VOA常速英语2008年-Hollywood Actor Charlton Heston Dies

By Kent Klein
Washington
06 April 2008

Legendary¹ Hollywood actor and political activist² Charlton Heston has died at the age of 84. VOA's Kent Klein tells us more about the man who was known for playing larger-than-life figures in the movies, and for his conservative political activities off the screen.

Charlton Heston was a Hollywood icon³. His square jaw⁴, broad shoulders and resonant⁵ voice served him well in big-budget historical movies in the 1950's and '60's.

He portrayed⁶ a series of heroic figures: Andrew Jackson, El Cid, John the Baptist, Michelangelo, Marc Antony, Cardinal⁷ Richelieu, King Henry the Eighth, and, in the 1956 Biblical epic⁸ The Ten Commandments, Moses.

"Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation⁹ of the Lord! The Lord of Hosts will do battle for us! Behold¹⁰ His mighty¹¹ hand!"

Three years later, Heston won the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal¹² of a chariot racer in ancient Rome, in Ben-Hur.

"I am Judah Ben-Hur."

And he fought an army of gorillas¹³ in the successful science fiction series, Planet of the Apes.

"Take your stinking¹⁴ paws off of me, you damn dirty ape!"

As film critic Leonard Maltin says, Charlton Heston is best remembered for the big roles.

"He starred in Westerns and adventure films, in science fiction films," said Maltin. "But he could never quite escape the identification with larger-than-life people."

Heston appeared in more than 70 films, as well as numerous stage productions and television programs.

He assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. Heston served as president of the Screen Actors Guild¹⁵ and chairman of the American Film Institute. He marched in the civil rights movement and supported Democratic candidates such as John F. Kennedy.

Later, Heston's political views grew more conservative. He campaigned for Republicans like Ronald Reagan, and in 1998, he was elected president of the National Rifle Association, a lobbying organization dedicated¹⁶ to protecting Americans' constitutional right to own guns.

At one NRA meeting he held a rifle over his head and said there was only one way anyone could take his gun away.

"From my cold, dead hands," said Charlton Heston.

"When he held up that firearm above his head and said 'from my cold, dead hands,' I mean, America understood that," said Wayne LaPierre.

Wayne LaPierre is the National Rifle Association's Executive Vice¹⁷ President.

"They are going, 'We are not going to lose our freedom to own firearms in this country, and these politicians are not going to take that away from us," he said. "It is our right under the Constitution of the United States.' And he had an immediate¹⁸ connection with the American public when he did that."

Heston stepped down as NRA president in 2003. That same year, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian¹⁹ honor.

Heston took a number of other controversial stands in his later years. He resigned from Actors Equity²⁰, claiming the union's refusal to allow a white actor to play a Eurasian role in Miss Saigon was racist²¹. And he went to a Time Warner stockholders' meeting and condemned²² the company for releasing a rap album that he said encouraged the killing²³ of police officers.

Heston's final battle was against Alzheimer's disease. He told the public about it in 2002.

"I am neither giving up nor giving in," said Heston. "I believe I am still the fighter that Dr. [Martin Luther] King and JFK and Ronald Reagan knew. But it is a fight I must someday call a draw."

A family spokesman did not comment on what caused Charlton Heston's death. He died at his home in Los Angeles, with his wife Lydia at his side. They had been married 64 years.

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 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

4 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

5 resonant   

adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的

参考例句：

• She has a resonant voice.她的嗓子真亮。
• He responded with a resonant laugh.他报以洪亮的笑声。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

8 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

9 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

10 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

11 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

12 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

13 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 stinking   

adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room. 我被推进一间又脏又臭的屋子里。
• Those lousy, stinking ships. It was them that destroyed us. 是的！就是那些该死的蠢猪似的臭飞船！是它们毁了我们。 来自英汉非文学 - 科幻

15 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

16 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

17 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

18 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

19 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

20 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

21 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

22 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

23 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。