第186期:被载入美国历史的女性-Maya Angelou

 　　One of the most influential¹ African-American women to live in the United States was the great Maya Angelou. She was an accomplished² author, poet, and entertainer, who had a major impact on modern American culture. She was considered an international, renaissance³ woman for her life work that included civil rights activism. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. She experienced racial discrimination during her early years, but leaned on her upbringing and culture to get her through the dark times of her life.

　　生活在美国最有影响力的非裔美国女性当属伟大的玛雅·安吉罗。她是一位有成就的作家、诗人和演员，对现代美国文化产生了重大影响。由于她毕生的工作以及民权运动，她被认为是一个国际性的文艺复兴女性。Angelou于1928年4月4日出生在密苏里的圣路易斯。她早年就经历过种族歧视，但凭借着自己的教养和文化，她度过了人生的黑暗时期。

　　She first became interested in the arts as a teenager. She won a dance and drama scholarship at San Francisco's Labor⁴ School. However, at the age of 14, she dropped out of the school, and took a job as the city's first African-American female cable car operator. She had a child at an early age, and supported her son by working as a waitress, and cook, but her love of the arts soon consumed her.

　　她十几岁时开始对艺术感兴趣。她在三藩劳动学校获得舞蹈和戏剧奖学金。然而，在她14岁的时候，她辍学了，并成为了该市第一位美国非裔女缆车接线员。她小小年纪，就有一个孩子，靠做服务员和做饭来抚养儿子，但她对艺术的热爱很快就让她沉浸其中了。

　　During the mid-1950s, Angelou was involved in several theatrical⁵ performances, which prompted her move to New York City in 1958. In New York, she became an accomplished writer, but circumstances surrounding blacks in the next decade changed her focus. She began working tirelessly for the civil rights movement. The assassination⁶ of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on her birthday affected⁷ her deeply. After King's death, Angelou began concentrating on writing her life story. Her first autobiography⁸ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings received critical acclaim⁹. It chronicled her early years growing up as black in a predominantly white American culture. In all, Angelou wrote seven autobiographies¹⁰, and her work is considered an integral part of American culture.

　　在20世纪50年代中期，Angelou参与了一些文艺演出，这促使她1958年搬到纽约。在纽约，她成为了一个有成就的作家，但在接下来的十年里，周围黑人的境遇改变了她的生活重心。她开始为民权运动不知疲倦地工作。在她生日那天，民权运动领袖马丁.路德.金遇刺，深深地影响了她。金死后，Angelou开始专心写自己的人生经历。她的第一部自传，《我知道为什么笼子里的鸟儿歌唱》受到好评。记录了她这个黑人早年在以白人为主的美国文化的成长经历。Angelou一共写了七部自传，她的作品被认为是美国文化的一个不可或缺的一部分。

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

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 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

6 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

9 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

10 autobiographies   

n.自传( autobiography的名词复数 )；自传文学

参考例句：

• The series was based on the autobiographies of the author. 这部连续剧是根据那位作家的自传拍摄的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are some songs and, recently, a few autobiographies about peasant experience. 有些歌曲描述了农民的经验，最近还出了几本自传。 来自互联网