时间:2019-01-11 作者:英语课 分类:VOA慢速英语2008年(四)月


英语课
VOICE ONE:

I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today we finish telling about the life of Langston Hughes, known as the poet voice of African Americans. He was one of the most important writers of the Harlem Renaissance 1.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:
 






Langston Hughes



Langston Hughes was born in nineteen-oh-two. His parents separated when he was little. Langston grew up with his grandmother who told him stories about their family’s fight against racial injustice 2. He developed a love of reading books as a way to deal with loneliness and a feeling of rejection 3 from his parents. His love for reading grew into a desire to write.

As a young man, Langston traveled to Europe and Africa working on ships. He wrote poems and short stories during his travels. A few of the writings he sent home were published, which helped establish him as a professional writer.

VOICE TWO:

By nineteen twenty-five, Langston Hughes had returned to the United States and was living in Harlem in New York City. This was during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of great artistic 4 creativity among blacks who lived there.

Hughes discovered a new way of writing poetry, using the rhythms of jazz and blues 5 to support his words. His first collection of poetry, called the “Weary 6 Blues,” was published in nineteen twenty-six. Hughes wrote poetry about the common experiences of black people. People said they could see themselves in the words of his poetry.

VOICE ONE:

Hughes had worked many different jobs, but wished to make a living as a writer. Wealthy white supporters of the Harlem Renaissance helped Hughes until he could support himself. Critic Carl Van Vechten had helped to get the “The Weary Blues” published. Van Vechten was one of the first to recognize the new styles of the writers of the Harlem Renaissance and their importance in African American literature. Another supporter of the arts, Amy Spingarn, gave Hughes money to complete his education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.



Missus Charlotte Mason began supporting Hughes in nineteen twenty-seven. In nineteen thirty, he published a novel, “Not Without Laughter,” that made him very famous. His relationship with Missus Mason ended about the time the book appeared. After that, Hughes sank into a period of intense personal unhappiness.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In the early nineteen thirties, Langston Hughes traveled to Cuba and Haiti. He later traveled across the southern United States, doing poetry readings and trying to sell his books. Hughes was likeable and gained many readers during his visit to the South.

He also began to write many different short stories that were published in magazines. In these, he was able to discuss ideas related to black pride, racism 7 and other issues of black life.

In nineteen thirty-two, Hughes traveled to the Soviet 8 Union. He became an active supporter of communism. He believed communism was fairer to minorities. During this time, his writing also became more militant 9. Several of his poems expressed support for social and political protests.

Later, his writings began to examine the unfairness of life in America. He wrote about people whose lives were affected 10 by racism and sexual 11 conflicts, violence in the southern United States, Harlem street life, poverty, racism, hunger and hopelessness.

VOICE ONE:

Hughes wrote one of his most important works in nineteen twenty-six, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.” It spoke 12 of black writers and poets who want to be considered as poets, not black poets. Hughes thought this meant they wanted to write like white poets. He argued there was a need for race pride and artistic independence:

VOICE THREE:

“We younger Negro artists who create now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame. If white people are pleased we are glad. If they aren’t, it doesn’t matter. We know we are beautiful. And ugly too…If colored people are pleased we are glad. If they are not, their displeasure doesn’t matter either. We build our temples for tomorrow, as strong as we know how. And we stand on top of the mountain, free within ourselves.”

VOICE TWO:

As his success as a writer grew, Langston Hughes began to explore other ways to spread his message. He wrote children’s stories and several plays. By nineteen forty, he had opened black theater groups in Harlem, Chicago and Los Angeles.

While writing for a black newspaper, Hughes created someone called “Jesse B. Semple.” The name “Jesse B. Semple” represented Hughes’s writing style: Just Be Simple. Semple was a common man of the people who “tells it like it is.” His experiences help other people understand the world in a clearer light. Hughes spoke through his character:

(SOUND)

Here is more of “Jesse B. Semple” read by Langston Hughes.

(SOUND)

VOICE ONE:

Langston Hughes was known to be very supportive of young writers and poets. Some said his willingness to help young writers was a result of his unhappy childhood. Wherever he went, from the Caribbean to Africa to Russia, he connected with writers and gave them support. He also translated some of their writings into English and included them in collections he produced.

Not everyone praised Hughes’ work. Some critics said his writings were too simple and lacked depth. Some blacks condemned 13 his informal writing style and honest descriptions of black life. They also criticized his use of blues and jazz in his poetry and his expressions of sympathy for working people.

However, his supporters praised his straightforward 14 writing style. They said he demonstrated that writing does not have to be complex to be great.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen fifty-one, Hughes wrote one of his most successful collections of jazz poetry called, “Montage of a Dream Deferred 15.” The poems are expressions of everyday life in Harlem. They take the reader through one complete day and night in Harlem.

In some of the poems, Hughes uses a new kind of jazz played in Harlem at the time, called “Be-Bop.” The poems deal with the problem of being black in America. In “Harlem,” the most famous poem in the collection, he asks:

(SOUND: “Montage of a Dream Deferred”)

VOICE ONE:

There were difficult times for Langston Hughes. Conservatives 16 in the United States were suspicious 17 of his ties to extremist movements, his activism, and his support of the Soviet Union for its treatment of minorities. In nineteen-fifty-three, he was forced to appear before Senator 18 Joseph McCarthy’s committee on subversive 19 activities to explain his interest in communism. Under pressure during the nineteen fifties, Hughes softened 20 the voice of his poems and rejected his militant past. He was criticized later by some black activists 21 for not being militant enough.

Hughes continued to write and publish throughout the nineteen fifties and sixties. And he won several important awards during that time. He also taught at Atlanta University and the University of Chicago.
The Langston Hughes House in New York City's Harlem area

VOICE TWO:
 






The Langston Hughes House in New York City's Harlem area




Hughes died of cancer in nineteen sixty-seven in Harlem, New York. His home on One Hundred Twenty-Seventh Street has been made a national landmark 22.

Experts say Langston Hughes helped to change the sound of American literature. They say he wrote poems the world will always know.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This Special English program was written and produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

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



n.复活,复兴,文艺复兴
  • The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
  • The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利
  • They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
  • All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。
n.拒绝,被拒,抛弃,被弃
  • He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
  • The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
adj.疲劳的,使人疲劳的;vi.厌烦,不耐烦
  • He has laid out all his strength and is weary.他使出了全部气力,非常疲倦。
  • I am weary of his constant complaints.我对他不断发牢骚感到厌烦。
n.民族主义;种族歧视(意识)
  • He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
  • Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。
adj.苏联的,苏维埃的;n.苏维埃
  • Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
  • Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。
adj.激进的,好斗的;n.激进分子,斗士
  • Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
  • He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。
adj.不自然的,假装的
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
adj.性的,两性的,性别的
  • He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
  • It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
adj.延期的,缓召的v.拖延,延缓,推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 );服从某人的意愿,遵从
  • The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
  • a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划
保守的人( conservative的名词复数 ); (英国)保守党党员,保守党支持者
  • The Conservatives were then the governing party . 那时是保守党当政。
  • The Conservatives were once more in power. 保守党再次执政。
adj.可疑的,容易引起怀疑的,猜疑的,疑心的
  • A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
  • He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重,连自己的母亲也不相信。
n.参议员,评议员
  • The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
  • The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。
adj.颠覆性的,破坏性的;n.破坏份子,危险份子
  • She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
  • The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
标签: voa 慢速英语
学英语单词
above-quota purchase
alicyclic acid
amphoriscid
Araqua
artemia salinas
autesiodorum (auxerre)
authigenesis
base of neck
bottom ramming machine
burhinidaes
coarse braking
compressed air installation
context-independent
cuellar
cyberbanks
Cypridea
decision logic translator
deion extinction of arc
depreciation rate of tooling
desose
distance liner
Donzenac
dual detector
duck mold packing
eccentric type pickup
equilibrate
Eschscholtzia californica
event-by-event
exponential subroutine
export labo(u)r power
extenders
fog-navigation
geared brake motor
gebhart
genus lutras
health-consciousness
hercostomus lunlatus
heterogenous graft
Hindostan
holding braking effort
horsecrap
Hutchinson's patch
inhearing
insert film
insurance share
Kidd blood group system
Kodoris K'edi
kuvasz
lakon kabach boran (cambodia)
latent load
leaned
left divisor
liberalizers
licea kleistobolus
lot by lot
Malolo
man-millinery
mannoheptitol
master file table
mazelyn
mine accident
molybdenic acid
nanpa
nature strips
nnfa
objectives of financial statement
Ohiwa Harb.
operator trunk
Origanum dictamnus
paleoepibiotic endemism
peripheral arteriosclerosis
perosplanchnia
planchering
point softening
Pomadasyidae
poor-spirited
reference wedge
self feeding carburetor
shorthandedly
single ported slide valve
Skebobruk
soft margarine
soil metabolism
sound intermediate frequency
spillage oil
Spinacia oleracea Mill.
steel-bar header
stern ornament
stratifiable
surface recombination admittance
Surinsk
telegraaf
threepeater
tisdell
Tombila, Gunung
Trichosanthes quinquangulata
troched
v-shaped antenna
vestibular nuclei
whose'n
wolfhounds
work space layout