时间:2018-12-05 作者:英语课 分类:自考英语综合二上册 课文+单词


英语课

[00:00.00]Lesson Two  Text

[00:04.41]Icons 2    Heroes and Cultural Icons

[00:11.36]Gary Goshgarian

[00:14.84]If you were asked to list ten American heroes and heroines,

[00:22.00]you would probably name some or all of the following:

[00:27.32]George Washington,Abraham Lincoln,Daniel Boone,Martin Luther King Jr.

[00:36.49]Amelia Earhart,Susan B Anthony, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis,

[00:43.94]Helen Keller,Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Rosa Parks.

[00:51.70]If next you were asked to list people who are generally admired by society,

[00:58.04]who somehow seem bigger than life,

[01:02.01]you might come up with an entirely 3 different list.

[01:06.46]You might,in fact,name people who are celebrated 4 for their wealth and glamour 5

[01:13.30]rather than their achievements and moral strength of character.

[01:19.05]And you would not be alone,because pollsters have found

[01:25.52]that people today do not choose political leaden who shape history for their "Most Admired" list,

[01:32.66]but rather movie and television celebrities 6 fashion models,

[01:39.60]professional athletes,and even comic book and cartoon characters.

[01:46.16]In short media icons.

[01:51.02]By definition, heroes and heroines are men and women

[01:58.28]distinguished 7 by uncommon 8 courage achievements,

[02:03.43]and self sacrifice made most often for the benefit of others

[02:09.70]—they are people against whom we measure others.

[02:14.06]They are men and women recognized for shaping our nation's consciousness

[02:21.43]and development as well as the lives of those who admire them.

[02:27.59]Yet,some people say that ours is an age where true heroes and heroines

[02:34.36]are hard to come by,

[02:37.91]where the very ideal of heroism 9 is something beyond us

[02:43.19]— an artifact of the past.

[02:46.74]Some maintain that because the Cold War is over

[02:52.20]and because America is at peace our age is essentially 10 an unheroic one.

[02:59.33]Furthermore, the overall crime rate is down,

[03:04.58]poverty has been eased by a strong and growing economy,

[03:09.54]and advances continue to be made in medical science.

[03:15.11]Consequently, bereft 11 of cultural heroes,

[03:19.94]we have latched 12 onto cultural icons

[03:23.99]— media superstars such as actors,actresses,

[03:29.35]sports celebrities,television personalities 13,

[03:34.49]and people who are simply famous for being famous.

[03:39.92]Cultural icons are harder to define,but we know them when we see them.

[03:46.98]They are people who manage to transcend 14 celebrity 15,

[03:52.44]who are legendary 16, who somehow manage to become mythic.

[03:58.60]But what makes some figures icons and others mere 17 celebrities?

[04:05.97]That's hard to answer.

[04:09.00]In part, their lives have the quality of a story.

[04:14.56]For instance, the beautiful young Diana Spencer

[04:20.49]who at 19 married a prince,

[04:24.86]bore a king, renounced 18 marriage and the throne,

[04:30.60]and died at the moment she found true love.

[04:34.96]Good looks certainly help.

[04:38.52]So does a special indefinable charisma,with the help of the media.

[04:46.09]But nothing becomes an icon 1 more than a tragic 19 and early death

[04:53.64]such as Martin Luther King Jr.John F.Kennedy and Princess Diana.

[05:01.09]Being Somebody Donna Wool folk Cross

[05:06.73]One hundred years ago,people became famous for what they had achieved.

[05:13.29]Men like j.P. Morgan,E.H. Harriman and Jay Gould were all notable achievers.

[05:22.04]So were Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, and Susan B. Anthony.

[05:29.12]Their accomplishments 21 are still evident in bur own day.

[05:34.47]Today's celebrities, however,

[05:38.60]often do not become known for any enduring achievement.

[05:43.75]The people we most admire today

[05:48.00]are usually those who are most highly publicized by the media.

[05:53.04]In 1981,a Gallup poll revealed that Nancy Reagan was the nation's"most admired woman."but today he'd be dragging his bottom in the ratings.

[06:03.91]The year before,that distinction went to President Carter's wife, Rosalynn.

[06:11.07]In fact,the wife of the current president


[06:15.64]is always one of the nation's most admired women.

[06:20.60]Today's celebrities,as the writer Daniel Boorstin says,

[06:26.77]are "people well-known for their well-knownness.

[06:31.21]"To become such a celebrity, one needs luck, not accomplishment 20.

[06:37.98]As Boorstin says,"The hero was distinguished by his accomplishment;

[06:44.74]the celebrity by his image or trademark 22.

[06:49.47]The hero created himself;the celebrity is created by the media.

[06:57.20]The hero was a big man the celebrity is a big name.

[07:03.76]"There is another distinction:

[07:07.00]heroes inspire respect;celebrities inspire envy.

[07:13.53]Few of us believe we could be another Jonas Salk or Eleanor Roosevelt,

[07:20.29]but we could be another TV star like Telly Savalas or Suzanne Somers.

[07:27.66]Except for the attention they get from the media,

[07:31.71]these people are exactly like us.

[07:36.28]The shift from hero-worship to celebrity worship

[07:40.93]occurred around the turn of the century.

[07:44.77]It was closely tied to the rise of new forms of media

[07:49.73]— first photography,and later moving pictures, radio and television.

[07:57.28]For the first time,Americans could see and recognize their heroes.

[08:03.81]Previously,men like Gould and Harriman,whose names everyone knew,

[08:10.89]could easily have passed through a crowd without being recognized.

[08:16.64]The reproduction of photos in newspapers turned famous people into celebrities

[08:25.08]whose dress,appearance and personal,habits were widely commented upon.

[08:32.91]Slowly,the focus of public attention began to shift away from knowing what such people did

[08:40.36]to knowing what they looked like.

[08:44.02]The shift was accelerated by the arrival of moving pictures.

[08:49.58]Between 1901 and 1914,74 percent of the magazine articles about famous people

[08:58.65]were about political leaders, inventors,professionals,and businessmen.

[09:04.89]After 1922, however,most articles were about movie stars.

[09:11.86]With the arrival of television,the faces of the stars

[09:17.22]became as familiar as those we saw across the breakfast table.

[09:22.55]We came to know more about the lives of the celebrities

[09:28.19]than we did about most of the people we know personally.

[09:32.94]Less than seventy years after the appearance of the first moving pictures,

[09:38.80]the shift from hero-worship to celebrity-worship was complete.

[09:45.17]Today an appearance on a television talk show

[09:50.42]is the ultimate proof of "making it" in America.

[09:55.15]Actually, the term "talk show" is misleading.

[10:00.92]Celebrities do not appear on such a program

[10:05.28]because of an actual desire —or ability — to talk,

[10:10.56]but simply to gain recognition,and prove,merely by showing up,

[10:18.29]that they are "somebody. "

[10:22.13]Being a guest on a talk show does not require qualities of wit,

[10:27.28] eloquence,brilliance, insight, or intelligence.

[10:33.44]A former talent coordinator 23 for "the Tonight Show,"

[10:37.88]says that when he would ask a scheduled guest,

[10:42.14]"What would you like to talk to the host about?"

[10:45.98]the reply he got most often was,

[10:49.95]"Have him ask me anything."

[10:53.40]This, he says, usually meant,

[10:56.88]"I am a typical Hollywood actor,

[11:01.24]so I have never had an original thought

[11:05.99]and I have nothing to say of any interest to anyone anywhere.

[11:11.74]Most hosts are grateful just to get someone who will fill the room with sound.

[11:18.27]One talk show coordinator comments,

[11:22.63]"We look for the guest who is sure to talk no matter what.

[11:27.60]Ten seconds of silence appears very awkward on television;

[11:32.85]thirty seconds is disastrous 24.

[11:36.82]A guest who's got to stop to think about everything he says

[11:41.78]before he opens his mouth is a ratings nightmare.

[11:47.74]"This kind of attitude rewards smooth,insincere talk,

[11:53.01]and makes hesitancy look like stupidity.

[11:57.27]"We wouldn't have used George Washington on our show,"

[12:01.40]says one talent coordinator.


[12:04.66]"He might have been first in the hearts of his countrymen,

[12:08.92]but today he'd be dragging his bottom in the ratings.

 



1 icon
n.偶像,崇拜的对象,画像
  • 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。
2 icons
n.偶像( icon的名词复数 );(计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的)符号,图像
  • Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
  • Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下,后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
3 entirely
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
4 celebrated
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
  • 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。
5 glamour
n.魔力,魅力;vt.迷住
  • Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
  • The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。
6 celebrities
n.(尤指娱乐界的)名人( celebrity的名词复数 );名流;名声;名誉
  • He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
  • a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目
7 distinguished
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的
  • Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
  • A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
8 uncommon
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
9 heroism
n.大无畏精神,英勇
  • He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
  • Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。
10 essentially
adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
  • Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
  • She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
11 bereft
adj.被剥夺的
  • The place seemed to be utterly bereft of human life.这个地方似乎根本没有人烟。
  • She was bereft of happiness.她失去了幸福。
12 latched
v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 );纠缠;用碰锁锁上(门等);附着(在某物上)
  • The government have latched onto environmental issues to win votes. 政府已开始大谈环境问题以争取选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He latched onto us and we couldn't get rid of him. 他缠着我们,甩也甩不掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 personalities
n. 诽谤,(对某人容貌、性格等所进行的)人身攻击; 人身攻击;人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )
  • There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
  • Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。
14 transcend
vt.超出,超越(理性等)的范围
  • We can't transcend the limitations of the ego.我们无法超越自我的局限性。
  • Everyone knows that the speed of airplanes transcend that of ships.人人都知道飞机的速度快于轮船的速度。
15 celebrity
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望
  • Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
  • He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。
16 legendary
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学)
  • Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
  • Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。
17 mere
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
18 renounced
v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 );宣布放弃;宣布与…决裂;宣布摒弃
  • We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 tragic
adj.悲剧的,悲剧性的,悲惨的
  • The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
  • Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。
20 accomplishment
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
21 accomplishments
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
  • 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》
22 trademark
n.商标;特征;vt.注册的…商标
  • 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。
23 coordinator
n.协调人
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下,负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
  • How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室?
24 disastrous
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的
  • The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
  • Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨,血本无归。
学英语单词
absolute conic
aircraft engines
angular dissymmetry
arbitrating
area files
ASDD
attentivenesses
bekend
betweenities
break a habit
calcium cyananide
candona parasinuosa
capacity to enjoy rights and assuming obligations
Cassiopeia's chair
categorizings
chantalite
civil lawsuits
come to grapples with
congenital lip sinus
controlled reprisal
copilia mediterranea
crs color tv system
cruisetour
cuticular crest
deastin
desaturated color
dex-
dual prime ideal
epania brevipennis
faikes
fanslation
final-lock mechanism
gangtoks
gastrointestinal infection
gather information
gaying
glycosialia
good control
graphite points
Grimstone
haplostromatic
heavy cutting
heptachlorobiphenyls
Home Gardens
horizontal parity bit
industrial-gases
infrared compensation
ionic acidity
juvenile amaurotic idiocies
land hydrology
large scale retailing
lattice expansion
lilium cordifolium thunb.
Lippia mexicana
lowflation
lycoclavanol
material-handling
medaite
medium weight nucleus
methanization
Milam County
Misgab
mobile device fragmentation
nucleolar vacuole
obstruction of pharynx
oil cooled transformator
oligoubiquitination
open-well-type bain-marie
packages
pahute mesa
pelisson
phosphoribose
pinched
pine of calf
Pirara
polygonise
pyromangite
reconnectors
resin powder
salpingometric rupture
self-sustaining reactor
shat ya
skidi
snapper sea bream
sneak circuit analysis
software escrow
standard weathering hour
state equivalence
static buffer
stress buffer
structural plain
suggested (retail) price
syndrome of yang deficiency and qi stagnation
tighs
to overload
transcendental philosophies
trapezium bucket
tray dynamic
versage
vis-
welding rectifier
woolly alder aphid