(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about actor Charlton Heston. He is best known for playing powerful and heroic leaders in movies such as "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur." Heston had a strong face and body that could express great physical and emotional force.
Heston made about one hundred movies during his sixty-year career. He was also known for his social and political activism.
Charlton Heston was born John Carter in nineteen twenty-three in Evanston, Illinois. He spent his early childhood in Saint Helen, Michigan. His parents ended their marriage when he was a boy. Later, he decided to change his name. He took the last name of his mother's second husband, Heston. And, for his first name he used his mother's former last name, Charlton.
Charlton Heston discovered his interest in acting while performing in plays at his high school. He later spent two years studying theater at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. But he left college to join the Army Air Forces during World War Two. In nineteen forty-four he married a college classmate, Lydia Clarke.
The young couple moved to New York City after the war. They tried to find acting jobs. Heston found small roles in the theater as well as in television shows. His performance in a television version of the book "Jane Eyre" caught the attention of the Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis.
Wallis gave Heston a role in the movie "Dark City," which came out in nineteen fifty. The actor soon found other roles in movies including "The Greatest Show on Earth" directed by Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille later asked Heston to play the role of Moses in his movie "The Ten Commandments" which came out in nineteen fifty-six. Heston played the Egyptian prince who learns his true identity and leads the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt to the promised land. This role made Heston famous and defined his career as a hero and leader. "The Ten Commandments" was long, very costly and had many special effects.
In nineteen fifty-eight Heston starred in "Touch of Evil." He played a Mexican drug investigator. Orson Welles also had an acting role in this film. Heston persuaded Universal Studios to hire Welles to direct the movie. "Touch of Evil" has since become a great example of the kind of crime movie known as "film noir."
The nineteen fifty-nine movie "Ben-Hur" made Charlton Heston an even bigger star. He played a Jewish man named Judah Ben-Hur who is imprisoned unjustly and rebels against the rule of Rome in ancient Judea. The movie is most famous for a long scene in which Ben-Hur competes in an exciting chariot race against a Roman commander he considers his enemy. Recreating such a large event on film required a great amount of money and technical skill.
Many actors would have used a professional stunt man to carry out such a dangerous activity as a chariot race. But Charlton Heston did much of the work himself. He trained for weeks to learn how to skillfully lead a team of speeding horses.
After Ben-Hur wins the chariot race, he speaks with Esther, the woman he loves. She wants him to forget about his hatred towards the Roman government in power.
ESTHER: Oh Judah, rest, sleep. For a few hours of the night, let your mind be at peace.
JUDAH: Peace? Love and peace! Do you think I don't long for them as much as you do? Where did you see them?
ESTHER: If you had heard this man from Nazareth...
Esther tells Judah about having listened to the teachings of the prophet Jesus.
JUDAH: Children of God? In that dead valley where we left them? I tell you every man in Judea is unclean and will stay unclean until we've scoured off our bodies the crust and filth of being at the mercy of tyranny. No other life is possible except to wash this land clean.
ESTHER: In blood?
JUDAH: Yes, in blood!
At the time, "Ben-Hur" was one of the most costly and complex movies ever made. It cost MGM Studios fifteen million dollars to produce. The popularity of the movie alone helped improve the financial situation of the studio. "Ben-Hur" won eleven Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Charlton Heston.
In the nineteen fifties and sixties, many actors used "Method acting" to produce a believable performance. Actors like Marlon Brando would explore their personal emotions and experiences to create a realistic character. Charlton Heston chose instead to use objects in real life to build a character. For example, he would think about the way his character looked and what clothes the character would wear.
Heston studied intensely to understand his characters. For example, in the movie "The Agony and the Ecstasy" Heston played the role of the sixteenth century Italian artist Michelangelo. Heston learned how to paint and sculpt so that he could realistically imitate the artist's actions. He also studied the hundreds of letters written by Michelangelo to more fully understand the artist's personality.
Heston starred in many adventure movies during the nineteen sixties. His face and body represented strength, manliness and heroism in many different roles. He played cowboys, soldiers, athletes. His movies included "El Cid", "Khartoum", and "The Greatest Story Ever Told." In the science fiction film "Planet of the Apes" he played an astronaut who is enslaved by a society of intelligent and powerful non-human rulers.
GEORGE TAYLOR: Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!
In the nineteen seventies, Heston appeared in popular disaster movies like "Earthquake," "Skyjacked" and "Airport 1975." Charlton Heston once said that over his career he played three presidents, three holy men and two artistic geniuses. He joked that if that did not make a person feel self-important then nothing would.
Throughout his life, Charlton Heston was active in social and political causes. In the nineteen fifties and sixties, he worked to defend civil rights. In nineteen sixty-three he helped gather artists to participate in the March on Washington, D.C. to demand racial equality. It was at this historic event that the civil rights leader, Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior, gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Mister Heston was a very public supporter of Doctor King.
Charlton Heston was also very active in the movie industry. He was president of the Screen Actors Guild for six years starting in nineteen sixty-five. He also worked to help establish the American Film Institute. In nineteen seventy-seven he was honored for his service in the industry. He received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
He later received other awards for his lifetime of work. In nineteen ninety-seven he was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor. And, in two thousand three, President Bush gave Charlton Heston a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
Later in his life, Heston became more socially and politically conservative. He supported Republican Party politicians. And he became known for actively opposing laws to control the private ownership of guns. In nineteen ninety-eight Heston was elected president of the National Rifle Association. This organization works to oppose gun control laws. It considers the right to own a gun an important civil right guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
Charlton Heston became famous for a speech he gave for the N.R.A. in two thousand. He held up a large rifle used in the seventeen hundreds. He said the only way the government could take away his gun was from his "cold, dead hands." Heston wrote about his opinions in books including "In the Arena" and "To Be a Man: Letters to My Grandson."
In two thousand, Charlton Heston issued a statement announcing that he had a nerve disorder whose signs were like Alzheimer's disease. He died in two thousand eight at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was eighty-four years old. The memory of Charlton Heston will live on in the powerful heroes he brought to life in his movies. His style of acting and the movies he made represent a special period in the history of Hollywood.
重点解析
1.as well as也...又
Freud postulated that we all have a death instinct as well as a life instinct.
弗洛伊德曾假定我们所有人都有生存本能和死亡本能。
2.long for渴望
Senior citizens long for a more predictable and secure future.
老年人渴望有一个更稳定、更可预见的未来。
3.at the mercy of由...支配
Ordinary people are at the mercy of faceless bureaucrats.
普通人的命运任凭那些平庸刻板的官僚们摆布。
4.as much as差不多
Here, they have homework, but not as much as we do in China.
在这里他们也有家庭作业，但不象我们在中国的那样多。
5.famous for因...闻名
The area is famous for its very mild winter climate.
这个地区因冬季气候十分温和而著名。
6.take away上课；吸取经验
They're going to take my citizenship away.
他们打算取消我的国籍。
参考译文
我是雪莉·格里菲斯，我是芭芭拉·克莱文。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们讲述查尔顿·赫斯顿的故事。他最著名的角色是在电影《十诫》和《宾虚》中扮演强大而英勇的领导者。赫斯顿有一张坚强的脸和身体，可以表达巨大的身体和情感的力量。
赫斯顿在他60年的职业生涯中拍了大约100部电影。他还以积极参与社会和政治活动而闻名。
查尔顿·赫斯顿1923年出生于伊利诺斯州埃文斯顿，原名约翰·卡特。他的童年是在密歇根州的圣海伦度过的。当他是个小孩的时候，他的父母结束了婚姻。后来，他决定改变自己的名字。他选择了他母亲第二任丈夫的姓氏赫斯顿。他使用了母亲以前的名字查尔顿作为自己的名。
查尔顿·赫斯顿在高中表演话剧时发现了自己对表演的兴趣。后来，他在伊利诺斯州埃文斯顿的西北大学学习了两年戏剧。但在二战期间，他离开了大学，加入了陆军空军。1944年，他与大学同学莉迪亚·克拉克结婚。
战后，这对年轻的夫妇搬到了纽约。他们试图找到演艺的工作。赫斯顿在戏剧和电视节目中都找到了小角色。他在电视剧版《简·爱》中的表演引起了好莱坞制片人哈尔·B·沃利斯的注意。
沃利斯在1950年上映的电影《黑暗之城》中给了赫斯顿一个角色。这位演员很快在电影中找到了其他角色，包括塞西尔·B·德米尔导演的《地球上最伟大的表演》。德米尔后来要求赫斯顿在他的电影《十诫》中扮演摩西的角色，这部电影于1956年上映。赫斯顿扮演的埃及王子了解了自己的真实身份，带领希伯来人从埃及的奴隶制度中走出来，来到应许之地。这个角色使赫斯顿成名，并定义了他作为英雄和领导者的生涯。《十诫》篇幅很长，成本很高，而且有很多特效。
1958年，赫斯顿主演了《历劫佳人》。他扮演一个墨西哥毒品调查员。奥森·威尔斯也在这部电影中扮演了一个角色。赫斯顿说服环球影城聘请威尔斯执导这部电影。从那以后，《历劫佳人》成为了被称为“黑色电影”的犯罪电影的一个很好的例子。
1959年的电影《宾虚》使查尔顿·赫斯顿成为更大的明星。他扮演了一个名叫犹大·宾虚的犹太人，他在古犹太被不公正地囚禁并反抗罗马的统治。部电影最著名的是一个很长的场景，宾虚在一个令人兴奋的战车比赛与他认为是自己的敌人的罗马指挥官竞争。在电影上再现这样一个大型事件需要大量的资金和技术技巧。
许多演员会使用专业的特技演员来进行像战车比赛这样危险的活动。但是查尔顿·赫斯顿自己做了大部分的工作。他训练了好几个星期，学习如何熟练地带领一队疾驰的马。宾虚赢得战车比赛后，他和他爱的女人以斯帖说话。她想让他忘掉对当权的罗马政府的仇恨。
以斯帖：哦，犹大，休息，睡觉。在夜晚的几个小时里，让你的大脑保持平静。
犹大：平静？爱和平静！你认为我不想和你一样渴望它们吗？你在哪里见到他们了？
以斯帖：如果你听说过这个来自拿撒勒的人...以斯帖告诉犹大曾听过先知耶稣的教导。
犹大：上帝之子？在那个我们丢下他们的死气沉沉的山谷里？我告诉你，朱迪亚的每个人都是不干净的。在我们把受暴政支配的外壳和污物从我们的身体上洗去之前，还是不干净的。除了把这片土地洗干净，没有别的生命是可能的。
以斯帖：生机勃勃？
犹大：是的，生机勃勃！
当时，《宾虚》是有史以来制作的成本最高、最复杂的电影之一。米高梅影业花费了1500万美元来制作这部电影。仅电影本身的流行就帮助改善了米高梅影业的财政状况。《宾虚》赢得了11个奥斯卡奖，包括查尔顿·赫斯顿获得的最佳男演员奖。
20世纪五六十年代，很多演员都使用“体验派表演方法”来带来可信的表演。像马龙·白兰度这样的演员会探索他们个人的情感和体验来创造可信的角色。查尔顿·赫斯顿选择使用在现实生活中的对象来塑造一个角色。例如，他会考虑他的角色的样子，角色会穿什么衣服。
赫斯顿会认真地研究他的角色。比如，在电影《痛苦与狂喜》中，赫斯顿扮演16世纪意大利艺术家米开朗基罗。赫斯顿学习了如何绘画和雕刻，这样他就能逼真地模仿这位艺术家的动作了。他也研究了米开朗基罗上百封信，以更加全面地了解这位艺术家的个性。
赫斯顿在20世纪60年代主演了很多冒险电影。他的脸和身体在许多不同的角色中代表着力量、男子气概和英雄主义。他扮演牛仔、士兵、运动员。他的电影包括《万世英雄》、《沙漠龙虎会》和《史上最伟大的故事》。在科幻电影《人猿星球》中，他饰演一名宇航员，被一个充满智慧和强大非人类统治者的社会奴役。
乔治·泰勒：把你的臭爪子从我身上拿开，你这该死的脏猩猩！在20世纪70年代，赫斯顿参演了像《地震》、《空中劫机》、《机场1975》这样的受欢迎的灾难片。查尔顿·赫斯顿曾表示，在他的生涯中，他扮演了三位总统，三个圣人和两个艺术天才。他开玩笑说，如果这不会让一个人觉得自己很重要，那么没有什么会让他觉得自己很重要。
查尔顿·赫斯顿一生都积极投身于社会和政治事业。20世纪五六十年代，他致力于捍卫民权。1963年，他帮助聚集艺术家参与华盛顿的游行，来捍卫种族平等。正是在这个历史性的事件中，民权运动领袖小马丁·路德·金博士发表了他的有名的演讲《我有一个梦想》。赫斯顿先生是金博士的公开支持者。
查尔顿·赫斯顿在电影工业中也非常活跃。他自1965年起担任了六年的美国演员工会主席。他也帮助建立了美国电影协会。1977年，他因在电影行业的奉献受到表彰。他获得了美国电影艺术与科学学院的吉恩·赫肖尔特人道主义奖。
他后来因他一生的工作获得其他奖项。1997年，他获得肯尼迪中心荣誉奖。2003年，布什总统授予查尔顿·赫斯顿总统自由勋章，这是美国最高的平民荣誉。
后来，赫斯顿在社会和政治上变得更加保守。他支持共和党的政治家。他以积极反对控制私人枪支所有权的法律而闻名。1998年，赫斯顿被选为全国步枪协会主席。这个组织致力于反对枪支管制法律。它认为拥有枪支的权利是美国宪法保障的一项重要公民权利。
2000年，查尔顿·赫斯顿因在全国步枪协会的一次演讲而出名。他举起一支18世纪用过的大步枪。他表示，政府拿走他的枪支的唯一方式是从他“冰冷、死去的双手上”拿走。赫斯顿在书中表达他的观点，包括《竞技场上》和《做一个男人：给我孙子的信》。
2000年，查尔顿·赫斯顿发表了一份声明称，他患了一种神经障碍，其症状和阿尔茨海默症类似。他于2008年在自己加州贝弗利山庄的家中逝去。享年84岁。查尔顿·赫斯顿的记忆将在他的电影中塑造的强大的英雄形象中永存。他的表演风格和他拍的电影代表了好莱坞历史上的一个特殊时期。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
