12-12 克里斯托夫·里夫：一位真正的超人（在线收听）

Christopher Reeve: A True Superman

Christopher Reeve, the cinematic¹ Superman who became a real-life inspiration for people with spinal² injuries through his painstaking struggle to overcome total paralysis while continuing to speak out for stem cell³ research, died on October 10 at his home in New York. He was 52.

A horseback riding accident in 1995 left the actor paralyzed from the neck down. After briefly pondering suicide, Reeve became a powerful proponent of causes ranging from insurance coverage for catastrophic⁴ injuries to unleashing the possibilities some scientists believe lie in using embryonic⁵ stem cells for research. As a young unknown actor, Reeve propelled⁶ himself to the status of instant myth in 1978 by starring in Superman: The Movie, a hugely popular film, then going on to do three successful sequels. Many critics said he brought humor and sensitivity to his portrayal of the Man of Steel.

He was tall, with a strikingly handsome, square-jawed face and a strong athletic build. Even before Superman, he looked like Superman. Enhancing the image, he performed his own stunts; off-screen he piloted his own plane. There were numerous other roles, including substantial leading parts on Broadway.

But it wasn't Reeve's 6'4", 225 lb. physique⁷ that made him so convincing as Superman and Clark Kent. He brought a true duality⁸ to the role, making you believe not only that he could bend steel with his bare hands, but that Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen didn't recognize that Clark and Superman were one and the same. Hunching his shoulders, raising his voice, getting caught in revolving doors and using colloquialisms⁹ such as “golly” and “swell,” Reeve played Clark Kent as a slightly pitiable everyman,a very square peg who just couldn't seem to fit into the world's round holes¹⁰.

When the horn rims and blue suit came off to reveal the Superman uniform underneath, everything fell into place. But unlike the actors portraying superheroes before him, Reeve played Superman with something that had previously been lacking: humility. Reeve was smart enough to know that the iconic¹¹ costume of Superman would do most of the acting for him, so he played it low-key. This was not a god, standing with puffed chest, arms akimbo¹² and brow furrowed, lording over the inferior humans he could conquer if he desired. This was simply -- as Superman answers Lois Lane when, after being rescued by him for the first time, she asks, “Who are you?” -- a friend.

Christopher Reeve proved that wearing colored spandex doesn't have to be at odds with giving a nuanced performance as an actor. His sensitive portrayal of the last son of Krypton earned acclaim even from critics who didn't like the film. Pauline Kael panned Superman in The New Yorker but praised its star, writing, “Reeve plays innocent but not dumb, and the combination of his Pop jaw line and physique with his unassuming manner makes him immediately likable.”

But it was Reeve's personal courage in dealing with his paralysis that transcended both his causes and profession, making him a real-life superhero in the minds of many. By tirelessly exercising and using electrical shocks to stir his numb nervous system, he was beginning to recapture -- twitch by tiny twitch -- the use of his body.

In September 2000 he moved an index finger and the news startled scientists who had not expected to see such progress so long after so severe an accident. Reeve expected nothing less and continued to improve. “You have to take action and stand up for yourself -- even if you're sitting in a wheelchair,” he said in an interview with Psychology Today in 2003. The technique was working so well that Reeve in February 2003 decided to have surgery to free him from the respirator¹³ that had enabled his paralyzed lungs to breathe. Electrodes were implanted in his diaphragm¹⁴ so that breathing could be regulated electronically.

But infections ultimately trumped technology, intensive exercise and even iron determination. The slim luck that had nurtured Reeve ran out. Even as he worked at recovery, he had produced a string of accomplishments since his accident that included writing two books and directing and acting in movies. At the same time, he lobbied extensively for public health issues.

注释：

1. cinematic [7sini5mAtik] a. 影片的，电影的

2. spinal [5spainEl] a. [解] 脊的，脊柱的

3. stem cell [生] 干细胞

4. catastrophic [7kAtE5strCfik] a. 灾难性的

5. embryonic [7embri5Cnik] a. =embryonal [生] 胚的，胚胎的

6. propel [prEu5pel] vt. 推进，推

7. physique [fi5zi:k] n. （男子的）体格，体形

8. duality [dju:5Aliti] n. 两重性，二元性

9. colloquialism [kE5lEukwiEliz(E)m] n. 口语用词，口语说法

10. a square peg in a round hole [口] 方枘圆凿（指与所在职务全然不称或与环境格格不入的人）

11. iconic [ai5kCnik] a. 偶像的

12. akimbo [E5kimbEu] a. [一般作表语] 双手叉着腰（的）

13. respirator [5respEreitE(r)] n. （人工）呼吸器，呼吸机

14. diaphragm [5daiEfrAm] n. [解] 膈，膈膜

克里斯托夫•里夫：一位真正的超人

克里斯托夫•里夫，这位一面为克服全身瘫痪而艰苦斗争，一面不断呼吁支持胚胎干细胞研究，从而成为现实生活中脊椎病患者的精神榜样的昔日银幕超人，于10月10日在纽约的家中去世，享年52岁。

1995年，一次骑马时的事故导致这位演员从颈部以下瘫痪。放弃了一度想自杀的念头之后，里夫成为了从建立灾难性受伤的保险到推动一些科学家利用胚胎干细胞进行研究活动的强而有力的支持者。　　

作为一名默默无闻的青年演员，1978年，里夫主演《超人》，一部极其受欢迎的电影，从而使自己迅速成为一个神话，随后他继续成功主演了三部续集。很多评论家说，他在自己演绎的铁血男儿中注入了幽默和敏感。

　　他个子很高，有着逼人的帅气，方下巴的脸庞，强壮的、如运动员般的体格。即使在扮演超人之前，他看起来就像超人。为了提高个人形象，他自己表演惊险动作；银幕外，他驾驶自己的飞机。他还扮演了许多其他的角色，包括在百老汇出演的大量的主要角色。

　　但并不是里夫6英尺4英寸、225磅的体格使他成为令人心悦诚服的超人和克拉克•肯特。他使角色具有真实的双重身份，使你相信他不但能赤手空拳地掰折钢铁，而且连洛伊斯•莱恩和吉米•奥尔森都无法认出克拉克和超人是同一个人。耸着肩，提高声音，被困于旋转门中，使用诸如“天哪”、“真棒”等口语，里夫把克拉克•肯特塑造成一个有点可怜的普通人，一个似乎不适合在这个世界上生存的人。

　　在摘掉角质架眼镜、脱去蓝色的西服露出里面的超人制服后，一切都变得明朗了。但与其他在他之前扮演超级英雄的演员不同，里夫扮演的超人有着某种以前一直欠缺的东西：谦卑。里夫十分聪明地知道，超人偶像性的服装会为他完成大部分的表演，所以他低调地扮演这个角色。超人不是上帝，挺着胸站着，双手叉腰，眉头紧皱，统治着只要他想便能征服的下等人类。他仅仅是——就像当洛伊斯•莱恩第一次被超人救起，她问道“你是谁？”时，超人回答说——一个朋友。

　　克里斯托夫•里夫证明，作为一名演员，穿着彩色的弹性纤维服装和进行细致入微的表演不一定是矛盾的。他对克里普顿星球最后的儿子细腻的刻画甚至使他从不喜欢这部电影的评论家那儿赢得了赞赏。波林•凯尔在《纽约客》里抨击《超人》，但他赞扬了它的主角；他写道：“里夫表演得纯真而不愚蠢，他流行的下颌曲线、体格和谦逊的态度的结合使他立刻赢得了人们的喜爱。”

　　但里夫在对付瘫痪时的自身勇气超越了他的事业和职业，使他成为许多人心中真实的超级英雄。经过坚持不懈的锻炼和用电击刺激他麻木的神经系统，他开始重新获得——一点一点地抽动——运用身体的能力。

　　2000年9月，他的一根食指可以动了，这个消息令科学家们吃惊不已，他们没有想到在发生如此严重的意外之后这么久还能看到这种进步。里夫期望得更多，他的身体状况继续改善。在2003年接受《今日心理》的采访时他说：“你必须采取行动，自己站起来——即使你坐在轮椅上。”技术疗效非常好，2003年2月，里夫决定借助手术摆脱他瘫痪的肺借以呼吸的呼吸器。通过手术在他的横膈膜植入电极，这样就能用电控制他的呼吸了。

　　但感染最终击败了技术和不懈的锻炼，甚至铁一般的意志。支撑着里夫的微小的幸运用尽了。即使是在他努力康复期间，他也取得了自从意外发生以来的一系列的成就，包括写了两本书，执导和参演了电影。同时，他为公共健康问题进行了广泛的游说活动。