VOA常速英语2007年-Ready for Her Close-Up

By Siri Nyrop
Washington
14 November 2007
 

In the United States, she is almost as famous as the rock stars and political leaders she photographs. Celebrities¹ consider it an honor to have Annie Leibovitz take their portrait. As Siri Nyrop reports, the latest exhibition of her work is more personal.

She was in her twenties in the 1970s when she made a name for herself taking pictures of rock stars for the top music magazine, 'Rolling Stone'.

Annie Leibovitz became as famous as the artists and public figures she has photographed, such as ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

This latest exhibition at Washington's Corcoran Gallery covers her work from 1990 to 2005. Her subjects include world leaders, like Bill Clinton on his first day as president. He refused Leibovitz's request to be photographed smoking the cigar he was puffing² when she arrived in the Oval³ Office.

She photographed President Bush with his top staff. And Britain's Queen Elizabeth, regal even without a crown.

Annie Leibovitz was never a war correspondent⁴, but on assignment in the former Yugoslavia, she took a picture that epitomizes the horror and waste of war. She talks about what happened, "I was on my way to shoot 'Miss Sarajevo', and a mortar⁵ went off right in front of my car and killed this young boy on a bicycle right in front of me. My car drove him to the hospital, but he died on the way. I was in such shock that I thought I was photographing with a color camera, but it was black and white."

Pictures of family and friends reveal a personal side of Annie Leibovitz rarely seen. She described how taking pictures helped her cope with the death of a person she loved. "I think sometimes we force ourselves [to photograph] for a lack of knowing what else to do with ourselves. I think we go back to the things that give us comfort, and we know how to do," she said. 

Annie Leibovitz sees herself as a documentarian of her time who is lucky to have a profession she loves.

1 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

2 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 oval   

n. 椭圆，椭圆形跑道；adj. 卵形的，椭圆形的

参考例句：

• She has a lovely oval face.她长着一张可爱的椭圆脸。
• The shape of the earth is an oval.地球的形状是个椭圆形。

4 correspondent   

n.记者，通信者；adj.符合的，一致的，相当的

参考例句：

• He volunteered as a correspondent for the war.他自愿担任作报道这次战争的记者。
• The result was correspondent with my wishes.结果与我的愿望是一致的。

5 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。