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新视野大学英语 读写教程第三册 unit4-b

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  Section (B)

       Engelbreit's the Name, Cute Is My GameMary Engelbreit was a talented but struggling artist in her mid-twenties when she flew to New Yorkfrom her native Saint Louis, hoping to find work illustrating1 children's books — her life's goal. So shewas disappointed when all the book publishers she visited turned her down. One even suggested herdrawings might be better suited to greeting cards.
"I was crushed," Engelbreit admits. Greeting cards seemed a come-down from her high expectations,but the advice stayed with her, and she decided2 to give it a try. The results transformed her lifeforever.
Today Mary Engelbreit sells an astonishing 14 million greeting cards a year. Her popular designsappear on more than 2,000 products, including books, calendars, and kitchen items. She runs a retailcompany with shops in nine cities (16 more are planned), and her products are carried by 25,000retailers. Annual retail3 sales are in the $100 million range — all as a result of that fateful, disappointingtrip to New York. It's probably no accident that one of Engelbreit's bolder cards shows a young girl inoveralls, her bare feet up on a desk, a farm field in the window behind her. "We Don't Care How TheyDo It in New York," the card boasts.
Once you know Engelbreit's distinctive5 style, you can recognize her cards from 20 paces away —bright, funny, and with an eye to the past. Her cards usually have elaborate border designs comprisedof repeated images: hearts, flowers, peaches, and teapots, for example. Most often, there's Ann Estelle,a woman with short, straight hair, big glasses, hat and an acid tongue. Ann Estelle (named after hergrandmother) is the imaginary representative of Mary's outlook.
Engelbreit is cheerful, down-to-earth, humorous, and always cute. "I think the world could use morecuteness," she explains. Indeed, it's her trademark6. Her business card once featured a drawing of AnnEstelle, cigar in her mouth and drink in hand, with the message "Engelbreit's the Name, Cute Is MyGame." She adds, "As the world gets more complicated, it's nice to have old-fashioned stuff around tohelp people cope with the demands of modern life. It's like comfort food. This is comfort art."Old-fashioned art — and values — have always been at the core of Engelbreit's life. Born June 5,1952, in St. Louis, the oldest of three daughters, she started drawing almost as soon as she could hold apencil.
One of her earliest memories, from age four, is of sketching7 her parents all dressed up to go out forthe evening. "I was so impressed I had to record it," she says. But what impressed her most wereillustrations from the children's books that her mother read to her. Artists such as Jessie Willcox Smith,illustrator of children's literary classics, and Johnny Gruelle, creator of Raggedy Ann, were veryinfluential in the development of her early drawings.
While attending secondary school, Engelbreit sold dozens of hand-drawn cards to a local shop for 25cents a piece — her first venture into art and commerce. She ignored her teachers' advice to become anEnglish teacher and didn't bother with going on to a university because "I was ready to plunge9 into mylife as an artist." Working in an art-supply shop, "I met working artists and realized you can make aliving doing this." A later job as a designer at an advertising10 agency "taught me about the business ofart" .
In 1975 Engelbreit met social worker Phil Delano, and the couple married two years later. Delanobecame his wife's biggest supporter. "Even when we had no money, he never said, 'Go get a job,'" shesays. "I can't express my gratitude11 for his support."After that ill-fated trip to New York, Engelbreit sent a sample of her drawings to two greeting-cardcompanies. One bought three of her original drawings, and she did occasional work for the other,sketching a lot of whales, dragons, castles and mythical12 animals. Then in 1980 the birth of her sonadded a new element to her work. "Suddenly everyday life seemed more interesting to me," she says.
Children, pets, even "good old Mom" started showing up on her cards. Her work became "pictures ofdaily life, things everyone's been through".
While eight months pregnant, in 1983, Engelbreit decided to start her own company. Within twoyears, her company was producing nearly 100 different cards and selling a million of them a year. In1986 she licensed14 the copyrights to the cards to Sunrise Publications, who now manages theirproduction and distribution, allowing her to focus on other projects. Among these is her home-decorating magazine which is sent to 550,000 people.
Despite her success, Engelbreit's feet are planted firmly on the ground. She still lives 16 kilometresfrom where she grew up, has many friends dating back to school years, and moved from a large houseto a smaller one because, she explains, her family didn't use all the space in the old place. She does mostof her drawing in her home studio at night.
With her work taking off in so many directions, it was perhaps inevitable15 that Engelbreit wouldeventually realize her dream of illustrating a children's book. In 1993 she created drawings for achildren's book and saw it become a best-seller. At the same time she made a surprising discovery: "Itwas fun, but oddly enough, I like doing cards best."Words: 903

  New Words
▲cute a. 1.娇小可爱的 2.聪明的,伶俐的
cuteness n. 可爱
saint n. 1.圣(用于人名、地名等之前) 2.(基督教正式追封的)圣徒 3.圣人,道德高尚的人
crush vt. 1.压倒,压垮 2.打败 3.压碎,压坏
astonish vt. 使震惊,使惊骇
calendar n. 日历,月历,年历
retail n. 零售
v. 零售
retailer4 n. 零售商
annual a. 1.一年的 2.一年一次的;每年的
n. 年刊,年鉴
bold a. 1.勇敢的,无畏的 2.冒失的,唐突的,鲁莽的 3.醒目的;轮廓清晰的 4.粗(字)体的,黑(字
)体的
overall n. 工作服,工装裤
a. 全面的,综合的,全体的
bare a. 1.裸露的 2.空的;光秃的,无遮盖的
distinct a. 1.种类不同的,有区别的,分开的 2.清楚的,清晰的,明显的
◆distinctive a. 有特色的,与众不同的
elaborate a. 精细复杂的,精心制作的
v. 详细叙述
comprise vt. 1.由... ... 组成,包括,包含 2.组成,构成
peach n. 桃;桃树
acid a. 1.尖酸刻薄的,讽刺的 2.酸味的,酸的
n. 酸,酸性物质
imaginary a. 想像中的,虚构的
humorous a. 幽默的,诙谐的
▲trademark n. 1.明显的特征,标记 2.商标;牌号
feature vt. 以... ... 为特征, 给... ...以显著地位
n. 1.特点,特征,特色 2.面貌,相貌 3.特写,专题报道
cigar n. 雪茄烟
illustration n. 1.图解,插图 2.说明,例证
literary a. 文学上的
classic n. 经典作品,文学名著,杰作
a. 1.经典的,一流的 2.古典的,传统样式的
influential8 a. 有影响力的,有说服力的
venture n. 投机活动,商业冒险
v 冒险,敢于
commerce n. 商业,贸易
plunge v. 1.纵身投入,一头进入 2.(使)陷入
gratitude n. 感激,感谢
sample n. 样品,式样
vt. 抽样检查;试用
whale n. 鲸
dragon n. 龙(想像中有翅有尾、能吐火的动物)
myth n. 神话
◆mythical a. 1.神话的,只存在于神话中的 2.虚构的,不真实的
everyday a. 每天的,日常的, 平常的
license13 vt. 给... ... 发放许可证,准许
n. 1.许可证,执照 2.许可,准许
copyright n. 版权
sunrise n. 日出(时分)
distribution n. 1.(物资等的)运送 2.分发,分配 3.分布,分布状态
decorate vt. 装饰,装潢
studio n. 1.工作室,画室,摄影室 2.演播室,播音室,录音室
Phrases and Expressions
turn down 拒绝,驳回
be suited to 适合于
appear on 在... ... 上出现
with an eye to 关注
be comprised of 由 ... ... 组成
dress up 穿着盛装
go out (离家)去参加社交活动
be influential in 有影响
bother with 为 ... ... 操心,为... ... 费心
make a living 谋生,营生
show up 出现
have/keep/with one's feet (planted/set) on the ground 实事求是(的),脚踏实地(的)
grow up (指人或动物)长大,成年
date back to 始于(某时期)
take off (指思想、产品等)突然受欢迎,流行
Proper Names
Mary Engelbreit 玛丽·恩格尔布赖特
Saint Louis 圣路易斯
Ann Estelle 安·埃丝特尔
Jessie Willcox Smith 杰西·威尔科克斯·史密斯
Johnny Gruelle 约翰尼·格鲁埃尔
Raggedy Ann "蓬发安"(洋娃娃)
Phil Delano 菲尔·德拉诺
Sunrise Publications 黎明出版公司


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 illustrating a99f5be8a18291b13baa6ba429f04101     
给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明
参考例句:
  • He upstaged the other speakers by illustrating his talk with slides. 他演讲中配上幻灯片,比其他演讲人更吸引听众。
  • Material illustrating detailed structure of graptolites has been etched from limestone by means of hydrofluoric acid. 表明笔石详细构造的物质是利用氢氟酸从石灰岩中侵蚀出来。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 retail VWoxC     
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格
参考例句:
  • In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
  • These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
4 retailer QjjzzO     
n.零售商(人)
参考例句:
  • What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢?
  • The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。
5 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的
参考例句:
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
6 trademark Xndw8     
n.商标;特征;vt.注册的…商标
参考例句:
  • The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
  • The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。
7 sketching 2df579f3d044331e74dce85d6a365dd7     
n.草图
参考例句:
  • They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
8 influential l7oxK     
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。
9 plunge 228zO     
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲
参考例句:
  • Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
  • That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。
10 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
11 gratitude p6wyS     
adj.感激,感谢
参考例句:
  • I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
  • She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
12 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的
参考例句:
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认,他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。
13 license B9TzU     
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
参考例句:
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
14 licensed ipMzNI     
adj.得到许可的v.许可,颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
  • Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗?
15 inevitable 5xcyq     
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的
参考例句:
  • Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
  • The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
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