(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Phoebe Zimmerman. And I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today, we tell about Irving Berlin. He wrote the words and music for some of the most popular songs of the twentieth century.
Irving Berlin lived to be one hundred one years old. He died in nineteen eighty-nine. During his long life, he wrote more than one thousand songs. Many of his songs have become timeless additions to America's popular culture.
Irving Berlin's music helped spread that popular culture throughout the world. Berlin was born in Russia. But he captured the feeling, the people and the customs of his new country. And he put those ideas to music.
Another composer, Jerome Kern, once said of Irving Berlin: "He has no place in American music. He IS American music."
Most American children grow up hearing and singing some of Irving Berlin's songs. Two of the best known are linked to Christian religious holidays. They are "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade."
Many Americans think the perfect Christmas Day on December twenty-fifth should be cold and snowy. Irving Berlin thought so, too. He wrote "White Christmas" in nineteen thirty-nine. It was sung in the movie "Holiday Inn" in nineteen forty-two. "White Christmas" became one of the best-selling songs of all time. Here is Bing Crosby singing his famous version of "White Christmas."
lrving Berlin's song for the Easter holiday captures another American tradition. "Easter Parade" is about a tradition in New York City. There, on Easter morning, people walk up and down Fifth Avenue after church services to enjoy the spring weather. Women wear new hats and dresses. Berlin wrote the song for a musical play in nineteen thirty-three. It was the main song in the musical film "Easter Parade" in nineteen forty-eight. Here is Judy Garland singing "Easter Parade."
Irving Berlin was born Israel Baline in eighteen eighty-eight in the Russian village of Temun. He was the youngest of eight children. His family was Jewish. They fled Russia because of religious oppression.
The Baline family came to America in eighteen ninety-three. They did not have much money. They moved into an area of New York City where many other poor Jewish immigrants had settled when they moved to the United States. Israel's father died when the boy was eight years old. The young boy left his home to find work. First, he got a job helping a blind street singer. Then he began earning money by singing on the streets of New York. Later, he got a job singing while serving people their food in a restaurant. Israel taught himself to play the piano. But he could play only the black keys.
Soon Israel began writing his own songs. He never learned to read or write music. He wrote his songs by playing the notes with one finger on the piano. An assistant wrote down the notes on sheets of paper. When the songwriter's first song was published, his name was spelled wrong. Israel Baline had become I. Berlin. Israel thought the name sounded more American. So he renamed himself Irving Berlin.
Between nineteen twelve and nineteen sixteen, Irving Berlin wrote more than one hundred eighty songs. By the time he was in his late twenties, his songs were famous around the world.
Berlin became an American citizen in nineteen eighteen. A few months later, he was ordered into military service. The United States was fighting in World War One. Berlin was asked to write songs for a musical about life in the military. He called the show "Yip Yip Yaphank." All of the performers in the show were soldiers. Many of the songs became popular.
After he served in the army, Berlin returned to New York. He formed his own music publishing company. He also established a theater for his musical shows near Broadway.
Irving Berlin loved America for giving a poor immigrant a chance to succeed. He expressed his thanks for this success in his songs. One of these songs is "God Bless America." He wrote the song in nineteen eighteen. But it did not become popular until Kate Smith sang it in nineteen thirty-nine. She sang the song to celebrate Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of World War One. Many people feel "God Bless America" is the unofficial national song of the United States.
Berlin gave all money he earned from "God Bless America" to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America. Here is Kate Smith singing "God Bless America."
The United States entered World War Two in nineteen forty-one. Berlin agreed to write and produce a musical show called "This is the Army." It was a musical about life in the military. All the performers were soldiers.
The show was performed in many cities across the United States. It helped increase support for America's part in the war. It earned ten million dollars for the Army Emergency Relief Fund. "This is the Army" also was performed for the American troops at military bases around the world. Irving Berlin appeared in most of these performances. He sang the song he had written earlier. The song is about what he had hated most about being in the army. Here, Irving Berlin sings "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning."
After the war, Berlin continued to write songs for movies and plays. He wrote songs for more than fifteen movies from the nineteen thirties to the nineteen fifties. Many of the songs were used in movies starring the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Here is Fred Astaire singing a song that appeared in several movies, "Puttin' on the Ritz."
Irving Berlin also wrote the music for seventeen Broadway plays from the nineteen twenties to nineteen fifty. His most successful Broadway musical was "Annie Get Your Gun" in nineteen forty-six. Irving Berlin retire nineteen sixty-two after his last Broadway musical, "Mister President," failed. He died in nineteen eighty-nine. But the songs that he gave America will be played and sung for many years to come.
重点解析
1.be linked to连接；有关
Now, we've known for a long time that empathetic feeling is not logically linked to morality.
我们很久以前就知道,移情和道德之间没有逻辑关系。
2.By the time到....时候
By the time you get to your neck and head, you should have banished much of the tension.
当你放松到脖子和头部的时候，你应该已经消除了大部分的紧张不安。
3.agree to同意
If you agree to this, then we can proceed with our dialogue.
如果你同意这样，那麽我们可以继续我们的对话。
4.return to回到；恢复到
On his return to the office, he ploughs into a backlog of orders and other work.
他一回到办公室，就干劲十足地开始处理积压的订货单和其他工作。
5.all around the world全世界
Through English, we know about what happen all around the world.
通过英语，我们了解到世界各地发生了什么。
6.continue to do 继续
So why do you continue to be involved with these people?
那么你为什么继续和这些人打交道呢？
参考译文
我是菲比·齐默尔曼，我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们讲述欧文·伯林的故事。他为20世纪一些最流行的歌曲创作了歌词和音乐。
欧文·柏林活了101岁。他于1989年去世。在漫长的一生中，他创作了超过1000首歌曲。他的许多歌曲已经成为美国流行文化永恒的补充。
欧文·柏林的音乐帮助美国流行文化在全世界传播。柏林出生在俄国。但是他捕捉到了他的新国家的感觉、人们和习俗。他把这些理念放到了音乐里。
另一位作曲家杰罗姆·柯恩曾这样评价欧文·柏林：“他在美国音乐界没有地位。他就是美国音乐。”
大多数美国孩子听着和唱着欧文·伯林的一些歌曲长大。其中两个最著名的歌曲与基督教的宗教节日有关。它们是《白色圣诞节》和《复活节游行》。
许多美国人认为，12月25日的圣诞节应该是寒冷多雪的。欧文·柏林也是这样想的。他于1939年创作了《白色圣诞节》。1942年，人们在电影《假日酒店》中演唱了这首歌曲。《白色圣诞节》成为了有史以来最畅销的作品。这里是由平·克劳斯贝演唱的有名的《白色圣诞节》版本柏林的复活节歌曲捕捉了另一个美国传统。
《复活节游行》是关于纽约市的一个传统。在那里，复活节的早晨，人们在教堂礼拜结束后在第五大道上走来走去，享受春天的天气。女人们会戴着新帽子，穿着新裙子。柏林于1933年为一个音乐剧创作了这首歌曲。它是1948年的音乐电影《复活节游行》的主题曲。这里是朱迪·加兰演唱的《复活节游行》。
欧文·柏林本名叫伊斯雷尔·巴林，他于1888年出生于俄罗斯特门村。他是八个孩子中最小的一个。他的家庭是犹太人。由于宗教压迫，他们逃离了俄罗斯。
巴林一家于1893年来到美国。他们没有多少钱。他们来到了纽约市的一个地方，那里是很多其他贫穷的犹太移民来到美国时定居的地方。伊斯雷尔的父亲在男孩8岁时去世。这个小男孩离家去找工作了。起初，他得到了一份帮助盲人街头歌手的故事。后来他开始在纽约的街头唱歌挣钱。后来，他找到了一份唱歌的工作，同时在一家餐馆为人们提供食物。伊斯雷尔自学弹钢琴。但是他只能弹黑键。
很快伊斯雷尔开始创作自己的歌曲。他从未学过识谱或写作音乐。他用一根手指在钢琴上弹音符来写歌。一位助手把笔记写在纸上。当这位作曲家的第一手歌曲发布的时候，他的名字拼写错误了。伊斯雷尔·巴林被拼成了I·柏林。伊斯雷尔觉得这个名字听起来更美国化。所以他把名字改成了欧文·柏林。1912年至1916年，欧文·柏林创作了超过180首歌曲。到他快30岁的时候，他的歌已经在世界各地都很有名了。
柏林于1918年成为了美国公民。几个月后，他奉命服兵役。美国参加了第一次世界大战。柏林柏林被要求为一部讲述军人生活的音乐剧写歌。他把这个节目叫做《叶叶亚汉克》。演出中所有的演员都是军人。许多歌曲变得流行起来。
在军队服役后，柏林回到了纽约。他成立了自己的音乐出版公司。他还在百老汇附近为他的音乐剧建立了一个剧院。
欧文·柏林因美国给贫穷的移民成功的机会而爱这个国家。他在自己的歌曲里表达了对取得成功的感激。这些歌曲之一就是《上帝保佑美国》。他在1918年创作了这首歌曲。但是直到1939年凯特·史密斯演唱了这首歌，它才开始流行起来。她演唱这首歌曲来庆祝休战纪念日，即第一次世界大战纪念日。很多人认为《上帝保佑美国》是美国非官方的国歌。
柏林把《上帝保佑美国》赚的所有钱都捐给了美国男童子军和女童子军。这里是凯特·史密斯演唱歌曲《上帝保佑美国》。
美国于1941年加入第二次世界大战。柏林同意制作一个名为《这就是军队》的音乐剧。它是一个关于军队生活的音乐剧。所有的表演者都是军人。
该剧在美国很多的城市演出。它增加了对美国参与战争的支持。该剧为陆军紧急救援基金带来了一千万美元的收入。《这就是军队》也在世界各地的军事基地为美国军队表演。欧文·柏林在大多数的表演中亮相。他演唱了自己早前创作的歌曲。这首歌曲表达了他在军队中最讨厌的事情。这里是欧文·柏林演唱的《噢，我有多讨厌在早上起床》。
战争结束后，柏林继续为电影和戏剧写作歌曲。从20世纪30年代至20世纪50年代，他为超过15部电影创作了歌曲。很多的歌曲都用在了以著名的舞蹈演员弗雷德·阿斯泰尔和金格·罗杰斯主演的电影中。这里是弗雷德·阿斯泰尔演唱的一首出现在好几部电影中的歌曲《妆扮高雅》。
从20世纪20年代至20世纪50年代，欧文·柏林也为17部百老汇戏剧创作了歌曲。他最成功的百老汇音乐剧是1946年的《飞燕金枪》。欧文·伯林在他最后一部百老汇音乐剧《总统先生》失败后，于1962年退休。他于1989年去世。但是他为美国创作的这些歌曲将会在未来的多年时间里被演奏和歌唱。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
