VOA标准英语2009年-Family, Fans Say Goodbye to Michael Jackso

Music fans said goodbye to Michael Jackson Tuesday, as friends and fans in Los Angeles paid tribute to the pop star at private and public memorial services. An emotional event at Staples¹ Center celebrated² the singer's life through music and the recollections of friends.
　
A spectator holds onto a program during the Michael Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center, 7 July 2009

Jackson was remembered as a pop icon³ who blazed on the scene as a child in 1969, as part of his family musical group, the Jackson 5. Young Michael stood out from his four brothers and soon became the group's lead singer and dancer.

Mariah Carey and Trey Lorenz did an rendition of the Jackson 5 hit I'll Be There.

The singer and actress Queen Latifah said Jackson, who became a superstar as a solo performer, had fans around the world. She said people around the world are mourning his loss.

"Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eifel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square, in Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama and Birmingham, England, we are missing Michael Jackson," she said.
　
Queen Latifah speaks at the Michael Jackson public memorial service, 7 July 2009

The public service mixed emotional eulogies⁴ from friends and family members with spirituals and pop songs, some of them written by the singer. Performers included Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Usher⁵, Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer. There were also tributes from sports stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.

With the singer's golden casket in front of the stage, Pastor⁶ Lucious Smith said Jackson was, above all, part of a loving family.

"To millions around the world, Michael Jackson was an idol⁷, a hero, even a king," he said. "But first and foremost, this man before us today was our brother, our son, our father, and our friend."
　
Michael Jackson's casket is displayed at the public memorial service held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, 7 July 2009

Jackson had ups and downs in his career, and faced unproven allegations that he had molested⁸ children. There were indirect references to those problems. Sheila Jackson Lee, a U.S. congresswoman from Texas, reminded mourners that under the law, people are innocent unless proven guilty.

"And I can tell you as a member of the United States Congress, we understand the Constitution," she said. "We understand laws. And we know that people are innocent until proven otherwise. That is what the Constitution stands for."

The congresswoman recalled Jackson as a humanitarian⁹.

"If they needed money for developing countries, Michael gave," she said. "If he was in Namibia, he went to orphanages¹⁰. Michael never stopped giving."

The Reverend Al Sharpton, a Jackson family friend and political activist¹¹, delivered a rousing eulogy¹² that brought the crowd to its feet. He referred to criticisms once directed at the pop star for what some had called erratic¹³ behavior.

"But I hope that the love that people have shown will make you know he didn't live in vain," he said. "And I want his three children to know [there] wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it…."
　
Paris Jackson is supported by her family after speaking about her father during the memorial service for Michael Jackson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, 7 July 2009

As the family huddled¹⁴ on stage at the end of the service, one of the singer's three children, 11-year-old Paris Michael Katherine, tearfully spoke¹⁵ about how much she loved her father.

"I just wanted to say ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine, and I just wanted to say I love him so much," she said.

Michael's brother, Marlon, thanked the late singer for the smiles he brought to fans around the world.

1 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 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。

4 eulogies   

n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her latest film has brought eulogies from the critics. 她最近的这部电影获得影评界的好评。 来自互联网

5 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

6 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

7 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

8 molested   

v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• The bigger children in the neighborhood molested the younger ones. 邻居家的大孩子欺负小孩子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He molested children and was sent to jail. 他猥亵儿童，进了监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

11 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

12 eulogy   

n.颂词；颂扬

参考例句：

• He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. 他不需要我或者任何一个人来称颂。
• Mr.Garth gave a long eulogy about their achievements in the research.加思先生对他们的研究成果大大地颂扬了一番。

13 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

14 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。