今日导读
去年 11 月，美国前第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马的亲笔自传《成为》正式出版。这位美国政坛的传奇女性在该自传中，用风趣幽默且平实质朴的语言将她的童年生活、职场生涯和白宫岁月等故事娓娓道来。仅仅在开售的第一天，这本书就卖出了约 72 万册。如今，自该书出版已过去了六个多月，而米歇尔·奥巴马离开白宫也已经两年多了，但她的影响力却丝毫未减。根据《卫报》最近的一篇报道，《成为》的销量又破新高，有望成为现代出版史上最成功的回忆录，就让我们跟着 Zurini 老师一起进入今天的新闻。
新闻原文
Michelle Obama's memoir sells more than 10m copies
The Guardian
Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming, is on track to become the most successful memoir in modern publishing history, selling more than 10m copies to date.
Thomas Rabe, chief executive of the German media group Bertelsmann, parent company of Becoming’s publisher, Penguin Random House, said the title was the book giant’s biggest success of the last year. “We believe that these memoirs could well become the most successful memoir ever, ” he said.
Penguin Random House won a bidding war for the rights to Barack and Michelle Obama’s autobiographies in 2017, paying more than $65m, a record for US presidential memoirs.
Becoming has been a global sales juggernaut since being launched in 31 languages simultaneously in mid-November. The audiobook, read by the former first lady, has become the fastest-ever seller put out by Penguin Random House.
Obama has been promoting her memoir with a hugely popular global tour. Tickets for her first live appearance in the UK, at the Royal Festival Hall in December, sold out in minutes. Overall UK sales of Obama’s book currently stand at more than 600, 000, ranking it 11th on the list of bestselling memoirs and biographies since sales records began in 1998, according to Nielsen BookScan.
Life beyond the US presidency has proved lucrative for the Obamas. Last year the former president and first lady struck a deal with Netflix to produce TV series and films for the streaming service.
新闻正文
Michelle Obama's memoir sells more than 10m copies
米歇尔·奥巴马的回忆录销量超一千万册
Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming, is on track to become the most successful memoir in modern publishing history, selling more than 10m copies to date.
米歇尔·奥巴马的自传《成为》有望成为现代出版史上最成功的回忆录，迄今为止，该书已售出逾 1000 万册。
Thomas Rabe, chief executive of the German media group Bertelsmann, parent company of Becoming’s publisher, Penguin Random House, said the title was the book giant’s biggest success of the last year. “We believe that these memoirs could well become the most successful memoir ever,” he said.
德国媒体集团贝塔斯曼是《成为》的出版商企鹅兰登书屋的母公司，该集团的首席执行官瀚韬表示，这本著作是该图书巨头在过去一年里最成功的一本书。他说，“我们相信她的回忆录很可能成为有史以来最成功的回忆录”。
Penguin Random House won a bidding war for the rights to Barack and Michelle Obama’s autobiographies in 2017, paying more than $65m, a record for US presidential memoirs.
企鹅兰登书屋在 2017 年的竞标战中，以超过 6500 万美元的价格赢得了贝拉克·奥巴马和米歇尔·奥巴马自传的出版权，创下了历来美国总统回忆录版权费的最高记录。
Becoming has been a global sales juggernaut since being launched in 31 languages simultaneously in mid-November. The audiobook, read by the former first lady, has become the fastest-ever seller put out by Penguin Random House.
自去年 11 月中旬《成为》被翻译成 31 种语言并同时出版以来，该书已成为全球畅销书。由前第一夫人朗读的原版有声书已成为企鹅兰登书屋有史以来销售速度最快的有声读物。
Obama has been promoting her memoir with a hugely popular global tour. Tickets for her first live appearance in the UK, at the Royal Festival Hall in December, sold out in minutes. Overall UK sales of Obama’s book currently stand at more than 600,000, ranking it 11th on the list of bestsellingmemoirs and biographies since sales records began in 1998, according to Nielsen BookScan.
奥巴马夫人一直在为她的回忆录做全球巡回宣传，并受到了热烈的欢迎。去年 12 月，她在英国皇家节日音乐厅现场首秀的门票在几分钟内就售罄。尼尔森图书数据公司的数据显示，奥马巴夫人的这本书目前在英国的总销量超过 60 万本，位列自 1998 年有销售记录以来最畅销回忆录和传记榜单的第 11 名。
Life beyond the US presidency has proved lucrative for the Obamas. Last year the former president and first lady struck a deal with Netflix to produce TV series and films for the streaming service.
事实证明，奥巴马夫妇在美国总统任期结束后的生活是日进斗金的。去年，这位前总统和前第一夫人与网飞达成协议，为这家流媒体服务公司制作电视连续剧和电影。
重点词汇
memoir
/ˈmemwɑːr/
n. 回忆录；自传
相关词汇：memory
英文释义：an account written by somebody, especially somebody famous, about their life and experiences
copy
/ˈkɑːpi/
n.（书、报纸等的）一本，一册
词性拓展：copy (v.)
例句：The library has copies of national and local newspapers.
autobiography
/ˌɔːtəbaɪˈɑːɡrəfi/
n. 自传
词根词缀：auto-（自己）
相关词汇：biography (n.)
词义辨析
autobiography, memoir
autobiography 和 memoir 都可以表示“自传”，但二者略有区别。autobiography 强调作者对事实详细、准确地记录，而 memoir 允许作者根据自己的需要，对事实进行艺术加工。
on track
有望成功
英文释义：making progress and likely to succeed
搭配短语：be on track to do sth.
例句：She is on track to be promoted.
title
/ˈtaɪtl/
n.（书的）一种，一本
例句：Last year they published over 15,000 new titles.
giant
/ˈdʒaɪənt/
n.（成功且有影响力的）巨头，大公司；伟人
词性拓展：giant (adj.)
英文释义：a very successful and powerful person or organization
搭配短语：political giant
bidding war
竞标大战
相关词汇：bid (v.)
record
/ˈrekərd/
n. 最高纪录，最佳成绩；记录
英文释义：the best result
搭配短语：to break a record; to set a new record; to hold a record
presidential
/ˌprezɪˈdenʃl/
adj. 总统的；与总统有关的
相关词汇：president (n.)
搭配短语：a presidential election; a presidential year
juggernaut
/ˈdʒʌɡərnɔːt/
n. 不可抗拒的强大力量；无法控制的机构；重型货车
simultaneously
/ˌsaɪmlˈteɪniəsli/
adv. 同时地
英文释义：things happening or being done at exactly the same time
同义词：at the same time
例句：Two students answered the teacher's question simultaneously/at the same time.
audiobook
/ˈɔːdioʊbʊk/
n. 有声读物
相关词汇：audio（adj. 听觉的，声音的）
audio 搭配短语：audio tape
appearance
/əˈpɪrəns/
n. (公开）露面；外表
英文释义：an occasion when someone appears in public
例句：It was his first appearance on television as president.
bestselling
/ˌbestˈselɪŋ/
adj. 畅销的
biography
/baɪˈɑːɡrəfi/
n. 传记
lucrative
/ˈluːkrətɪv/
adj. 赚钱的，盈利的
相关词汇：lucre (n.)
近义词：profitable
strike a deal
达成协议
相关词汇：strike（v. 击打；引起）；deal（n. 交易；协议）
补充词汇知识
publishing
n. 出版业；出版
to date
迄今为止
parent company
母公司
put out
生产
近义词：launch
stand
v. 处于...状态
搭配短语：stand at
例句：The national debt stands at 55 million dollars.
rank
v. 具有...的等级
词义辨析
autobiography, memoir
autobiography 和 memoir 都可以表示“自传”，但二者略有区别。autobiography 强调作者对事实详细、准确地记录，而 memoir 允许作者根据自己的需要，对事实进行艺术加工。
写作技巧
人名和机构名的同义替换
在写作中，为了避免重复，反复出现的人名和机构名词经常会被其他名词替代。在这篇新闻中，作者用了人物的头衔来替代人名，比如用 the former first lady 来指代米歇尔·奥巴马，用 the former president 来指代巴拉克·奥巴马；另外，还可以用性质定义类的名词来指代，比如用 the book giant 指《成为》的出版商企鹅兰登书屋，用 the streaming service 指代网飞这家流媒体服务公司。需要注意的是，能够被替代的名字一定是前文已经出现过的，并且在指代时要加上定冠词 the 来限定指代范围。
名言金句
“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” ― Michelle Obama, Becoming
“‘成为’ 并不是指到达某个地方或达成一个具体的目标，而是要不断向前。它是一种进化的方式，也是一条不断通往更好的自己的路。它是一个永无止境的旅程。” ——米歇尔·奥巴马，《成为》
拓展阅读
米歇尔·奥巴马
米歇尔·奥巴马（Michelle Obama）于 1964 年 1 月 17 日出生于美国芝加哥南部，曾就读普林斯顿大学以及哈佛大学法学院，是美国著名律师。她是第 44 任美国总统贝拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）的妻子，前任美国第一夫人。
米歇尔是美国第一位非洲裔总统夫人，也是个子最高的第一夫人。由于她非常重视自己的形象并且有着良好的衣着品味，米歇尔还常被媒体评为衣着最佳的公众人物之一。米歇尔·奥巴马热爱流行文化，亲近大众生活，因而在 2018 年 12 月，根据民意调查，她成功当选了 2018 年美国最受尊敬女性。
《成为》
《成为》（Becoming）是美国前第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马的自传，出版于去年 11 月 13 日，在 2018 年位列多国畅销书榜单第一位。这部自传详细地记录了她的个人经历，包括她在芝加哥南部度过的童年生活、成年后的职业生涯以及作为母亲的经历。当然，这部自传也展现了她入住白宫后的经历、在公共卫生领域开展的运动以及奥巴马执政过程中的重要时刻等等。
米歇尔说：“《成为》一书的写作，使我得以第一次坦诚地面对我人生中意想不到的轨迹。”她希望她自己的人生经历能够鼓舞读者，让他们有足够的勇气去成为他们想成为的人。
1998 年以来英国畅销回忆录榜单
A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer – 1.12m copies
The Sound of Laughter, Peter Kay – 853,000
My Autobiography, Alex Ferguson – 848,000
Billy, Pamela Stephenson – 807,000
At My Mother’s Knee ... and Other Low Joints, Paul O’Grady – 723,000
Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama – 711,000
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt – 694,000
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, Adam Kay – 663,000
Sharon Osbourne Extreme – 656,000
Dear Fatty: The Perfect Mother’s Day Read, Dawn French – 646,000
Becoming, Michelle Obama – 600,000 since Nov 2018
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