VOA标准英语2012--In Whitney Houston's Hometown, Fans Pay Tribute

In Whitney Houston's Hometown, Fans Pay Tribute

Outside the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, fans and friends left messages, flowers and other outpourings to say “goodbye” and thank you to the star.
Scribbled¹ notes said her voice had brought goose bumps and that her greatness will always be remembered.
Houston sang as a child at the church, and it's where her private funeral will be held on Saturday.
A few blocks away, Houston's body lay at the Whigham Funeral Home.
Funeral director Carolyn Whigham said she knew Houston even before she was born. She begged the media to respect the family's privacy in this time of grief. “Whitney has shared her entire life with the public. This is her final farewell. Let her family share that time with her. It’s never easy and it’s not easy when it’s someone you know, that you respected and that you admired," she said.
In East Orange, the Whitney Houston School for the Performing Arts, stands as testimony² to the admiration³ for Houston in this part of America.
Gregory Whittle⁴ came to the school to pay his respects. He grew up with Houston and knows her entire family. "A lot of times in the basement you could hear her singing. Singing in the back by the pool. I remember when she was on the cover of Seventeen magazine. But I mean.. she was just Nippy, you know what I mean?" he said. "I didn’t think she was going to be that big of a star but she had a gift. It was strictly⁵ from God."
Henry Hamilton is the school's principal. He also knew Houston well. His office is adorned⁶ with photos of her. He was fond of her.
"She was real quiet, small, we called her Nippy but a very adorable youngster. All people have problems, obstacles in their life," Hamilton stated. "There were obstacles there, but before that obstacle was there, she was most successful. During those 48 years, all the records she made, the number one hits, the number of albums she sold, beautiful, on top.”
Whitney Houston was a giant in the music industry. She may have died, but her memory will live on in those she touched.. both personally and with her music.

1 scribbled   

v.潦草的书写( scribble的过去式和过去分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下

参考例句：

• She scribbled his phone number on a scrap of paper. 她把他的电话号码匆匆写在一张小纸片上。
• He scribbled a note to his sister before leaving. 临行前，他给妹妹草草写了一封短信。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

4 whittle   

v.削（木头），削减；n.屠刀

参考例句：

• They are trying to whittle down our salaries.他们正着手削减我们的薪水。
• He began to whittle away all powers of the government that he did not control.他开始削弱他所未能控制的一切政府权力。

5 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

6 adorned   

[计]被修饰的

参考例句：

• The walls were adorned with paintings. 墙上装饰了绘画。
• And his coat was adorned with a flamboyant bunch of flowers. 他的外套上面装饰着一束艳丽刺目的鲜花。