托福阅读背景文章：斯内普教授离世

 　　Just days after the music world lost icon¹ David Bowie, Hollywood is mourning the loss of another legend. Alan Rickman, best known for his roles as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the Harry² Potter movies, has passed away at the age of 69. The Guardian³ reports that the actor had been battling cancer, and that he died "surrounded by family and friends."

　　音乐巨星大卫·鲍威去世没几天，好莱坞又痛失另一位传奇人物。曾在《虎胆龙威》中饰演汉斯·格鲁伯、在《哈利波特》系列中出演西弗勒斯·斯内普的阿伦·瑞克曼，在与癌症抗争的过程中去世，享年69岁。《卫报》称，瑞克曼“在家人和朋友的陪伴下离世”。

　　After a number of minor⁴ roles in British TV shows, Alan Rickman made his feature film debut⁵ in the 1988 action classic Die Hard. He went on to star as Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin⁶ Hood⁷: Prince of Thieves, along with roles in Bob Roberts, Sense and Sensibility and Dogma before he took on the role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

　　瑞克曼起先在英剧中出演过一些小角色，1988年才首次触电大荧幕，参演经典动作片《虎胆龙威》。后来他又演过《侠盗王子罗宾汉》中诺丁汉郡长一角，并陆续出演了《天生赢家》、《理智与情感》、《天条》和《哈利波特与魔法石》等影片。

　　After studying graphic⁸ design at Graphic Design at Chelsea College of Art, he moved on to graduate studies at the Royal College of Art. Eventually, his love for theater lead him to audition⁹ for the prestigious¹⁰ Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he received a scholarship at the age of 26, which spawned¹¹ an acting¹² career that lasted more than 40 years, including numerous critically-acclaimed performances on the stage as well as film and TV work.

　　瑞克曼大学读的是切尔西艺术学院的平面设计专业，后来又继续在英国皇家艺术学院读了研究生。最终，因为对戏剧的热爱，他参加了著名的皇家戏剧艺术学院的面试，并在26岁时收获了奖学金。他40多年的演艺生涯也从此开始：不仅演过颇受好评的舞台剧，还频频出现在电影和电视中。

　　The actor is survived by his wife, Rima Horton.

　　瑞克曼的妻子莉玛·霍顿仍然健在。

　　明星好友发文悼念

　　**《哈利波特》原作者J·K·罗琳

　　"There are no words to express how shocked and devastated¹³ I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man."

　　“言语无法表达我对阿伦·瑞克曼离世的震惊与悲恸。他是一个杰出的演员，一个了不起的人。”

　　**哈利·波特扮演者丹尼尔·拉德克利夫

　　"Alan Rickman is undoubtedly¹⁴ one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter…"

　　“瑞克曼毫无疑问是我演艺生涯中遇到的最伟大的演员之一。他同时也是我在演艺界遇到的最忠实的好友、最乐于助人的人。无论在《哈利波特》片场还是在那之后的许多年，他一直给我许多鼓励……”

　　**赫敏扮演者艾玛·沃特森

　　"I'm very sad to hear about Alan today. I feel so lucky to have worked and spent time with such a special man and actor. I'll really miss our conversations. RIP Alan. We love you."

　　“今天听到阿伦去世的消息我非常悲痛，我很幸运与如此特别的演员合作过。我会十分想念我们之间曾经的对话。安息吧阿伦，我们爱你。”

　　瑞克曼经典镜头回顾

　　1. Professor Severus Snape, Harry Potter franchise¹⁵

　　西弗勒斯·斯内普教授，《哈利波特》系列影片

　　It's only right to remember him with one of Snape's most powerful lines in Harry Potter: "Always."

　　用这句斯内普在《哈利波特》中的经典台词来祭奠他吧：“永远。”

　　2. Hans Gruber, Die Hard

　　汉斯·格鲁伯，《虎胆龙威》

　　If any one person can convince you of the idea that it’s never too late, it should be Rickman: His turn as Hans Gruber was his first big screen role at age 41.

　　只要你想努力，任何时候开始都不晚——瑞克曼用实际行动诠释了这句真谛：《虎胆龙威》是他首登大荧幕之作，而那个时候的他已经41岁了。

　　3. Harry, Love Actually

　　哈里，《真爱至上》

　　It was beyond refreshing¹⁶ to see Rickman in a romantic comedy, as he was so accustomed to playing villains¹⁷.

　　能看到瑞克曼这个经常演坏蛋的老戏骨出现在浪漫爱情喜剧中，真是让人眼前一亮。

　　4. Metatron, Dogma

　　大天使梅塔特隆，《天条》

　　Just look at the glorious wings on this seraphim¹⁸.

　　看看大天使这对美轮美奂的羽翼吧。

　　5. Sheriff George of Nottingham, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

　　诺丁汉郡长，《侠盗王子罗宾汉》

　　It's pretty impressive how such a lovable man managed to play so many sinister¹⁹, malignant²⁰ characters.

　　一个这么和蔼可亲的人却要演这么多恶棍、坏蛋，也是惊人。

　　6. Jamie, Truly Madly Deeply

　　杰米，《一屋一鬼一情人》

　　Rickman portrayed²¹ a ghost who returns from the after-life to visit his heartbroken girlfriend.

　　瑞克曼在本片中扮演一个鬼魂，死后重返人间看望心爱的女友。

　　7. Colonel Brandon, Sense and Sensibility

　　布莱登上校，《理智与情感》

　　Though one of his smaller roles, his turn as Colonel Brandon features a pretty perfect Rickman.

　　虽然是个小角色，但在他的演绎下，一个完美的布莱登上校形象跃然荧屏。

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 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。

6 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

7 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

8 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

9 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

10 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

11 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

12 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

13 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

14 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

15 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

16 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

17 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 seraphim   

n.六翼天使(seraph的复数)；六翼天使( seraph的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Seraphim were first discovered during a deep space exploration mission. 最初的天使时发现一深空探测任务。 来自互联网
• The home seraphim: preservation and advancement of the home. 家园炽天使：保存家园，为家园兴旺与进步努力。 来自互联网

19 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

20 malignant   

adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Alexander got a malignant slander.亚历山大受到恶意的诽谤。
• He started to his feet with a malignant glance at Winston.他爬了起来，不高兴地看了温斯顿一眼。

21 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》