From the Big Apple to the Big Orange. Transcript of radio broadcast:
02 January 2010
A nickname is a shortened form of a person's name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity. Nicknames can also be funny.
Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city’s initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish.
Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.
The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without seeing the word "Hollywood" spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.
Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.
The city of Los Angeles is part of Los Angeles County. There are many smaller cities in the county. Beverly Hills, with its rich people, is one of them. So is Pasadena, with its Rose Parade each New Year's Day. So are the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, where people like to ride surfboards on the Pacific Ocean waves.
A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there.
Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.
(MUSIC - Randy Newman - "I Love L.A.")
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.
这里是美国之音慢速英语词语典故。
别名是一个人名字的缩短形式，还可以是一个人，一个地方或一个物品的描述性名字。许多美国城市都有别名，这可以帮助创立一个城市的风格，激发公民的自豪感，建立团结精神。别名也是非常有趣的。
位于加利福尼亚的洛杉矶，是继纽约之后美国第二大城市。洛杉矶有几个别名。其中一个最简单的就是其首字母的缩写L.A.。它也被称作天使之城，因为洛杉矶在西班牙语的意思是“天使”。
洛杉矶气候温暖，阳光充沛。所以它的其它别名还有花都和阳光之城。纽约被称作大苹果。所以洛杉矶有时被称作大橘子，因为在该城市温暖的气候下适合橘子的生长。
美国的电影和电视产业基地也在洛杉矶。因此不足为奇的是，我们叫它世界娱乐界的首都。许多电影都制作在洛杉矶地区的好莱坞。无数的游客慕名而来。来洛杉矶的游客一定要观看以拼写在山坡上的“Hollywood”为标志的好莱坞。
洛杉矶住着很多电影明星。这个城市有时被叫做浮华城。这个别名源自好莱坞和电影产业的闪耀，明亮，和虚幻。
洛杉矶另外一个别名是“La-La Land”，它是根据Los和Angeles首字母组合而成的。该别名的意思是这是一个充满乐趣，一点也不严肃的地方，甚至过着一种脱离现实，与世隔绝的生活。
洛杉矶城属于洛杉矶郡的一部分，在该郡还有许多更小的城市。富裕的比弗利山庄，就是其中的一个。还有在每年新年举办玫瑰花车阅兵的帕萨迪纳市。还有海岸城市莫妮卡和马里布，那的人喜欢在太平洋波浪上进行冲浪。
观看不寻常的人的好地方是位于洛杉矶西海岸的威尼斯。一个意大利城市威尼斯水道系统设计已建成在那里。
许多人热爱洛杉矶，因为他温暖和煦的气候，美丽的山川和海滩，以及很多住在那里的电影明星。包括歌唱他的故乡的Randy Newman。
Surfboard
n. 冲浪板
vi. 以冲浪板滑水
Can I rent a surfboard?
我能租个冲浪板吗？
Gentle waves rocked me as I lay facedown on my surfboard.
当我脸朝下趴在我的冲浪板上时，微浪摇动著我。
of riding a surfboard toward the shore on the crest of a wave.
在波浪的顶峰架着划水板冲向海岸的运动。
Place between your surfboard &car to protect both from abrasion.
铺在车顶，垫在冲浪板下面，防止彼此刮伤。
Jennifer : What's your take on the surfboard vs. skimboard 1)debate?
珍妮花：对于冲浪还是浅滩冲浪的辩论你有何看法？
Waterway
n. 航路,水路,运河
We took a ship by waterway to travel.
这条河很宽，足以使很多船通过。
2. A brook is a natural waterway smaller than a river.
溪流是天然的水道,比河小.
3. Into the village to go through a huge cave waterway.
进村子要经过一个巨大的溶洞水道。
4. Should a motorway pass under or over a large waterway?
公路该从大河道的下面还是从其上方通过？
5. This term can be used only for sea or inland waterway transport.
该术语仅适用于海运或内河运输。