VOA标准英语2012--Sideshows Make Magic in NY Amusement Park
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(八月)
Sideshows Make Magic in NY Amusement Park
The weird 1, the amazing, and the simply gross are alive and well at Coney Island, where sideshow performers test their limits.
Coney Island draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. For more than a century, the amusement park has offered tourists fantasy, thrills and cool ocean breezes at the southern tip of Brooklyn. The bizarre sideshows, a big draw, originated with the circus in the 19th century.
Dick Zigun founded Coney Island USA. The non-profit organization keeps that culture alive.
"If there is going to be one place left in America that is going to preserve sideshow or freak show of course Coney Island is the right place," said Zigun. "If you go to a sideshow, you are going to scream or laugh or cry or maybe even throw up."
Princess Pat of Nigeria - that's her stage name - is one of many sideshow performers here.
"I am from an artistic 2 family, so when I got here, that was years and years ago. The first thing I did here was a blade box and slowly I started learning," she said.
Alejandro Dubois specializes in escape acts and dangerous feats 3.
"My inspiration from Harry 4 Houdini had taught me to do is just keep pushing the envelope and see how far you can go before you end up killing 5 yourself," noted 6 Dubois.
Rush Hicks, another Coney Island performer is an extreme contortionist. He was born with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome 7, a rare and sometimes life-threatening disease that makes his joints 8, skin and internal organs elastic 9.
"I realized I was home the first day I was here. It's a lot of relief being strange your entire life and being around people who make you feel normal," Hicks explained.
Coney Island USA also runs a sideshow school. Adam Realman is the teacher. He watched sideshows on Coney Island's boardwalk as a boy.
"I was blown away by it and would go back repeatedly week after week after week for years," recalled Realman.
He claims he has cranked out dozens of sideshow artists. For the students, learning how to wow the audience is a kick. For freaks and lovers of the bizarre, Coney Island is still the place to "step right up!"
- From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
- His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
- 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。
- He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
- His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。
- Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
- Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
- Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
- Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
- Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。
- Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
- Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。