VOA慢速英语2017--美国摇滚巨星汤姆佩蒂去世

Remembering Rock Music Star Tom Petty¹

Americans are remembering rock musician Tom Petty.

Petty died on Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California. He was 66 years old.

Petty's family said he was taken to a hospital early Monday, but doctors could not help him. They said he died several hours later "surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends."

Petty and his band finished their most recent tour just last week at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

In December, Petty told Rolling Stone magazine that he thought this would be the group's last performances together. He said, "It's very likely we'll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don't think so. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking this might be the last big one."

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan was a friend of Petty’s. They performed together over 20 years ago in a group called the Traveling Wilburys.

In a statement to Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan said Petty’s death was “shocking, crushing² news.” The rock star added “He was a great performer, full of the light, a friend, and I’ll never forget him."

Petty was born on October 20, 1950 in Florida. The New York Times newspaper reported that he had a difficult childhood and did not do well in school.

Petty said he first wanted to become a rock and roll star after meeting Elvis Presley while Presley was in Florida filming a movie called “Follow That Dream.”

Petty rose to fame in the 1970s with his band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They were known for hits such as "American Girl," "Listen to Her Heart” and "You Got Lucky."

The group became members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

But alongside³ his success, Petty suffered from depression and turned to drugs. A 2015 biography⁴ told about his addiction⁵ to the drug heroin⁶ in the 1990s.

Warren Zanes wrote the book “Petty: The Biography.” Zanes told The Washington Post that Petty “had had encounters⁸ with people who did heroin, and he hit a point in his life when he did not know what to do with the pain he was feeling.”

Petty once told CNN, “Music, as far as I have seen in the world so far, is the only real magic that I know. There is something really honest and clean and pure and it touches you in your heart.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

encounter⁷ – n. an occasion⁹ when you deal with or experience something

tour – n. a series of related¹⁰ performances, appearances, competitions, etc., that occur at different places over a period of time

cardiac arrest – n. sudden, unexpected¹¹ loss of heart beat and breathing

biography – n. a book about someone’s life

1 petty   

adj.小的，琐碎的，不重要的，心胸狭窄的

参考例句：

• The removal of petty restrictions has made life easier.对一些琐碎规定的取消使生活更自在了。
• It was petty of her not to accept the apology.她气量太小，连道歉也不接受。

2 crushing   

adj. 打破得支离破碎的, 使不能在站起来, 压倒的 v. 动词crush的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• a crushing defeat in the election 在选举中的惨败
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity. 偷袭珍珠港（对美军来说）是一场毁灭性的灾难。

3 alongside   

adv.在旁边；prep.和...在一起，在...旁边

参考例句：

• There was a butcher's shop alongside the theatre.剧院旁边有一家肉店。
• Alongside of him stood his uncle.他的身旁站着他叔叔。

4 biography   

n.个人经历，传记

参考例句：

• He is now collecting material for a biography of Tao Yuanming.他正在为写陶渊明传记搜集材料。
• Boswell wrote a famous biography of Dr.White.鲍斯韦尔为怀特博士写过一本著名传记。

5 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

6 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

7 encounter   

v.遇到，偶然碰到；遭遇；n.遭遇；意外的相见

参考例句：

• It was a bloody encounter between the two armies. 这是那两军之间的一次激烈的遭遇战。
• A fortunate encounter brought the two friends together after a long separation.两位老朋友长期分离这次才有幸相遇。

8 encounters   

遭遇战( encounter的名词复数 )； [天文学]（向着某一天体的）接近； 突然遇到

参考例句：

• Encounters of like charges act to diminish the coagulation rate. 同性带电粒子间的碰撞作用减少凝聚率。
• At each stage of development the trematode encounters formidable hazards. 吸虫在发育的每一个阶段，都可能遭遇到极大的风险。

9 occasion   

n.场合，时机，机会，诱因，理由；vt.惹起，引起

参考例句：

• Her dress was too showy for such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，她的服装过分华丽了。
• Her tears were fought back on such an occasion.在这种场合下她忍住了眼泪。

10 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

11 unexpected   

adj.想不到的，意外的

参考例句：

• I always keep some good wine in for unexpected guests.我总保存些好酒，用来招待不速之客。
• His promotion was unexpected.他的升迁出人意料。