名人轶事:Patsy Cline

By Paul Thompson

Broadcast: November 28, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I’m Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Doug Johnson with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we

tell about a young woman named Virginia Patterson Hensley. No one but her

family would remember that name. The world remembers her as Patsy Cline.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

That song is called "Walkin' After Midnight. " It was Patsy Cline's first big

hit record. She recorded it in nineteen fifty-seven. It became number three

on the list of country music hit recordings² and number twelve on the list of

most popular music.

Patsy had worked for many years to make that first successful record. She

began singing when she was a young girl in her home town of Winchester, in

the southern state of Virginia. Patsy sang anywhere she could. She sang at

weddings and dances. She sang at public eating places for eight dollars a

night. Those who knew her said she worked hard to improve her singing.

In nineteen fifty-four she won a country music competition near her home. She

was twenty-two years old. She was asked to appear on a country music

television program in Washington³, D.C. She also sang on radio programs in the

Virginia area and recorded some records.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

3 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

4 appearance   

n.出现，露面；容貌

参考例句：

• In appearance, he was a little like his father.他看起来有点像他的父亲。
• She was a young woman of good appearance.她是一位年轻貌美的女子。

5 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

6 grand   

adj.豪华的，宏伟的，壮丽的，主要的，重大的；n.(美俚)一千美元

参考例句：

• The pianist played several pieces of music on a grand piano.钢琴家在一架大钢琴上弹了几首乐曲。
• Come on,I'll give you the grand tour of the backyard.跟我来，我带你去后院来一次盛大的旅游。

7 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

8 performer   

n.执行者，表演者

参考例句：

• He was the greatest performer we have ever seen.他是我们所见过的最伟大表演者。
• He is a good performer on the cricket field.他是个出色的板球手。

9 funeral   

n.丧葬，葬礼；adj.丧葬的，出殡的

参考例句：

• Her bright clothes were not appropriate for a funeral.她那身鲜艳的衣服不适合参加葬礼。
• A funeral is a somber occasion.葬礼是个忧郁的场合。

10 Hollywood   

n.好莱坞；美国电影业

参考例句：

• She dreamed of becoming a Hollywood screen goddess.她梦想成为好莱坞的银幕女神。
• The film has a Hollywood happy ending.那部电影有一个好莱坞式的美满结局。

11 faded   

a.褪了色的

参考例句：

• All colour had faded from the sky. 天上的颜色都退去了。
• a faded pair of blue jeans 一条退了色的蓝色牛仔裤