(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Steve Ember with the Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Every week we tell about a person important in the history of the United States. Today, we tell about the man known as "Mister Broadway," George Abbott.
Experts say probably no one in the history of the American theater influenced it more than George Abbott. He lived to be one hundred-seven years old. He remained active until he died, January thirty-first, nineteen ninety-five.
You can tell the history of the Broadway theater area in New York City by telling the story of George Abbott's life. He wrote plays. He directed them. He produced plays. And he acted in them. He was involved in more than one hundred twenty productions. Some of his most popular shows were musicals. They include "Jumbo," "Pal Joey," "Call Me Madam," "Pajama Game," "Fiorello!" and "Damn Yankees." In some years, he had three hit shows at the same time.
"Damn Yankees" opened in New York in nineteen fifty-five. George Abbott helped write the musical play. And he directed it. It won eight of the Tony awards given each year for the best theater productions on Broadway. In nineteen ninety-four, another performance of "Damn Yankees" opened on Broadway. George Abbott helped with the production. He was one hundred six years old.
"Damn Yankees" is about a baseball player on the Washington Senators baseball team. He sells his soul to the devil so the senators will win the championship.
A major person in the play is a beautiful woman who works for the devil. Her name is Lola. One of the best known songs from that show is "Whatever Lola Wants."
George Francis Abbott was born in eighteen eighty-seven in New York state. His family moved to the western state of Wyoming when he was eleven years old.
George worked as a cowboy during summers before the family moved back to New York State, near the city of Buffalo. He attended the University of Rochester, where he played football and took part in the acting club. He then studied play writing at Harvard University. In nineteen twelve, he won one hundred dollars for a play he wrote called "The Man in the Manhole."
George Abbott moved to New York City in nineteen thirteen. But he had a slow start in the theater. He did not get many acting jobs. Two years later, he became an assistant to a theater producer. Soon he was deeply involved with re-writing plays and producing them. He had his first hit show in nineteen twenty-six. It was called "Broadway. "
George Abbott worked in Hollywood, too. He was involved in producing eleven movies between nineteen twenty-eight and nineteen fifty-eight.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" was one of the most praised. He also produced films of the musical plays "Damn Yankees," "Where's Charley." And "The Pajama Game."
A few weeks before his death, Mister Abbott reportedly was working on a new version of "The Pajama Game." The musical play is about workers in a pajama factory. The clothing workers are planning to strike for more pay. How much more? Seven and a half cents.
Beginning in nineteen twenty, George Abbott had at least one play on Broadway each year. Sometimes there were as many as five.
Mister Abbott liked working with young, unknown actors. He once said a producer was better off if he did not have a star in his show. He said working without a star saves money and damage to the nerves.That is why George Abbott gave acting jobs to actors who were unknown at the time. Many became very famous. Helen Hayes, Gene Kelley, Eddie Albert, Shirley MacLaine, and Carol Burnett are just a few. He also helped unknown song writers, dancers and producers like Harold Prince, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins.
George Abbott changed the American theater in many ways. He was the first to produce musical shows that were serious dramas, not just light love stories. And he was the first producer to use ballet dancers in a musical show. He worked with the ballet expert George Balanchine. That was in nineteen thirty-six. The play was "On Your Toes. " The music was "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue."
George Abbott won just about every award a person can win in the theater. He received a special Tony award for his lifetime of work. He also received the Kennedy Center lifetime achievement award in nineteen eighty-two. And he won Tony awards for four of his musical shows including "Fiorello!"
"Fiorello!" also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama after it opened in nineteen fifty-nine. It is about the life of Fiorello LaGuardia, the mayor of New York City during the nineteen forties. Many critics said the song "Little Tin Box" was the best in the show. It makes fun of the way politicians try to explain their actions when they are accused of spending public money for their own use. Here is "Little Tin Box" from "Fiorello!"
George Abbott earned millions of dollars in the theater. But he did not spend his money freely. He always helped the poor, however. And he quietly provided money to produce shows that no one else would support.
Mister Abbott was married three times. He had a daughter who also worked in the theater. She died in nineteen eighty-four.
George Abbott was always involved in new projects, usually several at one time. But he always took care of his health. He said it was important to eat three meals a day and get enough sleep each night.
He always wore a suit and tie. And he always said what was necessary, not a word more. For Mister Abbott, the play was the most important thing, and nothing was permitted to interfere. Actors and people who went to his plays loved him for it.
When George Abbott celebrated his one hundredth birthday in nineteen eighty-seven, theater actors honored him with a big party. They also performed for him. They ended their show with a song George Abbott especially liked. So we thought we would end with it too. It is called "Heart", from George Abbott's show, "Damn Yankees."
重点解析
1.live to be 活到了
Few people lived to be 100 and fewer still live to be 110.
很少人活到100岁，而活到110岁的人就更少了。
2.hit (唱片、电影或戏剧的) 成功
The song became a massive hit in 1945.
这首歌在1945年取得了巨大成功。
3.work as 从事...职业
He knows he can not work as a good painter.
他知道他当不了一个好画家。
4.The clothing workers are planning to strike for more pay.
strike 罢工
Staff at the hospital went on strike in protest at the incidents.
这个医院的员工举行罢工，抗议这些事件。
5.He once said a producer was better off if he did not have a star in his show.
better off 富裕的；较自在的
I think we'd be better off in the shade on this hot day.
我认为在这种大热天呆在荫凉处要舒服一些。
6.For Mister Abbott, the play was the most important thing, and nothing was permitted to interfere.
interfere 干涉；妨碍
We have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
我们没有权利干涉别国内政。
参考译文
我是雪梨·格里菲斯。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。每周我们都会讲述美国历史上的一位重要人物。今天，我们将讲述著名的“百老汇先生”，乔治·艾伯特。
专家表示或许还没人能像乔治·艾伯特那样对美国戏剧史有着如此影响。乔治·艾伯特活到了107岁，直到1995年1月31日去世前，他仍然活跃。你能从乔治·艾伯特的生平中看到纽约市百老汇剧院的历史。他编写、导演并制作戏剧，甚至还参演其中。他参与了120多部作品，他众多的知名剧作中有一些事音乐剧。包括《Jumbo》、《酒绿花红》、《风流贵妇》、《睡衣仙舞》、《菲奥雷洛!》以及《失魂记》。在一些年里，他同时有三部热门演出上演。《失魂记》于1955年纽约上演。乔治·艾伯特帮助创作音乐剧本并对该进行指导。该音乐剧获得八次百老汇最佳戏剧作品托尼奖。1994年，《失魂记》另一场表演在百老汇开演。乔治·艾伯特帮助制作，那时的他已经106岁了。《失魂记》是关于华盛顿参议员棒球队中一名棒球手的故事。他将自己的灵魂出卖给魔鬼从而让参议员棒球队获得冠军。该剧中的主要人物是一名为魔鬼工作的漂亮女士，她的名字叫洛拉。其中知名乐曲之一是《Whatever Lola Wants》。
1887年，乔治·弗朗西斯·艾伯特出生于纽约州。11岁时，他们一家搬到了美国西部的怀俄明州。在一家人搬回到水牛城附近的纽约州前，乔治在夏天的工作是牧童。他进入美国罗彻斯特大学，在那里他踢足球并参加戏剧社。然后他又去到哈佛大学学习剧本创作。1912年，他创作的剧本《The Man in the Manhole》获得了一百美元的奖金。1913年，乔治·艾伯特搬到纽约市，但是他在戏剧方面起步缓慢。他并没有获得很多表演的工作。两年后，他成为了一名戏剧制作人的助理。很快他便深入参与剧本重写和制作。他的首部热门剧作《百老汇》于1926年上演。乔治·艾伯特也在好莱坞工作。在1928年和1958年期间，他参与制作了11部电影。《西线无战事》是最受赞誉的作品之一。他还制作了音乐剧《失魂记》、《Where's Charley》以及《睡衣仙舞》的电影版。
据称在去世前的几周里，艾伯特先生还在创作《睡衣仙舞》的新版本。这部音乐剧是关于一家睡衣工厂工人的故事，工厂的工人们计划罢工争取更多的报酬。要多少报酬呢？七块五美元。自1920年开始，乔治·艾伯特每年都有至少一部剧在百老汇上演，有时多达五部。艾伯特先生喜欢和年轻不知名的演员们工作。他曾说如果制片人的剧中没有明星的话，会更好。
他说，不请明星的话能省钱还能减少紧张感。这就是为什么乔治·艾伯特给那些当时还不知名的演员演出机会的原因。很多演员都变得非常出名，比如海伦·海耶丝、金·凯利、埃迪·艾伯特、雪莉·麦克雷恩以及卡罗尔·伯内特。他还帮助了很多不知名作曲家、舞者和制作人，比如阿罗德·普林斯、伦纳德·伯恩斯坦、鲍勃·福斯以及杰罗姆·罗宾斯。
乔治·艾伯特在许多方面改变了美国戏剧。除了制作轻爱情故事外，乔治·艾伯特是首位制作严肃音乐戏剧的制片人。他还是首位在音乐剧中运用芭蕾舞演员的制片人。他和芭蕾舞专家乔治·巴兰奇合作，那时是1936年。这部音乐剧是《On Your Toes》，剧中的音乐是《Slaughter on Tenth Avenue》。乔治·艾伯特获得了个人能在戏剧界所获得的每个奖项。他获得了托尼奖终身成就奖。1982年，他还获得了肯尼迪中心终身成就奖。他的四部音乐剧都获得了托尼奖，包括《菲奥雷洛!》。1959年《菲奥雷洛!》开演后还获得了普利策奖。《Fiorello!》讲述的是1940年代，纽约市市长菲奥雷洛·拉瓜迪亚的一生。很多评论家表示剧中的歌曲《Little Tin Box》是全剧最佳。该剧拿政治家们试图解释他们行为的那种方式开玩笑，那时政治家们被指控公款私用。以下来自音乐剧《菲奥雷洛!》中歌曲《Little Tin Box》的选段。
乔治·艾伯特在戏剧方面的事业为他赚取了数百万美元，但是他没有大肆挥霍。他总是帮助贫困的人。他默默地为没人会投资的剧作制作提供资金。艾伯特先生结过三次婚。他有一个女儿，也在剧院工作，并于1984年去世。
乔治·艾伯特一直在参与新项目，通常是一次好几部剧。但他也很注重健康，他说一日吃三餐很重要，每晚充足的睡眠也很重要。他总是穿着西装打着领结，他也总是说必要的事情，一个字也不用多说。对于艾伯特先生而言，戏剧就是最重要的事，任何其他事情都不能干涉其中。演员和观看他作品的观众都因此而喜爱他。1987年，在乔治·艾伯特过他的100岁生日时，剧院演员和他一同庆祝。他们还为他表演，并以一首乔治·艾伯特特别喜爱的歌曲作为生日会的结尾。所以我们今天的节目也以这首歌结尾，这首歌是《Heart》来自于乔治·艾伯特的作品《失魂记》。
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