VOA慢速英语2021--滚石乐队鼓手查理·瓦茨去世

Rolling Stones Drummer Charlie Watts¹ Dies

Charlie Watts of the British music group The Rolling Stones died Tuesday at a hospital in London.

Watts played drums for the very successful band for almost sixty years. His publicist, Bernard Doherty, said the musician "passed away peacefully" surrounded by his family.

Watts had announced he would not travel with the Stones in 2021 because of an undefined health issue.

Watts was respected worldwide for his muscular² style of drumming, which he combined with elements of jazz, a favorite music of the artist. He joined the band early in 1963, just a few months following its first public performance.

Many of the most famous Stones songs, like Brown Sugar and Start Me Up, begin with a short guitar riff that is quickly joined by Watts' beats on the drums. Bill Wyman, the group's bass³ player often described Watts' skill as "fattening⁵ the sound."

The Stones began, Watts said, "as white blokes from England playing Black American music," but quickly developed an identifiable sound all their own. Watts also did many independent musical projects throughout his years with the band.

To the world, he was a rock star. But Watts often said that the experience was tiring, unpleasant, and even frightening. "Girls chasing⁶ you down the street, screaming...horrible!... I hated it," he told The Guardian⁷ newspaper. In another media report, he described the drumming life as a "cross between being an athlete and a total nervous wreck⁸."

Charles Robert Watts was born in London on June 2, 1941. From childhood, he was passionate⁹ about music — jazz, especially. He fell in love with the drums after hearing the music of Chico Hamilton. Watts taught himself to play by listening to records by Johnny Dodds, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and other jazz greats.

Watts was not a rock music fan at first. He shared a home with the Stones' leaders Mick Jagger and Keith Richards because he did not have to pay for the housing¹⁰.

"Keith Richards taught me rock and roll," Watts said. "We'd have nothing to do all day, and we'd play these records over and over again."

The Stones had searched for months to find a permanent drummer. Richards has spoken about how much the band wanted Watts to join. The guitar player said the band members cut down on expenses so they could pay Watts a good wage. Watts said he believed at first the band would be lucky to last a year.

"Every band I'd ever been in had lasted a week," he said. "I always thought the Stones would last a week, then a fortnight, and then suddenly, it's 30 years."

Words in This Story

cherished¹¹ – adj. greatly loved

riff – n. a short and usually repeated pattern of notes in a song

fatten⁴ – v. to make more substantial¹²

bloke – n. (chiefly British) a man; a guy

athlete – n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength

passionate – adv. having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs

1 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

2 muscular   

adj.肌肉发达的，强壮的，（有关）肌（肉）的

参考例句：

• He is a muscular young man.他是个健壮的年轻人。
• The player is tall and muscular.那名运动员身高力大。

3 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

4 fatten   

v.使肥，变肥

参考例句：

• The new feed can fatten the chicken up quickly enough for market.新饲料能使鸡长得更快，以适应市场需求。
• We keep animals in pens to fatten them.我们把动物关在围栏里把它们养肥。

5 fattening   

adj.（食物）要使人发胖的v.喂肥( fatten的现在分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值

参考例句：

• The doctor has advised him to keep off fattening food. 医生已建议他不要吃致肥食物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We substitute margarine for cream because cream is fattening. 我们用人造黄油代替奶油，因为奶油会使人发胖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chasing   

n.雕镂术，雕刻工作；车螺丝；抛光；螺旋板

参考例句：

• My dog likes chasing rabbits. 我的狗喜欢追捕兔子。
• The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows. 孩子们追逐着彼此的影子，玩得很开心。

7 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

8 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

9 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

10 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

11 cherished   

v.珍爱( cherish的过去式和过去分词 )；怀有；爱护；抚育

参考例句：

• Children need to be cherished. 儿童需要无微不至的爱护。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer. 她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 substantial   

adj.大的，相当可观的，大体上的

参考例句：

• She is preparing a substantial meal against his return.她正在准备一顿丰盛的饭菜为他接风。
• The country bought a substantial number of weapons.这个国家购买了大量武器。