歌迷庆祝猫王的70岁生日

Elvis Fans Celebrate 70th Birthday

歌迷庆祝猫王的70岁生日

 

Since his debut¹ in the 1950s, Elvis Presley has been considered the King of rock and roll, and the very first rock idol². He was a human link in the evolution of American music with his blend of rhythm and blues³, gospel, country and rockabilly that became the new sound called rock and roll.

 

In 1956, Elvis Presley scored his first Number One hit with "Heartbreak Hotel." He went on to become one of the most important figures in popular music, with dozens of international hits and 33 feature films to his credit. The latest estimates say that Elvis has sold more than one billion records worldwide, more than anyone in music history. In America alone, 149 of his albums and singles have been certified⁴ gold or platinum⁵. Research is currently underway to document his record sales in other countries.

 

As he was making a comeback, Elvis died in August 1977. His talent, good looks and charismatic performances endeared him to millions of fans.

 

For several consecutive⁶ years, Elvis has topped the Forbes magazine list as the top-earning deceased celebrity⁷, with more than $40 million in earnings⁸. In December, his daughter, Lisa Marie, announced that she will be keeping her father's Graceland mansion⁹ in Memphis, but will be selling 85 percent of Elvis' estate to businessman Robert Sillerman. The deal is worth approximately $100 million, with rights to Elvis' name and image. Elvis Presley Enterprises brought in $45 million last year from recordings¹⁰ and merchandise. And if there's any concern that Elvis' popularity might be on the wane¹¹, one fan recently paid $455 at auction¹² for a small amount of water that had been taken from a cup once used by "The King."

 

Each year, more than 650,000 Elvis fans from around the world tour his Graceland mansion and flock to Memphis for Elvis Week in August, which commemorates¹³ "The King's" 1977 death. Several events are being planned around Elvis' January 8 birthday and will continue well into the year. Television stations and theaters around the USA will be presenting Elvis movie marathons. Special concerts are planned, many featuring Elvis impersonators.

 

In "The King's" hometown of Memphis, there will be a ceremony on the front lawn of Graceland, with a giant birthday cake for fans. Hours will be extended for the Meditation¹⁴ Garden on the Graceland property, so people can pay their respects at Elvis' gravesite. Visitors to Memphis can check into the actual Heartbreak Hotel, where several events will be held, or dine at Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant and entertainment center on famous Beale Street.

 

England has also joined in Elvis' birthday celebration. The U.K. branch of RCA Records has started to release each of Elvis' 18 British Number One singles in chronological¹⁵ order as limited edition CDs or 10-inch vinyl records. The first single, "All Shook Up," comes with a special box that can hold all 18 singles. The campaign will end April 25 with the release of the 2002 hit re-mix of Elvis versus¹⁶ JXL with "A Little Less Conversation." All of the singles have the potential to hit the charts once again.

 

I’m Bernie Bernard.

 

注释：

rockabilly [5rCkEbili] n. <美> 山区乡村摇滚乐（起源于美国东南部）

feature film 长片

platinum [5plAtinEm] n. 白金，铂

comeback [5kQmbAk] n. 恢复，复原

charismatic [7kAriz5mAtik] adj. 超凡魅力的

mansion [5mAnFEn] n. 大厦，官邸

Memphis [5memfis] n. [史]孟斐斯（古埃及城市）

merchandise [5mE:tFEndaiz] n. 商品，货物

auction [5C:kFEn] n. 拍卖

impersonator 演员，艺人

chronological order 年月日次序

1 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。

2 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

3 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

4 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

5 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

6 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

7 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

8 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

9 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

10 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

11 wane   

n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦

参考例句：

• The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
• Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。

12 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

13 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

15 chronological   

adj.按年月顺序排列的，年代学的

参考例句：

• The paintings are exhibited in chronological sequence.这些画是按创作的时间顺序展出的。
• Give me the dates in chronological order.把日期按年月顺序给我。

16 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。