VOA常速英语:History Project Documents Jewish Life in Small-town America

短语讲解：

1. For centuries, immigrants have come to America in search of a better life.

in search of寻找
例句：They set off in search of the lost child.
他们出发去寻找走失的孩子。

2. That's the path William Levine took in the late 1800s, hoping for greater opportunity than what was available to a poor Jew in eastern Europe.

hope for希望, 希望得到
例句：I hope for the weather to improve soon.
我希望天气会很快转好。

3. Specializing in clothing for men and boys, Levine’s attracted a wide variety of customers, from students at nearby Colby College, to farmers who traveled from miles away to buy a well-made sports jacket.

specialize in专攻, 精通, 专营
例句：The cinema specializes in Italian films.
这家电影院专门放映意大利电影。

4. According to Freidenreich, most books about Jewish life in the United States focus on the greater New York-area experience since most U.S. Jews lived in urban areas.

according to据...所载;据...所说
例句：According to her, grandfather called at noon.
据她说,祖父在中午打来电话。
focus on集中于，致力于
Many firms are focusing on increasing their markets overseas.
许多商行都专注于扩大国外市场。

5. Arnon says her great-grandfather helped bring family members to America.

bring to把…带给(某人), 带往(某处)
例句：She was brought to my home.
她是被人带到我家来的。

6. When he came here he was very instrumental in bringing over his many siblings and other relatives from Russia, Poland.

be instrumental in在某方面起作用
例句：He was instrumental in catching the criminal.
在捉拿那个罪犯的过程中, 他起了作用。
bring over把(某人)带回…
When are you going to bring the rest of your family over?
你准备在什么时候把你家里其余的人接过来?

7. Wendy Miller, another Levine great-grandaughter who is Arnon's sister, says some of the most memorable items the family shared with Colby’s History Project were letters written by young Jews in the early 1900s.

share with与…分享〔合用〕
例句：I'll share my apple with you if you'll give me half of your cake.
你若把你的蛋糕给我一半, 我就与你分享我的苹果。

8. "There were letters from young Jewish girls in the southern part of Maine who had heard of one of the Levine boys," says Miller, "and they would write these introduction letters, 'I don't mean to be forward, but I’ve heard this...'  and they're fascinating."

hear of得悉, 听说
例句：I heard of his brother having succeeded.
我听说他的兄弟已取得成功。

9. "I had Jewish friends because of Hebrew school and Sunday school, but I had my friends that were Protestant, my friends that were Lebanese, my friends who were Christian," Miller-Soros says.

because of 因为, 由于
例句：It was because of the job that he had taken the flat.
他因为工作的原因租了那套公寓。

10. And I think that, today, we take that for granted.

take for granted认为…理所当然, 想当然
例句：We shouldn't take anything for granted.
我们不要认为什么都是理所当然的。