(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Katharine Hepburn, one of America's great film and stage actresses. Hepburn's career lasted almost seventy years. During that time she made more than fifty films. She became known all over the world for her independence, sharp intelligence, and acting ability.
Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most Academy Awards for Best Actress. She won the honor four times. This star holds a special place in American film and popular culture.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford, Connecticut in nineteen oh seven. She came from a wealthy and highly educated family. Her father, Thomas Hepburn, was a successful doctor. Her mother, Katharine Martha Houghton, was a great supporter of women's rights issues including the right to birth control. The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects. The family members were not afraid to express their liberal opinions.
Doctor Hepburn also believed in the importance of intense exercise. For most of her life Kate was an excellent athlete. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis. Here is a recording of Katharine Hepburn from a film about her life.
She is talking about the values her family taught her. She says she is not strange, but is fearless.
"I don't think I'm an eccentric, no! I'm just something from New England that was very American and brought up by two extremely intelligent people...who gave us a kind of, I think the greatest gift that man can give anyone, and that is...sort of freedom from fear."
Katharine graduated from Bryn Mawr college in Pennsylvania in nineteen twenty-eight. She soon started appearing in small roles in plays on Broadway in New York City. That year she also married a businessman named Ludlow Ogden Smith. Their marriage lasted only a few years. But Katherine later said Ludlow's support was very important to her during the early part of her career.
Katharine Hepburn was not the usual kind of actress during this period. She had a thin and athletic body. She spoke with a clear East Coast accent. And she was very independent in her thoughts and actions.
For example, she wore men's pants as clothing at a time when women wore only skirts or dresses. Sometimes her independence and liberal opinions got her in trouble. After a few successful plays in New York, Hollywood filmmakers became interested in her. She later signed with the film production company called RKO pictures. Her first movie came out in nineteen thirty-two.
The next year she made the film "Morning Glory." In her role as Eva Lovelace, Hepburn plays a stage actress fighting for a successful career. Few directors are interested in her. But by the end of the movie, she has a chance to let her acting skills shine and she becomes a star. This movie earned Hepburn her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Here is a recording from the movie. Hepburn's character, Eva, tells about how she has changed her name in preparation for becoming a great actress. She talks very quickly, but you can sense the energy behind her performance.
"I hope you're going to tell me your name. I want you for my first friend in New York. Mine's Eva Lovelace. It's partly made up and partly real. It was Eva Love. Love's my family name. I added the Lace. Do you like it or would you prefer something shorter? A shorter name would be more convenient on a sign.
Still, Eva Lovelace in "Camille" for instance, or Eva Lovelace in "Romeo and Juliet," sounds very distinguished, doesn't it?
I don't want to use my family name because I shall probably have several scandals while I live and I don't want to cause them any trouble until I am famous, when nobody will mind.
That's why I must decide on something at once while there is still time, before I am famous."
During the nineteen thirties, critics either loved or hated Katharine Hepburn. Some thought she was a fresh and exciting addition to the Hollywood industry. Others decided she was too bold and self-important. They thought her way of speaking sounded false. But Hepburn wanted to face the movie industry her own way. She liked to play the roles of strong women.
She did not want to be like other actresses. She did not wear make up on her face. She would not let photographers take sexy pictures of her. And she did not like talking to her fans or the media.
Katharine Hepburn continued to work very hard making movies. Yet by the late nineteen thirties she had became unpopular with the public. So movie producers stopped wanting her in their films.
But Hepburn was not raised to quit easily. She decided to return to the stage on Broadway in New York City. She starred in a play called "The Philadelphia Story." Hepburn's friend Philip Barry wrote the play especially for her. It is about a wealthy and intelligent woman named Tracy Lord. She is about to marry a man she does not love. In the movie she learns to be more honest with herself and others. She decides to marry a man from her past whom she has always loved.
The play was a great success. Hepburn immediately bought the legal rights to the play. She knew "The Philadelphia Story" would be made into a movie. And she wanted to make sure she was the star of the film version.
In nineteen forty, "The Philadelphia Story" became a great movie success. Hepburn received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She had taken control of her career once again. And she would stay in control of it from now on.
Here is a recording from "The Philadelphia Story." Katharine Hepburn's character, Tracy Lord, is talking with her new friend, Macaulay Connor, a writer. She has just read his book and discovered something surprising about him.
These stories are beautiful! Why Connor, they're almost poetry!
Well, don't kid yourself, they are.
I can't make you out at all now.
Really? I thought I was easy.
So did I. But you're not. You talk so big and tough, and then you write like this. Which is which?
Both, I guess.
No. No, I believe you put the toughness on to save your skin.
Oh, you think so.
I know a little about that.
In nineteen forty-two, Katherine Hepburn starred in "Woman of the Year." This was the first of nine movies she starred in with actor Spencer Tracy. They would soon become a famous couple both on and off the movie screen. Usually their movies dealt with finding a balance of power between their two strong characters. Hepburn and Tracy had a magical energy when they acted together. But in real life they kept their love hidden from the public.
Spencer Tracy was married to another woman. For religious reasons, he would not end his marriage and divorce his wife. So Hepburn and Tracy led a secret love affair for more than twenty years. Katharine Hepburn had had other love interests. She once had a relationship with the famous American millionaire Howard Hughes. But Spencer Tracy remained the love of her life.
One of Katharine Hepburn's most famous roles was in the movie "The African Queen." She made this movie in nineteen fifty-one with the famous actor Humphrey Bogart. In the film, their two very different characters fall in love on a riverboat in the middle of Africa.
As Katharine Hepburn became older, she played more and more wise and complex characters. In nineteen sixty-seven she starred in her last movie with Spencer Tracy. He died a few weeks after filming ended. For this movie, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," she won her second Academy Award. She won her third Academy Award the next year for "A Lion in Winter." And, in her mid-seventies she won her last Academy Award for "On Golden Pond."
Even into her eighties, Katharine Hepburn kept working. She had roles in several movies and television programs. She also wrote several books, including one about her life. In two thousand three, Katharine Hepburn died. She was ninety-six years old.
As part of her last wishes, she helped create the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center at Bryn Mawr College. This program helps support the things that were important to her: film and theater, women's rights, and civic responsibility.
An actor who worked with Katharine Hepburn once said that she brought with her an extra level of reality. He said that when she was near, everything became more interesting, intense and bright. This intensity and intelligence shine in the films that Katharine Hepburn made over her lifetime. People still enjoy her films today. Katharine Hepburn's work and personality have had a great influence on American film and culture.
重点解析
1.highly educated 高学历的
He's not very highly educated, but he's got a lot of horse sense.
他虽然没有受过很高的教育, 但他的实际知识是丰富的。
2.intense exercise 高强度运动
This is true for hard or intense exercise that lasts for 60 minutes or longer.
对于持续进行了1个小时或者更长时间的剧烈运动的人来说确实如此。
3.eccentric 古怪的人
I suppose he's eccentric.
我想他大概是个性情古怪的人。
4.Katharine graduated from Bryn Mawr college in Pennsylvania in nineteen twenty-eight.
graduate from 从...毕业
What school did you graduate from?
你是哪个学校毕业的？
5.But Hepburn was not raised to quit easily.
quit放弃
He has quit smoking.
他已戒了烟。
6.She is about to marry a man she does not love.
be about to 将要
He looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
他看上去马上就会泪流满面.
参考译文
我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。我是芭芭拉·卡尔文。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述凯瑟琳·赫本的故事。凯瑟琳·赫本是美国伟大的电影和舞台女演员之一。赫本的演艺事业持续了近70年。在此期间，她拍过50多部电影。她因独立、智慧和演绎而为世人所知。凯瑟琳·赫本是奥斯卡最佳女演员奖纪录的保持者。她四次荣获该奖项。这位明星在美国电影和流行文化中拥有者特殊的地位。
1907年，凯瑟琳·霍顿·赫本出生于美国康涅狄格州的哈特福特。她来自与一个富有且受过高质量教育的家庭。他的父亲托马斯·赫本是一名成功的医生。她的母亲凯瑟琳·玛尔塔·霍顿是女权问题（包括避孕权）的支持者。赫本一家确保自己的孩子接受重要政治和社会科目的教育。一家人都毫不忌讳地发表自己的自由言论。赫本医生也信仰高强度运动的重要性。在卡特一生中的大部分时候，她都是一名出色的运动员。她骑马、游泳、打高尔夫和网球。以下是一段凯瑟琳·赫本的录音来自于讲述她生平的电影。她谈到了家庭交给他的价值观。她说自己不是怪异而是无惧。
“我认为我不是一个怪人，不是！我只是来自新英格兰的一名非常美式的美国人，两位极具智慧的家长养育了我...他们给予了我最好的礼物—免于恐惧的自由。”
1928年，凯瑟琳毕业于宾夕法尼亚州布林茅尔学院。她很快便在纽约城的百老汇舞台上演一些小角色。那一年，她和商人拉德洛·奥顿·史密斯结婚。他们的婚姻仅持续了几年。但是之后凯瑟琳表示在她事业的早期阶段，拉德洛对她的支持非常重要。在那段期间，凯瑟琳·赫本和一般意义上的女演员不同。她很苗条有着运动员般的体格。她说话带有明显的东海岸口音。在思想和行为上，她非常独立。例如，在女性只穿裙子和连衣裙的时代，她就穿着男士的裤子。
有时她独立自由的观点也让她陷入麻烦。在纽约出演了几部成功的戏剧后，好莱坞电影制片人对她很兴趣。之后，她签了一家叫做RKO影业的公司。她的第一部电影1932年上映。第二年，她拍了电影《清晨的荣誉》。在电影中，她饰演Eva Lovelace，一名为了成功事业而斗争的舞台女演员。几位导演对她很感兴趣。但是到电影最后，她才得到展示自己演技的机会，而且她成为了明星。这部电影为赫本赢得了她的第一座奥斯卡最佳女演员奖。以下来自电影录音片段。赫本的角色Eva讲述自己为了准备成为一名伟大的女演员而改了自己的名字。她的语速很快，但是你能感觉到她演技背后的力量。
“我希望知道您的名字。我想您成为我在纽约的第一个朋友。我的名字是Eva Lovelace。它的一部分是真名。我的真名叫Eva Love。Love是我家族的姓氏。我自己加上了Lace。你喜欢这个还是短点的那个名字？短小的名字从记忆的角度来说更为方便。比如，《卡蜜儿》里的Eva Lovelace，或者是《罗密欧与朱丽叶》里的Eva Lovelace，听起来很特别不是么？我不想用自己的姓氏，因为我可能会经历一些让人难堪的事，但是我不想让家人陷入难堪，当然成名后就没有人会在意了。所以我必须毫不犹豫，我离成名还有好远的路呢。”
在1930年代，影评人对凯瑟琳·赫本既爱又恨。一些影评人认为她是好莱坞电影行业中一股新鲜刺激的例外。其他人则认为她多于大胆和高傲。他们认为她说话的方式听起来很虚伪。但是赫本想用自己的方式面对电影行业。她喜欢演绎女强人的角色。她不希望和其他女演员一样。她甚至不化妆。她不许摄影师拍她的性感照片，也不喜欢和她的粉丝和媒体讲话。凯瑟琳·赫本继续努力地拍电影。但到1930年代后期，她的人气下跌。所以电影制片人不想让她出演自己的电影。
但是赫本并没有轻易放弃。她决定重返纽约百老汇的舞台。她出演了戏剧《费城故事》。赫本的朋友菲利普·巴里特地为她写了这个剧本。是关于一个富有又聪明的女人—特雷西·劳尔兹的故事。她将要和一个自己并不爱的人结婚。电影中，她学着对自己和他人更加诚实。她决定和她一直深爱的人结婚。这部剧取得了巨大的成功。赫本立即买下了这部戏剧的版权。她知道《费城故事》将会被拍成电影。并且她希望确保自己是电影版的主演。1940年，《费城故事》成为一部非常成功的电影。赫本因此获得了她的另一奥斯卡最佳女主奖。她再一次掌控自己的事业并且至此将一直手握掌控权。以下是电影《费城故事》原声片段。赫本所饰演的角色正在和自己的朋友，作家Macaulay Connor谈话。她刚读了他写的书并发现了一些关于他的事。
这些故事太美了！Connor，为什么它们就像诗一样！
别开玩笑啦，它们就是诗呀。
我现在无法完全对你下定论了
是吗？我认为我是很易解的
我也是如此认为，但你不是，你说话夸大而且难缠 然而 你写的的确像这样 到底哪个是哪个嘛？
二者皆是，我想
不。我想你是借着难缠的德行来掩饰自己
喔，你认为如此？
我对那种事知道一点点
1942年，凯瑟琳·赫本出演《小姑居处》。在这部电影中，她首次和演员斯潘塞·特雷西合作，他们一共合作了九部电影。很快他们成为了银幕内外的著名情侣。通常他们的电影都会在两个人强硬性格之间找平衡。合作时，赫本和特雷西有着魔法般的能力。但是在实际生活中，他们将他们的爱隐藏于公众。斯潘塞·特雷西已经和另一个人结婚了。由于宗教原因，他不能终止婚姻和妻子离婚。所以20多年来，赫本和特雷西维持着秘密恋情。凯瑟琳·赫本有其他的爱情趣味。她曾和著名美国百安富翁霍华德·休斯有过关系。但是特雷西仍是她生命中的爱人。凯瑟琳·赫本扮演过的最著名的角色之一是出自电影《非洲女王号》。1951年，她和著名演员亨弗莱·鲍嘉出演该电影。在电影中，这两个非常不同性格的人在前往非洲的河船上相爱。随着凯瑟琳·赫本年纪的增长，她扮演的角色更加充满智慧且复杂。
1967年，她和斯潘塞·特雷西出演了她的最后一部电影。电影拍完几周后，他就去世了。电影《猜猜谁来吃晚餐》让她获得了第二座奥斯卡奖。第二年，她又因电影《冬狮》获得第三座奥斯卡奖。在她七十多岁的时候，因《金色池塘》获得她的最后一座奥斯卡奖。即使是在八十多岁的时候，凯瑟琳·赫本还在继续工作。她出演了几部电影和电视节目。她还写了几本书，包括讲述她生平的书。2003年，凯瑟琳·赫本去世了，享年96岁。她最后的遗愿是在布尔茅尔学院帮助创建赫本中心。这个项目帮助支持她视之珍贵的事物：电影和戏剧、女权和公民责任。一名和凯瑟琳·赫本合作过的演员曾说过，她带有一种额外的真实感。他说，和她贴近的时候，一切都变得更加有趣、强烈且明亮。这种强烈感和智慧在凯瑟琳·赫本所拍摄的电影中闪闪发光。如今，人们仍在欣赏她的电影。凯瑟琳·赫本的作品和品格对美国电影和文化有着巨大影响。
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