VOA常速英语2007-Veteran Stuntwoman Still Jumps, Falls, Crashes

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
30 October 2007
 
Stuntmen and stuntwomen may have the most demanding jobs in Hollywood -- performing falls, tumbles and dives considered too dangerous for regular actors to perform.  But veteran stuntwoman Sandy Gimpel is still going strong at an age when most people are retired².  And as she tells VOA's Mike O'Sullivan, she has no plans to quit the risky³ business.

 

Sandy Gimpel got her start in television on the 1960s series "Lost in Space."  She was offered a job standing⁴ in for a young star on scenes that were physically⁵ demanding.

"And I thought that was pretty cool.  I was in my early 20s and I thought, I can do this.  This sounds like fun," she recalls.

Gimpel's falls progressed to more dangerous stunts⁶ in films that included The Poseidon Adventure in 1972. Gimpel was a passenger on a sinking ocean liner.

"Well, when the water came in, it literally⁷ picked us up off of the ground and literally blew us, like this, out off the platform.  It just came in with such force, and it was just unbelievable," she said.  

Gimpel says high falls and fire can be dangerous, and she has suffered sprained⁸ ankles and broken ribs⁹ on stunts.

She relies on safety crews.  In this year's comedy Norbit, actor Eddie Murphy, made up as an overweight woman, picks Gimpel up and hurls¹⁰ her into some flower pots.

She says cuts and bruises¹¹ are part of the stunt¹ business.

Gimpel says performing stunts has provided a good income and helped her raise her daughter.  But she says that as a mother, she always puts safety first. "Safety is really important to me, but I don't think I could ask for a better job if my life depended on it.  I love what I do."

Gimpel has made a video called Stuntblasters Workout for those less-daring people who still want to stay active.

She says, at 67, she is still living life in the fast lane. 

1 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

8 sprained   

v.&n. 扭伤

参考例句：

• I stumbled and sprained my ankle. 我摔了一跤，把脚脖子扭了。
• When Mary sprained her ankles, John carried her piggyback to the doctors. 玛丽扭伤了足踝，约翰驮她去看医生。

9 ribs   

n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹

参考例句：

• He suffered cracked ribs and bruising. 他断了肋骨还有挫伤。
• Make a small incision below the ribs. 在肋骨下方切开一个小口。

10 hurls   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• Jane really hurls herself into learning any new song, doesn't she? 对任何新歌，简都会一心一意去学，对吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The necromancer hurls a bolt of dark energies against his enemies. 亡灵法师向对手射出一道带着黑暗能量的影束。 来自互联网

11 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》