2015年去世的吉他手、棒球运动员与政治领袖

Guitarist King, Baseball's Berra Among Those Lost in 2015 2015年去世的吉他手、棒球运动员与政治领袖

Musicians, actors and politicians were among the notable people who passed away this past year. Some were famous. Others, not so well-known, made behind the scene contributions.

Guitarist B.B. King, who thrilled his fans with songs like The Thrill is Gone, left an indelible mark on blues¹ music. His style was unusual in that he didn’t like to sing and play at the same time. Almost to the time of his death at age 89, he was still performing.

Composer James Horner scored some of the most memorable² music in movies for more than 25 years, including the story of the sinking Titanic³, which earned him two Academy Awards. At age 61, he tragically⁴ died in a plane crash.

Horner also composed music for the film, A Beautiful Mind, inspired by the brilliant but eccentric mathematician⁵, John Nash, who struggled with schizophrenia. Nash, who was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize for economics, died in a car crash in May.

Actor Leonard Nimoy will be forever known as the logical science officer, Mr. Spock, from the Star Trek⁶ TV series and films.  He had other parts but could never escape the half-human, half-Vulcan role that made him popular.

Egyptian-born actor Omar Sharif, was a leading man in the 1960s classic Lawrence of Arabia that catapulted him to fame. He appeared in more than 100 films, including Doctor Zhivago, where audiences loved his portrayal⁷ of a young doctor in a love triangle.

Political leaders

In the political arena⁸, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, a powerful U.S. ally against al-Qaida, sought to modernize⁹ the conservative kingdom with increasing reforms. But his first priority was to counter the influence of Iran.

The first and longest-serving prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew¹⁰, was in power for 31 years until he stepped down in 1990. He was feared for his strict law-and-order policies and admired for business practices that turned Singapore into a high-technology and financial hub.

Kim Young Sam, the pro-democracy president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998, formally ended decades of military rule. In a country marked by military coups¹¹, he laid the foundation for a peaceful transfer of power.

Julian Bond was a longtime U.S.civil rights activist¹² who was on the front lines of protests that led to the nation’s landmark¹³ civil rights laws. For 10 years, Bond was the chairman of the NAACP, an organization that fights discrimination against blacks.

American painter and sculptor¹⁴ Ellsworth Kelly was famous for his brightly colored abstract art. His vivid, geometrical paintings are in some of the most prestigious¹⁵ art museums.

Celebrity¹⁶ novelist Jackie Collins thrilled millions of readers with her scandalous tales of Hollywood. Her popular books include Hollywood Wives, which sold 15 million copies around the world.

One of baseball’s beloved stars, Yogi Berra, died at age 90. When he was a catcher with the New York Yankees, his team won the World Series 10 times. Berra is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

3 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

4 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

5 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

6 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

7 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。

8 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

9 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

10 yew   

n.紫杉属树木

参考例句：

• The leaves of yew trees are poisonous to cattle.紫杉树叶会令牛中毒。
• All parts of the yew tree are poisonous,including the berries.紫杉的各个部分都有毒，包括浆果。

11 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

12 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。

13 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

14 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

15 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

16 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。