Bob Dylan Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
American musical icon Bob Dylan
has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Dylan, who is now
seventy-five, hails from Duluth, Minnesota. In 1960,
he dropped out of college and changed his name from Robert Zimmerman to Bob
Dylan. The next year, he moved to New York to pursue a musical career.
Dylan started out as
an earnest folk singer and was influenced by early folk music pioneers like Pete Seeger and Woody
Guthrie. Like his idols, he wrote songs about the poor working class people of
America and their struggles, and travelled around singing them to whoever would
listen. As his songbook grew and his talent bloomed, Dylan penned
songs that became anthems for the so-called “Flower Power” generation, who were young
people growing up in the turbulent decade of the 1960s. The popularity of songs like “Blowing in the
Wind”, “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” led journalists to call
Dylan “the voice of a generation”. Dylan hated being labeled this way and was
never shy about voicing his displeasure when reporters called him this in
interviews and articles. He didn’t want the pressure and responsibility of
being anybody’s spokesperson, and his
sudden fame made him uncomfortable. He just wanted to make music and to be
himself.
The decision to award
Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature came as something of a surprise, but is
being widely applauded. This marks
the first time the honor has been given to a musician, although Dylan’s talents
actually extend far beyond music. He is a talented writer who has authored an autobiography and
released a collection of his poetry. His written prose flows
with a unique, unmistakable style that is as instantly recognizable as his singing voice. He draws
and paints, and his artworks are sold to collectors for considerable amounts
of money.
The Nobel Prize was
awarded to recognizes Dylan’s musical output over several decades. His selection by the
Nobel Committee is an affirmation of his
genius and a recognition of his seemingly boundless creativity at the highest level.
Amazingly, even at
his advanced age,
Dylan is still performing at venues around the world. His touring schedule is a punishing one that would easily wipe out most artists
half his age. As one of the most influential artists of all time, he is truly a
living legend.
Reading Comprehension
( )
1. According to the passage, why is
the decision to award Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature something of a
surprise?
(A) Dylan is known more for painting
and drawing than literature.
(B) Dylan always hated being labelled
as “the voice of a generation”.
(C) Dylan is now seventy-five, an advanced
age.
(D) This marks the first time the
honor has been given to a musician.
( )
2. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a song written by Bob Dylan?
(A) “Blowing in the Wind” (B)
“Like a Rolling Stone”
(C) “Flower Power” (D) “Mr.
Tambourine Man”
( )
3. According to the passage, what did Bob Dylan write songs about in the early
days of his career?
(A) His hometown of Duluth,
Minnesota.
(B) His idols, Pete Seeger and Woody
Guthrie.
(C) The City of New York.
(D) The working class people of
America and their struggles.
( )
4. It could be inferred from the passage that ______.
(A) although famous, Bob Dylan is a
private person
(B) although poor, Bob Dylan is a
creative person
(C) although rich, Bob Dylan is a person
who loves fame
(D) although a famous artist, Bob
Dylan is still working class
( ) 5. According to the passage, which of
the following statements is true?
(A) Bob Dylan doesn’t perform much
anymore.
(B) Bob Dylan did most of his
performing in 1961.
(C) Bob Dylan still performs a lot
now.
(D) Bob Dylan’s best performances
were all during the 1960s.
Vocabulary and Phrases
1. icon [`aIkAn] n.
[C] 偶像
Iggy
Pop has been a punk icon since 1960s. He has influenced a lot of punk
band until now.
2.
earnest [`3nIst] adj. 認真的，熱中的
Robert is an earnest student who always takes note
in class and studies in the library after class.
3. pioneer [&paI1`nIr] n.
[C] 先驅者
The Soviet film
director, Sergei Eisenstein, was a pioneer
of the theory and use of montage (蒙太奇).
4.
bloom [blum] vi. 開花
Most plants flower in the spring
while the Chinese plum tree blooms
in the winter.
5. pen [pEn] vt. 作(詩、文章等)
The writer who penned several novels about mysterious
events becomes more and more popular around the world.
6.
anthem [`8nT1m] n. [C]
聖歌
national
anthem 國歌
Before the beginning of the
baseball game, national anthems of each country are played.
7.
journalist [`dZ3n1lIst] n. [C] 新聞記者
The journalist
tries her best to be neutral (中立的). In other words, she tries
hard to avoid putting her personal opinions or comments into her reports.
8.
spokesperson [`spoks&p3sN] n. [C] 發言人
The presidential spokesperson confirmed
that the president will visit some countries in South America for the first
time.
9.
applaud [1`plOd] vi. 鼓掌，喝采
When the opera ended and the curtain fell,
the audience stood up and applauded excitedly.
10. autobiography [&Ot1baI`Agr1fI] n. [C]
自傳
The autobiography of the famous actor
reveals a lot of anecdotes (軼事) that few
people knew.
11. unmistakable [^nm1`stek1bL] adj. 不會錯的，明顯的
Even though I couldn’t
see the man walking to me in the dark night, I heard his unmistakable voice and knew that he is my father.
12. recognizable [`rEk1g&naIz1bL] adj. 可認出的，可辨認的
Those
photographs taken by Jenny are immediately recognizable
because of the bright color and unique composition (構圖).
13. considerable [k1n`sId1r1bL]
adj. 相當多(或重要)的
When it comes
to friendship, respect and trust are of considerable
importance.
14. output [`a5&p5t] n.
[U][C] usu. sing. 產出
The writer is famous for her creative output. Almost all of her novels are bestsellers.
15. committee [k1`mItI] n. [C]
委員會
The Gender Equality Committee aims to promote gender-equality awareness
and eliminate gender bias in our society.
16. affirmation [&8f2`meS1n] n. [U][C]
肯定；確認
Betty regards her employer’s compliment as an affirmation of her hard work.
17. boundless [`ba5ndl1s] adj. 無限的，無盡的
The kitten looks as if it has boundless
energy that it can run and jump all the day without taking a rest.
18. venue [`vEnju] n. [C]
(運動會、會議等的)舉辦地點
Harris didn’t check
his mail this morning, so he didn’t know that the venue of the conference was changed to another one.
Words for
Recognition
1.
Nobel Prize 諾貝爾獎
2.
hail [hel] vt. 歡迎，歡呼
3.
Duluth 杜魯斯
位於美國明尼蘇達州的港口。
4.
Minnesota 明尼蘇達州
為美國中西部最大州之一，有眾多的河流和湖泊。
5.
folk singer 民謠歌手
6.
Pete Seeger 皮特．西格 (1919~2014)
是美國民歌復興運動的先驅，有「美國現代民歌之父」之稱。他時常參與各種抗議運動。二戰結束後，西格成立了「人民之歌(People’s Song)」，為美國史上第一個民歌手組成的組織。
7.
Woody Guthrie 伍迪．蓋瑟瑞 (1912~1967)
美國著名民歌手，歌曲多為社會底層的勞動者所創作。他在自己的吉他上寫著「這把吉他會殺死法西斯主義者(This Machine Kills Fascists)」。
8.
Flower Power 權力歸花
「權力歸花」是美國1960年代末期到1970年代初期盛行的口號，源於反越戰的抗爭，代表消極抵抗以及非暴力思想。此時期的嬉皮(Hippies)會將花朵穿戴在身上，並發放花朵給路人，他們又被稱作「花的孩子」。
9.
turbulent [`t3bj1l1nt] adj. 動盪的
10.
tambourine [&t8mb1`rIn] n. [C] 鈴鼓
11. prose [proz] n. [U] 散文
12.
advanced [1d`v8nst] adj. 年老的
13. punishing [`p^nISI9] adj. 繁重的
Translation
巴布‧狄倫獲頒諾貝爾文學獎
美國音樂偶像巴布‧狄倫獲頒諾貝爾文學獎。今年七十五歲的狄倫來自明尼蘇達杜魯斯，受當地人們歡迎。1960年，他放棄大學學業，並將姓名從羅伯‧齊默曼改為巴布‧狄倫。隔年，他搬到紐約去追尋音樂事業。
狄倫一開始就是個認真的民謠歌手，他受許多早期民歌先驅的影響，如皮特‧西格與伍迪‧蓋瑟瑞。他跟他的偶像一樣，寫的歌是關於美國工人階級與他們的奮鬥抗爭，他旅行到各地，唱給任何願意聆聽的人。隨著他的歌本的豐富以及才華的展現，在那個動盪的1960年代，他寫的歌成為「權力歸花」運動世代的頌歌。他最有名的歌如〈隨風飄搖〉、〈像一塊滾石〉、〈鈴鼓先生〉，讓記者們稱他為「一個世代的聲音」，但狄倫厭惡標籤化，當有記者在採訪或文章中這麼稱呼他時，他從不諱言表達自己的不悅，他不想承擔成為任何發言人的壓力及責任，因此一夕成名讓他不自在，他只是想做音樂還有做自己。
狄倫獲得諾貝爾文學獎的決定出乎意料，但也得到眾多的讚賞，他是第一個獲得此殊榮的音樂家，儘管狄倫的才華其實遠遠超越音樂的層面。他是位有才華的作家，曾寫過一本自傳並發行過一本詩集，他的散文流露出一股獨特、明顯的風格，就如同他的歌聲一樣能立即辨認。他也畫畫，透過賣畫作給收藏家獲得相當多的錢。
諾貝爾獎肯定了狄倫這幾十年來的音樂產出，諾貝爾委員會的選擇是對他的天份的肯定，也是對他那似乎無限的高水平創作力的認可。
令人感到驚奇的是，即使狄倫年事已高，他仍在世界各地表演，他繁重的巡迴行程表輕易地就能擊敗許多年齡不到他一半的藝人。身為有史以來最具影響力的藝人之一，巴布‧狄倫的確是個在世的傳奇人物。
閱讀測驗解答：1. D
2. C 3. D 4. A 5. C
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