(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Doug Johnson with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about a young woman named Virginia Patterson Hensley. No one but her family would remember that name. The world remembers her as Patsy Cline. That song is called "Walkin' After Midnight. " It was Patsy Cline's first big hit record. She recorded it in nineteen fifty-seven. It became number three on the list of country music hit recordings and number twelve on the list of most popular music.
Patsy had worked for many years to make that first successful record. She began singing when she was a young girl in her home town of Winchester, in the southern state of Virginia. Patsy sang anywhere she could. She sang at weddings and dances. She sang at public eating places for eight dollars a night. Those who knew her said she worked hard to improve her singing. In nineteen fifty-four she won a country music competition near her home. She was twenty-two years old. She was asked to appear on a country music television program in Washington, D.C. She also sang on radio programs in the Virginia area and recorded some records.
In nineteen fifty-seven, Patsy Cline appeared on a national television show in New York City. It was on this program that millions of people first heard her sing. She sang "Walkin' After Midnight," a song she had recently recorded. Her appearance on the television program helped make that record a major hit. Patsy continued to record more songs. Within two years she had another major hit. It was called "I Fall to Pieces." By this time Patsy's voice had already become something special. She had learned to control not only the sound but the feelings expressed in her songs. It was the slow, sad love songs that her fans enjoyed most, songs like "I Fall to Pieces. "
Patsy Cline's recording of "I Fall to Pieces" became her first number one country music hit. It was also a hit with fans of popular music. Patsy was a major star. She also had begun performing at the country music theater, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Those who knew her after she became a recording star say Patsy Cline was a very good friend. She liked to help young musicians. Later, many of these young musicians became important stars themselves. One of Patsy's biggest hit songs also helped two of these young musicians become known. The song is called
"Crazy. " It was written by an unknown musician who later became a major country music star. His name is Willie Nelson. If you listen carefully to Patsy Cline's recording of "Crazy," you can hear the beautiful piano playing of another young musician, Floyd Cramer. He also became a major recording star. Listen to Patsy and Floyd perform Willie Nelson's song, "Crazy." On March sixth, nineteen sixty-three, Patsy Cline was killed in the crash of a small airplane. She was only thirty years old. She was flying home to Nashville. She had taken part in a special concert in Kansas City to raise money for the family of a country music radio performer who recently had died. Patsy Cline was buried near her home town of Winchester, Virginia. Thousands of people came to her funeral. Ten years after her death, she became the first woman performer elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In nineteen eighty-five, Hollywood producers made a movie about the life of Patsy Cline. It was called "Sweet Dreams. " Popular actress Jessica Lange played Patsy. No one really could sound like Patsy Cline. So the producers used her old records in the movie. Miz Lange moved her mouth so she appeared to be singing. People who had never heard of Patsy Cline saw the movie and enjoyed her singing. They began buying her records. Today, her records still sell thousands of copies each year as new fans discover her.
重点解析
1.improve 改善，增进
Their French has improved enormously.
他们的法语水平提高了很多。
2.competition 竞争；比赛
There's been some fierce competition for the title.
已有一些为此头衔的激烈竞争。
3.appearance 出现，露面
It was the president's second public appearance to date.
这是迄今该总统的第二次公开露面。
4.continue 继续，延续
I hope they continue to fight for equal justice after I'm gone.
我希望我走后他们继续为司法公正而奋斗。
5.control 控制；管理
Jo was advised to learn to control herself.
人们建议乔要学会控制自己的情绪。
6.unknown 不出名的
He was an unknown writer.
他是个没有名气的作家。
参考译文
我是雪莉·格里菲斯。我是道格·约翰逊。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。
今天我们将讲述一位年轻的女性，弗吉尼亚·帕特森·汉斯莱。除了她的家人没人会记得这个名字。全世界只记得佩茜·克莱恩。这首歌是《Walkin' After Midnight》，是佩茜·克莱恩的第一首热门歌曲，于1957年录制。这首歌位列乡村音乐热门榜第三位，位列最受欢迎流行歌曲第12位。佩茜努力了很多年才取得首次成功。她从小就开始唱歌，那时她住在弗吉尼亚州南部的温彻斯特镇。佩茜不放过任何唱歌的机会。她在婚礼和舞会上唱歌，在公共餐厅以8美元一晚的价格唱歌。认识她的人说她很努力的提升自己的歌技。
1954年，她在家附近举办的一场乡村音乐比赛中获胜，那年她22岁。她被邀请去华盛顿录制乡村音乐电视节目。她还在弗吉尼亚地区的广播节目中唱歌，并录制了一些唱片。1957年，佩茜·克莱恩现身纽约一场国家电视台节目。正是在这个节目中，数百万人首次听到她的歌声。她演唱了自己最近录制的一首歌《Walkin' After Midnight》。她参加这个节目帮助这张专辑成为大热门。佩茜继续录制更多的歌。两年里，她的另一首歌《I Fall to Pieces》成为热门。到这时，佩茜的嗓音已经变得有些特别。她学会了控制声音和各种传达出的情感。
她的粉丝们最喜欢她缓慢悲伤的情歌，比如这首《I Fall to Pieces》。佩茜·克莱恩的《I Fall to Pieces》首次登上乡村音乐榜榜首，喜欢流行乐的粉丝也大爱这首歌。佩茜是一位大牌明星。她还开始在田纳西州那什维尔的乡村音乐剧院—乡村老大剧院演出。那些在她成为唱片明星之后才认识她的人表示佩茜·克莱恩是个非常好的朋友，她喜欢帮助年轻的歌手。之后，很多被帮助过的年轻音乐家都成为了明星。佩茜最热门歌曲之一也帮助其中两位年轻音乐家出名。这首歌是《Crazy》。这首歌的作者是不知名的音乐家写的，他之后也称为了大牌乡村音乐明星，他叫威利·纳尔逊。如果你仔细听佩茜·克莱恩的这首歌，你可以听到里边一段非常美妙的钢琴声，由另一位年轻音乐家佛洛伊德·克莱姆演奏。他也成为一名大牌唱片明星。请听佩茜和佛洛伊德演绎威利·纳尔逊的作品《Crazy》。
1963年3月6日，佩茜·克莱恩在一次坠机中丧命。当时她年仅30岁。她乘坐飞机飞往那什维尔的家。她参加了堪萨斯城的一场特别音乐会为一位已故乡村音乐电台歌手的家人筹钱。佩茜·克莱恩被埋葬在她位于弗吉尼亚州温彻斯特的家附近。数千人参加了她的葬礼。在她去世十年后，她成为了被选入乡村音乐名人堂的首位女性表演家。1985年，好莱坞制片人拍了一部关于佩茜·克莱恩生平的电影—《甜蜜的梦》。演员杰西卡·兰格扮演佩茜。没有人的声音能够真的听起来像是佩茜·克莱恩。所以制片人在电影中使用了她以前的唱片。兰格只是张嘴假装是她在唱。那些没有听过佩茜·克莱恩歌声的人看了这部电影，喜欢她的歌声。他们开始购买她的唱片。今天不断有新粉丝发现她的歌声，她的唱片每年仍维持数千张的销量。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
