美国国家公共电台 NPR Yes, You Really Do Hear Each Crunch Of Popcorn While Watching 'A Quiet Place'

 

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The new horror movie "A Quiet Place" is a hit at the box office and with critics. It's also notable for its lack of sound, which poses a problem for lovers of movie theater popcorn¹. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin went to a showing to investigate.

SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN, BYLINE²: OK, I think we're getting going here. It is 11:30 a.m. on a Monday, and the theater is empty, which isn't that surprising. This is my handy, trusty bag of popcorn.

(SOUNDBITE OF POPCORN CRUNCHING)

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: What we've heard is that it's really hard to eat popcorn during this movie because it is so incredibly quiet.

The film follows a family that seems to be the only surviving humans in a post-apocalyptic world. Creatures - possibly aliens - with super amazing hearing taken over. If you make noise, you could be killed in an instant. The family uses sign language. They have bare feet.

We're a couple minutes in and, yeah, there's been absolutely no sound whatsoever³. I can hear the air handling in the theater. Ooh (ph), tiny bit of music.

It's true. Popcorn crunches⁴ really stand out.

(SOUNDBITE OF POPCORN CRUNCHING)

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Because I didn't have to worry about bothering anyone in this empty theater, I could talk to myself.

This is silent mother-daughter arguing (laughter). This is a silent meal, silent after-dinner Monopoly playing.

(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLANGING)

SIMMONS-DUFFIN: The kids playing Monopoly have knocked over the oil lamp. Everything goes silent. The family waits to see if the creature heard the noise and is about to kill them. Meanwhile, I had just taken a big mouthful of popcorn.

I'm stuck with popcorn in my mouth.

Thankfully, this time the creature doesn't show, and I can finish chewing.

Whoo (ph). All right. Yikes. That was terrifying.

OK, I won't spoil any more of the movie for you. Fact-check - yes, this is a very quiet movie. Yes, if you had fellow moviegoers, you would really, really have trouble eating popcorn without infuriating them. But honestly, I found the movie itself so scary I think the snacking thing is kind of moot⁵. Most viewers will be too busy holding their breath and grabbing their seat cushions to remember to eat anyway. Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News.

1 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

4 crunches   

n.（突发的）不足( crunch的名词复数 )；需要做出重要决策的困难时刻；紧要关头；嘎吱的响声v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的第三人称单数 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• I can't bear the way she crunches the sugar. 我简直看不惯她嚼糖的那副样子。 来自辞典例句
• Crunches with a twisting motion (to hit obliques) are excellent. 做仰卧起坐时加上转体动作更好。 来自互联网

5 moot   

v.提出；adj.未决议的；n.大会；辩论会

参考例句：

• The question mooted in the board meeting is still a moot point.那个在董事会上提出讨论的问题仍未决的。
• The oil versus nuclear equation is largely moot.石油和核能之间的关系还很有争议。