Humor: Three lawyers and three engineers board a train…

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Translated jokes.

Three lawyers [Três advogados] and three engineers [três engenheiros] are traveling by train [estão viajando de trem] to a conference [congresso]. At the station,each of the three lawyers buys a ticket [os três advogados compram uma passagem cada um] while [ao passo que] the three engineers buy [compram] only one ticket[bilhete].

Cf. “LAWYER” ou “ATTORNEY”: como se diz “advogado” em inglês?Cf. Falsos Cognatos: ENGINEER

“How can the three of you [Como vocês três vão conseguir] travel on one ticket [só com uma passagem]?” asks a lawyer.

“Watch and you’ll see [Preste atenção e você verá],” answers an engineer.

Cf. Falsas Gêmeas: SEE x LOOK x WATCH

Aboard [A bordo; Dentro do] the train the lawyers take their respective seats [sentam-se nos seus respectivos lugares] while all three engineers cram into [se espremem; se apertam; se enfiam] the restroom [no banheiro] and squeeze the door closed behind them [mal conseguem fechar a porta por trás de si].

Cf. Vocabulário: Banheiro

When the conductor [o cobrador] comes around [passa] collecting tickets[recolhendo as passagens], he knocks [bate] on the restroom door and says, “Ticket please.” The door opens a crack [Só uma fresta se abre] and a single arm [apenas um braço] emerges [aparece] with a ticket in hand [segurando o comprovante]. The conductor takes it [o recolhe] and moves on [segue seu caminho].

Cf. Vocabulário: Produce Store e Volte Sempre

The lawyers are impressed with [ficam impressionados] this clever idea [sacada]. On the way home [Na volta] from the conference, they decide to copy the engineers’ technique. At the station, they buy a single ticket for their return trip [a viagem de volta].To their astonishment [Perplexos], the engineers don’t buy a ticket at all [não compram nem mesmo uma passagem]!

“How in the hell are you going to pull this off? [Que porra vocês estão aprontando?]” asks a lawyer.

“Watch and you’ll see,” answers an engineer.

They board the train. The three lawyers cram into one restroom and the three engineers cram into the other restroom.

Shortly after the train departs [Logo depois da partida], one of the engineers leaves[sai] his restroom and knocks on the other restroom door. “Ticket please!”

George Gershwin, 1898-1937: One of America's Greatest Composers

Source: Voice of America Special English

Source: www.manythings.org/voa/people 

I'm Barbara Klein. And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.  Today we tell about the life and music of one of America's greatest composers, George Gershwin.

(MUSIC: "Rhapsody in Blue")

That was the opening of "Rhapsody in Blue," composed by George Gershwin. Gershwin lived only thirty-nine years. Yet, in that short time, he wrote hundreds of unforgettable popular songs. He wrote

some concert works, such as "Rhapsody in Blue," that are still performed today. And he wrote what many consider to be the most beautiful American opera, "Porgy and Bess. "

George Gershwin was born in New York City in eighteen ninety-eight. His parents were Russian Jews who had immigrated to the United States. George and his two brothers and sister had a close, happy family life. George liked playing games on the streets of New York. He liked exploring the city. He did not like school or studying.

While exploring the city, George heard jazz and blues music spilling out of public drinking places. However, he did not become seriously interested in music until he heard another boy playing the violin in a concert at his school.  George began to take piano lessons. His teacher was a fine classical musician. He immediately recognized George's unusual ability. The teacher wrote about him to a friend: "I have a student who will make his mark in music, if anybody will. The boy is a genius, without doubt. "

George studied classical piano. But his strongest interest continued to be jazz and popular music. At the age of fifteen, he left school and went to work in the music business. The New York City street where most music publishers had their offices was called "Tin Pan Alley."

The phonograph and radio had been invented in the late eighteen hundreds. But it would be many years before there were musical recordings or regular radio broadcasts. Tin Pan Alley publishers needed another way to sell new songs. So, they employed people to play the piano to do this.

The piano players played the songs all day long to interested singers and other performers. George Gershwin was one of the youngest piano players in Tin Pan Alley. Soon, he was considered one of the finest there. He was already writing his own songs. He succeeded in getting one published when he was only eighteen years old. It had a long title: "When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em."

George Gershwin was now a real composer. The rest of his life was an unbroken record of success. He wrote song after song. His ideas were so endless that he was not even troubled when he once lost some music he had been writing. "There is plenty more where that came from," he said.

George Gershwin had his first big hit in nineteen nineteen, when he was twenty-one years old.  It was a song called "Swanee." A popular entertainer, Al Jolson, sang the song. "Swanee" was made into one of the first musical recordings. George Gershwin was suddenly famous.  Here is Al Jolson singing what became his trademark song, "Swanee."

(MUSIC)

Music critics note that "Swanee" is not like most of George Gershwin's music. Later, he wrote true love songs. Some were light and funny. Some were full of intense feeling. Many of these songs were written for the popular musical theater. One of his most emotional love songs never became part of a musical play, however. It is called "The Man I Love." Here is a modern recording by Maureen McGovern.

(MUSIC)

George Gershwin's older brother, Ira, wrote the words to that song.  As George became famous, Ira wrote the words to more and more of his songs. The two brothers were very different. Ira, the writer, was quiet and serious. George, the musician, was outgoing -- the life of any party. But George wrote better songs with Ira than with anyone else.  It is impossible to imagine many of George's songs without Ira's perfectly chosen, often surprising words.

One of many examples is the song "They Can't Take That Away From Me."  The Gershwins wrote the song for dancer and actor Fred Astaire for the film "Shall We Dance." That was George and Ira Gershwin's first movie musical.   Here is Fred Astaire, followed by a later version sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

(MUSIC)

This program was written by Shelley Gollust.  It was produced by Lawan Davis.  I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein.  Join us again next week as we continue the story of the music of George Gershwin on PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Popular culture on the up all over Brazil

 Source: www.maganews.com.br

Popular festivalsPopular culture on the up all over Brazil
With each passing year festivals inspired by our popular culture attract an increasing number of people, showing that Brazil is not just about carnival Brazil is rich in cultural diversity. The mixture of races andpeoples [1] has contributed to the formation of our folklore and cultural traditions.  The cultural wealth of the country is expressed through dance, music, cuisine, religion, crafts, [2] legends, folklore, and so on. This cultural wealth can be experienced through the numerous festivals that take place in Brazil's five regions. The good news is that many of these events have become bigger in recent years, attracting larger numbers of visitors, creating thousands and thousands of jobs and generating lots of money for the local economies. Local events in the North and Northeast of Brazil have begun to attract greater media coverage and have become well-known throughout the country.

                     Festival in the Amazon

A good example of all this is the Parintins Folk Festival, in Amazonas State, which began in 1965, inspired by a legend in the Amazon region - a story in which a bull [3] is one of the main characters. One of the aims of this event is to showcase a little of the culture in the Amazon region - its legends, music and dance. This traditional event is held in the last week of June and usually lasts three days. In 2008 Bandeirantes began televising it live.Parintins is a city of 110,000 people, about 420 km from Manaus.  Another event that is attracting more and more tourists is the Cirio de Nazaré, held on the second Sunday of October, in Belém, Pará state. Círio is one of the largest Catholic processions in the world. The faithful [4] walk a long path through the streets of the capital of Pará to honor Our Lady [5] of Nazaré. In 2010 over two million people attended it.  The word "círio" comes from the Latin "cereus," which means "large candle [6]."

Matéria publicada na edição de número 61 da revista Maganews.
Áudio –  Renay Moodley
Ilustração – Calberto

(na edição impressa da revista Maganews você pode conferir matéria completa sobre o tema cultura popular, as grandes festas religiosas, e ainda uma matéria especial sobre o evento Revelando São Paulo, incluindo novos áudios)

Vocabulary1 peoples – povos (people = gente)
2 craft – artesanato
3 bull – búfalo (no caso da festa do boi-bumbá, países de língua inglesa usam o termo  “bull” com maior freqüência do que a palavra “ox”, que quer dizer “boi”
4 faithful – fiéis
5  Our Lady – Nossa Senhora
6 candle - vela

Aventura Selvagem: A fun lesson in biology

Source: www.maganews.com.br

People & TV
Aventura Selvagem: A fun lesson in biology
The biologist and TV presenter Richard Rasmussen traveled the world to give us a close-up of the most fascinating animals and areas of outstanding natural beauty
Alligators [1], snakes, lizards [2] ...A normal person usually prefers to stay away from these and other wild animals. But this is not the case for biologist and TV presenter Richard Rasmussen.   His job is to travel the world in search of all manner [3] of animals, including the most dangerous ones.  And when he finds them, Richard does not just show them from afar [4], instead, he gets close enough to touch them. It is common to see him grabbing [5] hold of snakes and even alligators. This is a very dangerous approach.  Nobody should try it, because they would run the risk of being injured or even killed. That said, Richard is an expert and has been prepared for his task [6].  

Love for animals

    On the program "Aventura Selvagem," aired on Thursday nights on SBT, Richard is always full of fun and adventure. It is common to see him kissing tapirs [7] and sloths [8] and giving food to monkeys and birds. During the program he gives us a real biology lesson, with information about the animals and also the flora in each region he visits. Richard’s love of animals is such that he has saved the lives of many during his work. In addition, he uses his TV program to encourage the general public to adopt abandoned pets they find when filming.  Richard himself has adopted some of these animals.

Matéria publicada na edição de número 61 da revista Maganews.
(Na edição impressa da revista Maganews você pode conferir matéria completa sobre Richard Rasmussem e o programa Aventura Selvagem, incluindo outro áudio, desta vez com a narração da sul-africana Renay Moodley).
Áudio – Thiago Ribeiro
Foto - SBT

Vocabulary
 1 alligator – jacaré
2 lizard – lagarto
3 manner – aqui = tipos / espécies  
4 afar- à distância
5 to grab – agarrar
6 task - tarefa
7 tapir - anta -
8 sloth - preguiça