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From Tramp to Champ—Charlie Chaplin
默劇之王卓別林　
by Julia Koprak
As a young man on stage, few knew that Charlie Chaplin would become one of the most important people in movie history. Born in London in 1889, Charlie was a natural talent since both of his parents had been actors. In fact, his skills as a performer helped him survive the hardships of a very difficult childhood. His father died when Charlie was a child and his mother suffered from a mental illness that left her incapable of caring for her children. After the hospitalization of their mother, Charlie and his brother were forced to fend for themselves. They did so through performing on the stage. Chaplin''s comedic personality took him to America, where he became a great star of the silent screen in 1914. His signature character was the Tramp, a pauper with a little moustache, cane, and bowler hat. He paraded around as a gentleman, landing himself in all kinds of interesting situations. As the character of the Tramp, Chaplin made a stream of successful silent films. In 1927, talkies, or films with synchronized sound, were introduced. Nevertheless, Chaplin continued to make silent films, and in fact, some of his best. He had an amazing ability to blend humor with a bit of emotion without uttering a single line of dialogue. Moreover, although seemingly simple on the surface, Chaplin''s films had strong political undertones. In Modern Times, a movie filmed during the Depression, the Tramp is a factory worker struggling in an industrial society. In The Great Dictator, Chaplin made an even bolder move by taking on the role of a leader similar to Adolf Hitler and speaking on film for the first time.


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1.The artical is talking about Chaplin's background. And how he survived in his childhood.
2.
a. moustache n. 八字鬚 talkie n. 有聲電影 pauper n. 乞丐；窮人
fend for...　　供養∕照料……
b.specialize in...　　專精於…… blend A with B　　融合 A 與 B
3.I chose this artical because I sometimes could saw him on the TV. He was very funny in the movie. And when I was in senior high school,my teacher had told me about his story. So I have deep impresstion of him. When he was a child,he was very hardworking. So I hope if I happen to difficult things, i will be hardworking just like him.