​Simply Wonderful(b)|全能视障艺人——史提夫‧汪达(b)

Simply Wonderful　全能视障艺人——史提夫‧汪达

by Rebecca A. Fratzke

With an amazing voice and a 50-year career,this musician was once called the eighth wonder of the world.

凭着迷人的歌喉和 50 年的音乐生涯，史提夫‧汪达这位音乐家曾被誉为世界第八大奇景。

Wonder had his first big hit with Fingertips (Pt. 2) in 1963, a song in which he sang and played the bongos. Wonder put out numerous albums thereafter, some with great success and others that flopped. He was beginning to show what a talented songwriter he was by helping other musicians climb to number one with songs that he had written. Wonder even appeared in a few films. His hard work paid off, and now Wonder has countless number-one songs and Grammy Awards. Major musicians and other public figures have credited Wonder with inspiring them, and many regard Wonder as one of the legends in the music industry.

Over the years, Wonder has been able to use his fame for the greater good. He has worked on many charity projects, including USA for Africa's We Are the World song. In 2009, he was selected to be a UN Messenger of Peace to help bring attention to the work of the United Nations. He was also a big supporter of Barack Obama during the last US presidential election. Obama played his hit, Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours, right after he accepted the nomination for the presidency and on many campaign stops. After being elected, Obama presented Wonder with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

An American hero, an ambassador of peace, a spokesman for the blind, a musical icon, and so much more, Stevie Wonder is a monumental figure. As he celebrates his 60th birthday this month, who knows what other endeavors Wonder will take on. One thing is for sure—whatever his next project is, Stevie Wonder will make it magnificent.

1.  Which project did Wonder recently participate in?

(A) Being a role model for the blind.

(B) Going on tour in the UK.

(C) Retiring from music.

(D) Opening a music school.

2.  As a child, Stevie Wonder _____.

(A) was always happy about everything

(B) was taught to sing by Berry Gordy

(C) became blind because of an accident

(D) got upset when his mother felt pessimistic about his future

3.  According to the article, which best describes Wonder's influence on others?

(A) He sponsored many of today's top musicians.

(B) He helped others achieve fame by singing their songs.

(C) Many musicians think that Wonder copied their styles.

(D) He encouraged many other musicians to make themselves better.

4.  What is the tone of this article?

(A) Impractical.

(B) Discouraging.

(C) Praising.

(D) Negative.

1963 年，汪达的《手指尖 2》成为他的首支畅销金曲，他在这首歌里同时演奏手鼓和演唱。之后他推出了许多张专辑，有些销售亮眼，有的不尽理想。同时他借着帮其他歌手写出冠军单曲，开始证明自己在创作方面的才华，他甚至在几部电影里参与演出。他的努力终于有所收获，现在的汪达坐拥无数冠军单曲和葛莱美奖项。许多杰出音乐人和公众人物都公认汪达对自己有着偌大鼓舞，还有很多人视他为乐坛传奇。

　　这些年来，汪达一直懂得善用自己的名气来行善。他参与了许多慈善计划，其中包括美国援助非洲的歌曲《四海一家》。 2009 年，他获选担任联合国和平大使，引起大众对联合国事务的注意。在上届美国总统选举中，他也是欧巴马的大力支持者。而欧巴马也在接受总统提名和多场竞选活动中，播放他的热门歌曲《签名，密封，投递，我是你的》，欧巴马当选后还颁发了『国会图书馆盖西文流行歌曲奖』给史提夫‧汪达。

　　史提夫‧汪达顶着美国英雄、和平大使、盲胞代言人、音乐传奇和其他头衔，他无疑是不朽的人物。他即将在本月欢度 60 岁大寿，谁知道他接下来又有什么计划呢？可以确定的是，不管史提夫‧汪达的下一步是什么，他绝对会有亮眼的表现。

   1.  汪达最近参与了下列哪一项项目计划？

(A) 担任盲胞的模范。

(B) 在英国举办巡回演唱。

(C) 退出乐坛。

(D) 设立音乐学校。

题解:   根据 5月 10 日文章第一段，汪达在 2008 年举办了『奇妙夏日夜』巡回演唱会，可知 (B) 为正选。

   2.  史提夫‧汪达小时候 _____。

(A) 对一切抱持乐观态度

(B) 由贝瑞‧戈帝教授歌唱技巧

(C) 因为一场意外导致失明

(D) 当妈妈悲叹他的未来时会感到不开心

题解:   根据 5月 10 日文章第二段，汪达出生时早产 6 个星期，造成他双眼全盲，并非是因为意外之故。虽然失明的人生充满挑战，但他记得自己年纪虽小却总是对未来抱持正面态度，可知应选 (A)。

   3.  根据本文，以下何者最能形容汪达对他人的影响力？

(A) 他曾赞助许多当今的顶尖音乐人。

(B) 他藉由演唱别人的歌曲来让对方出名。

(C) 许多歌手认为汪达抄袭他们的风格。

(D) 他鼓励许多歌手力争上游。

题解:   根据 5月 11 日文章第一段，许多杰出音乐人和公众人物都公认汪达对自己有着偌大鼓舞，故选 (D)。

   4.  本文的语气为何？

(A) 不切实际。

(B) 泄气沮丧。

(C) 语多赞美。

(D) 负面消极。

题解:   综观两天文章的内容，旨在介绍史提夫‧汪达积极的人生态度、对他人的正面影响，及对世界的贡献，可知应选 (C)。

标准答案：1. (B)2. (A)3. (D)4. (C)

For Your Information

摩城唱片是贝瑞‧戈帝（Berry Gordy）于 1959 年 ，在美国底特律设立的一家以灵魂音乐及黑人音乐为主的唱片公司。摩城（Motown）一词是来自于人们对底特律的通称――Motor town（汽车城）。该公司于 1993 年纳入『宝丽金』唱片（今『环球唱片』）旗下。

贝瑞‧戈帝原是拳击手，当年他向家借了 800 美金创立唱片公司，数十年来捧红了『杰克森五兄弟』（麦可‧杰克森小时候和哥哥们组成的团体）、黛安娜‧萝丝、莱诺‧李奇以及史提夫‧汪达等黑人歌手。（数据源：维基百科、自由电子报）