英语专业晨读美文-人物篇 3 How to Act 007

[00:00.00]How to Act 007—Sean Connery
[00:03.85]"My name is Bond—James Bond."
[00:09.65]Sean Connery informed the world's movie-goers in 1962.
[00:13.94]In seven Bond films over a span of 21 years, the tall,
[00:18.31]dark Scot came to embody¹ the suave² secret agent
[00:22.24] whose code name was known around the globe: 007.
[00:26.08]But it didn't go very smooth to be a successful star.
[00:29.35] The exception was Robert Henderson,
[00:31.65] a 47-year-old Yank who was directing South Pacific. One day,
[00:36.25] Henderson had a long talk with the muscle man
[00:39.05] whose determination seemed irrepressible.
[00:41.78]Connery told Henderson he hoped to become a professional soccer player.
[00:45.49]"Well look," said Henderson. "With soccer, at 28 or 30. it's all over.
[00:50.85] Then what do you do? Wouldn't you rather be an actor?" "How?"
[00:55.77]asked Connery, "I left school at 13."
[00:58.95]Henderson nodded. "You've practically no education.
[01:02.56]But you have an imagination and a mind.
[01:05.51]I will give you a list of ten books that you should read."
[01:08.68]The "ten" books that Henderson had mentioned were more like 200,
[01:12.95] including the complete works of Shakespeare,
[01:15.68]Thomas Wolfe and Oscar Wilde. But Connery tackled them every day,
[01:20.49]applying all the energy and tenacity³ he got from his parents.
[01:24.10]He would go to the library in the morning and stay till curtain time.
[01:28.15]Late at night, he would sit up with his tape recorder,
[01:31.10]hearing a voice that certainly wasn't Polish
[01:33.50]and was sounding a little less Scottish.
[01:36.24]Acting, he decided⁴ after a year of this,
[01:38.87]was going to be his career. And for his new life,
[01:42.37] Connery had chosen a new first name.
[01:45.54]Play it Connery did, and splendidly—five times in all in the 60s
[01:51.22] from Dr. No, from Russia with Love,
[01:53.82] Goldfinger and Thunderball to You Only Live Twice.
[01:58.09]His debonair⁵ charm and magnetic good looks on screen captivated audiences
[02:03.33]around the globe. Small boys from Chicago to Rome could tell you exactly
[02:08.04] what 007 said when Goldfinger threatened him with a laser:
[02:12.08]"Do you expect me to talk?"
[02:13.94]"No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die."
[02:16.67]But 007 did not die. The Bond pictures'
[02:20.50]success permitted Connery to move his wife, their son, Jason,
[02:24.55]and his stepdaughter into a town house overlooking London's Acton Park.
[02:29.14]He was also able to buy his parents a more comfortable home
[02:32.31]and persuade his father to retire.
[02:35.05] He also set up Scottish International Educational Trust with $1 million
[02:40.30]to help underprivileged Scots go to college.

1 embody   

vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录

参考例句：

• The latest locomotives embody many new features. 这些最新的机车具有许多新的特色。
• Hemingway's characters plainly embody his own values and view of life.海明威笔下的角色明确反映出他自己的价值观与人生观。

2 suave   

adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的

参考例句：

• He is a suave,cool and cultured man.他是个世故、冷静、有教养的人。
• I had difficulty answering his suave questions.我难以回答他的一些彬彬有礼的提问。

3 tenacity   

n.坚韧

参考例句：

• Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
• The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 debonair   

adj.殷勤的，快乐的

参考例句：

• He strolled about,look very debonair in his elegant new suit.他穿了一身讲究的新衣服逛来逛去，显得颇为惬意。
• He was a handsome,debonair,death-defying racing-driver.他是一位英俊潇洒、风流倜傥、敢于挑战死神的赛车手。