英语名人堂：布兰妮·斯皮尔斯

布兰妮·斯皮尔斯（Britney Spears），1981年12月2日出生于美国路易斯安那州，美国女歌手、演员。

童年时期，布兰妮加盟电视节目《米老鼠俱乐部》后开始演艺生涯。1997年，她与Jive唱片公司签约成为旗下艺人。1999年，布兰妮发行首张专辑，凭借首张个人单曲《爱的初告白》而成名[1]  。2000年，发行第二张录音室专辑《爱的再告白》，首周售出一百三十一万张，创造了史上女歌手首周销量最高记录。[2]  2001年，她被英国女王伊丽莎白二世册封为爵士，接受亚历山德拉公主授予的王室荣誉勋章。2003年，她凭借《Toxic》获得格莱美最佳舞曲录制奖。2011年，她获得MTV音乐录影带MV先锋奖。2013年，布兰妮为电影《蓝精灵2》献唱主题曲《Ooh La La》，并发行专辑《Britney Jean》，同年布兰妮在美国拉斯维加斯开启Britney:Piece of Me驻唱演出。2014年11月拉斯维加斯所在的克拉克郡委员会主席Steve Sisolak为布兰妮颁发了城市钥匙，鉴于布兰妮Piece of Me驻唱演出为赌城拉斯维加斯带来的巨大收益，11月5日被定为"布兰妮日"。[3]  2016年，布兰妮被美国公告牌音乐奖授予千禧成就大奖[4] 

 

Britney Spears was born in Mississippi, USA in 1981. She is one of the world’s best-selling singers, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She also writes songs and acts. She led a revival¹ of teen pop in the late 1990s, which helped her become a star. She is also famous for her problems with drugs and alcohol.

 

Spears was a budding gymnast when she was a child and competed in many tournaments. She also sang and danced in her local church shows. She spent several summers developing her talent at a performing arts school in New York. When she was 11, she appeared in the Disney Channel’s New Mickey Mouse Club. She signed a recording² contract at the age of 16.

 

Spears released her debut³ single "Baby One More Time” in 1998. It was an instant international success and ranks as the 38th best song of all time. The album of the same name sold 28 million copies and is the best selling album for a teenager. Spears broke many records and won many awards. She had established herself as a pop phenomenon.

 

Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity⁴ in 2002 by ‘Forbes’ magazine. She released four more albums, which cemented her status as a superstar. Her personal life has been less successful. Her four-year relationship with Justin Timberlake ended in 2002. She married dancer Kevin Federline in 2004 and divorced him in 2007. She is currently fighting for custody⁵ of their two sons.

1 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

2 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。