2006年VOA标准英语-Kenny Rogers Releases Water and Bridges

By Mary Morningstar
Washington
01 April 2006

 
Kenny Rogers
  
Legendary¹ singer Kenny Rogers has recorded more than 60 albums that have sold over 100 million copies worldwide.  He made his first appearance on the charts in 1957, and has charted every decade since.  Kenny Rogers is continuing his streak² of success with his new CD, Water And Bridges.

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Kenny Rogers returned to Capitol Records last year for the release³ of his first album in three years, Water And Bridges.  Kenny was originally signed to the label from 1976 to 1983.  During that time, he achieved international hits with songs like "Lucille" and "The Gambler⁴."  Kenny says, "Aside from Capitol being the place where I had the majority of my big successes, the fact that I'm again with a label which truly believes that I have a future in contemporary radio is what makes this exciting." 

Kenny collected songs for Water And Bridges from some of the best songwriters in Nashville.  He describes the album this way:

"It's a body of work.  All said and done, I want to be able to do some things that I'm proud of.  I mean, I'm thrilled and proud of my success -- you know, to do more love songs and to do more of this thing, but now some of these songs really have some wonderful social comments to make," he said.

Kenny addresses such topics as the emotional⁵ toll⁶ of abortion⁷ and the importance of a clean environment.  A track called "My Petition⁸" tells the story of a young boy's letter to the President.  In it, he asks for help to put an end to everything from world hunger and AIDS to crime and homelessness.

Kenny's past success included many hit duets.  They included collaborations with Dottie West, Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton and Kim Carnes.  For Water And Bridges, he recorded one duet, "Calling Me," which teamed him with the Eagles' Don Henley. 

Despite the changing trends in Country music, Kenny finds ways to keep his style relevant⁹ with each album.  During his long career, he's taken 21 songs to the top of Billboard's Country chart.  His most recent was "Buy Me A Rose" in 2000.  It topped the list when he was 61-years-old, making him the oldest singer in the Country chart's history to reach Number One.  Now 67, Kenny tells us what is most important to him at this stage of his life and career.

"I have a friend who's a psychologist," he added.  "We were having dinner one night and I told him that it really bothered me that success was no longer important to me.  He said, 'An interesting thing happens to men as you get older, particularly if you've been successful.  You stop striving¹⁰ for success and you start striving for significance.'  And he said, 'It's a wonderful place to be in your life.'"

The first single from Water And Bridges has become a big hit on Country radio.

1 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

2 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

3 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

4 gambler   

n.赌博者；赌徒

参考例句：

• The gambler sponged a cigarette from the man sitting next to him. 那个赌徒向坐在他旁边的人讨支烟抽。
• He was notorious as a gambler. 他是臭名昭著的赌徒。

5 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

8 petition   

n.请愿书，申请书，诉状；v.请愿，正式请求

参考例句：

• Thousands of citizens subscribed the petition.几千名公民在请愿书上签名。
• The number of signers of the petition for a new school snowballed.要求增设新学校而签名的人像滚雪球似的越来越多。

9 relevant   

adj.有关的，贴切的

参考例句：

• I don't think his remarks are relevant to our discussion.我认为他的话不切我们的议题。
• These materials are relevant to the case.这些材料与这案件有关。

10 striving   

v.努力奋斗，力求( strive的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The swimmer was striving against the current. 游泳者正在和激浪搏斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rows of dragons pull downstream, each striving to take the lead. 各色各状造型的“蛟龙”如箭离弦，顺流而下，欲争群龙首。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译