英语名人堂：中东麦当娜

1976年3月10号，Haifa出生于黎巴嫩南部一个很小的村落，一个很普通的家庭。虽然远离黎巴嫩文化和艺术中心，但正如是金子总会发光一样，当她十六岁那年，人们终于发现了她的美丽和才智，经过激烈角逐，Haifa从众多美女中脱颖而出，当选为黎巴嫩南部小姐。然后，在1996年的黎巴嫩小姐大赛中，她又荣获黎巴嫩小姐亚军的美称。

这位黎巴嫩流行歌后被称为中东的“麦当娜”。十几岁的时候，海法就当模特儿，开始自己的演艺生涯。16岁的时候，海法就获得“南黎巴嫩小姐”的桂冠了。2002年发行第一张专辑让海法完成了从选美小姐到歌坛天后的华丽蜕变。2006年，她作为50 Cent在贝鲁特首场演唱会的开场嘉宾；同年，她被《人物》杂志评为最美50人之一。

 

Haifa Wehbe was born in Southern Lebanon in 1976. She became a model when she was very young and became Miss South Lebanon when she was sixteen. She also married very young and had a daughter named Zeinab. In 1995, Wehbe was runner-up at the Miss Lebanon beauty contest, but was disqualified for not telling the judges about her marriage.

 

Wehbe and her beauty became famous all around the Arab world and appeared on over 100 magazine covers in 1996. She continued modelling but she loved singing and decided¹ to use her fame to become a singer. In 2002, she released her debut² album, titled ‘Huwa az-Zaman’, which was a huge hit across the Middle East. Other successful albums followed in 2005 and 2008.

 

Wehbe has become one of the most famous Arab singers. She has been on CNN and in 2006 became the first Arab artist to perform with rapper 50 Cent. She is also a TV star and has appeared on countless³ shows. In June 2005, she launched her own jewellery brand, which is popular throughout the Middle East.

 

Wehbe is also known for speaking her mind on political issues. Her brother was killed in the 1982 Lebanon War. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, she congratulated Hezbollah for its fight against Israel. She does raise eyebrows⁴ in more conservative⁵ Arab countries with her sexy image. In April 2008, Bahrain’s government banned her from performing in concert in Manama.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

5 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。