2-10 紧随斯汀

Sting: With Every Breath He Takes

 

Considered one of the most respected solo artists in music history as well as lead vocalist of one of the most popular bands of all time, The Police, Sting has become an influential¹ part of the music industry, as well as in social awareness² causes. His body of work spans nearly 25 years and embraces not only rock and reggae but also jazz, country, Celtic and Middle Eastern strains¹.

　　

Born Gordon Sumner on the 2nd of October 1951, the future musician was born and raised in Newcastle, the northeast of England. The artist formerly³ known as Gordon received his introduction to music thanks to his mother. A classically trained pianist, Audrey Sumner taught her son the piano, an instrument which he mastered.

　　

Despite his piano skills, his true passion was guitar and jazz. After graduating from teachers college, working as an English teacher and soccer coach, and then as a ditchdigger², Sting followed his true calling³ and headed for London to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional musician.

　　

The Police established him as a world-renowned songwriter and singer. The trio Sting headed assumed the vanguard⁴ of contemporary music throughout the late 80s and early 90s. On his own, he has never ceased taking chances. The Dream of the Blue Turtles, Nothing Like the Sun, The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner’s⁵ Tales, Brand New Day, Sacred Love and Inside, achieve a truly distinctive⁴ synthesis⁶ of personal expression and universal communication.

　　

When not in the recording⁵ studio or behind the camera, Sting's work in the realm of social awareness has always been an important part of his life. He has performed for the charitable⁷ concert Live Aid and other concerts to raise money for Amnesty⁸ International; helped found the Rainforest Foundation; and has strived to help preserve Brazilian territory.

 

With forays⁹ into practically every musical genre⁶ and endless work for human rights and environmental causes, Sting remains⁷ one of the most respected artists in contemporary music, with every breath he takes.

 

1.strain [strein] n. [常作～s]乐曲；旋律，曲调；音乐片断

2.ditchdigger [5ditF9di^E(r)] n. 挖沟渠者；苦役雇工

3.calling [5kC:liN] n. (做某事的)强烈冲动

4.vanguard [5vAn^B:d] n. 先锋；前驱；领导者

5.summoner [5sQmEnE] n. 召集人

6.synthesis [5sinWisis] n. 结合，综合

7.charitable [5tFAritEbl] n. 慈善的

8.amnesty [5Amnesti] n. (尤指对政治犯的)大赦；赦免

9.foray [5fCrei] n. (尤指对非本职工作的)初步尝试

 

紧随斯汀

 

　　斯汀是有史以来最广为人知的乐队之一“警察”乐队的主唱，也是音乐史上最受人尊敬的独唱艺术家之一。他已成为音乐界和社会公益事业颇具影响的人物。斯汀的作品跨越近25年，涵盖了摇滚、雷盖、爵士、乡村、凯尔特和中东等音乐风格。

　　斯汀1951年10月2日出生在英国东北部城市纽卡斯尔并在那里长大，取名戈登·萨姆纳。这位艺术家早期叫戈登，是通过母亲开始接触音乐的。他的母亲奥德丽·萨姆纳是一名受过极好训练的钢琴手，她教儿子弹钢琴，儿子掌握了这门艺术。

　　尽管钢琴弹得很棒，斯汀的真正兴趣却在吉他和爵士乐。他从师范学院毕业后，曾当过英语老师和足球教练，后来还做过挖沟工人，但最终他还是在内心强烈冲动的引领下，到伦敦去追寻他成为职业音乐家的梦想。

　　“警察”乐队使他成为世界知名的歌曲作者和歌手，这个由斯汀带领的三人乐队从20世纪80年代末期到90年代初期一直是现代音乐的先驱。他单飞后一直没有停止创作。他的专辑《蓝色海龟之梦》、《太阳最美》、《灵魂的牢笼》、《十个召集人的故事》、《崭新的一天》、《神圣的爱》和《内心》等，真正实现了个性表达和与世人沟通的独特融合。

　　在录音棚之外或在幕后，斯汀则从事社会公益事业，这一直是他生活的重要组成部分。他曾在慈善音乐会“现场捐献”和其他为大赦国际筹措资金的音乐会上演出，帮助建立了“热带雨林基金会”，而且曾致力于保护巴西的自然环境。

　　斯汀不断探索几乎每一种音乐形式，为人权和环境事业不懈工作，他的一举一动都表明他是当代音乐界最受人尊敬的艺术家之一。

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

4 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。