VOA标准英语2012--Whitney Houston Inspires Young Music Students

Whitney Houston Inspires Young Music Students

Singer songwriter Brienne Moore, a second year student at USC, says the first record she ever owned was by Whitney Houston, and the music was always playing in her home.
“I just grew up listening to her. My parents always had her playing all the time, and she was a major, major influence,” said Houston.
Vocal¹ student Lara Johnston said she is still overwhelmed when she thinks of Whitney Houston's voice.
“She has such an incredible [vocal] instrument, like she had this stunning² power that would shock you, but she also had this real sweetness and gentle delicacy³ to her voice that her control was incredible,” said Johnston.
Lilliana de los Reyes is also studying voice. She said she was inspired by Houston's mastery on stage.
“The tone in her voice, she could take it to a whisper, and thousands of people were just silent, totally silent. So she could totally command a stage, and I admire her for that,” said de los Reyes.
But with fame came pressure, and Houston struggled with drug abuse. The cause of her death is still uncertain pending⁴ the results of toxicology tests. But those who knew her in her prime recall a consummate⁵ artist who was down-to-earth and a joy to work with.
Peter Baron⁶ worked at Arista Records for the legendary⁷ music producer Clive Davis. He oversaw⁹ production on Houston's early music videos.
“She was thrown into this world and thrown into the space of music videos and the space of being famous, and she just handled it like a total pro⁸, sweet and nice. And I had never worked with an artist like that before,” said Baron.
The pressures on big stars can be unrelenting, said USC's Associate Dean For Popular Music Chris Sampson.
“The pressure of maintaining success, of really thinking about how you're going to continue to keep your audience, is extraordinary. And I do know that people feel that pressure and a lot of times, insecurities creep in and that's part of something that has to be managed,” said Sampson.
But Houston's admirers, like Baron, say she created a legacy¹⁰ as a towering talent.
“I call her the greatest voice of all. It really, truly was.”
Student Brienne Moore keeps practicing one of her favorite Houston songs.
For many in this new generation of music students, Whitney Houston remains¹¹ an icon¹² who set a new standard for entertainers.

1 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

2 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

3 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

4 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

5 consummate   

adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle

参考例句：

• The restored jade burial suit fully reveals the consummate skill of the labouring people of ancient China.复原后的金缕玉衣充分显示出中国古代劳动人民的精湛工艺。
• The actor's acting is consummate and he is loved by the audience.这位演员技艺精湛，深受观众喜爱。

6 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

7 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。

8 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

9 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

10 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 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。