2006年VOA标准英语-Folk Singer Grace Griffith Releases Personal Al

By Doug Levine
Washington
25 November 2006

Folk singer Grace Griffith was a physical therapist before going into music fulltime. With her soaring vocals¹ reminiscent of Judy Collins, and a sound that draws from traditional Celtic music, Grace has built a loyal following in Washington, D.C. and beyond. Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with the neurological disorder² Parkinson's disease, and even though she's curtailed³ her schedule, she made time to record one of her most personal albums to date. VOA's Doug Levine has more.

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Grace Griffith isn't making as many albums as she used to, but that doesn't mean she's any less committed. In fact, despite the degenerative nature of Parkinson's disease, Grace remains⁴ as positive and upbeat as ever. She says her new album, My Life, reflects her newfound appreciation⁵ for the world around her. "The other albums were a very eclectic mixture of not only styles but also moods, and I'd say this one is more of a mood piece and there's not such a wide variation," she says.

Determined⁶ to make the best of her situation, Grace turned inward for inspiration. "I've had an interesting couple of years here with a lot of challenges and a lot of learning to do about living and how to think about life," she says. "And these songs kind of reflect my personal journey, I would say.

"I can't think of an aspect of my life that it has not affected⁷ in a big way. But [my] music has [been affected] for sure. I've had to cut back quite a bit on the amount of performances that I do and that sort of thing. I've had to cut back on any number of instruments that I play, because in addition to being a singer I've always been a dabbler⁸ at playing different things. The Parkinson's affected my coordination⁹ in such a way that I've had to focus more on just my singing. But I'm very lucky to have it as a focus because it's a passion and a pleasure to do it to the extent that I can."

Grace has always felt that playing music was a privilege. As one of 10 children growing up on a small Maryland farm, she usually had to put work before singing and playing guitar. "We had to make our way in the world, and I was not encouraged really in the direction of music as a practical way of doing that. So, physical therapy provided that, and it was also something that I enjoyed a lot, being able to help people and connect with them on that kind of an intimate level," she says.

Grace Griffith finds playing music the best therapy of all. She continues to perform locally in the Washington, D.C. area, while updating fans on her website, Seamaid.org.

1 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

6 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。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

8 dabbler   

n. 戏水者, 业余家, 半玩半认真做的人

参考例句：

• The dabbler in knowledge chatters away; the wise man stays silent. 一瓶子不响，半瓶子晃荡。
• He's not a dedicated musician but a dabbler. 他并不是专门的音乐家，只不过是个业余家。

9 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。