世界名人简介 第151期: 宇多田光

 　　Hikaru Utada is one of Japan’s top singer-song writers.She is also a talented music arranger and record producer.She is well-known among video game players for her songs on Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts games.In 2007, Utada was the best-selling artist in the world in terms of digital sales.She has three albums in Japan’s top ten all-time list.

　　宇多田光是一位一流的创作型日本歌手。她也是一位才华横溢的音乐编曲者和唱片制作人。她因在史克威尔王国之心游戏中的歌曲而在电子游戏玩家中出名。2007年，宇多田光是世界电子产品的畅销艺术家。她有3个专辑总是排在日本歌榜单的前十。

　　Utada was born in New York in 1983 into a musical family.Her father was a record producer,her mother an enka singer, and her grandmother a shamisen player.Utada had music in her blood and so carried on in her parents’footsteps.However, her first album in the States failedto be released, so she moved back to Japan.In 1988, Utada signed a recording¹ contract and her debut² Japanese singles were huge hits.They led to the phenomenal success of her debut album‘First Love’ in 1999.It is the best-selling Japanese album of all time, selling over 10 million copies to date worldwide.Utada was ranked number five on a Tokyo radio station’s top 100 artists of the 20th Century.In mid-2004,Utada moved back to New York to record an English-language album.Two songs from it, "You Make Me Want to Be a Man" and "Devil Inside" topped the US dance chart.A year later she returned to Japan and made her fourth album ‘Ultra Blue’.Her next album ‘Heart Station’ was releasedin 2008 and is her fifth consecutivenumber one.

　　宇多田光1983年出生在纽约的音乐世家。她的父亲是唱片制作人，母亲是园歌歌手，祖母是三味弦演员。宇多田光充满了音乐细胞，所以继承了父母的事业。宇多田光在美国的第一张专辑没能发行，所以她回到了日本。1988年，宇多田光签了一份唱片合约，她的日语单歌引起了巨大反响。1999年，宇多田光发行的唱片《初恋》取得了非凡成就。《初恋》一直是日本的畅销专辑，世界发行量超过1000万张。宇多田光在东京无线电台评出的20世纪的100位顶级艺术家中排名第五。2004年中期，宇多田光搬回美国，录制了一张英语专辑。此后，"You Make Me Want to Be a Man"和"Devil Inside"一直在美国舞蹈榜单中位列第一。一年后，宇多田光回到日本，制作了她的第四张专辑“Ultra Blue”。2008年，宇多田光发行了她的下张专辑“心灵电台”，这是她第五张专辑的主打歌。

　　1.music arranger 编曲

　　例句：Richard Clayderman - French pianist, Composer,music arranger, and performer of popularand ethnic³ music.

　　理查德·克莱德曼- 法国钢琴家，作曲家，编曲，流行和民族音乐演奏家。

　　2.in terms of 按照；在…方面

　　例句：So think of your priorities⁴ not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them.

　　所以，不要从做什么的角度，而是要从什么时候做的角度来考虑你的重点。

　　3.shamisen 三味弦

　　例句：This shamisen, originating⁵ in Okinawa, is a banjo-like three-stringed instrument that is played with a plectrum.

　　这种三味弦起源于冲绳群岛，是一种像班卓琴那样的用琴拨弹奏的三弦乐器。

　　4.carry on 继续

　　例句：His encouragement determined⁶ us to carry on with the study.

　　他的鼓励使我们决心继续学下去。

1 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。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

4 priorities   

n.先( priority的名词复数 )；优先；优先权；优先考虑的事

参考例句：

• The document provided a revealing insight into the government's priorities. 这份文件使人看出政府的轻重缓急是怎样安排的。
• We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. 我们必须共同努力，只为最重要的项目提供资金。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 originating   

v.起源于，来自，产生( originate的现在分词 )；创造；创始；开创

参考例句：

• There is a neoplasm originating in his leg's epidermis. 他的腿上有个生长在表皮上的肿瘤。 来自辞典例句
• Ground waters originating in different beds commingle. 来源于不同层位的地下水相互混合。 来自辞典例句

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。