精美英文欣赏:聚光灯下的生活 A Life in the Spotlight(上)

Michael Jackson: A Life in the Spotlight¹

迈克尔·杰克逊：聚光灯下的生活

On the Motown Records' 25th anniversary special—a May 1983 TV extravaganza—it was Michael Jackson who stopped the show.

1983年5月的摩城唱片特别的25周年纪念会，也是迈克尔·杰克逊结束演艺生涯前的最后一场华丽的表演。

At the time Jackson was the most popular musician in American, riding high with his No. 1 album "Thriller²".

当时杰克逊是美国的最受欢迎的音乐人，他的专辑《颤栗者》销量排名第一。

But something about his exciting performance of "Billie Jean", complete with the patented backward dance moves, raised his stardom to a new level. Michael Jackson became ubiquitous.

在激动人心的歌曲“比利·珍”中，他发明的后退式舞步让他脱颖而出，奠定了歌王的地位。迈克尔·杰克逊变得无所不在。

People copied his Jheri-curled hair and single-gloved, zippered-jacket look.

人们模仿他卷曲的头发，手套只带一只手，穿着拉链夹克衫。

He posed³ for photos with Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the White House. He became a Pepsi spokesman⁴, and when his hair caught fire while making a commercial, it was worldwide news.

他罗纳德·里根，南希的合影拜访在白宫。他也曾是百事公司的发言人，在商业活动中，他的头发不小心着火了。它是世界范围的新闻。

It all happened very fast—within a couple of years of the Motown special.

在摩城唱片两年的时间里，这一切发展得都很迅速。

He hadn't even turned 25 yet, but he'd been a star for more than half his life.

杰克逊很早就成了巨星，甚至还不到25岁的时候，他超过一半的生命就已经家喻户晓了。

Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958, to Joe Jackson, a steelworker, and his wife, Katherine.

迈克尔·杰克逊于1958年8月29日出生，父亲乔·杰克逊是一个钢铁工人，母亲叫凯瑟琳。

By the time he was 6 he had joined his brothers in a musical group organized by his father, and by the time he was 10, the group—the Jackson 5—had been signed to Motown.

六岁时，杰克逊加入他父亲组织的由他的兄弟组成的音乐队。十岁时，杰克逊五人组合就和摩城唱片签约了。

Jackson, a natural performer, soon became the group's front man.

杰克逊，一个自然的表演者，很快就成为队里的领头人物。

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

3 posed   

使摆姿势( pose的过去式和过去分词 )； 以…身份出现； 招摇； 炫耀

参考例句：

• The players strutted and posed for the cameras. 运动员昂首阔步，摆好姿势让记者拍照。
• After the wedding we all posed for a photograph. 婚礼之后，我们全体排好拍了一张照片。

4 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。