百万元之声 Multi-million dollar sound

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: the programme in which we talk about a story in the news and learn some vocabulary while we’re doing it.I’m Alice and joining me today is Neil. Hi there, Neil.
大家好，欢迎收听本期BBC六分钟英语。我们会在新闻中一边讲述故事，一边学习单词。希望大家能够喜欢。我是Alice，这是我的搭档Neil。你好，Neil。
Hi Alice.
你好，Alice。
Now, Neil I know you’re very musical – but can you spot a multi-million dollar violin when you hear one?
Neil，我知道你非常喜欢音乐，但是你能听出价值几百万美元的小提琴弹奏出的曲子吗？
A multi-million dollar violin? So, that’s a musical instrument which costs several million US dollars?Who’s got that kind of money to spend on an instrument?
几百万美元的小提琴？你是说，要花几百万美元才能买到的乐器？呃，谁会花那么多钱买乐器啊？
Somebody with lots and lots of money. When we talk about dollars in English, they usually mean US dollars.Anyway, let’s listen to these two violins, and then tell me which sound you like the best, and which do you think is the most valuable?
当然是很有钱的人啦。对了，在英文中，我们所说的dollars通常是指美元。不管怎样，让我们先来听听这两把小提琴。然后你要告诉我你更喜欢哪把，哪把小提琴更有价值。
OK.
没问题。
The same musical scale played on two different violins.
分别用两把不同的小提琴弹奏同一首曲子。
So, did you like the sound of the first violin, or the second?
好了，Neil，你是喜欢第一把小提琴的声音，还是喜欢第二把的呢？
Well, my perfect musical ears are telling me the second violin was the multi-million dollar one.
嗯，我完美的音乐耳朵告诉我，第二把小提琴应该就是价值几百万美元的那个。
And was that the one you liked best?
那你更喜欢这个吗？
Oh yes. Of course!
当然！
Good taste. Well done. One of the qualities which makes the sound so wonderful is what’s called timbre – the quality of the sound.And that leads me to another question, Neil. Which language does the word timbre come from originally? Is it:a) Russianb) Italianc) French
品味不错嘛，恭喜你答对了。我们都知道，能弹奏出如此美妙的声音，timbre（音色）是其中一个品质。所谓音色，即声音的质量。这让我想起了另外一个问题。Neil，你知道timbre（音色）这个词来自那种语言吗？是俄语？意大利语？还是法语呢？
Hmm. Definitely not Russian. I would be tempted to say French but most musical expressions come from Italian. So I’m going to say Italian.
嗯，肯定不是俄语。我想说是法语，但是大多音乐表达语又来自意大利。所以，我选意大利语吧。
Well, as usual we won’t find out the answer until the end of the programme. Let’s talk some more about violins. What makes one violin sound so much better than another?
好的，像往常一样，我们会在节目最后揭晓答案。Neil，咱们来谈谈小提琴吧。你觉得是什么让一把小提琴的声音比另一把的更好听呢？
I like that very mellow sound – a sound that that is sweet and rich.
嗯，我喜欢非常柔美的声音，就是那种既悦耳又圆润的声音。
Mellow. We talk about coffee being mellow, rich and sweet - and sound can be mellow too. What makes an instrument top of the range? The best that is on offer.Here’s Professor Tasmin Little from the Royal Academy of Music, who is also a concert violinist – a soloist.
柔美的声音。我们谈论咖啡时，可以说咖啡很mellow（醇厚），当然形容声音时，我们也可以说声音很mellow（柔美）。那么什么会使乐器显得档次高呢？首先是报价。接下来让我们听听皇家音乐学院教授兼小提琴独奏者Tasmin Little怎么说。
There are two most famous and great makers. Stradivari is the most famous, but also there is Guarneri del Gesu who is also very favoured by top soloists, perhaps the instruments are more mellow in sound.But certainly, there is nothing to beat a Stradivarius, because they are just really the top of the range instruments. And I’m very, very fortunate to have this instrument on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.
有两位非常著名的小提琴制造商。Stradivari是最著名的那位，但Guarneri del Gesu也很受顶级独奏家青睐，也许是因为他制造的小提琴声音更加甜美吧。当然，没有什么能打败Stradivariu制造的小提琴，因为它们都是真正的顶级乐器。所以能从皇家音乐学院借到这样一把小提琴，我感到非常非常幸运。
So Professor Tamsin Little says there is nothing to beat a Stradivarius – it’s the top of the range.
Tamsin Little教授说，没有什么能打败Stradivariu制造的小提琴，它们都是顶级乐器。
And she’s very fortunate – very lucky to have one on loan. That means she’s borrowing the violin to play at concerts.
而且她觉得能借到这样一把小提琴，感到很fortunate（幸运）。换句话说，Tamsin Little在音乐会上弹奏的小提琴是借来的。
Yeah – as some Stradivarius violins cost several million dollars, I don’t think many musicians would be able to afford them themselves.
嗯，是这样的。但是Stradivariu小提琴价值几百万美元，我想没有几个音乐家可以买的起吧。
And what is it about violins made by the Stradivari family in 17th and 18th centuries that makes them so special?
那么到底是什么让Stradivari家族在17、18世纪制作的小提琴那么特别呢？
As we’ve heard that word before, they have great timbre – the sound they make reverberates.
其实之前我们听过这个单词，那就是timbre（音色），即小提琴发出的reverberates（回音）。
Reverberates – it echoes back at you. A really rich, deep sound. How did violin makers like the Stradivari family give violins that special sound quality?
Reverberates（回音），就是向你发出的回声，一种非常圆润、深沉的声音。Stradivari等制造商是怎样使小提琴拥有这种音质的呢？
Professor Little says that’s the billion dollar question. It means that’s the question that everybody would like answered.If we could only understand what gives these violins their very special quality, people would have copied the technique ages ago.
Little教授说，这是个价值数十亿美元的问题。我是想说，人人都希望这个问题可以得到解决。如果我们知道是什么使这些小提琴音质特殊的话，那几个世纪以前人们就已经复制这项技术了。
That’s the billion dollar question, isn’t it – it’s one that has foxed people for centuries. People have come up with all sorts of explanations.There are a few, such as: at the point when Stradivarius was choosing his wood, there had been a particularly cold spell of temperature and the trees had grown very slowly and, therefore, with more density.Apparently he used to go into forests and tap on the trees and listen to how reverberant they were and, according to the results, he would chop them down or not.
这的确是个价值数十亿美元的问题，不是么？人们已经为此困扰了几个世纪，并提出了各种各样的解释。比如，有人说小提琴音质特殊，关键在于它的选材。当时温度极其寒冷，树木就会生长地十分缓慢，因此密度就会更大。很显然，Stradivariu经常到树林里去，敲击树木，听它们的回声，然后再决定要不要砍下这棵树。
So it’s believed that violin makers chose the wood they used to make the violins for their reverberant qualities.There had been a cold spell, and the trees had grown slowly, so the wood was more dense.
所以人们认为制造商择木造琴是为了小提琴的回响音质。那个时期气候寒冷，树木成长缓慢，所以密度更大。
Professor Tasmin Little says that’s one possibility why the violins are so special.
Tasmin Little说，这是导致Stradivariu小提琴特殊的一种可能性。
Now, before we go, Neil - have you had a think about the origins of the word timbre? I asked if the word came originally from French, Russian or Italian.
嗯，节目马上就要结束了。Neil，你想好timbre（音色）这个词的起源了吗？我的问题是，这个单词来自哪种语言？是法语、俄语，还是意大利语？
Well I said Italian, but judging by the way you’ve been pronouncing that word, I think I’m probably wrong!
我当时选的意大利语，但根据你的发音判断，我应该是选错了。
You’re right. It’s French. Well, well done anyway. Now, time for a recap of some of the words we heard in today’s programme.
嗯，的确错了。正确答案是法语。但不管怎样，你做的很好。现在，让我们一起回顾下今天节目中的单词吧~
They are: multi-million, timbre, mellow, top of the range, reverberates, the billion dollar question.
multi-million（几百万美元的）、timbre（音色）、mellow（音色圆润的，醇厚的）、top of the range（顶级的，高档的）、reverberates（回音，回声）、the billion dollar question（价值数十亿美元的问题）。
Thanks, Neil. Join us again for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.
谢谢你，Neil。同时也欢迎大家登录网站（bbclearningenglish.com）收听更多的BBC六分钟英语节目。
And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.
还有，别忘了登录Facebook和Twitter收听哦~
Bye for now.
下期节目见~
Bye.
再见~