(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Many cities have interestingnicknames. Nicknames can help establish the identity of a city. They can also spread pride among its citizens.
New Orleans, Louisiana probably has more nicknames than any other American city. One web site lists more than twenty nicknames. The most famous is The Big Easy. It describes the gentle, slow and easy-going way of life in New Orleans.
So how did the city get this nickname? In the early nineteen hundreds, there was a dance hall in New Orleans called The Big Easy. But the nickname did not become famous until the early nineteen seventies. That was when a Louisiana newspaper writer began calling New Orleans by this name. She compared the easy-going way of life there to the hurried pace of life in New York City.
In nineteen seventy, James Conaway wrote a crime novel called "The Big Easy." The story was set in New Orleans. In nineteen eighty-seven, that book was made into a film which made the nickname even more popular.
New Orleans has other nicknames. One of them is The Crescent City. During the nineteenth century, new neighborhoods expanded out from what is now known as the French Quarter. These areas followed the great curve of the Mississippi River, giving New Orleans the shape of a crescent.
Another nickname is the Birthplace of Jazz because that kind of music started in New Orleans. It is also called Mardi Gras City for the wild celebrations and parades that take place there every year. And, there is a nickname that uses the short way to write New Orleans and Louisiana. It you do not want to use the complete name, you can call the city NOLA.
One of America's most exciting cities is Las Vegas, Nevada. There you can play games of chance all night long. The city's night clubs are also open all night for eating, drinking and dancing. So it is not surprising that Las Vegas is called The Gambling Capital of the World and The Entertainment Capital of the World.
Another nickname for Las Vegas is Sin City because you can find many kinds of adult entertainment there. Many people who come to Las Vegas in hopes of winning lots of money do not know when to stop gambling. They may lose a great deal of their hard-earned money. So the city is also called something that sounds like Las Vegas – Lost Wages.
In nineteen sixty-four, Elvis Presley starred in a movie called "Viva Las Vegas." Here he sings the title song from that movie.
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Barbara Klein.
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.crescent n.新月；新月形之物
When he left his home, the moon was a crescent.
当他离家时,天空有一弯新月。
2.nickname n. 绰号； 昵称
Everyone on the team was tagged with a nickname.
队里的每个成员都给起了一个绰号。
3.easy-going a.轻松的，随和的，容易相处的
He was easy-going and good-natured.
他随和且脾气好。
4.gambling n. 赌博；投机
He was plunged into debt overnight by gambling.
由于赌博，他一夜之间负债累累。
内容解析
1.In nineteen eighty-seven, that book was made into a film which made the nickname even more popular.
make into 把…制成；使…变为
Milk can be made into cheese.
原奶可以制作成为奶酪。
That was made into an office due to its small size.
那个房间因为面积太小，被改成了一间办公室。
2.She compared the easy-going way of life there to the hurried pace of life in New York City.
compare...to 与…相比较，把...比作
The radiance of new - blown roses, can I compare it to yours?
新盛开的玫瑰花啊！我是否可将它比喻作你呢？
Yet, 10 suns added together could not compare to the brightness of her smile.
可是，十个太阳加在一起也比不上她笑容的灿烂。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语“成语典故”。
很多城市都有有趣的别名，别名可以帮助树立城市形象，还可在市民间传递自豪感。
路易斯安那的新奥尔良的别名可能比美国任何城市的别名都要多，一网站上列举了20多个别名，最有名的是“大快活”，它形容了新奥尔良温和、缓慢和轻松的生活方式。
这个别名是如何得来的呢？20世纪初，新奥尔良有家舞厅名叫“大快活”。但直到20世纪70年代早期新奥尔良才得此别名，当时路易斯安那一位新闻撰稿人用这个别名称呼新奥尔良，她将新奥尔良轻松的生活与纽约市繁忙的生活作对比。
20世纪70年代，James Conaway写了一本名叫《大快活》的犯罪小说，故事就发生在新奥尔良。1987年，这本书被拍成电影，这个别名就变得知名了。
新奥尔良还有其他别名，其中一个叫“新月城”，20世纪，新社区从现在的法国区蔓延开来，这些地区沿着密西西西比河弯曲的流向延伸，这样新奥尔良就看起来像一弯新月。
另一个名字叫“爵士乐诞生地”，因为这种音乐起源于新奥尔良。这里每年举行狂野庆祝和游戏，也被称为狂欢之都。此外，还有一个别名使用了新奥尔良和路易斯安那州的简写，如果不想用全名，可以称其为诺拉(NOLA)。
内华达州的拉斯维加斯是美国最令人兴奋的城市之一，在这里你可以彻夜赌博。该市的夜总会也彻夜提供吃喝和舞蹈娱乐。因此，无怪乎拉斯维加斯被称为世界赌城和世界娱乐之都。
拉斯维加斯的另一个别名是“罪恶之都”，因为这里有多种成人娱乐，许多来这里希望大赢一笔的人不知道何时住手。他们可能会失去辛辛苦苦挣得的一大笔钱。所以该市也有了和Las Vegas发音类似的别名Lost Wages（丢掉工资）。
1964年，埃维斯·普里斯利演了电影《赌城万岁》，以下就是他演唱的电影主题曲。
