20110111 Will Power (2)

Will Power

When Smith was 16 years old, he met a disc jockey named Jeff Townes at a party. For years Smith had been interested in rap music, creating rhymes with a comedic twist and dreaming of someday making it big. The two adolescents quickly became friends and began to produce music, Townes acting as DJ and Smith as rapper. Soon, the duo became known as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and released their first album before Smith even graduated from high school. By the time he was 18, Smith was a millionaire.

Known for their parent-friendly, squeaky-clean lyrics, the duo won the first-ever Grammy award for Best Rap Performance in 1989. As Smith's musical success soared, another show business opportunity presented itself. In 1990 he was cast as himself in the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Although he had no prior acting experience, audiences were immediately drawn to Smith and watched in delight as the sitcom propelled him further into the spotlight. The show would run for six seasons, making Smith a household name and paving the way for even greater success.

squeaky adj. 吱吱響的

squeaky-clean adj. 純潔的一塵不染的

=> 東西乾淨到摸得時候會發出吱吱饗的聲音，即純潔的一塵不染的

eg: After washing the car for two hours, the windshields were squeaky-clean.

=> 洗車兩個小時下來，擋風玻璃乾淨到一塵不染。

eg: The singer lost her squeaky-clean image after the scandal was exposed.

=> 醜聞爆發之後，這位歌手純潔的形象被破壞了。

soar v. 高飛/猛增

=> fly very high in the air

eg: The eagle soared into the sky.

=> 老鷹高飛衝向天際

eg: The price of copper soared when the mines collapsed.

=> 礦坑一崩塌，銅的價格就飛漲。

eg: The football team's performance soared after a series of difficulties during training.

=> 訓練時經過一連串的困難之後，這支足球隊的表現一飛衝天。

prior adj. 之前的/先前的

eg: His references from his prior jobs are really impressive.

=> 他之前工作的推薦信讓人印象深刻

eg: No prior knowledge of computers is required in this course.

=> 這堂課程不需要事先會電腦

prior to ... 在某個時間點之前

eg: A month prior to her graduation, Chloe had already found a job.

=> 在畢業前的一個月，Chloe已經找到工作了。

disc jockey [DJ] (電臺)唱片音樂節目主持人

comedic twist

adolescent n. 青少年

duo

=> two people

parent-friendly

=> friendly to parent

=> appropriate for children to listen

In 1990 he was cast as himself in the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

=> he acted not as another character, but he actually acted like himself

For years Smith had been interested in rap music, creating rhymes with a comedic twist and dreaming of someday making it big.

=> 這裡的making it big為become famous

Although he had no prior acting experience, audiences were immediately drawn to Smith

=> he has no acting experience prior to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

household name 家喻戶曉的名字

=> a person who is very well-known

//== Chat room ==//

As Smith's musical success soared, another show business opportunity presented itself.

=> 這裡的musical為形容詞，意思為音樂的

=> musical success 音樂上的成功

=> Smith在音樂上的成功快速的進展

musical n.音樂片或音樂舞台劇

eg: I'm going to see a musical tonight.

=> 我今晚要去觀賞一齣音樂劇

show business 演藝界

eg: There's No Business Like Show Business.

=> 没有什麼比演藝事業更棒的行業了

=> 有一首經典的英文歌曲叫做There's No Business Like Show Business.

scene n. 某個活耀的場面

eg: the fashion scene 時裝界

eg: the political scene 政界