2007年VOA标准英语-Fans Mourn Italian Tenor Pavarotti

By Sabina Castelfranco
Modena
07 September 2007

Thousands of mourners are bidding farewell to Italian tenor¹ Luciano Pavarotti in his hometown of Modena. The opera star died Thursday from cancer and is lying in state inside the city's cathedral as people file past him in a final farewell. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Modena.

homage2 to late Ialian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Modena's Duomo where he is layed in state, 07 Sep 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070914/0908540.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

People pay their homage to late Ialian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Modena's Duomo where he is layed in state, 07 Sep 2007

Modena's Piazza³ Grande is crowded with people as mourners quietly make their way into the cathedral where Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti's open coffin⁴ allows them to say goodbye one last time.

The Italian singer whose ringing, pristine⁵ sound set a standard for operatic tenors⁶ of the postwar era, died on Thursday of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.

Fans filed past the white coffin where Pavarotti is lying in state dressed in a black tuxedo⁷, his hands holding a white handkerchief. Thousands have been pouring into the city to take part in a funeral service, which will be held on Saturday afternoon.

Authorities are preparing for an outpouring of grief at the funeral. Giant television screens were set up near the cathedral so that those outside the cathedral can follow the service.

Among those standing⁸ outside the church Friday was someone who knew him well, since he was a child, and even used to kick around a ball with him. Romano Goldoni is 80 years old today and says a monument should be built to Pavarotti because of what he did for Modena.

He was a great figure as a tenor who gave a name to the city of Modena and all its citizens who are extremely grateful to him.

Not faraway at the music school where Pavarotti used to teach, Bulgarian soprano Raina Kaibaivanka had tears in her eyes as she spoke⁹ of the loss of a good friend.

She said it's a difficult moment and a very painful one. When a person leaves, you start to realize that this person was precious and enriched your life. Luciano enriched me, she added. He was generous as an artist, as a colleague and as a singing partner.

Luciano Pavarotti (file photo)

Pavarotti was the world's best-selling classical artist. He sought to commercialize opera and was thrilled with the success of the "Three Tenors" concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras that reached vast audiences around the world.

Kabaivanska, who performed Tosca at Milan's La Scala theatre more than 20 years ago says that for her Pavarotti was the voice of opera.

She says "I want to remember him as a great opera singer, of melodrama¹⁰. I do not want to remember him for the concert of the three tenors, for the concerts with Sting or Bono. For me he is a great tenor, a great tenor with a voice kissed by God.

Pavarotti is survived by his second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, their daughter, Alice, and three daughters from his first marriage.

1 tenor   

n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意

参考例句：

• The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。
• The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

2 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

3 piazza   

n.广场；走廊

参考例句：

• Siena's main piazza was one of the sights of Italy.锡耶纳的主要广场是意大利的名胜之一。
• They walked out of the cafeteria,and across the piazzadj.他们走出自助餐厅,穿过广场。

4 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

5 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

6 tenors   

n.男高音( tenor的名词复数 )；大意；男高音歌唱家；（文件的）抄本

参考例句：

• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration. 3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His one -- a-kind packaging thrilled an opera world ever-hungry for tenors. 他一对一类包装激动世界的歌剧以往任何时候都渴望的男高音。 来自互联网

7 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

8 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。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 melodrama   

n.音乐剧；情节剧

参考例句：

• We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
• White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。