(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
This is PEOPLE IN AMERICA, in VOA Special English. Today we tell about award-winning actor Cliff Robertson. He appeared in movies, television shows, and plays for more than half a century. Here is Jim Tedder.
Cliff Robertson died of natural causes in Long Island, New York on September tenth, two thousand eleven. He died a day after his eighty-eighth birthday. Cliff Robertson was born in California, not far from Hollywood. But he did not live there and often was critical of the motion picture industry.
As a young man, Robertson never thought he would be an actor, and he did not take acting seriously. Robertson said he always thought he would be a reporter. In fact, he wrote for a small newspaper in Ohio when he attended college. But, he began accepting small acting parts. Over time, those roles got bigger, and soon he was making a living as an actor. Clifford Parker Robertson the third was born on September ninth, nineteen twenty-three. His mother died when he was only two and a half years old. He was raised by his grandmother. He said his father was married several times. Cliff Robertson holds the Emmy he won for the outstanding single performance by an actor in a leading role in a drama at the 18th annual Television Academy Awards
Most young people know very little about Cliff Robertson. But at one time he was one of the best-known actors in the United States. Years ago, "Look" magazine, an influential publication of the time, called Robertson "one of the finest young actors in America today." He became a big star on television and was often praised by critics. Yet he was never a movie star. Robertson said he did not make it into what he called "that golden circle of three or five stars in Hollywood who can pick and choose" their parts in movies. In nineteen sixty-seven, he said, "I take what's left over ... They all know me as a utility player. ‘Good old Cliff,' they say. Someday I'd like to be in there as the starting pitcher."
In two thousand five, Robertson spoke about his life for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation. "I began to feel like they finally recognized who I was - as a kind of a good, not a big, not a huge, not a star, but a good infield shortstop. I could be depended on." Cliff Robertson may never have reached the highest levels in Hollywood, but he had what actors call "steady work" for many years. One writer said Robertson did not become truly interesting until he aged into character roles. "I think as a kind of more of a young character actor than a young leading man. Cause, see all these characters had an edge to them. I wasn't a pretty boy that's for sure." Robertson won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his work as a mentally-disabled cleaning worker in the movie "Charly." The film was based on the book "Flowers for Algernon". "I had such an empathy for the character when I read it. And I thought, ‘I think I can do this rather well.'" Robertson was in more than sixty movies. His career began in the nineteen fifties and continued into the twenty-first century.
In nineteen sixty-three, he starred as Lieutenant John F. Kennedy in the naval war film "P.T. 109." The film told about the military days of a young man who would become president of the United States. Robertson said President Kennedy personally approved of him playing the part. In nineteen sixty-six, Robertson won an Emmy award for his work in the television movie "The Game." Before and after winning the Emmy, he had parts in films with actresses like Kim Novak, Jane Powell, Joan Crawford and Sandra Dee. He also worked with actors like Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Stewart, Lee J. Cobb and Spencer Tracy. Robertson acted in films through the nineteen nineties. In two thousand two, he became known to younger movie-goers as Uncle Ben in "Spiderman." Cliff Robertson from "Spiderman" movie: "These are the years when a man changes into the man he's going to become the rest of his life. Just be careful who you change into. With great power comes great responsibility."
Many critics praised Robertson for his performances on television and in Broadway plays. But many times those roles were given to others when the movie version was made. For example, he starred as an alcoholic in the nineteen fifty-eight television movie "Days of Wine and Roses." But Jack Lemmon was given the part when the story was made into a theatrical movie in nineteen sixty-two. Robertson's role in the television movie "The Hustler" was given to Paul Newman in the theatrical movie. Robertson also starred in the Tennessee Williams play "Orpheus Descending" on Broadway. But his part was given to Marlon Brando when the film version of the play was made. Robertson wanted to make sure that kind of thing would not happen to him again. In nineteen sixty-one, he starred in the television movie "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon." In the movie, he played a loveable man with the mental ability of a five-year-old. He takes part in a medical experiment that makes him extremely intelligent. But the medicine only works for a short time, and soon he becomes mentally-disabled again.
Robertson was nominated for an Emmy award for the television movie. While preparing for the movie, he bought the rights to make a Hollywood film about the story. He worked for almost eight years to persuade a movie studio to make it into a theatrical film with him in the lead role. Finally, Robertson found a willing studio. And, in nineteen sixty-nine, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for "Charly." "I beat him ...(Charly speaks in a fast and excited voice. Then he promises to return to the medical center the next day.
Cliff Robertson's life was not without difficulty. In the nineteen seventies, he proved that the head of a large Hollywood studio had signed Robertson's name on a ten thousand dollar check. The case that resulted came to represent corruption in Hollywood. Major film studios refused to offer movie roles to Robertson for three and a half years. But he found work as a spokesman for a telephone company, and became well-known because of its advertisements. He said the case taught him that he had more bravery than brains, and he said he was proud of that. Cliff Robertson was known as a critic of the movie industry. Robertson once said he went to Hollywood only to work and never to live. He told "The New York Times" in nineteen seventy-two that nobody had made more bad films than he had made.
In two thousand five, he was critical of Hollywood's "tendency to dramatize, inflate, romanticize and exaggerate." And he hated its interest in money. "And you buy bodies, you buy souls, you buy integrity. You think anything and everything and anyone can be bought – you're wrong." Robertson was married two times. He married actress Cynthia Stone in nineteen fifty-seven. She was the former wife of Jack Lemmon. They had a daughter before ending their marriage in nineteen fifty-nine. In nineteen sixty-six, Robertson married actress Dina Merrill. She was the daughter of the wealthy American businessman E.F. Hutton and his wife Marjorie Merriweather Post. Miz Post was one of the richest women in the world. Cliff Robertson and Dina Merrill had a daughter, named Heather. Their marriage ended after twenty-two years. Heather Robertson died of cancer in two thousand seven.
Cliff Robertson was also a pilot who began learning to fly at the age of fourteen. He said he fell in love with flying when he was only five years old. He said he loved to learn new things at an early age, and travelled the world when he was young. In later years, he bought a glider and airplanes from World War Two. He said he loved to fly, to "soar above all the nonsense." Robertson said he considered himself lucky in many ways -- not just because he had a long acting career. Two times he was supposed to take a flight, but did not. Both times the flight crashed, killing everyone on the plane.
In two thousand five, Robertson was asked if he had any regrets. After thinking a few seconds, he had this answer. "Time, wasted time and there are swatches of it here and there – it's the most valuable thing in the world aside from love." Cliff Robertson never considered himself a great actor, although he was sure he could play many roles. He said "give me some ... words, let me play with them, maybe come up with a surprise." But he never watched his performances. ‘I do not enjoy seeing myself,' he said. "I've never really been satisfied with anything that I've ever done. It's a degree of dissatisfaction - I always feel like I could have done it better if circumstances were different...I think I'm mature enough to recognize now that maybe I've done as well as I could do under the circumstances, but there's that little voice underneath saying: ‘You (could) do better.'"
重点解析
1.critical 批评的
His report is highly critical of the trial judge.
他的报道对承审法官是高度批判的。
2.publication 出版物
They have started legal proceedings against two publications which spoke of an affair.
他们已开始对提及一件绯闻的两本出版物进行法律诉讼。
3.utility 实用的；多用途的
A fur coat has more utility in winter than in autumn.
毛皮外衣在冬天比在秋天更有用。
4.mentally disabled 低能的
He has spent all his life working with mentally disabled people.
他毕生都在为精神有缺陷者工作。
5.approve of 赞许
He did not approve of my pictures.
他对我的画并没有表示赞许。
6.exaggerate 夸张
He thinks I'm exaggerating.
他认为我在夸大其词。
参考译文
这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述获奖演员克里夫·罗伯逊的故事。半个多世纪以来，他演过电影、电视和戏剧。以下是吉姆·泰德为大家介绍。2011年9月10日，克里夫·罗伯逊在位于纽约长岛的家中去世。前一天他刚过完88岁的生日。克里夫·罗伯逊出生在加利福尼亚里好莱坞不远的地方。但是他不住在那里并经常抱怨电影业。年轻的罗伯逊从不认为自己是一名演员，也没把演戏当回事。罗伯逊说他总认为自己会当一名记者。其实，上大学时，他曾为俄亥俄州的一家小报社写稿子。但他开始出演一些小角色。多年来，角色越演越大，很快他便开始以演戏为生。
1923年9月9日，克利福德·帕克·罗伯逊三世出生。他的母亲在他两岁半的时候去世了。他由祖母养大。他说他的父亲结过几次婚。大多数年轻人对克里夫·罗伯逊知道不多。但是他曾是美国最有名的演员之一。多年前，《Look》杂志—当时一刊非常有影响力的出版物称罗伯逊是“当今美国最出色的青年演员”。他成了电视上的大明星，并常受到影评人赞扬。但是他却不是一个电影明星。罗伯逊说他没有成为所谓的‘好莱坞黄金圈的演员’。1967年，他说，“我拿剩下的...他们认为我是一名实用玩家。“好心的老克里夫”，他们说。有时我想成为开局投手。”
2005年，罗伯逊在电视艺术与科学基金协会上谈起自己的一生。“我开始感觉他们终于认可了我—一个不错的、没那么大牌的、也不能称为明星的人，但是却是一个好的内场游击手。值得依赖。”克里夫·罗伯逊或许从未达到好莱坞的最高度，但是多年来他都有着演员们所说的‘稳定的工作’。一名作家说罗伯逊并没有真的变得有趣，直到他到了某个年纪出演某些角色。“我认为更像是作为一名年轻的性格演员而非年轻的主演。因为，所有这些性格塑造了他们。我并不是一个好看的男孩子。”
罗伯逊在电影《查利》中扮演一名低智清洁工，并获得了奥斯卡最佳男演员奖。该电视是改编自小说《献给阿尔吉侬的花束》。“当我读到这本书的时候，我产生了同理心，我想，‘我认为我能做的不错。’”罗伯逊出演过60多部电影。他的事业开始于20世纪50年代，一直到21世纪。1963年，他出演海军战争电影《P.T. 109》中肯尼迪中尉一角。该电影讲述了一位年轻人的参军故事，这名年轻人后来成为美国总统。罗伯逊称肯尼迪总统亲自称赞了他的表演。
1966年，罗伯逊因电视电影《The Game》获得艾美奖。获艾美奖前后，他和女演员金·诺瓦克、简·鲍威尔、琼·克劳馥以及桑德拉·狄都有过合作。他还和亨利·方达、马龙·白兰度、吉米·斯图尔特、李·科布以及斯宾塞·屈塞合作过。罗伯逊在20世纪90年代出演过电影。2002年，他出演《蜘蛛侠》中班叔叔一角而被年轻电影爱好者所知。“男孩就在这个年龄定型为他下半辈子要当的男人。 你一定要谨慎。能力越大责任就越大。”
很多影评人赞扬了他在电视和百老汇戏剧中的表演。但很多时候，当这些角色要拍成电影时，就会换人演。例如，他在1958年电视剧版《相见时难别亦难》中出演一名酒鬼。但1962年搬上戏剧电影银幕时，杰克·莱蒙接过了这个角色。罗伯逊在电视电影《江湖浪子》的角色在戏剧电影中被交给杰克·莱蒙。罗伯逊还在百老汇出演了田纳西·威廉斯的戏剧《奥菲的沉沦》。但当拍摄电影版本时，这个角色由马龙·白兰度出演。罗伯逊不希望再发生这种情况。1961年，他出演电影电影《查理·戈登的两个世界》。在电影中，他出演一个智力相当于五岁小孩的可爱男人。他参与了医药试验，让他变得非常聪明。但是药物仅能维持一小会，很快他再次恢复原样。罗伯逊因此被提名艾美奖。当为电影做准备时，他买下了该故事的好莱坞电影版权。他花了近八年时间说服电影工作室将这个故事拍成电影并由他担任主演。最终，罗伯逊找到了一家愿意制作的公司。1969年，他因电影《查利》获得奥斯卡最佳男演员奖。
克里夫·罗伯逊的一生并非一帆风顺。20世纪70年代，他证实一家大型好莱坞工作室的老板在一张一万美元的支票上签上了他的名字。这个案子在好莱坞代表贪污。在三年半的时间里，大型电影工作室拒绝给他提供角色。但他在电话公司找到了一份发言人的工作，并因其广告而知名。他说这个案件教会他，他的勇气多于头脑，他说他因此骄傲。克里夫·罗伯逊被称为电影行业的批评家。罗伯逊曾说他只去好莱坞工作，绝不会在那里生活。
1972年，他告诉《纽约时代》，他拍的烂电影比任何人都多。2005年，他批评好莱坞“戏剧话、膨胀、浪漫化且夸张的潮流”。他痛恨对钱的兴趣。“你买下身体、灵魂和廉政。你认为任何事物任何人都可以被收买—你错了。”罗伯逊结过两次婚。1957年，他和女演员辛西娅·斯通结婚。她是杰克·莱蒙的前妻。1959年离婚前，他们有一个女儿。1966年，他和女演员迪娜·梅瑞尔结婚，她是美国富商E.F. Hutton的女儿E.F. Hutton的妻子是玛乔丽·梅莉薇德·波斯特。她是世界上最富有女性之一。罗伯逊和迪娜·梅瑞尔有一个女儿，希瑟。他们的婚姻在22年后结束。希瑟·罗伯逊在2007年死于癌症。
克里夫·罗伯逊也是一名飞行员，他从14岁的时候开始学习飞行。他说他在五岁的时候爱上了飞行。他说青年时他喜欢学习新事物，想环游世界。晚年，他买了一架来自二战时期的滑翔机和小型飞机。他说他爱飞行，爱在‘胡言胡语之上翱翔’。罗伯逊说他认为自己在很多方面都很幸运—不仅仅是因他漫长的演艺生涯。有两次他要坐飞机，都没有去。两次飞机都坠机，无人生还。2005年，罗伯逊被问到是否有感到后悔的事。想了几秒后，他给出了这个答案。“时间，被浪费的时间—这是除了爱之外最珍贵的东西。”
克里夫·罗伯逊从未认为自己是一位伟大的演员，虽然他可以扮演很多角色。他说“给我一些词，或许会有惊喜。”但是他没看过自己的表演。“我不喜欢看自己，”他说。“我没有对自己做的事情满意过。这是一种不满足—我总觉如果环境不同，我能做得更好...我认为我足够成熟可以认同在这种情况下我可以尽量做到最好，但是内心总有小声音在说：‘你可以做得更好。’”
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