2006年NPR美国国家公共电台十二月-Everyday Americans Deserve an Oscar, Too

For most of America, this is a busy time, shopping, wrapping presents, waiting in line at the post office. But in Hollywood there is another form of frantic¹ activity going on, it's all directed toward the upcoming award season, the Golden Globes, the Oscars and so many many more. In today's Unger Report, Bright Unger says prepare yourself.

It's a time when simple folk in the entertainment industry extend a hand to other simple folk in the entertainment industry. And give them a trophy² like a crystal object, a golden statuette, a plaque³, just some modest token of recognition for the most recognizable people in the world for portraying⁴ the most unrecognizable people in the world. Award season, it's way more glamorous⁵ than flu season, or the season known as winter in the Midwest where some guy who makes mufflers won't be nominated this year for the best performance by a welder⁷. He'll have to be satisfied knowing that the muffler he welded will muffle⁶ the slick limousine⁸ that will carry someone glamorous to an award ceremony.

But Midwesterners are no strangers to glamour⁹ or to orgies of self congratulation. As a teenager in Ohio, I can tell you first-hand that the Licking County fairs preseason was brutal¹⁰. The number of cows alone that were being groomed¹¹ for your consideration. For the top prizes in Helfordum was dizzying.

And Licking County starlets lobbying for the title of pork queen. It was a blood bath. For that one week a year on the Hartford fair grounds, or we knew glamour. And then for the other 51 weeks in the year, we return to our humble¹² quiet lives of eating, what is now called trans fats. That's what made an award’s week in Licking County so special, it passed so quickly, like a sugar waffle, chased with a Pabst blue ribbon beer. It came and it went.

But the time to hand out awards in the industry of entertainment is not a week, it's a season. It's the fifth season the entertainer Levandi never got around to writing about. It has its own section and the New York Times called awards season. And the envelope in the Los Angeles Times, if carpet layers advertised in these papers more, would they too get their own award season?

I read words like blitz, push and battle. Hollywood is devolving into Civil War over who should get the most credit for entertaining America. The actor Ed Norton said of the movie industry's award season: the last thing the world needs is the same group of people congratulating themselves over and over again for the same totally disposable pieces of work.

Well, maybe Mr. Norton, I say folks in the Midwest need a star giving trophies¹³ to each other for their disposable pieces of work. Maybe Columbus Ohio needs to get hell bent¹⁴ on awarding, congratulating and honoring. Best performance by a grocery store assistant manager, best supporting pharmacist. Life-time achievement award for a claims adjustor, it should all be recognized. Like a dozen times.

Why should we allow the entertainment industry to have a stranglehold on self-congratulating, self-perpetuating, narcissistic¹⁵ orgies celebrating each other. Put on your tux, get into your evening gown America and give yourself a trophy for doing absolutely nothing but your job.

And that is today's Unger report. I'm the awardless Brian Unger.
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blood bath
大屠杀
trans fats
An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fatty acid, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies¹⁶ liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Trans fat is found in vegetable shortenings and in some margarines, crackers¹⁷, cookies, snack foods and other foods.
Trans fats are also found in abundance in "french fries." To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are subjected to hydrogenation, which creates trans fats. Among the hazards of fast food, "fries" are prime in purveying¹⁸ trans fats.
blitz
An intense campaign:
激烈的竞选运动：
a media blitz focused on young voters.
集中于年轻投票人的一种中庸的激烈竞争
hell-bent
Impetuously or recklessly determined¹⁹ to do or achieve something:
破釜沉舟的，决意的：急于或不顾后果地决意做或得到某事物：
was hell-bent on winning.
孤注一掷，势在必得
claims
索赔
stranglehold
勒颈, 压制自由, 束缚, 抑制
narcissistic
自恋的,自我陶醉的

1 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

3 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

4 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

5 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

6 muffle   

v.围裹；抑制；发低沉的声音

参考例句：

• Mother made an effort to muffle her emotions.母亲努力控制自己的感情。
• I put my hand over my mouth to muffle my words,so only my friend could hear. 我把手挡在嘴上，遮住声音，仅让我的朋友听到。

7 welder   

n电焊工

参考例句：

• He left school at 15 to become an apprentice to a welder.他15岁离开了中学成为一个焊接工人的学徒。
• Welder done at least once a month when the dust handling.焊机时每月至少做一次除尘处理。

8 limousine   

n.豪华轿车

参考例句：

• A chauffeur opened the door of the limousine for the grand lady.司机为这个高贵的女士打开了豪华轿车的车门。
• We arrived in fine style in a hired limousine.我们很气派地乘坐出租的豪华汽车到达那里。

9 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• 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。

10 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

11 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

13 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

14 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

15 narcissistic   

adj.自我陶醉的，自恋的，自我崇拜的

参考例句：

• In the modern vocabulary, it was narcissistic. 用时髦话说，这是一种自我陶醉狂。 来自辞典例句
• This is our Nielaoshi, a dwarf has also grown narcissistic teachers. 这就是我们的倪老师，一个长得又矮又自恋的老师。 来自互联网

16 solidifies   

（使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的第三人称单数 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化

参考例句：

• Jelly solidifies as it gets cold. 肉冻冷却就凝固。
• It is stirred with 10%sodium carbonate solution(50ml)and then with water (50ml), after which It'solidifies. 与10％碳酸钠溶液（50毫升）混合搅拌，然后再用50毫升水混合搅拌，从而析出固体。

17 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 purveying   

v.提供，供应( purvey的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was not above purveying make-up tips through ladies' columns in newspapers. 她根本不屑于向各大报社的女性专栏供稿。 来自互联网

19 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。