AS IT IS 2015-12-30 “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over”: Yogi Berra and Other People We Lost in 2015

AS IT IS 2015-12-30 “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over”: Yogi Berra and Other People We Lost in 2015

Each year we lose a number of people known around the world for their talents and accomplishments¹. Even though these seven famous figures have died, their legacies² live on. Now, we say goodbye. 

"Yogi” Berra is known as one of the greatest Major League Baseball players of all time.

His full name was Lawrence Peter Berra, but everyone called him Yogi. He was a catcher for the New York Yankees baseball team for nearly most of his 19-year career.

He won some of the top awards in the sport, and played in many All-Star and World Series games. He also won the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award three times.  

After his time as a player, Berra became the manager of his former team.

In addition to his incredible gift for baseball, Berra will be remembered for what he contributed to American English. Berra had many “Yogi–isms” -- expressions or phrases that were not correct but still made perfect sense.

For example, he said,  “You can observe a lot by just watching"; “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” and “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Egyptian actor Omar Sharif passed away in July this year. He is best known for his appearances in both British and American movies. They include “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Doctor Zhivago” and “Funny Girl.” 

"You know I'll be much more direct. You know you are woman. I am man. You are smaller so I can be taller than, you are softer.....

Sharif was nominated for an Academy Award and won three Golden Globe Awards.

Later in life he started playing the card game bridge. Sharif excelled at the game. He was named one of the 50 best bridge players in the world.

Other actors who passed away include Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was best known for his role as Mr. Spock, the pointy-eared, half–human/half-Vulcan science officer on the television series “Star Trek³.”

Many will remember Nimoy by his famous split-finger salute⁴ and blessing⁵: “Live long and prosper⁶.”

Singer and legendary⁷ guitarist B.B. King became one of the best-known blues⁸ performers of all-time. King’s velvety⁹ voice and expressive¹⁰ style inspired a generation of musicians.

King made his first recording¹¹ in 1949. He and his famous guitar, which he called Lucille, brought music to audiences for more than 60 years. In 1970, he won his first Grammy for his hit song “The Thrill Is Gone.”

"Thrill is Gone. The thrill is gone away. Thrill is gone, baby. Thrill is gone away. You done me wrong, baby...."

Wes Craven created some of the most important horror films of all time, including the “Scream” series. In 1984, he defined the horror genre¹² with the character Freddy Krueger in the movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Craven was a film director, writer, producer and actor. He inspired us with his imagination and vision.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew¹³ will be remembered as the man behind Singapore’s success.

Lee oversaw¹⁴ Singapore’s independence from Britain and separation from Malaysia. He then transformed the independent country into one of Asia’s wealthiest and least corrupt¹⁵ countries. In 2010, Time magazine listed Lee as one of the world’s 100 most influential¹⁶ people.

"Whoever governs Singapore must have that iron in him or give it up. This is not a game of cards. This is your life and mine. I've spent a whole lifetime building this."

The People’s Action Party – which Lee co-founded – has ruled Singapore for 50 years.

And, when it comes to equal rights for all, social activist¹⁷ and lifelong civil rights leader Julian Bond was passionate¹⁸ about his work.

Taught by the Rev¹⁹. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Morehouse College, Bond was a leader in the 1960s civil rights movement. He was among the activists²⁰ who demanded equal rights for African-Americans.

Bond’s advocacy for equal rights also went beyond race issues and beyond the United States. He opposed the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War; he was arrested outside the South African Embassy in Washington for protesting against apartheid; and he fought for equal rights for gay and lesbians.

"It just seems to me something right to do. It seems to me the right to be married is a civil right and I believe civil rights ought to be extended to everybody. Who ought not have these rights? what category of people ought not have these rights? I can't think of one."

Words in This Story   

legacy²¹ - n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past

incredible - adj. extremely good, great, or large

salute - n. an act or ceremony that shows respect for someone

velvety - adj. soft and smooth

genre - n.a particular type or category of literature or art

advocacy - n.the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal

ought -v. used to say or suggest what should be done

1 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

5 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

6 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

7 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

8 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。

9 velvety   

adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的

参考例句：

• a velvety red wine 醇厚的红葡萄酒
• Her skin was admired for its velvety softness. 她的皮肤如天鹅绒般柔软，令人赞叹。

10 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。

11 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

12 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

13 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。

14 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

15 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

16 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

17 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。

18 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

19 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

20 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。