一、听力练习
1.
A. His awards and achievements in the film industry.
B. His personal life and family background.
C. His death and legacy as an actor.
D. His career in basketball and poetry.
2.
A. Mufasa in The Lion King.
B. Hamlet in Shakespeare's plays.
C. Darth Vader in the Star Wars series.
D. His work in television commercials.
3.
A. By taking speech therapy classes.
B. Through reading his poetry aloud.
C. By playing basketball.
D. By practicing with his grandparents.
二、听力文本
American actor James Earl Jones died Monday. He was 93 years old. His agent, Barry McPherson, said Jones died at his home in the Hudson Valley area of New York. The cause of death was not reported. Jones was probably most famous around the world for his performance as Darth Vader in the Star Wars movie series. In interviews, Jones said he loved playing the part of Darth Vader, and of being part of the Star Wars story. "When I walk out tonight there will be kids with posters to sign,” he once said. “I love it. I love that I was a part of that cult." His deep and powerful voice took on a career of its own. Jones voiced the part of Mufasa in The Lion King. He won a Grammy award in 1977 for the spoken word album, Great American Documents. But the voice did not come naturally to Jones. As a child, he suffered from a severe speech problem. James Earl Jones was born in the state of Mississippi in 1931. He had a severe stutter. As a result, he mostly stopped speaking. He moved to Michigan when he was six. His grandparents became his legal guardians and raised him there. In high school, Jones recovered his voice through his own poetry and the guidance of a teacher. Jones began to read his poems aloud to the class. His speaking improved. He went on to study acting at the University of Michigan. He also played on the university's basketball team. Jones then served in the United States Army from 1953 to 1955. In 1965, James Earl Jones became one of the first Black actors in America to play a continuing part on a daytime television drama. In his more than 70 years in show business, Jones played lead parts in many plays by William Shakespeare, including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Othello. He received Tony awards for several performances in Broadway plays, including The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987. He received Emmy awards for his work in television, as well. And in 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Jones an Oscar to recognize his work in film. His famous voice was also used in many television commercials. For years, the news network CNN has used Jones' voice recording, "This is CNN," for its station identification. James Earl Jones was married twice, both times to actors. He second wife, Cecilia Hart Flynn, died in 2016. Jones is survived by his son from his second marriage, Flynn Earl Jones, and his brother, Matthew. Jones continued to work well past the usual retirement age. His most recent work included performing again as Darth Vader in the Star Wars television miniseries Obi Wan Kenobi.
Question 1: What is the primary focus of the news report about James Earl Jones?
A. His awards and achievements in the film industry.
B. His personal life and family background.
C. His death and legacy as an actor.
D. His career in basketball and poetry.
Question 2: What role is James Earl Jones most famous for?
A. Mufasa in The Lion King.
B. Hamlet in Shakespeare's plays.
C. Darth Vader in the Star Wars series.
D. His work in television commercials.
Question 3: How did James Earl Jones overcome his speech problem as a child?
A. By taking speech therapy classes.
B. Through reading his poetry aloud.
C. By playing basketball.
D. By practicing with his grandparents.
三、重点词汇
1. guardian: Guardian refers to a person who is legally appointed to take care of another person, especially a minor or someone unable to care for themselves.监护人
四、背景知识
当地时间9月9日，美国著名非裔演员詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯（James Earl Jones）去世，享寿93岁。他在好莱坞及百老汇舞台上活跃近70载，是美国电视艾美奖、音乐格莱美奖、电影奥斯卡奖和戏剧托尼奖的大满贯得主。当然，普通观众更熟悉的，还是他配音演员的身份，《星球大战》系列中的大反派达斯·维达和《狮子王》系列中的辛巴爸爸木法沙两个角色最广为人知。因此，琼斯去世的消息传出后，当夜的纽约帝国大厦外立面上也亮起了达斯·维达的造型，以纪念这位早已永远留名美国流行文化史的演员。（背景知识来自于https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1809798143063375569&wfr=spider&for=pc）
五、参考答案
Question 1: C
Question 2: C
Question 3: B
六、网络翻译
美国演员詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯于周一去世，享年93岁。他的代理人巴里·麦克弗森表示，琼斯在纽约哈德逊河谷地区的家中去世，具体死因尚未公布。琼斯可能最为人所知的是他在《星球大战》系列电影中饰演达斯·维德。在采访中，琼斯曾表示他热爱扮演达斯·维德的角色，以及参与《星球大战》故事的机会。“当我今晚走出去时，会有孩子们来找我签名，”他曾说。“我爱这个。我爱我能成为这个文化的一部分。”他那深沉而有力量的声音也为他的职业生涯开辟了新的方向。琼斯在《狮子王》中为穆法萨配音。1977年，他因朗读专辑《伟大的美国文献》获得格莱美奖。但琼斯的声音并不是自然而然获得的。作为孩子，他曾遭受严重的语言障碍。詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯于1931年出生在密西西比州。由于严重的口吃，他几乎停止了说话。六岁时，他搬到了密歇根州。祖父母成为了他的法定监护人，并在那儿抚养他。在高中时，琼斯通过自己的诗歌和一位教师的指导恢复了自己的声音。他开始在课堂上朗读自己的诗，口语能力得到了改善。他随后在密歇根大学学习表演，并加入了大学的篮球队。琼斯于1953年至1955年间在美国陆军服役。1965年，詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯成为美国第一批在白天电视剧中担任持续角色的黑人演员之一。在他超过70年的演艺生涯中，琼斯在许多莎士比亚的剧作中担任主角，包括《哈姆雷特》、《麦克白》、《李尔王》和《奥赛罗》。他因在百老汇剧中的多次表演获得托尼奖，包括1969年的《伟大的白希望》和1987年的《篱笆》。他在电视工作中也获得了艾美奖。2011年，电影艺术与科学学院授予琼斯奥斯卡奖，以表彰他在电影中的贡献。他那著名的声音还用于许多电视广告。多年来，新闻网络CNN一直使用琼斯的声音录音“这是CNN”作为频道标识。詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯结过两次婚，均与演员有关。他的第二任妻子塞西莉亚·哈特·弗林于2016年去世。琼斯留下了第二次婚姻所生的儿子弗林·厄尔·琼斯和他的兄弟马修。琼斯在通常的退休年龄之后仍继续工作。他最近的工作包括在《星球大战》电视迷你剧《欧比·旺·肯obi》中再次扮演达斯·维德。
七、版权说明
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