HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC – VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
(THEME)
This is Doug Johnson. On our program today we:
Play some music written by Richard Rogers …
Answer a listener’s question about “Chinatown” …
And report about the growing popularity of soccer football in theUnited States.
Soccer in the U.S.
HOST:
On Sunday, June thirtieth, an important soccer football game willbe played in the city of Yokohama, Japan. That game will decide theWorld Cup champion of soccer football. Americans are becoming moreinterested in this great international game. Steve Ember explains.
ANNCR:
In its first game in the World Cup matches this year, the UnitedStates defeated a strong team from Portugal by a score ofthree-to-two. That is the first time a United States team had scoredthree points in World Cup competition since a game innineteen-thirty against Paraguay.
The American team finally lost to Germany, one to nothing, in avery close quarterfinal game. American soccer fans were happy aboutthe results. It was the best an American team had done in more thanseventy years in World Cup competition.
However, most of the American public showed little interest. Manypeople in the United States still have no idea how important theWorld Cup soccer championship games are to the rest of the world.Many Americans do not know how the game is played.
The American public has never shown much interest in soccer.Sports experts say this is only true of older Americans. They neverplayed soccer when they were children. They did not grow up with thesport as people in other countries have. Sports like Americanfootball, baseball and basketball have always been much morepopular.
The United States Soccer Federation says about eighteen-millionpeople today play soccer in the United States. But those who playare very young. Seventy-eight percent are under the age of eighteen.Sports experts say it is these children who are making the sportpopular in the United States. The experts say soccer has becomepopular with children because almost anyone can play. There areteams for girls, boys, older children and young adults.
Many Americans are becoming interested in soccer because theirchildren play. This has produced the new American expression “SoccerMom.” This is a mother who spends a lot of time driving her childrento soccer games in the family car.
The United States Soccer Federation says it is helping childrenimprove their playing skills. It provides special training for youngplayers at soccer camps during the summer.
Federation officials say the United States may one day have aWorld Cup champion team, but it will be sometime in the future.Soccer fans in the United States will have to wait until youngsoccer players grow up playing the world’s most popular sport.
Chinatown
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from Vietnam. ChungTanquoc asks about Chinatown.
Many large cities in the United States and around the world havean ethnic area called Chinatown. Each was settled by people who camefrom China.
For example, Chinatown in San Francisco, California, began in theeighteen-forties. Gold had been discovered in California. Chineseimmigrants came to America in search of wealth. They settled in anarea that later became known as Chinatown. Nearly all the immigrantswere men. Their hard work was quickly recognized. In eighteen-fifty,San Francisco Mayor John Geary held a ceremony honoring Chineseefforts to improve the city. Today, Chinatown is a leading culturalinfluence in San Francisco. Many people visit the area.
Chinatowns were also establishedin cities in the western states of Oregon and Washington during themiddle of the nineteenth century. Many Chinese settlers in theseareas helped build the first railroad system across the UnitedStates. However, after the work ended in eighteen-sixty-nine, manyChinese moved to the eastern and middle parts of the United States.
The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Chicago, Illinois, in theeighteen-seventies. Many of these first immigrants openedclothes-cleaning businesses and low-cost eating places. Chicago’sChinatown has grown over the years. The largest number of immigrantscame after communists took control of mainland China innineteen-forty-eight.
Chinatowns also can be found in cities outside the United States.For example, the first Chinese settlers in London arrived in thelate eighteenth century. They were men who worked for the East IndiaCompany. Later, Chinese immigrants operated small stores and eatingplaces that were visited by Chinese sailors traveling through thecity. Today, many people visit London’s Chinatown. It has specialChinese Gates and walking areas for visitors.
Chinatowns around the world are not only places where Chinesepeople live and work. They are also places where visitors can learnmore about Chinese culture and traditions.
Richard Rodgers
HOST:
June twenty-eighth is the one-hundredth anniversary of the birthof one of the most successful writers of Broadway show music.Richard Rodgers was born in New York City in nineteen-oh-two. Hedied in nineteen-seventy-nine. Mary Tillotson has more.
ANNCR:
Richard Rodgers wrote about fortyBroadway musical plays, ten movie musicals, and two televisionmusicals. He also wrote music for television and the ballet. He wonmany awards for his work.
His first Broadway show was “Garrick Gaities” innineteen-twenty-five. He wrote the music. Lorenz Hart wrote thewords. Rodgers and Hart worked together on twenty-five other shows,including “Pal Joey” in nineteen-forty. It was later made into amovie.
One of the most popular songs from “Pal Joey” is “The Lady Is aTramp.” Frank Sinatra played Joey in the movie. He sings the famoussong.
((THE LADY IS A TRAMP))
Richard Rodgers later created nine popular Broadway shows withOscar Hammerstein. They were the most successful songwriting team inBroadway history.
Their first show opened in nineteen-forty-three. That show is nowbeing performed again on Broadway in New York City. It is called”Oklahoma.” Here is the title song.
((OKLAHOMA))
Richard Rodgers also wrote both the words and music for Broadwayshows. Perhaps the best known of these is “No Strings.” It opened onBroadway in nineteen-sixty-two. The title describes the idea of lovewithout responsibility. It also means that Rogers did not use anystring instruments in the orchestra.
We leave you now with a song from Richard Rodgers’ show, “NoStrings,” performed by Richard Kiley and Diahann (di-ANNE) Carroll.It is called “The Sweetest Sounds.”
((THE SWEETEST SOUNDS))
HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. And Ihope you will join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC – VOA’sradio magazine in Special English.
This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Jill Moss, NancySteinbach and Paul Thompson. And our producer was Paul Thompson.