时间:2019-02-03 作者:英语课 分类:VOA常速英语2007年(十一月)


英语课
By Tetiana Vorozhko
Norfolk, Virginia
08 November 2007
 


Twenty years ago the original performers of Cirque du Soleil were street performers in Quebec Canada walking on stilts 1, juggling 2, and playing music. From these humble 3 beginnings their circus has grown to be one of the largest and most famous in the world. VOA's Tetiana Vorozhko recently attended Cirque du Soleil's show called "Saltimbanco" and spoke 4 to some of the show's stars. Jim Bertel has the story.


They spin and sail around their poles seemingly defying gravity with their intricately choreographed 5 routines. These performers are part of the nearly one thousand artists performing with Cirque du Soleil in more than a dozen simultaneous shows around the world. Unlike traditional circuses, each unique show is a synthesis of international circus styles built around its own central theme and storyline.


Victoria Zherdeva is an acrobatic gymnast from Ukraine who grew up dreaming of performing with Cirque du Soleil. Four years ago Zherdeva and her husband videotaped their routine and sent it to the troupe 6. She says, "We lost our hope. All of a sudden, we received the offer. First, we didn't believe it and thought it didn't mean anything."


Carmen Ruest ("Rue") was one of the original street performers who helped start Cirque du Soleil. She is now the artistic 7 director of "Saltimbanco" and explains how the circus develops new talent. "We take other disciplines that they got with their sports, their skills, we take that and we adapt with artistic training," she said.


Taisiya and Ruslana Bazaliy are 21-year-old twin sisters from Ukraine who have been performing with the circus since they were 14.


The fearless performers enjoy performing their breath-taking stunts 8 in front of a live audience.


Both say, "We are not afraid. Viewers, yes, they are scared. It is fun for us to hear when they scream 'oh,' 'ah.'


The Cirque du Soleil shows continue to pack venues around the world, inspiring young performers to dream of becoming tomorrow's stars




n.(支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的)桩子,支柱( stilt的名词复数 );高跷
  • a circus performer on stilts 马戏团里踩高跷的演员
  • The bamboo huts here are all built on stilts. 这里的竹楼都是架空的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
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。
v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )
  • There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时,人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
  • Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句
n.剧团,戏班;杂技团;马戏团
  • The art troupe is always on the move in frontier guards.文工团常年在边防部队流动。
  • The troupe produced a new play last night.剧团昨晚上演了一部新剧。
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.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 );(广告中)引人注目的花招;愚蠢行为;危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长],抑制,妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )
  • He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
  • The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》
学英语单词
actor-oriented
aerojet engine
allowable shear stress
anisotropic fabric
arithmetitian
barristration
Bean's alloy
browndowns
connetive tissue
constant rate of loading
coogle
CPU architecture
dabby
data system interface
deuterate
digital output module
double shell
Drigalski-Conradi agar
dynamic electronic rail balance
economic alliance
electron-discharge machining
fairier
funeral service
griblet
guaging
half-worlds
heraldric
HOLODIPTERIFORMES
hydrogen substitution
hydrographic curve
intermittency beat
Japanese monetary unit
joke shop
killer cancels
knowledge domain
kormann
ladle preheater
larkana
latent cause
length-hull height ratio
logic flaw
long air-gun array
marked whale
measurement cargo
Millbank
minimum plate height
moonlets
Mordvinian
multistage-expansion
naphthen
Northern English
open framework
oral health survey
over-prepared
paidocheu
paranucleic body
partial towards
passengers' entrance
pheno-plastics
plygonal ground
polystichum taizhongense
poster child
preculture
product promotion
pumping station?
rated flow rate
Ratio Spread
reavowed
recovery disk
rnle
rubye
runologists
selling price
sensible to
skylar
steering master controller
stop pulse
stria of external granular layer
sub-boreal age
systems linking
Taulihawā
tauromachian
taylors formula
tectus conus
tentative purchase
ticklishly
tielite (tieilite)
tld badge
traders
truth tables
utilities air
Uvulopharyngoplasty
varying degrees
villahermosa
Vista Enterprise
white fuming nitric acid
wire grasses
without avail
year to date
zaffina
zalmai
zygomorphic pea flower