日本高清色视频在线视频在,国产香蕉97碰碰视频碰碰看,丰满少妇av无码区,精品无码专区在线,久久无码专区免费看,四虎欧美精品永久地址99,亚洲色无码一区二区三区

English 中文網(wǎng) 漫畫網(wǎng) 愛新聞iNews 翻譯論壇
中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目(頻道)
當(dāng)前位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> 新聞播報> Special Speed News VOA慢速

O. Henry’s Austin home a museum for over 75 years

[ 2010-12-20 13:49]     字號 [] [] []  
免費訂閱30天China Daily雙語新聞手機報:移動用戶編輯短信CD至106580009009

O. Henry’s Austin home a museum for over 75 years

DOUG JOHNSON: Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson.

This week we answer a question about the life of magician Harry Houdini.

We also play music by some of this year's biggest concert money-makers.

But first, we visit the former home of one of America's best loved writers.

(MUSIC)

O. Henry Museum

DOUG JOHNSON: One of America's best-loved writers of short stories was William Sydney Porter -- better known as O. Henry. Beginning in 1893, he lived with his family in a house in Austin, Texas. It is now a museum. Katherine Cole has our story.

KATHERINE COLE: Visitors to central Austin will find many huge hotels and modern buildings. It would be easy to miss one very small, old house where one of America's favorite writers once lived. It is now called the O. Henry Museum. It was saved from destruction, moved, and turned into a museum in 1934. The museum is a good way to learn about the interesting life of O. Henry.

William Porter rented this house in Austin and lived there with his wife Athol and daughter Margaret for about two years. Many objects in the museum belonged to the Porters. Others did not, but are in the house to recreate the way it looked during their lifetime. Our guide takes us into the living room.

O. Henry’s Austin home a museum for over 75 years

GUIDE: "Another important piece in the room is the original photograph over here. It was taken here in the house about 1895. The piano dates back to the 1860s. His wife took lessons on it when she first moved to Austin."

William Porter did not start his career as a successful writer. He worked at a pharmacy, farm, land office and bank. He also loved words and writing. The museum has special proof of Porter's love of language -- his dictionary.

GUIDE: "Very, very well used. It's said that he has read every word in that dictionary."

Porter started a small publication called "The Rolling Stone."

GUIDE: "We have a copy of the Rolling Stone magazine. He wasn't being published early on, so he published himself."

His funny stories, poems, and drawings were published in the magazine. But it was too costly to continue for long, so he closed the project after about one year.

Other troubles would lead the Porters to leave Austin. Porter was accused of financial wrongdoing at the bank and lost his job. Fearing a trial, he fled the country. But he returned because his wife was dying. After her death, he faced trial and was found guilty. He served three and a half years in a federal prison in Ohio.

William Porter would keep his time in prison a secret. But there was one good thing about it. It provided him with time to write. By the time of his release, he had published 14 stories and was becoming well known as O. Henry.

Porter would later move to New York City and find great success there. He published over 380 stories in the last eight years of his life.

One of his most famous stories is "The Gift of the Magi." You can hear it next Saturday, December 25th, on the Special English program AMERICAN STORIES.

The Great Houdini

DOUG JOHNSON: Our listener question this week comes from Anemina Raente Vaijero who wants to know about the life of magician Harry Houdini.

His real name was Ehrich Weisz. He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1874. His father was a rabbi, a Jewish religious leader. His family moved to the United States two years later.

Young Ehrich loved show business. At the age of nine, he called himself "The Prince of the Air" as he performed on a swing high above the audience. But Ehrich always dreamed of becoming a magician.

One of his favorite entertainers was a French magician named Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. Ehrich took his last name, changed the pronunciation, added an "i" and began calling himself Harry Houdini. At first, he performed many different kinds of magic. But in 1899, he decided to spend most of his time working on "escapes."

O. Henry’s Austin home a museum for over 75 years

One of his most famous tricks was the "Chinese Water Torture." His feet were locked together and he was lowered, upside down, into a glass box filled with water. A curtain was placed in front of the box so the audience could not see how he did the trick. Several minutes would go by. Just when everyone was sure the Great Houdini had drowned, the curtain would drop. There stood Houdini on the stage, free from the deadly box.

Harry Houdini also was famous for escaping from handcuffs. He said he would give 100 dollars to anyone who could lock him into a set of handcuffs from which he could not escape. In his long career, he never had to pay the money.

Harry Houdini enjoyed a long career as a magician and escape artist. He wrote books and performed in movies. He became the most famous magician in the world. But it all came to an end on Halloween, October 31st, 1926. Houdini died after being hit several times in the stomach by a college student.

In October, the Jewish Museum in New York City opened an exhibit called "Houdini: Art and Magic." Visitors can see old photographs, posters and videos of his escapes. They can also see some of the things he used in his magic tricks, including a straitjacket and 11 pairs of handcuffs.

Although Houdini did not believe in talking with the dead, his wife, Bess, tried to communicate with his spirit. Did she succeed? This Sunday on the Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA we will tell more about Houdini's magic and how he lived and died. And we will also tell you why the words "Rosabelle, believe" are important for magicians around the world.

Big Money Music Makers

DOUG JOHNSON: Americans attended fewer live music shows this year. And there were fewer concerts than last year. That is the report from Billboard Magazine's yearly study of the subject.

But "Billboard's Boxscore" also shows a few musicians still had some very profitable concert tours this year. Barbara Klein has more.

BARBARA KLEIN: Who made the most money this year in a concert series? Rock and roll band Bon Jovi. Billboard says it has sold more than 145 million dollars worth of tickets. The band has played 69 sold-out shows. "The Circle Tour" continues into next year. Bon Jovi will have performed in 30 countries during the series of shows.

O. Henry’s Austin home a museum for over 75 years

Recently, the 27 year old band released a greatest hits album. Here Bon Jovi performs "I'll Be There for You" from 1988.

(MUSIC)

Lady Gaga also had a big year with her concert series. She made about 110 million dollars on her tour. She performed at more than 120 shows.

Last week, Billboard magazine named Lady Gaga its Artist of the Year. Only six other women have made the list. They include names like Madonna and Taylor Swift.

Here is Lady Gaga performing her Grammy-nominated song "Bad Romance."

(MUSIC)

Finally, the Irish band U2 also had successful concerts this year. The stage design of "U2 360" puts the band in the middle of the audience.

U2 formed in 1978. It has been together even longer than Bon Jovi. We leave you with a U2 song from 2000. Here is "Beautiful Day."

(MUSIC)

DOUG JOHNSON: I'm Doug Johnson. Our program was written by Dana Demange, Jim Tedder and Caty Weaver, who also was our producer.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

straitjacket: a piece of clothing like a jacket with long arms which are tied to prevent the person wearing it from behaving violently; Straitjackets are sometimes used to control people who are mentally ill. 約束衣,緊身衣(有時用以束縛精神病患者)

Related stories:

Short story: 'The Last Leaf' by O. Henry

On stage: the great American novel, all of it, in 'Gatz'

讀者佳作:It's My Life

美國大學(xué)開“Lady Gaga課”

(來源:VOA 編輯:崔旭燕)

 
中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津版權(quán)說明:凡注明來源為“中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創(chuàng)作品,除與中國日報網(wǎng)簽署英語點津內(nèi)容授權(quán)協(xié)議的網(wǎng)站外,其他任何網(wǎng)站或單位未經(jīng)允許不得非法盜鏈、轉(zhuǎn)載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯(lián)系;凡本網(wǎng)注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉(zhuǎn)載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉(zhuǎn)載,請與稿件來源方聯(lián)系,如產(chǎn)生任何問題與本網(wǎng)無關(guān);本網(wǎng)所發(fā)布的歌曲、電影片段,版權(quán)歸原作者所有,僅供學(xué)習(xí)與研究,如果侵權(quán),請?zhí)峁┌鏅?quán)證明,以便盡快刪除。
 

關(guān)注和訂閱

人氣排行

翻譯服務(wù)

中國日報網(wǎng)翻譯工作室

我們提供:媒體、文化、財經(jīng)法律等專業(yè)領(lǐng)域的中英互譯服務(wù)
電話:010-84883468
郵件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn
 
 
<strong id="xdwva"><div id="xdwva"></div></strong>
<label id="xdwva"></label>

<thead id="xdwva"></thead>
    <label id="xdwva"></label>

  1. 日本高清色视频在线视频在,国产香蕉97碰碰视频碰碰看,丰满少妇av无码区,精品无码专区在线,久久无码专区免费看,四虎欧美精品永久地址99,亚洲色无码一区二区三区