读点好英文:Oprah Winfrey, a RefuIgent SouI　逆风飞扬

Oprah Winfrey, a RefuIgent SouI　逆风飞扬

·Terry·

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most exciting, highest paid, and best-loved celebrities in America. She is also the country's top television talk show host.Oprah Winfrey is a very fine actress and a successful producer.She is a living example of what talent, hard work, and determination can do.

Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from her poor childhood home in a small Mississippi town. She was an unwanted child whose parents never married.She was brought up on her grandmother's farm.The possibiIity that she would become rich and famous was not very good.

Oprah's mother left her child in her mother's care, so she could go to work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a strict and difficult life for Oprah.But it also led the way for her future.She was a highly inteIIigent child.By the age of three, she had learned to read and write.She also made her first public appearance at that age.She gave a talk in church, which impressed everyone.“That child is gifted，”people said.

Oprah's intelligence was resented by other children her age. They called her unkind names and pushed her away.Oprah felt very isoIated and unwanted.It made her feel worse that she didn't live with her mother and father.She felt that no one loved her.This made her angry, resentful, and rebellious.These feelings brought her much trouble as she was growing up.She often behaved badly, causing her grandmother to punish her.By the time Oprah was seven, she was too much for her grandmother to discipline.Then Oprah went to live with her mother, Vernita, in Milwaukee.

Vernita worked very hard at her job as a housekeeper. It was hard for her to work and take care of her bright, troublesome child.Oprah was a burden, and she knew it.They lived in poverty in a small apartment in the city.Oprah took out all her angry feelings on her mother.She was a difficult child.When Oprah was eight, Vernita sent her to live with her father and stepmother in Nashville, Tennessee.But she moved again a few months later when Vernita married a man with two children.Vernita wanted Oprah with her and her new family.

Unfortunately she felt she didn't belong with them. She believedshewasn't loved by anyone.Her anger and frustration grew stronger.She struck back by misbehaving and running away from home.Her parents found her impossible to discipline.When she was 14 they tried to send her to a special center for troubled girls.But there was no room for her.So Vernita sent Oprah back to live with her father.Vernon Winfrey was by then a successful businessman and family man.He took one look at his daughter and knew she needed guidance, love, and discipline.He gave her all three.It was a turning point in Oprah's life.Vernon Winfrey was strict about hisdaughter's education.He gave her homework in addition to her schoolwork.She was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day.She became an A student and a popular girl in her class.

Oprah watched Barbara Walters, a famous journalist and interviewer, and decided that was what she wanted to be. When shewas still in high school, she got a part-time job reading news on the radio.In her senior year she won a beauty contest and a four-year scholarship to TennesseeState University.While still in college she was offered a job as a news broadcaster at a local television station.She was the first female and the first African-American newscaster in Nashville.She was promoted to anchor, the most important position on the news team, while still a senior.

After Oprah graduated she got a job with a Baltimore news station. But she soon realized that broadcasting news wasn't enough for her.She had to let her personality shine through.She wanted to show emotion when she told a story, not just report it.Meanwhile the station managers were thinking the same way.They couldn't stop her from commenting on the news she read.They removed her from the anchor spot and wondered what to do with her.Finally they put her on an early morning talk show called People Are Talking.No one knew what to expect.

The show was a great success. In a very short time, the managers and Oprah all knew what she was born to do.She was funny, witty, charming, warm, and compassionate.She was everything a talk show host should be.She was so successful that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago.It was called A.M.Chicago.Within one month the show's ratings were the best in years.Twice she left the show to make movies, The Color Purple and Native Son.In 1985 the show was changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show.It was broadcast nationally and soon became the most popular talk show on television.By the age of 35，Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous celebrities in America.

特里

奥普拉·温弗瑞是美国最令人激动的、薪水最高的和最受观众喜爱的知名人士之一，她还是美国顶级脱口秀节目主持人、非常优秀的女演员和成功的制片人。（要问）才华、勤奋和决心能成就什么，她就是一个鲜活的例子。

奥普拉·温弗瑞来自遥远的密西西比的一个小镇中的贫穷家庭。她的父母没有结婚就生下了她，她在外婆的农场里长大成人，对她来说，发财和成名的可能性都非常小。

奥普拉·温弗瑞的妈妈将小奥普拉交给外祖母看管，这样，她就能去威斯康星州的密尔瓦基市工作了。生活对奥普拉·温弗瑞来说既严格又艰难，但这引领她走向了属于她的未来。奥普拉是个非常聪明的孩子，三岁时，已经学会了读书认字，并第一次在舞台上公开演出。奥普拉·温弗瑞在教堂的讲话，给人们留下了很好的印象，人们都说她“这孩子很有天赋”。

奥普拉·温弗瑞的聪明遭到了同龄孩子的嫉恨。他们辱骂她，排斥她。奥普拉·温弗瑞感到孤独无助。不能和爸爸妈妈住在一起使她心情更糟，她感到没人喜欢她。这一切造就了她愤怒、怨恨和反叛的性格。随着年龄的增长，这给她带来了很多麻烦。她经常不守规矩，招来外婆的惩罚。七岁时，外婆再也管不了她了。后来，奥普拉就去和在密尔瓦基的妈妈——沃尼塔一起生活。

给别人做女管家，沃尼塔干得非常卖力。既要工作又要照顾她那聪明而又常惹事生非的孩子使她很辛苦，奥普拉也感觉到自己是妈妈的负担。她们住在市里的一个小公寓里，日子过得很清贫。奥普拉将所有的火气都发到了妈妈的身上。孩子成了沃尼塔的一个大麻烦。奥普拉八岁时，妈妈把她送到了田纳西州的纳什维尔的生父和继母那里。后来，沃尼塔和一个带有两个孩子的男人结了婚，她把奥普拉接了回来，因为她想要奥普拉与她和她的新家在一起。

不幸的是，奥普拉感到自己不属于这个家，她觉得谁也不爱她。她的愤恨与挫折感越发强烈，于是就用不守规矩和离家出走来进行反击。奥普拉的妈妈觉得无望管教好女儿，于是在奥普拉十四岁那年试图把她送到管教麻烦女孩的特别中心，但那里已经没有地方了，于是沃尼塔又把奥普拉送到她爸爸那里去了。弗农·温弗瑞当时已经再婚，并且是一位成功的商人。他观察了他的女儿，了解到她需要引导、爱和管教。她需要的，他都给予了，这成了奥普拉人生的转折点。弗农·温弗瑞对女儿的教育要求非常严格，除学校的作业外，他还给她布置家庭作业，并且一天只允许她看一小时的电视。奥普拉成了班上最优秀的学生，成了班里受欢迎的女孩儿。

奥普拉看到了著名的新闻记者和采访人芭芭拉·沃尔特斯，决心成为像她那样的人。刚上高中时，奥普拉就在广播电台做兼职，播新闻。到了更高年级时，她在一次选美大赛中胜出，赢取了田纳西州立大学四年的助学金。到了大学时期，她在当地一家电视台播报新闻。她是纳什维尔市获取这种工作的第一位女性和第一位美国黑人。大学四年级时，奥普拉晋升为新闻播报负责人，这是新闻组最重要的位置。

大学毕业后，奥普拉在巴尔的摩市电视台谋得工作。她很快不满足于播报新闻，想要充分展示自己的个性，满怀激情地讲述而非简单地播送。与此同时，电视台的经理也在琢磨这个问题，他们无法阻拦她播送新闻时的评论。他们将她调离新闻负责人的职位，但不知道该让她干什么好，最后安排她主持早晨脱口秀——《大家谈》，没人知道结果会是怎样。

节目取得了极大的成功！经理认为奥普拉天生就是干这个的，奥普拉也这么认为。风趣、机智、热情、魅力四射、富有同情心，她具备了脱口秀主持人所应具备的全部素质。她非常成功，在芝加哥一家更大的电视台主持脱口秀节目——《早安芝加哥》。一个月内这档节目的收视率就创下了历年的新高。她第二次离开脱口秀主持人位置，转而去拍电影《紫色与本土人》。1985年，她主持的节目更名为《奥普拉秀》，在全美国播放，《奥普拉秀》一跃成为最富人气的电视脱口秀节目。到了奥普拉·温弗瑞三十五岁时，她成了全美国知名度最高的人士之一。

核心单词

possibiIity[，pɔsi'biliti]n.可能性；可能的事

inteIIigent[in'telidʒənt]adj.有才智的；聪明的；明智的

isoIated['aisəleitid]adj.（被）孤立的，（被）分离的，（被）隔离的

behave[bi'heiv]v.表现；行为举止

stepmother['step, mʌðə]n.继母，后母

frustration[frʌs'treiʃən]n.挫折，失败，挫败

remove[ri'mu：v]v.移动，搬开；调动

witty['witi]adj.机智的；诙谐

实用句型

She was so successfuI that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago.

她非常成功，在芝加哥一家更大的电视台主持脱口秀。①so……that在这里引导结果状语从句。

②successful成功的，-ful这个形容词后缀表示“富有……的”“充满……的”，类似的词还有powerful有力的，peaceful和平的，helpful有帮助的，forgetful易忘的等。

翻译练习

1.这些问题你应该在可行性报告中提出。（bring up）

2.约翰医生强调不仅要改变饮食还要锻炼身体。（in addition to）

3.他的残忍与犯罪仅距一步之遥。（remove from）