accidents is poor judgment. If the wind is too strong, if the trapeze is pushed too far or not far enough, if the site is not safe, if the pilot tries a silly stunt, accidents may happen.

Each time a pilot glides off hanging from a bright Rogallo wing, there is some risk. But with good equipment and good judgment, the modern Icarus can fly as birds do and land on his own two feet.

Comprehension Check. Try doing this as a listening exercise first. Listen, and place a, b, c, or d after each number according to the answer you think is correct. Then, write the following:

1.One of man's oldest longings is _________
a. the wish to design wings.
b. the wish to ride on the backs of birds.
c. the wish to fly.
d. the wish to outdo the Wright brothers.

2. Leonardo da Vinci designed a pair of wings _________
a. large enough to carry a man.
b. too small for any man.
c. to help birds fly higher.
d. to help birds fly faster.

3. The sport we call hang gliding _________
a. became popular early in the 1900s.
b. became popular in the 1970s.
c. may become popular in ten years.
d. has been popular since Icarus.

4. The feats of Bill Bennett might be mentioned in a book called: _________
a. Hang Gliding Before 1970.
b. Hang Gliding After 1970.
c. Hang Gliding without Towing.
d. American Hang Gliding.

5. Hang gliding is most similar to _________
a. the flight of Leonardo da Vinci's
servant.
b. birdlike flight.
c. airplane flight.
d. the Wright brothers' flight.

6. The secret of the Rogallo wing is _________
a. its pressure.
b. its weight.
c. its size.
d. its shape.

7. When you try hang gliding for the first time, you carry your wing and double-check your equipment. Next, you _________
a. bend forward, leaning into the wind.
b. set up your gear.
c. snap the harness to the frame.
d. raise the nose of the glider.

8. The sport of hang gliding will probably _________
a. become popular with retired people.
b. become popular in areas with high mountains.
c. provide jobs for people.
d. result in lost business for the airlines.

9. Another name for this selection could be _________
a. "Your Own Wings Do the Flying."
b. "Saving on Airplane Fares."
c. "The Most Dangerous Sport in the World."
d. "A Lesson in Safety."

10. This selection is mainly about _________
a. learning to fly.
b. the invention of the Rogallo wing.
c. the history of flight.
d. the fast-growing sport of hang gliding.

This story is an article from a series of Reading Comprehension Workbooks by Edcon Publishing Group. Edcon Publishing has a very large selection of different types of readings and other
materials for learning. I highly recommend this company. - The Teacher

Hang Gliding: Wikipedia
Hang Gliding, Fort Funston, San Francisco, Youtube
Ridge Soaring at Fort Funston, Youtube
Big Sur Hang Gliding, Youtube
Montegrappa Italy, Hang Gliding Competition, 2008, Youtube
Hang Gliding Two and a Half Days in Cottesloe, Australia

"Exploring The Nile River" from VOA.

2011-01-29T14:01:00.001-08:00

I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Today we visit the Nile River valley to explore one of the greatest civilizations in human history. The people of ancient Egypt developed the first nation-state, which would set the stage for a culture that would last thousands of years.

For centuries, the art, architecture, and traditions of ancient Egypt have captured the attention of historians, writers, and travelers around the world. Join us as we travel down the Nile and back through time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE THREE:

"We shall never enjoy another place like Ipsamboul; the absolute solitude of it - the absence of a present, of any of one’s fellow-creatures … I came out of the [temple] and looked again upon the glorious colossi. I wish all my friends could see them once in their lives, if only for a moment; or that I could describe to anyone the look of intense repose in those faces."

Those were the words written by British medical worker Florence Nightingale. She traveled to Egypt in 1849 to explore its many sites. She is describing the temple of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt. Like many European visitors, Miss Nightingale wrote a detailed description of her months of travel through this country.

Our own trip down the Nile begins at the temple of Abu Simbel. The Egyptian ruler Ramses the Second built this extraordinary temple over 3,200 years ago. The temple is dedicated to the Egyptian gods Ra-Horakhty, Amun and Ptah. But it is really meant to show the power and strength of Ramses the Second who led Egypt for over 60 years. Like other pharaohs, Ramses was considered an earthly representation of a god.

Four 20-meter tall statues of Ramses guard the front of the temple, which is carved into the side of a mountain. Staring up at these huge statues, you suddenly feel very small and impermanent compared to this timeless structure.

Inside the temple, detailed carvings on the walls show Ramses defeating his enemies in battle. The walls also show examples of hieroglyphics, the form of Egyptian writing that uses pictures. This is the oldest known system of writing in the world. Like many Egyptian temples, Abu Simbel has a first room or hypostyle hall filled with column supports. Next, there is a second hall, followed by a sanctuary. Only religious workers and the pharaoh were permitted to enter this last room. The sanctuary of Abu Simbel contains statues of the temple’s four gods.

Next to this building is a smaller temple honoring the wife of Ramses the second, Nefertari. In the 1960s, both temples were moved stone by stone from their original sites and rebuilt 200 meters away. This was done as protection from the rising water of the Nile as a result of the building of the Aswan High Dam.

(MUSIC)

Our trip continues in the town of Aswan where many travelers start their river trip on a boat that is like a hotel. There are many interesting places to visit in Aswan. They include the Nubian museum, the Aswan Botanical Gardens and the Old Cataract Hotel. The British mystery writer Agatha Christie wrote part of her book "Death on The Nile" in this hotel.

You can also visit the Aswan High Dam and the water it collects in Lake Nasser, the largest man-made lake in the world. The dam was built starting in 1960 under Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Its aim was to control the flow of water of the Nile. The dam has greatly increased the amount of farmland in Egypt and supplies the country with hydroelectric power. But the dam has also caused environmental and cultural problems. Our guide, Egypt expert Mohamed Fahmy tells us about the native people most affected by the dam.

MOHAMED FAHMY: "The Nubians used to live here. There were 100,000 Nubians living in this place. But after the creation of the lake they had to be displaced. Half of them decided to stay in Aswan. They took the left bank of Aswan to be their new Nubia. The rest of them, they went to Sudan."

Another popular area near Aswan is the Greco-Roman temple of Philae. Philae is one of many monuments built after the Macedonian warrior Alexander the Great took control of Egypt about 2,300 years ago.

One of his generals, Ptolemy, took control of Egypt after Alexander’s death. He established a line of Ptolemaic leaders that ruled for 300 years. To see Philae, visitors must take a boat to a small island.

(SOUND)

If you go at night, you can see a sound and light show. During the show, recorded voices of actors give a theatrical history of the temple while it is lit up in bright colors.

ACTOR: "Oh Nile, father of life. All hail to you. When your waters rise and your bounty overwhelms us.

The earth trembles with ecstasy, life is reborn, all is nurtured.

But when you subside, the very gods despair.

And men become slighter than their shadows."

This temple was built in honor of the goddess Isis over 2,000 years ago. One of the most famous buildings at Philae is the Kiosk of Trajan. It was a favorite subject in paintings by 19th century European travelers.

Continuing down the Nile, we arrive at the temple of Kom Ombo. This Ptolemaic temple was built to honor two gods, the crocodile god Sobek and Haroeris. It is unusual because it has double gates and rooms in order to honor both gods. The wall carvings show the traditions and daily life of Egyptians. One wall has detailed carvings of medical tools. Our guide Mohamed Fahmy tells us about them.

MOHAMED FAHMY: "Here they depicted some of their medical instruments. Come closer to see it. Most of these, we are still using today. You can see a scissor, you can see a sponge, two stones to sharpen the cutters. And you can see a scale to weigh the materials. You can see two eyes in here. These are the eyes of Horus, symbol of protection."

Further north, there is also the Temple of Horus at Edfu. This Ptolemaic temple is one of the most completely preserved temples in Egypt.

(MUSIC)

Now, we sail about 100 kilometers north. This gives us time to enjoy the river scenes along the Nile. From the boat you can see palm trees, children playing in fields and local people rowing small boats. And you can wave to travelers on other hotel boats.

Our next stop is the ancient city of Thebes, known today as Luxor.

Starting around 3,500 years ago, a series of pharaohs built secret burial structures in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Pharaohs chose to be buried in this rocky area because it was far away from people and easy to protect. These burial structures were more secretive than the large pyramids of earlier pharaohs. Builders of these tombs dug tunnels that led to burial rooms for the ruler’s body and his treasures. These objects and the many paintings on the walls were designed to help the ruler in the next life.

Few things were as important to Egyptian rulers as preparing for their death while they were still alive. This meant building complex burial structures that could help guarantee they would live forever in the afterlife. Egyptians developed a detailed method of preserving dead bodies, called mummification.

They believed that a body had to be carefully prepared and stored to survive in the afterlife.

The most famous tomb in the valley belonged to the pharaoh Tutankhamun. He was not known for his activities as a ruler. Instead, he is famous for the treasures found in his tomb when it was discovered in the 1920. Most other tombs in the area were robbed over the centuries. But this one was in perfect condition and has taught experts a great deal about Egyptian funeral traditions.

Also nearby is the village of Karnak. It was built to honor the gods of Thebes, a capital of Egypt in ancient times. For over fifteen hundred years different pharaohs built their own additions to the series of buildings at Karnak. The most striking room of the Karnak Temple is the Great Hypostyle Hall, which covers 6,000 square meters. It contains 134 huge stone columns. The columns were once brightly painted and held up a roof covering.

The pharaoh Amenhotep built the central area of the nearby temple of Luxor about 3,300 years ago. Other rulers also added to the building. At the entrance to the temple there is a long row of sphinx statues that once measured three kilometers long. These sphinx statues combine the body of a lion with the head of a human. Visiting this place at night is pure magic. As you walk along the rows of glowing sphinx statues, you feel like you have traveled back through time to a very ancient and extraordinary past.

(MUSIC)

Next week we continue our travels in the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo. This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus. To see pictures of Egypt, visit our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

Yappr.com is a great site for viewing short video clips with text. Try viewing the clip a couple of times with the text, then turn off the text for listening practice to see how much you can understand. The following clip is fascinating history of Egyptian Mythology which played a very important part in the burial customs, the statues, and buildings we just read and heard about from VOA.

Egyptian Creation Myth from Yappr.com/Youtube.com

"The Evolution of American Folk Music" from VOA.

2011-01-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein. This week on our program, we explore American folk music, the music of the people.

(MUSIC)

"Good Night Irene," is an example of a traditional folk song. That means the song is so old, no one really knows who wrote it.

Huddie Ledbetter, the singer and guitarist known as Leadbelly, first recorded "Good Night Irene" in nineteen thirty-two. Since then more than a hundred other versions have been recorded. "Good Night Irene," was a huge hit for the Weavers in nineteen fifty.

(MUSIC)

Folk music researcher Bob Carlin notes the historic importance of protest songs. They help give voice to cultural and social movements, he says.

One of the members of the Weavers was Pete Seeger. He was among those who popularized folk music in the nineteen forties. Later, he wrote some of the best known songs of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests of the sixties.

Pete Seeger could be called the King of the Protest Song, in the words of folk musician Tony Trischka. Yet his greatest influence may have come from popularizing a song that he himself did not write. "We Shall Overcome" came from a Negro spiritual.

As Tony Trischka points out, the original version was called "We Will Overcome." Pete Seeger thought "shall" sounded better. And he made other changes, like adding the verse "we are not afraid" to offer support for the protests taking place across the country.

(MUSIC)

"We Shall Overcome," became the theme song of the American civil rights movement.

Folk songs sometimes tell stories about real events. An example is the story of a young man whose last name was spelled D-U-L-A but pronounced "Dooley."

Tom Dula was a Civil War veteran in North Carolina. He was tried and found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Laura Foster. He was hanged in eighteen sixty-eight, yet the case left many questions.

The story was retold in poems and songs -- including the hit song, "Tom Dooley,"recorded in nineteen fifty-eight by the Kingston Trio.

(MUSIC)

Folk singer and songwriter Amy Speace says the history of American folk music can be imagined as a tree with many branches. At the center, she says, is Woody Guthrie.

Woody Guthrie wrote almost three thousand songs. But he only recorded about three hundred of them. His granddaughter Anna Canoni says that was partly because he did not have enough money to record more. He made only one record with a major record company.

Yet for all his influence, millions of Americans today remember him for just one song, which children learn in school.

(MUSIC)

The song, "This Land Is Your Land," seems like the perfect expression of pride in country. What many people do not know is that it was meant sarcastically, as just the opposite. Woody Guthrie wrote it in nineteen forty in reaction to Irving Berlin's popular song, "God Bless America."

In fact, Woody Guthrie first called his song, "God Blessed America for Me." It was meant as a protest song against private property and the unequal treatment of citizens.

This meaning is made clear later in the song, in the parts that most children never learn in school:

(MUSIC)

Another verse talks about seeing hungry people standing in line for public aid at the relief office. Woody Guthrie was a voice for labor unions and striking workers and families beaten down by the Great Depression in the nineteen thirties.

(MUSIC)

In the nineteen sixties, folk singers like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan protested the Vietnam War. Bob Dylan's, "Blowin' in the Wind," became a big hit for the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary in nineteen sixty-three.

(MUSIC)

Singer and songwriter Amy Speace says there are still protest songs being written. She points to the examples of Steve Earle and Neil Young as well as what she calls more contemporary folkies.

That would include herself, a child of the eighties. Amy Speace describes one of her songs as a protest song, but more of a story with the protest quietly built into it. The story is about a girl whose brother is a soldier who gets killed in a desert war.

The song is called, "The Weight of the World."

(MUSIC)

A new kind of folk music mixes elements of traditional folk and rock with mostly acoustic instruments. Some call it "freak folk." Others hate that name.

Whatever you call it, one artist often used as an example is the singer, songwriter and harp player Joanna Newsom. This song is called, "Sprout and the Bean."

(MUSIC)

Some people probably think of a folk singer as a fossil from the nineteen sixties. A long-haired, guitar-playing idealist who sings about bringing the world together.

But these days, with music production software, digital video and social networks all easily available, folk artists really can bring the world together.

(MUSIC)

Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

"The Nutcracker Suite, Its Sounds, Its History" - VOA

2010-12-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

DOUG JOHNSON: I’m Doug Johnson.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we enter a world of Christmas magic, snowflakes, sweets and sugarplum fairies. “The Nutcracker” is one of the most popular ballets in the world. It is also an important part of the winter holiday season in America. This week, we tell about the history of this ballet and several versions being performed throughout the United States.

(MUSIC-“March”)

DOUG JOHNSON: Our story begins at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia on December eighteenth, eighteen ninety-two. People have come to see the first performance of “The Nutcracker.” Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music and Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov created the ballet’s dance movements.

The ballet was based on a story called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. The French writer Alexandre Dumas later rewrote Hoffman’s story. The ballet is based on this version by Dumas.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Tchaikovsky did not much like the ballet or story of “The Nutcracker.” He reportedly wrote to a friend that the music he was writing was far worse than the music for his earlier ballet, “The Sleeping Beauty.” Many of the people watching “The Nutcracker” that night did not like the ballet either and criticized it. But others praised the ballet for its music.

DOUG JOHNSON: Tchaikovsky was one of the first major composers to use a new musical instrument called a celesta. He discovered the instrument during a visit to Paris. You can hear it in “The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.” It gives a special magic to this dance.

(MUSIC- “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy”)

FAITH LAPIDUS: Tchaikovsky probably would not have believed that his ballet would one day become an international success. He did not live long enough to find out. He died in eighteen ninety-three at the age of fifty-three.

DOUG JOHNSON: In time, “The Nutcracker” was performed throughout Russia and the rest of Europe. The first performance in the United States was in nineteen forty. The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo performed a shorter version of it in New York City. The first full-length performance was in nineteen forty-four by the San Francisco Ballet.

The famous Russian-born ballet director George Balanchine created his own version of “The Nutcracker” for the New York City Ballet. This group has been performing the ballet every year since nineteen fifty-four.

Other dance companies around the United States soon followed this ballet tradition. For many dance companies “The “Nutcracker” is an important part of their financial operation. Some big cities have several different productions of the popular ballet.

(MUSIC-“Grandfather’s Dance”)

FAITH LAPIDUS: More than any other ballet, “The Nutcracker” is about children and the wonder of childhood. For many young Americans, “The Nutcracker” is the first professional dance performance they will experience. Performances are generally filled with parents and children of all ages. Many of the dancers in the ballet are also children. And, the story is about a child.

The story of “The Nutcracker” differs with every production. But we will tell a traditional version to give you an idea of the story.

DOUG JOHNSON: The ballet begins the night before Christmas at the large house of a German couple and their two children, Clara and Fritz. The family is having a Christmas party with many guests.

(MUSIC- “Herr Drosselmeier's Gifts”)

The godfather of Clara and Fritz arrives and gives them wonderful gifts. Clara receives a nutcracker, shaped like a toy soldier. But her brother breaks the nutcracker while playing with it. Clara is very sad that her beloved toy has been damaged. Later, the guests leave and everyone goes to bed.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Clara wakes up in the night to check on her injured nutcracker. The clock strikes midnight. Suddenly the room fills with large mice. The Christmas tree starts to grow and grow. Clara’s nutcracker also increases in size, becoming the size of a human. He fights a battle with the mice. The toys in the room also come to life and fight as soldiers alongside the nutcracker.

(MUSIC- “Battle”)

With Clara’s help, the Nutcracker defeats the mouse army and kills the Mouse King. The Nutcracker then turns into a prince.

(MUSIC- “In the Pine Forest”)

DOUG JOHNSON: The Nutcracker Prince leads Clara through a pine forest where snowflakes dance around them. Then, they travel to the beautiful Land of Sweets. This land is ruled by the Sugarplum Fairy.

The Prince tells her about Clara’s bravery in helping him defeat the Mouse King. The Sugarplum Fairy rewards Clara by presenting a series of dances. These include a Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Russian dance.

(MUSIC- “Russian Dance”)

After the celebration, the Sugarplum Fairy and the Prince do a beautiful dance for two, or a pas de deux.

(MUSIC- “Pas de Deux”)

Clara falls asleep. When she wakes up, she is in her house by the Christmas tree with the toy nutcracker in her arms.

FAITH LAPIDUS: People can see many versions of “The Nutcracker” this time of year. Some are very different from the story we have described. These include a Jewish klezmer music version, a gay dance-along version and a sexy version for adults only.

New York Times reporter Alastair Macaulay has spent weeks traveling around the United States to see many different “Nutcracker” performances.

These include performances in New York City; Memphis, Tennessee; Houston, Texas, and Newport, Rhode Island. His “Nutcracker Chronicles” tell about his travels and the many versions of the ballet.

DOUG JOHNSON: For example, the New York-based Mark Morris Dance Group has redefined this ballet in its production called “The Hard Nut.” It takes place in the nineteen seventies. This modernized version is dark, funny and very imaginative.

British dance director Matthew Bourne begins his ballet “Nutcracker!” in a center for children without parents. Clara later sees her beloved Nutcracker Prince fall in love with someone else in a strange world of sugar called Sweetieland.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Many performances of “The Nutcracker” are created with the local area in mind. For example, the Tucson Regional Ballet in Arizona puts on “A Southwest Nutcracker.” The production includes coyotes, chili peppers and a Mama Pinata.

Septime Webre is the artistic director of the Washington Ballet in Washington, D.C. His “Nutcracker” takes place in historical Washington. It begins in the Georgetown area of the city in eighteen eighty-two.

SEPTIME WEBRE: “So I thought it would be wonderful for the ballet to reflect the people who are watching the production. I always think art is most powerful when people can see themselves in the work somehow.”

DOUG JOHNSON: Septime Webre says that in his version Clara dreams through time. For example, the battle scene in Act One is influenced by the American Revolution. The Nutcracker’s role is based on George Washington. His opponent, the Mouse King, is British King George the Third. Act Two takes place amid Washington’s famous cherry blossoms.

We asked Mr. Webre what he thinks has made “The Nutcracker” ballet such a beloved production over the years.

SEPTIME WEBRE: “Well, the music absolutely is the key to its success. It’s so familiar, but it is also so beautifully rendered. And, despite it being played over and over at every shopping mall in the country, it doesn’t become commercial.”

FAITH LAPIDUS: Septime Webre says that seeing a beautiful ballet dancer skillfully dancing to Tchaikovsky’s music is to see a joy and faith in the harmony of the world. And, he says this is a message that people seek during the holiday season.

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Doug Johnson.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. Our programs are online with transcripts and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. And happy holidays to everyone.

COMPREHENSION CHECK

1. Clara's new toy, a nutcracker, magically transforms into a ______________ .
a: prince
b: mouse
c: her grandfather
d: a sugar plum

2. The nutcracker was damaged by _______________ .
a: her grandfather
b: a soldier
c: the mouse king
d: her brother

3. The Land of Sweets is ruled by ____________________ .
a: the Mouse King
b: the nutcracker
c: The Sugar Plum Fairy
d: her grandfather

4. Septime Webre sets his version of the Nutcracker in ______________ .
a: the 1970s
b: historical Washington
c: a center for orphans
d: cowboy country

5.The Nutcracker is based on a story originally written by ____________________ .
a: Tchaikovsky
b: Alexandre Dumas
c: E.T.A. Hoffman
d: Lev Ivanov

6.The Nutcracker Suite was first performed in _________________ .
a: France
b: Germany
c: the U.S.A.
d: Russia

7. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky felt that ____________________ .
a: The Nutcracker wasn't as good as Sleeping Beauty
b: The Nutcracker was better than Sleeping Beauty
c: The Nutcracker was the best ballet he'd ever written
d: neither The Nutcracker nor Sleeping Beauty were very good

8.The celesta is a ______________________ .
a: dance number in The Nutcracker Suite
b: the ballerina who plays the central role
c: a musical instrument
d: The Sugar Plum Fairy's wand

9.Another name for this article could be _____________________ .
a: "The Fall of the Mouse King"
b: "The Nutcracker Suite's Opening in Saint Petersburg"
c: "The Most Popular Ballet of The Christmas Season"
d: "Tchaikovsky's Music"

10. This article is mainly about ________________________ .
a: The Dance of The Sugar Plum Fairy
b: the history of Russian ballet
c: the ways the original Nutcracker Suite have been altered
d: the history and variations of The Nutcracker Suite

"The Russian Dance" from Act 2 of The Nutcracker by the Ballet Company of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg as re-broadcast by Youtube:

"Christmas in America" from VOA

2010-12-04T20:08:00.001-08:00

Christmas Tree at Rockerfeller Center, New York City

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

For millions of Americans, the most wonderful day of the year is December twenty-fifth -- Christmas.

For one thing, it marks the end of the most busy time of year. Many people need a rest after weeks of buying gifts, going to parties, organizing travel and getting their homes ready for the holiday.

VOICE TWO:

With all this, it is often said that Christmas has lost its meaning as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Some churches in the United States have cancelled Christmas Day services, so people can spend the day with their families. This was even true last year when Christmas came on a Sunday, the traditional day of worship.
"Epiphany" Heirnonymus Bosch, 1480

These churches still offer Christmas Eve services, though. And many Christians still go to church on Christmas Day or the night before. They consider it an important part of celebrating the holiday.

Another important part of the Christmas season is music. Among traditional carols, one of the most popular is "Silent Night."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Most Americans identify themselves as Christian, even if they are not very religious. But the freedom to choose any religion, or no religion at all, is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Constitution separates religion and government.

Yet each year brings disputes over holiday observances that some may see as too religious for public schools or other public places.

Others say the real problem is too much political correctness; things like saying "Happy Holidays" when people mean "Merry Christmas." They say people should not be so worried about the risk of offending a stranger.

VOICE TWO:

But not all Americans celebrate Christmas. And even those who do might not celebrate it as a religious holiday. This is true of Christians as well as non-Christians. Still, they treat it as a special day.

And it is hard to think of anyone that Christmas is more special for than children. Of course, this has a lot to do with the tradition of a kindly old man with a big belly and a bright red suit. Children know Santa Claus as the one who leaves gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve.

But only if they are good little children and go to sleep.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Stores crowded with holiday gift buyers may be good for the economy. But some people celebrate Christmas in less material ways. For example, they volunteer to serve meals at shelters for the homeless or visit old people in nursing homes. To them, this is honoring the true spirit of Christmas.

VOICE TWO:

Once people bring home a Christmas tree, they may struggle with setting it up so it does not fall over. But then they enjoy decorating it with colorful lights and ornaments.

In some families, the tradition is to open gifts on Christmas Eve. In others, though, people wait until Christmas morning to open their presents.

A big Christmas dinner is a tradition in many families. And so are special treats like Christmas cookies covered in powdered sugar.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Many people travel long distances to be home with their families at Christmas. But not everyone is able to be with loved ones. For some, Christmas can be a lonely time. Most businesses and public places are closed for the holiday. But some restaurants stay open and serve Christmas dinner.

A retired man in Washington, D.C., says he enjoys his Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. In fact, he says that after spending several Christmases there, he has become friends with other people who spend their Christmases there, too.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Caroling is a Christmas tradition that goes back hundreds of years. Sometimes carolers walk along a street and the group stops at each house to sing a song. Other times they gather in a public place. Carolers may visit places like shopping centers, hospitals and nursing homes. School choruses are often invited to sing songs of the holiday season.

And, of course, caroling can be found in churches. Listen as the choir of Trinity Church in Boston sings "Carol of the Bells."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

December is usually also the time of the ancient Jewish holiday of Hanukkah; this year it began at sundown on December fifteenth. The eight-day Festival of Lights honors the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated King Atiochus of Syria.

Muslims will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha in January. The Feast of Sacrifice marks the end of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca.

VOICE TWO:

Most black Americans celebrate Christmas. But after Christmas, from December twenty-sixth to January first, many also celebrate Kwanzaa. This African-American holiday honors culture, community and family. The name comes from a Swahili term meaning "first fruits." Kwanzaa started during the nineteen-sixties, an important period in the modern civil rights movement.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

For many children, a favorite Christmas tradition is watching a performance of the ballet "The Nutcracker." The Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky wrote the music in eighteen ninety-one. "The Nutcracker" is a story told in dance about a young girl named Clara.

Clara is celebrating Christmas with her family and friends. One of her gifts is a wooden nutcracker shaped like a toy soldier. Clara is shown how to put a nut in the mouth to break the shell open with the head. But she dreams that the nutcracker comes to life as a good-looking prince.

VOICE TWO:

We leave you with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy performing "The Waltz of the Flowers" from "The Nutcracker."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. You can find archives of our programs on the Web at voaspecialenglish.com. And we hope you can join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

---

Correction: This report said Muslims would celebrate Eid al-Adha in January. The holiday, which lasts three or four days, depending on the tradition, began December thirtieth.

Interviews about Christmas. Darren expresses his feelings that Christmas has become too commercial. Darren is Welsh, so his accent is different from the American accent.