常春藤生活英语【6】Arthur and the Minimoys

Arthur and the Minimoys　阿瑟的奇幻王国：毫发人的冒险

Every child wants a good bedtime story before they fall asleep and go into their dream world. Arthur was no different and his grandmother read stories to him every night. She amazed him with legends of African tribes², great inventions, and magical spells. She also told him about the Minimoys, a group of small people that lived in their backyard4. These tales were the true adventures of his grandfather, who disappeared mysteriously four years ago.

Arthur's grandmother had a hard time making ends meet after her husband went missing. In fact, a businessman was going to tear down her house and develop the land if she didn't pay the money she owed. Arthur then thought of a hidden treasure he heard about in one of his grandfather's stories. He decided³ to search for it in the land of the Minimoys and try to save the day. Arthur and the Minimoys, directed by Luc Besson, combines real actors and animated⁴ characters. This fantastic film takes the audience to places that only exist in their imaginations.

每个孩子都想要在进入梦乡前，听个有趣的床边故事。阿瑟并不例外，他的奶奶每晚都会念故事给他听。她所讲的非洲部落传说、种种伟大发明及魔法咒语等，都让阿瑟惊奇不已。她还告诉阿瑟关于毫发人的事－－那是一群居住在他们后院的小小人种。这些故事是他四年前神秘消失的爷爷的真实冒险故事。

阿瑟的奶奶在她丈夫失踪后一直入不敷出。事实上，若是她没将债务还清，一位商人就会把她的房子拆除并开发这片土地。阿瑟于是就想到一个他从爷爷故事中听到的密宝。他决定到毫发人的国度寻找宝藏，试图拯救家园。卢贝松执导的《阿瑟的奇幻王国：毫发人的冒险》，结合了真人演员和动画角色。这部精采的电影会带领观众前往仅存于他们幻想中的世界。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.magical　a. 有魔力的；神奇的
This stone seems to have magical powers.
这颗石头似乎有股神奇的力量。

2.mysteriously　adv. 神秘地
The magician⁵ mysteriously disappeared.
那位魔术师神秘地消失了。

Phrases for Learning

1.amaze + 人 + with...　　以……使某人感到惊奇
Sam amazed his girlfriend with a love song.
山姆唱了一首情歌让他女友惊讶万分。

2.make ends meet　　使收支平衡
Gary tries to make ends meet, but he fails.
盖瑞试着量入为出，但他却失败了。

3.tear down...　　拆毁……
The government plans to tear down these old buildings and make a parking lot.
政府当局计划拆除这些旧房子来盖停车场。

4.save the day　　扭转局面；解围
Marcus made a great shot and saved the day for his team.
马克思投进了精彩的一球，替他那一队扭转了劣势。

参考字词

1.bedtime story　n. 睡前故事

2.tribe¹　n. 部落；种族

3.spell　n. 咒语

4.backyard　n. 后院

5.imagination　n. 想象（力）

Enjoy Box
卢贝松

卢贝松（Luc Besson）是当代拥有最佳票房成绩，且最为世人熟知的法国导演。1959年出生于巴黎的卢贝松，因父母为潜水教练，使他从小接触海洋，对海洋有特别的感情。这份来自于他童年的梦想和回忆，在他1988年推出的作品《碧海蓝天》中表露无遗。这部作品让卢贝松一夕成名，除了在全球卖座甚佳，也成为法国影史卖座前五名的电影之一。

之后，卢贝松推出开启警匪电影新风貌的《终极追杀令》。1997年时，卢贝松又推出筹备甚久、充满想象力的《第五元素》。此片不但列为当年坎城影展的开幕片，炫目的特效和精采的剧情也让此片席卷全球，深获观众欢迎，更进一步地奠定了卢贝松在国际影坛的大导演地位。

有着许多名作的大导演卢贝松，虽然才47岁，却已开始规划退休事宜了。他本人表示他希望见好就收，不想成名后因贪心而拍出烂片。也许就是这样的精神，让卢贝松能成为成功的传奇导演。

Tips In Use

Arthur's grandmother had a hard time making ends meet...
（阿瑟的奶奶……一直入不敷出。）

''have a hard time/problems/trouble/difficulty + (in) 动名词∕with＋名词''是『做……有困难；在……方面有难处』之意。例：

Sandy has trouble with her math homework.
（珊蒂写数学作业有困难。）

注意：
time 在此用法中为可数名词，"a + 形容词 + time" 表『一段……的时间』；而 problem 为可数名词，在此用法中习惯用复数名词 problems；trouble 与 difficulty 则为不可数名词，故不可加 s。

1 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

2 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

5 magician   

n.魔术师，变戏法的人，术士

参考例句：

• With a wave of his hand,the magician made the rabbit vanish.魔术师手一挥兔子便不见了。
• The magician transformed the man into a rabbit.魔术师把那个人变成了兔子。