VOA标准英语2014--Breaking Through Barriers in Hollywood 突破在好莱坞的障碍

 

Breaking Through Barriers in Hollywood 突破在好莱坞的障碍

LOS ANGELES — Achieving success in Hollywood is difficult. For actors with disabilities such as hearing loss, it is even tougher, since roles for the deaf are limited.  A civil rights organization is celebrating the accomplishments¹ of deaf artists in Hollywood who have paved the way for others.

Natasha Ofili has read lips her entire life.

"I was born hearing. Then I had a high fever at 18 months and I lost my hearing at 18 months," said Ofili.

Ofili is an accomplished² fashion designer and an aspiring³ actress. She's having her picture taken hoping her photos will get noticed by casting directors. Her photographer, who's also deaf, tells her how she's doing.

"You know how you look and your stuff," said the photographer. "Awesome⁴!"

Ofili recently landed a lead role in a short film called "Words Not Spoken". She hopes it is the beginning of more work to come.

"For me it's like art. Like fashion is art. And when I got into acting⁵ it was very emotional - the story connecting to the character. Like it drew me into it," she said.

The popular teen drama series "Switched at Birth" is one of Ofili's favorite television shows. Constance Marie portrays⁶ a mother with a deaf daughter in the production. She had to learn American Sign Language for this role - which

disabilities is the exact same as working with regular actors. It just sort of opened a world for me as far as the deaf and hard of hearing community. And we have people in wheelchairs on our show and all ethnicities. It's so diverse. It's really just a celebration of what society should look like on television. In my opinion," said Marie.

But many actors say diversity in this show does not realistically reflect Hollywood.  There are a number of deaf actors working but with small roles.  Perhaps one of the most famous and admired actors within the deaf community is Oscar award-winner Marlee Matlin. The National Association of the Deaf recently honored her with a Breakthrough Award. The Association's Chief Executive Officer, Howard Rosenblum, explains why.

"She also broke the stereotypes⁷ and the barriers. People who see and hear deaf people think 'Oh! Deaf people can't do anything.' However, she, by herself, showed that we can dance, we can act, we can raise $1 million in one night. And that's what Marlee Matlin does and keeps doing by herself," said Rosenblum.

Established in 1880, the National Association of the Deaf is the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. This year the organization sponsored the first awards ceremony to honor deaf artists in Hollywood and those who support the deaf community. Matlin said progress has been made but more can be done.

"We can do anything. We can really do anything except hear.  I'd just like to see greater creativity on the part of all involved in the creative process. Whether you talk about directors, casting directors, producers, and writers. I mean I've seen improvement here and there, somewhat,  but I don't think it's not necessarily enough," said Matlin.

 

Deaf artists, such as Ofili, respect Matlin's work within the community and on the screen. They say they're optimistic that shows like "Switched at Birth" are a sign of more roles to come.

1 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

3 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

4 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

5 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。

6 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》