英语听力精选进阶版 6250

A Homeless Man Achieves Overnight Stardom 乞丐一夜成名

Here is a heart-warming story to help you fight the freezing weather.

Two weeks ago, Ted¹ Williams was homeless and begging for change on the streets of Columbus in Ohio, USA. Now his fortunes have been reversed because Mr Williams has that most valued of commodities, a natural 'radio voice'.

His rags-to-riches journey started when a reporter with the Columbus Dispatch discovered Mr Williams on a street corner. The 53-year-old was holding a cardboard sign explaining that he was an ex-radio announcer "fallen on hard times".

The reporter videoed Ted Williams doing a radio spot right there on the street corner. He had exactly the sort of mellifluous² voice that typifies American radio adverts³ – unusually smooth, rich and commanding.

Ted Williams

Ted Williams was discovered on the streets of Columbus in Ohio.

The video also featured a mini-interview with Williams, who was known in the local homeless community as 'Radio Man'. He told the Columbus Dispatch:

"The voice just became something of a development over the years and I went to school for it. And then alcohol and drugs and a few other things became a part of my life."

The video went viral on the internet and within days Mr Williams was appearing on chat shows, introducing NBC's Today Show and signing a contract to be the voice of the company Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Since then, there have even been rumours⁴ of a possible film role for 'Golden Voice'.

This being an American fairy tale, everything has been captured on camera, even Ted Williams' tearful reunion with his 90-year-old mother. He told her, "This reunion means more to me than anything I've been offered."

She offered her son some tough love, saying: "Please don't disappoint me."

Ted Williams has been clean for two years, but some commentators⁵ fear that so much sudden media attention could be too much for anyone. Let's hope that Ted Williams' American dream has a happy ending.

Glossary⁶ 词汇表 

heart-warming  暖人心房的

to beg for change  乞讨零钱

fortunes... reversed  乾坤大扭转

commodity  有用的东西

rags-to-riches  白手起家的

announcer  播音员

to fall on hard times  遭遇不幸

radio spot  广播广告

mellifluous  甜美的，悦耳的

advert  广告

rich  深沉的

commanding  有力的

school  大学

to go viral  像病毒一样传播开来

this being  因为这是

fairy tale  童话

tearful  泪流满面的，使人流泪的

tough love  严厉的爱

to be clean  戒毒

American dream  美国梦

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 mellifluous   

adj.（音乐等）柔美流畅的

参考例句：

• Soon the room is filled with Bates' mellifluous tones.很快，房间里便充满了贝茨动听的声音。
• Her voice was distinctive,soft and mellifluous.她的嗓音甜美，清脆而柔和。

3 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

4 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

5 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。