VOA标准英语2012--Montana Man's Not too Old to Clown Around

 

Montana Man's Not too Old to Clown Around

Montana is probably best known for its cowboys and cattle, an image that dates back to the late 1800s when Texas longhorns were herded¹ north across the Great Plains.

Montana was not generally known for having anything to do with circuses until February, when Floyd “Creeky” Creekmore was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest performing clown.

The Montana native, 95, has spent much of his working life on ranches³ - a common occupation in the state. But Creekmore’s real love, since childhood, has been making people laugh.

“I was always that way, I guess, the teachers always told me I was anyway," he says. "Barnum and Bailey Circus come through Great Falls and most of the kids would go up to the circus grounds and they could get little jobs and they’d work for a ticket to get into the circus.”

But, as a 12 year old, Creekmore had bigger ambitions.

“I went and found the clowns and I got a lot of pointers from the clowns," he remembers. "And they found out that I was…had an inclination⁴ to be a clown…so, they…they really worked with me. That’s how I got really started with getting in there.”

Creekmore worked on his clowning skills through his teens and into his adult years, but he also moved on with his life - raising a family, running his own ranch² and eventually becoming a carpenter. Through it all, the desire to be a clown never left him.

“It was always in my mind," he says. "I would’ve run away with the circus, I think, if I’d had a chance.”

That chance came when Floyd retired⁵ in 1981 and joined the Shriner’s International group - a fraternity best known for its work helping⁷ children with medical needs. The group's touring circus raises money for that purpose. Membership⁸ gave Creekmore, now “Creeky the Clown,” the opportunity to tour the Pacific Northwest and Canada with the Shrine⁶ Circus.

Creeky is not Montana’s only claim to circus fame. The Ringling Brothers - founders⁹ of one of the country’s longest-running circuses, the self-styled “Greatest Show on Earth” - almost set up camp in the state.

In fact, the very small community of Ringling, Montana, population 12, was named for one of the brothers.

“It was around 1914,15, and originally they were going to set up their winter camp here," says Chuck Lucas, a lifelong resident of the area. "But the local people told them that the elephants and giraffes wouldn’t stand it here in Ringling.”

The brothers gave up the idea for winter quarters in Montana’s frigid¹⁰ climes, according to Lucas. But they did buy 40,000 hectares in the area, built a railroad, and raised dairy cattle there for years. The story that the town actually hosted the circus animals each winter remains¹¹, but Lucas insists that’s just a myth¹². But the world’s oldest clown is very real.

Wearing his signature white smiley face, orange hair, enormous shoes and big red nose, Creeky the Clown has been making people laugh for 30 years. With his 96th birthday approaching, he’s slowed down a bit, but Creeky still performs when there’s a circus nearby. If there isn’t one, he’s glad to put on a show in his living room.

For as much as Creekmore loves to clown, he says there’s more to it than just being silly.

“Clowning is an art. You go out there to make people laugh," he says. "You’re an entertainer, that’s what you are, really.”

Each time Creekmore begins putting on his makeup¹³, he transforms into Creeky the Clown - artist of laughter. He says he’s glad to be in the Guinness record book, but he’s happiest that he’s still able to clown, something he doesn’t plan to stop doing anytime soon.

1 herded   

群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动

参考例句：

• He herded up his goats. 他把山羊赶拢在一起。
• They herded into the corner. 他们往角落里聚集。

2 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

3 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

4 inclination   

n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好

参考例句：

• She greeted us with a slight inclination of the head.她微微点头向我们致意。
• I did not feel the slightest inclination to hurry.我没有丝毫着急的意思。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

9 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

10 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

11 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。

12 myth   

n.神话，神话故事

参考例句：

• The story has points of resemblance to a Hebrew myth.这个故事与某个希伯来神话有相似之处。
• The story is a pure myth.这故事纯属虚构。

13 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？