精美英文欣赏:美国偶像怎么了?(上)

 

What's Wrong with American Idol¹?

美国偶像怎么了？

American Idol is no doubt one of the most popular TV shows of recent years, drawing millions of viewers.

《美国偶像》无疑是近年来最受欢迎的电视节目之一，吸引了数以百万计的观众。

But the show is misleading about what it takes to succeed as a musical artist in the modern world as it has created five myths.

尽管这个节目曾创造了五个神话，但是对于如何在现代社会中成为一名成功的音乐艺术家这个问题有一定的误导性。

Myth 1 Industry talent scouts² actively³ look for singers and musicians to develop.

神话1 行业人才发掘者积极寻找能够发展的歌手和音乐家。

Viewers believe that there are people out there searching for talent they can mold into the next big pop star.

观众们认为有人在寻找下一个能够被包装成受欢迎大明星的人才。

That's an Old World view that simply doesn't reflect reality these days.

那是过去的看法，不能反映如今的现状。

Instead, they look for artists who are already developing themselves, attracting fans and selling CDs on their own.

相反地，他们会寻找已经自我发展的艺术家，能够吸引球迷和自己卖CD。

Myth 2 Most ambitious musicians lack talent and are struggling and starving.

神话2 最野心勃勃的音乐家缺乏才能，还在为生计打拼。

The American Idol auditions⁴, in particular, create this myth.

特别是《美国偶像》海选环节能够创造这个神话。

A huge amount of quality music is produced outside the mainstream⁵.

大量有品质的音乐的创造都是主流音乐之外的。

Many amazing musicians have decided⁶ they're happier selling 10,000 CDs on their own and making a hundred thousand dollars, than selling a million CDs and being broke on a major label.

许多令人惊异的音乐家更乐于通过自己的力量销售10000张CD，赚10万美元，而不是贴上品牌标签卖1百万张CD。

That's the reality of today's music business.

这就是音乐市场的现实。

Myth 3 You need the approval of industry insiders to make it in music.

神话3 你需要业内人士的审核，然后把它制作在音乐中。

Another wrong belief is that getting an industry big shot's approval will make or break your career.

另一个错误的信念是得到大人物的认可将要么成就你的事业要么毁灭你的事业。

1 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

2 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

3 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

4 auditions   

n.（对拟做演员、歌手、乐师等人的）试听，试音( audition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Find modeling auditions, casting calls& acting auditions, all in one place. 找一个立体感试听，铸造呼叫和表演试听一体的地方。 来自互联网
• We are now about to start auditions to find a touring guitarist. 我们现在准备找一个新的吉他手。 来自互联网

5 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。