欢迎来到VOA在线收网 www.voa365.com
当前位置:VOA NEWS > VOA慢速英语 > AS IT IS >

AS IT IS 2013-05-02 China Responds to a Major Earthquake, Art for Prosthetics and the Appeal of Superheroes

2013-05-02 07:41来源:未知

音频下载

Welcome to As It Is from VOA Learning English.
 
I’m Mario Ritter.
 
A deadly earthquake has again struck China’s Sichuan province. The quake was almost as powerful as the one that hit the area in 2008 killing thousands. But this time, the number of deaths has been much lower.
 
From China, we turn to the United States, and some very different stories. We hear about how artists in the United States bring color to the lives of amputees. And for pure fun, we tell you about costume gatherings were the participants dress as their favorite superheroes.
 
China suffered its worst earthquake in three years in the middle of April. Recovery efforts continue in parts of southwestern China.
 
More than 200 people died in the quake and about 12,000 were injured. An official in Sichuan province says that at least 410,000 need temporary assistance.
 
Emily Chan is director of the Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response center at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
 
She says she helped with rescue efforts after the earthquake in 2008 that hit Wenchuan, in Sichuan. She says officials reacted faster to the emergency this time. Emily Chan said the government sent teams within hours to some affected areas.
 
She says that China upgraded some of its building requirements after the Sichuan earthquake killed almost 90,000 people.  Thousands of people died in building collapses because of low construction requirements. The building failures were especially bad among public buildings like schools and hospitals.
 
Last week, a commentator in the China Youth Daily called on China to learn from Japan in making buildings safer from earthquakes. The commentator noted that in some areas of Ya’an, close to the center of the quake, most buildings were damaged, including homes rebuilt after the earthquake in 2008.
 
You are listening to As It Is. I’m June Simms.
 
The loss of a limb because of an injury or illness can be a very difficult experience. Many people regain abilities they lost, like walking, by using artificial, or prosthetic, limbs.  Faith Lapidus tells us about an artist who decorates prosthetics.
 
Pete Nichols lost part of his leg in a motorcycle accident three years ago. He wanted a prosthetic device that was just as flashy as his car. He loves his car. It has bright red paint and racing stripes and shiny wheels. His artificial leg is a bright chrome color.
 
“I love lots of color and I love chrome.”
 
Pete Nichols did a search online and found Dan Horkey. He is an amputee who had started a company in Seattle called ProstheticInk.com.  Dan had also lost his leg in a traffic accident. He decided to add color to colorless prosthetics. He started by adding images of flames.
 
“It kind of reminded me of the aftermath of my accident, sitting in the hospital and the pain I felt in my leg after they chopped it off.”
 
Dan Horkey uses local artists to decorate prosthetic arms, legs and braces, offering many colors and designs.
 
“We have people that want Superman.  We have requests that are really just unique to the wearer sometime, so that’s what’s really cool about it.  It is all about personalizing their limb.”
 
Dan Horkey has had a variety of customers. Some are military veterans who were wounded in combat. Another was a five-year-old boy about to start kindergarten.
 
Pete Nichols says the colorful prosthetics attract attention and start conversations. 
 
“Do not hide it.  Find that color, that art scheme, that one [artistic] device that is you.”
 
Dan Horkey says his work has been getting attention across the United States and in other countries. He says amputees are amazed at how a little color and art can lift their confidence.  
 
World events often seem to call for a superhero – a character with extraordinary powers to put things right. So it is not a surprising that comic book superheroes have remained popular for generations. Conventions where people act like superheroes are popular in the United States. Recently, thousands of people attended one such event in Washington. Avi Arditti tells us more.
 
Acting like superheroes, the good guys, or super-villains, the bad guys, is for many people a way to have fun. Recently, comic book fans went as their favorite characters to Washington’s “Awesome Con DC” convention.
 
Some people enjoyed the make-believe world of the convention and play their parts as if they were experienced actors, like this man and his wife.
 
“We would like to break out our finest clothes and walk around amongst the inferior masses and look for victims that we can commit our heinous crimes against.” 
 
“So have you found any?”
 
“Possibly, how much is the camera worth?”
 
Edward Nigma says he and his wife come from "Gotham City." That is the home of Batman, one of the most popular superheroes of all time.
 
Many take the fun seriously. Dale Harvey stood in brown battle armor with a winged skull across the front. It took him more than four months to make the clothes and equipment of a video game character.
 
“I get enjoyment out of creating it, out of building it with my friends, just having a good time seeing people’s reaction to it. The most awesome thing for me is watching kids, young and old, have a good time seeing a character come to life.”
 
Organizers of the “Awesome Con DC” event say more than 5,000 visitors attended over two days. Ben Penrod is the event coordinator. He says the convention in Washington was small in comparison to other events around the country.
 
“These types of conventions are huge right now. They have them in every city. This is only a fraction of the size of San Diego every year, or even the one in Baltimore.”
 
Ben Penrod says huge hit movies based on comic book superheroes, like The Avengers, have helped fuel the popularity of events like his.
 
“You had to read comic books to know The Avengers. Now The Avengers is the third highest-grossing film of all time. And people, everybody knows about it.”
 
I’m Avi Arditti.

(责任编辑:admin)
最新新闻
  1. 全球即时看!扎克伯格身家缩水近
  2. 世界信息:国产操作系统再迎喜讯
  3. 当前关注:拼多多“出海”:对标
  4. 微动态丨iPhone 14全线破发 苹果将
  5. 资讯:“二舅”UP主回应质疑:目前
  6. 特斯拉上海超级工厂一期第二阶段
  7. 苹果高管Huang回应iOS 16复制粘贴许
  8. 特斯拉8月份在北京上海等城市新
  9. 苹果宣布10月欧洲 App Store 应用和
  10. Lilium携手软件巨头Palantir展开合作
  11. 暴雪《暗黑破坏神 4》即将封测
  12. 因丰巢快递柜侵犯肖像权等,龚俊
  13. 美富豪亿万艾萨克曼与SpaceX合作
  14. 今日聚焦!碾压iPhone 14系列!曝华
  15. 当前头条:华为Mate50首发5G套装 明
  16. 即时看!iPhone 15明年或将搭载Type
  17. 全球即时:售价799元!华为Mate 50系
  18. 资讯:针对iPhone机型《王者荣耀》
  19. 每日看点!1.5K直屏+骁龙8+旗舰芯!
  20. 【独家】iPhone 14顶配速度拉胯了!
  21. 世界热点评!仅限30条!Mate50卫星通
  22. 天天微资讯!华为Mate 50系列通信壳
  23. 环球速讯:土豪金被冷落!iPhone1
  24. 世界看点:经济学家任泽平:iPho
  25. 每日速讯:工信部:鸿蒙操作系统
  26. 天天信息:鹿晗为关晓彤庆生 鹿
  27. 当前短讯!啃完华为又嚼苹果,手
  28. 天天时讯:赌王三房千金何超云获
  29. 世界看点:成立12年,中国首家上市
  30. 环球今亮点:井柏然晒秋日身穿毛
  31. 天天观热点:《奇怪的律师禹英雨
  32. 天天亮点:汪小菲张颖颖外出聚餐
  33. 世界微动态丨李政宰确诊新冠中断
  34. 世界快看点:林允儿回应《黑话律
  35. 天天视点:魔力红Maroon 5主唱被曝
  36. 全球热点评!9月20日酒泉疫情最新
  37. 环球观速讯:9月20日张掖甘州区疫
  38. 天天视点:9月20日甘肃疫情最新消
  39. 今日精选:9月20日岳阳疫情最新消
  40. 快资讯:9月20日湘潭疫情最新消息
  41. 每日资讯:2022-09-20 14:17哈尔滨疫
  42. 世界热资讯:青海昨日新增本土无
  43. 【环球时快讯】92号、95号汽油价
  44. 世界快播:9月20日杭州疫情最新消
  45. 世界视讯!官宣,iPhone即将支持《
  46. 当前关注:华为Mate 50系列5G通信壳
  47. 环球热门:比iPhone 14PM还贵!华为
  48. 当前视讯!大部分供应商将收到加
  49. 天天百事通!卢伟冰深夜疑惑:年
  50. 环球观焦点:华为Mate 50系列5G通信