2007年VOA标准英语-Dixie Chicks, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill Amon

By Mary Morningstar
Washington
29 January 2007

The 49th annual Grammy Awards will be handed out in Los Angeles on February 11. VOA's Mary Morningstar takes a look at this year's contenders in the Country categories.

 
Taking the Long Way
The Dixie Chicks returned to the spotlight¹ in 2006 with the album Taking the Long Way. Although the trio earned critical praise for the collection, they were widely ignored by Country radio programmers. Their peers recognized the album, however, by voting them into six Grammy categories. Two of their nominations³ are in Country categories - Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals⁵ for "Not Ready To Make Nice" and Best Country Album. The Country album category also includes releases by Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Josh Turner and Little Big Town.

Josh Turner and Little Big Town received their first Grammy nominations this year.

 
Carrie Underwood 

Voting members of the Recording⁶ Academy also recognized Carrie Underwood for the first time. Her long-running Number One single "Jesus Take the Wheel" brought her nominations for Best Female Country Vocal⁴ Performance and Best New Artist.

In addition to Carrie Underwood's nominations for "Jesus, Take the Wheel," the song's writers, Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, share Grammy nods for Best Country Song and Song of the Year.

 
Vince Gill
Vince Gill has won more Grammy Awards than any other Country artist. He could pick up his 18th Grammy trophy⁷ by beating out George Strait, Dierks Bentley, Josh Turner and Keith Urban in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category. Urban, who recently completed a 90-day rehabilitation⁸ program at the Betty Ford⁹ Center in California, has just announced dates for his upcoming European and U.S. concert tours. In a video message on his web site, Keith told his fans that he's feeling well and looking forward to his return to performing.

An interesting mix of artists fills the Best Country Collaboration¹⁰ category. Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles¹¹ and the rock band Bon Jovi are nominated for their Number One Country duet "Who Says You Can't Go Home." Also mentioned are blues¹² legend Solomon Burke and Dolly Parton for "Tomorrow Is Forever," Kenny Rogers and The Eagles' Don Henley for "Calling Me," Rhonda Vincent and Bobby Osborne for "Midnight Angel," and Trisha Yearwood and her husband Garth Brooks¹³ for their duet "Love Will Always Win."

 
Rascal¹⁴ Flatts was last year's best-selling artist in any genre¹⁵. The trio sold more than three million copies of its latest album Me and My Gang.  Rascal Flatts ended the year with a Grammy nomination² for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for this 2006 Number One single, "What Hurts The Most."

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

3 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

4 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

5 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

6 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。

7 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

8 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

11 nettles   

n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I tingle where I sat in the nettles. 我坐过在荨麻上的那个部位觉得刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard. 那蔓草丛生的凄凉地方是教堂公墓。 来自辞典例句

12 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。

13 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 rascal   

n.流氓；不诚实的人

参考例句：

• If he had done otherwise,I should have thought him a rascal.如果他不这样做，我就认为他是个恶棍。
• The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue.这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。

15 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。