(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the art collector and cultural supporter, Isabella Stewart Gardner.
During the late nineteenth century, she traveled around the world to learn about foreign cultures and improve her knowledge of art. Missus Gardner was a celebrated arts and community supporter in her hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. She spent her later years turning her home and art collection into a beautiful museum for the public to enjoy.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum does not seem like a museum. It looks like what it is: a large, beautiful home built in the style of sixteenth century Italy. But this home contains over two thousand pieces of art organized from room to room by period and by geography.
The collection includes paintings, sculpture, rare books, jewelry, and pieces of ancient buildings. For example, the Blue Room contains paintings by nineteenth century artists including Edouard Manet and Eugene Delacroix. It also contains finely made furniture and displays of letters from many famous American writers who were friends of Missus Gardner during her lifetime.
From this room, you can explore the nearby Chinese Loggia, or go upstairs to see the Italian art hung on the deep red walls of the Raphael Room.
The four levels of rooms center on a beautiful courtyard with a glass ceiling to let light shine in. The art collection is organized in a way that is warm and personal. So you feel like you are a guest in a home instead of a visitor in a huge, impersonal museum.
This museum is one of a kind. It is the only private art collection in the United States that had one person design the building, the collection and the way in which the art is hung. Let us learn more about this interesting woman who devoted her life to art.
Isabella Stewart was born in New York City in eighteen forty. Her father, David Stewart, made a great deal of money in the trade of linen cloth and iron. Isabella went to private schools in New York and in Paris, France, where her family lived for two years. During this time, her parents took her to Italy to explore the country's many cultural treasures.
One of the private art collections Isabella visited in Milan had a deep influence on her. She wrote to one of her friends about her dream of one day owning a house with an art collection like the one she had seen in Italy. Isabella said in the letter that she would fill the house with art and beautiful old furniture called antiques so that other people could enjoy them.
In Paris, Isabella became close friends with one of her classmates, Julia Gardner, whose family was from Boston, Massachusetts. Julia would later introduce Isabella to her brother, Jack. In eighteen sixty, Isabella Stewart married Jack Gardner. The couple moved to Boston.
In eighteen sixty-three, Isabella gave birth to a son, Jackie, who died two years later. To help his wife overcome a severe depression, Jack Gardner planned for them to travel to Europe. The couple traveled through Norway, Russia, Austria and France. This change of environment helped Isabella Gardner greatly. She soon regained the sense of humor and spirit for which she was known.
The couple traveled together often. One trip was to Egypt, Palestine, and Greece. Isabella kept detailed written descriptions of their travels. Her travel writing showed a sense of adventure and love of the art and traditions of other cultures. On another trip, she and her husband visited the art and monuments of Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, and India.
In eighteen seventy-five, the Gardners adopted the three sons of Jack's brother, who had recently died.
Isabella Stewart Gardner did not behave like most women of her time. She was very independent and not afraid to express her thoughts and opinions. She smoked cigarettes and hosted parties that were famous around town. She learned all she could about subjects that were important to her, such as art and literature. She also developed relationships with interesting people. She became good friends with the American painters John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler and the writer Henry James. She collected the work of the great ancient painters, but also worked hard to support modern artists beginning their careers.
Missus Gardner took a great interest in the community activities of Boston. She loved to attend Red Sox baseball games as well as other sports at nearby Harvard College. And, she gave financial support to organizations that supported animal rights and the planting of city gardens. Her independence and spirit caught the attention of the media. Reporters often wrote stories about her, some of which were more true than others. Missus Gardner did not seem to mind. She was known to have said: "Don't spoil a good story by telling the truth!"
During her many travels, Isabella Gardner visited art galleries and consulted with art experts. She wanted to be fully educated about the art collection she was starting to build. When Isabella's father died in eighteen ninety-one, she used the money he left her to buy more art. A few years later, Isabella and Jack Gardner bought three major paintings by great artists. One was by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, another by the Spanish artist Velazquez, and another was by the Italian artist, Titian.
The couple knew they now had too much art to fit inside their home. So they decided to start planning a museum. Missus Gardner decided that she did not like the cold and empty spaces of many museums during her time. She wanted to create a museum that was warm and filled with light. The building design of ancient homes in Venice, Italy, became the influence for their museum.
Missus Gardner once said that she decided years ago that the greatest need in her country was art. She said America was a young country developing quickly in other areas. But the country needed more chances for people to see beautiful examples of art.
In eighteen ninety-eight, Jack Gardner died unexpectedly of a stroke. Isabella knew she had no time to lose in building her museum. She bought land, hired a building designer, and supervised every detail of her museum's construction. Around nineteen oh one, Missus Gardner moved into the fourth floor of the museum, where she would live for the rest of her life. For over a year, she worked on putting her art collection into place.
Missus Gardner opened her museum on January first, nineteen oh three. The museum at this time was called Fenway Court. She invited her friends that night for a special musical performance by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. One person attending that evening described how the perfection of all things in the museum seemed to have an unusual effect on the guests. He said its effect was very extraordinary and wonderful, like a miracle.
The next month, she opened the museum to the public. At first, visits were limited to twenty days out of the year. Visitors paid one dollar to enter.
Isabella Stewart Gardner died in nineteen twenty-four in Boston. In her will, she left the museum a million dollars and a series of requirements about how it should be managed. One requirement is that the permanent collection cannot be changed.
But one major change was beyond the museum's control. In March of nineteen ninety, robbers dressed as police entered the museum and stole thirteen works of art. They stole some of the most valuable works in the collection. They included three paintings by Rembrandt and another by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. The paintings were never recovered. Empty frames hang on the walls were the paintings once were displayed as a reminder of this tragic crime.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is as interesting today as it was one hundred years ago. But it also keeps up with today's community. The museum holds many events so that the public can enjoy musical evenings, educational programs and other activities. Modern artists can take part in the museum's artist-in-residence program. And, the museum invites public school students to view the collection while also providing teachers with art education projects.
The memory and spirit of Isabella Stewart Gardner lives on in the museum she created to share her love of art with the people.
重点解析
1.devote to致力于
He devoted his energies to writing films.
他致力于电影剧本的创作。
2.sense of humor幽默感
His particular sense of humor has astonished everybody throughout the world up to now.
他独特的幽默感直到现在依然使世界各地的人们都感到惊讶。
3.filled with充满
These machines often have a metal cup, which is filled with water and detergent.
这些机器往往有一个金属杯，这是充满了水和洗涤剂。
4.be limited to被限制在...上
I believe teaching should not be limited to the classroom.
我认为教学不应该局限在教室内。
5.take part in参与；参加
Although he was concussed by a bang on the head, he should be able to take part in the next race in Istanbul.
虽然他由于头部的撞击有些脑震荡，但是他应该可以参加伊斯坦布尔的下一场比赛。
6.consult with商量；协商
I'll consult with my partners about this agreement.
我要同我的合伙人商量这个合同的事。
参考译文
我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔，我是芭芭拉·克莱因。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们讲述艺术收藏家和文化支持者伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳的故事。
20世纪末，她去全世界旅行，学习外国文化，提升自己的艺术知识。加德纳夫人在她的家乡马萨诸塞州波士顿是一位著名的艺术和社区支持者。在晚年，她将自己的家和艺术收藏变成一个美丽的博物馆，供公众欣赏。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳博物馆看起来不像一个博物馆。它看起来就像是一个大的、有着16世纪意大利建造风格的美丽的家。但是这个家包含了超过2000份艺术品，它们按照时期和地理在一个个房间依次排放。
收藏品包括绘画、雕塑、珍本书籍、珠宝和古建筑件。比如，蓝色的房间包含了包括爱德华·马奈和尤金·德拉克洛瓦在内的19世纪艺术家的画作。它也包含精美的家具和来自很多著名作家的信件展品，这些作家成为加德纳夫人一生的朋友。
在这个房间里，你可以探索中国的凉亭，或者上楼去到拉斐尔作品的房间里，去欣赏挂在深红色墙上的意大利艺术品。
四层的房间以一个漂亮的庭院为中心，庭院有玻璃天花板，光线可以照进来。这些艺术收藏品以一种温暖和私人的方式组织起来。所以你会觉得你是家里的客人，而不是一个大的、没有人情味的博物馆。
这个博物馆是独一无二的。它是唯一的这样一家艺术收藏馆，只由一人设计建筑，选定艺术品和决定艺术品摆放的方式。让我们了解更多关于这位将她的生命献给艺术的女性的故事。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特1840年出生于纽约市。她的父亲大卫·斯图尔特靠做亚麻布和铁器生意赚了很多钱。伊莎贝拉在纽约和法国巴黎上私立学校，她的家人在那里住了两年。在此期间，她的父母带她去意大利探索该国的许多文化宝藏。
伊莎贝拉在米兰参观的一个私人艺术收藏品对她产生了深远的影响。她写信给她的一个朋友说，她梦想有一天能拥有一所房子，里面有她在意大利看到的那种艺术收藏品。伊莎贝拉在一封信中写道，她将把这个房子装满艺术品和美丽的叫做古玩的老式家具，这样其他人就能欣赏它们了。
在巴黎，伊莎贝拉和她的同学茱莉亚·加德纳成了亲密的朋友，茱莉亚·加德纳的家人来自马萨诸塞州的波士顿。茱莉亚后来把伊莎贝拉介绍给她的哥哥杰克。1860年，伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特嫁给了杰克·加德纳。这对夫妇搬到了波士顿。
1863年，伊莎贝拉生了一个儿子，杰姬，两年后去世。为了帮助妻子克服严重的抑郁症，杰克·加德纳计划带他们去欧洲旅行。这对夫妇游览了挪威、俄罗斯、奥地利和法国。这种环境的改变对伊莎贝拉·加德纳大有帮助。她很快就恢复了人们所熟知的幽默感和勇气。
这对夫妇经常一起旅行。一次是去埃及、巴勒斯坦和希腊。伊莎贝拉对他们的旅行作了详细的书面描述。她的游记表现了一种冒险精神和对其他文化艺术和传统的热爱。在另一次旅行中，伊萨贝拉和她的丈夫参观了日本、哥伦比亚、印度尼西亚和印度的艺术和历史遗迹。
1875年，加德纳一家收养了杰克刚去世的弟弟的三个儿子。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳的举止不像她那个时代的大多数女性。她非常独立，不害怕表达自己的想法和观点。她抽烟，举办在城镇上有名的聚会。她尽自己所能学习了对自己重要的学科，比如艺术和文学。她也和有趣的人们建立了关系。她和美国画家约翰·辛格·萨金特、詹姆斯·麦克尼尔·惠斯勒和作家亨利·詹姆斯成为了好朋友。她收藏古代伟大作家的作品，但是也努力支持开始自己生涯的现代艺术家。
加德纳夫人对波士顿的社区活动很感兴趣。她喜欢去看红袜队的棒球赛，也去看哈佛大学附近的其他运动比赛。她对支持动物权利和种植城市花园的组织给予了财务支援。她的独立和精神引起了媒体的注意。记者经常书写关于她的故事，其中的一些故事比其他的故事更为真实。加德纳夫人似乎并不在意。众所周知，她曾说过：“不要因为讲真话而毁了一个好故事!”
伊莎贝拉·加德纳在多次旅行中都参观了艺术画廊，咨询了艺术专家。她想要为自己要建立的艺术收藏接受全面的教育。1891年，伊莎贝拉的父亲去世，她用父亲留给自己的钱购买了更多的艺术品。几年后，伊莎贝拉和杰克·加德纳买下了三幅伟大艺术家的名画。一幅是荷兰艺术家伦勃朗所作，另一幅是西班牙艺术家委拉斯开兹所作，还有一幅是意大利艺术家提香所作。
这对夫妇知道他们有太多的艺术品要放到自己的家中。所以他们决定建造一个博物馆。加德纳夫人不喜欢她那个时代很多博物馆冰冷空旷的空间。她想创建一个温暖而充满阳光的博物馆。意大利威尼斯古民居的建筑设计对他们的博物馆产生了影响。
加德纳夫人曾表示，许多年前她就发现，自己国家最大的需求就是艺术。她表示，美国是一个年轻的国家，在其它领域发展迅速。但是，国家需要更多使人们看到美丽的艺术作品的机会。
1898年，杰克·加德纳意外死于中风。伊莎贝拉知道她没有时间浪费在建造她的博物馆上。她买了地，雇了一个建筑设计师，监督她的博物馆的每一个建设细节。大约在1901年，加德纳夫人搬进了博物馆的四楼，她将在那里度过余生。在一年多的时间里，她致力于将自己的艺术收藏品摆放到位。
加德纳夫人于1903年1月1日开办了她的博物馆。这个博物馆当时被称为芬威球场。那天晚上，她邀请朋友们参加波士顿交响乐团的一场特别的音乐演出。一位出席那天晚上的演出的人表示那天晚上博物馆所有的东西都太完美了，它对宾客产生了不同寻常的影响。他说它的效果非常特别和奇妙，就像一个奇迹。
下个月，她使博物馆对公众开放。起初，每年参观的时间被限制在20天以内。参观者需支付一美元进入。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳于1924年在波士顿去世。在遗嘱中，她留给了博物馆一百万美元，还有一些列关于如何管理博物馆的要求。一个要求就是，永久的馆藏不能被改变。
但是，一个重大的改变超出了博物馆的控制。1990年3月，劫匪装扮成警察进入博物馆，偷走了13件艺术品。他们偷走了收藏品中一些最有价值的作品。其中包括伦勃朗的三幅画作和荷兰大师约翰内斯·维米尔的另一幅。这些画作再也没有被找到。墙上挂着一些空的画框，这些画曾被用来纪念这一悲惨的罪行。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳博物馆今天和一百年前一样有趣。但是它也跟上了今天社区的步伐。博物馆举办了很多活动，这样公众就可以享受音乐之夜，教育节目和其他活动。现代的艺术家可以参与博物馆的艺术家驻馆计划。博物馆会邀请公立学校的学生观赏馆内收藏，还为老师提供艺术教育项目。
伊莎贝拉·斯图尔特·加德纳的记忆和精神留在她创建的博物馆里，与人们分享她对艺术的热爱。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
