【一起听英语】价值百万的小提琴
一个价值百万的提琴,有谁会花费这么大的价钱买呢?
Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: the
programme in which we talk about a story in the news and learn some
vocabulary while we’re doing it. I’m Alice and joining me today is Neil. Hi
there, Neil.
Neil: Hi Alice.
Alice: Now, Neil I know you’re very musical – but can you spot a multi-million
dollar violin when you hear one?
Neil: A multi-million dollar violin? So, that’s a musical instrument which costs
several million US dollars? Who’s got that kind of money to spend on an
instrument?
Alice: Somebody with lots and lots of money. When we talk about dollars in
English, they usually mean US dollars. Anyway, let's listen to these two
violins, and then tell me which sound you like the best, and which do you
think is the most valuable?
Neil: OK.
The same musical scale played on two different violins
Alice: So, did you like the sound of the first violin, or the second?
Neil: Well, my perfect musical ears are telling me the second violin was the
multi-million dollar one.
Alice: And was that the one you liked best?
Neil: Oh yes. Of course!
Alice: Good taste. Well done. One of the qualities which makes the sound so
wonderful is what’s called timbre 1 – the quality of the sound. And that
leads me to another question, Neil. Which language does the word timbre
come from originally? Is it:
a) Russian
b) Italian
c) French
Neil: Hmm. Definitely not Russian. I would be tempted 2 to say French but most
musical expressions come from Italian. So I’m going to say Italian.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
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Alice: Well, as usual we won’t find out the answer until the end of the
programme. Let’s talk some more about violins. What makes one violin
sound so much better than another?
Neil: I like that very mellow 3 sound – a sound that that is sweet and rich.
Alice: Mellow. We talk about coffee being mellow, rich and sweet - and sound
can be mellow too. What makes an instrument top of the range? The
best that is on offer. Here’s Professor Tasmin Little from the Royal
Academy of Music, who is also a concert violinist – a soloist 4.
Professor Tasmin Little:
There are two most famous and great makers 5. Stradivari is the most famous, but also
there is Guarneri del Gesu who is also very favoured by top soloists 6, perhaps the
instruments are more mellow in sound. But certainly, there is nothing to beat a
Stradivarius, because they are just really the top of the range instruments. And I'm
very, very fortunate to have this instrument on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.
Alice: So Professor Tamsin Little says there is nothing to beat a Stradivarius –
it’s the top of the range.
Neil: And she’s very fortunate – very lucky to have one on loan. That means
she’s borrowing the violin to play at concerts.
Alice: Yeah – as some Stradivarius violins cost several million dollars, I don’t
think many musicians would be able to afford them themselves.
Neil: And what is it about violins made by the Stradivari family in 17th and 18th
centuries that makes them so special?
Alice: As we’ve heard that word before, they have great timbre – the sound they
make reverberates 7.
Neil: Reverberates – it echoes back at you. A really rich, deep sound. How did
violin makers like the Stradivari family give violins that special sound
quality?
Alice: Professor Little says that’s the billion dollar question. It means that’s
the question that everybody would like answered. If we could only
understand what gives these violins their very special quality, people
would have copied the technique ages ago:
Professor Tasmin Little:
That’s the billion dollar question, isn't it – it's one that has foxed people for centuries.
People have come up with all sorts of explanations. There are a few, such as: at the
point when Stradivarius was choosing his wood, there had been a particularly cold spell
of temperature and the trees had grown very slowly and, therefore, with more density 8.
Apparently 9 he used to go into forests and tap on the trees and listen to how reverberant 10
they were and, according to the results, he would chop them down or not.
6 Minute English © British Broadcasting Corporation 2012
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Alice: So it’s believed that violin makers chose the wood they used to make the
violins for their reverberant qualities. There had been a cold spell, and the
trees had grown slowly, so the wood was more dense 11.
Neil: Professor Tasmin Little says that’s one possibility why the violins are so
special.
Alice: Now, before we go, Neil - have you had a think about the origins of the
word timbre? I asked if the word came originally from French, Russian or
Italian.
Neil: Well I said Italian, but judging by the way you’ve been pronouncing that
word, I think I’m probably wrong!
Alice: You’re right. It’s French. Well, well done anyway. Now, time for a recap of
some of the words we heard in today’s programme.
Neil: They are: multi-million, timbre, mellow, top of the range,
reverberates, the billion dollar question
Alice: Join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from
bbclearningenglish.com.
Neil: And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Alice: Bye for now.
Neil: Bye
- His voice had a deep timbre.他嗓音低沉。
- The timbre of the violin is far richer than that of the mouth organ.小提琴的音色远比口琴丰富。
- I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚,但还是没开口。
- I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。
- These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节,苹果就熟透了。
- The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时,色彩变得柔和了。
- The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
- The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。
- The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
- The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The soloists were ably supported by the University Singers. 这些独唱歌手得到了大学歌手的大力支持。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Summer music festivals feature leading orchestras, soloists and opera companies. 在夏季举行的各音乐节,有著名的交响乐团、独唱和独奏者及歌剧团表演。 来自互联网
- His voice reverberates from the high ceiling. 他的声音自天花板顶处反射回来。
- No single phrase of his reverberates or penetrates as so many of La Bruyere's do. 他没有一个句子能象拉布吕耶尔的许多句子那样余音回荡,入木三分。
- The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
- The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。
- An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
- He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
- For a second, the room is the reverberant sound of cry. 一时间,正个房间里都回响着她的哭声。
- To strike so as to produce a loud, reverberant noise. 发出打击声敲击使发出砰砰响亮声。