英语听力精选进阶版 6474

Have you ever dreamt of being in the movies? Maybe you're a bit of a thespian¹? But what if you don't have matinee-idol looks? Well, if you're creative and write well you could make your mark in Hollywood as a screenwriter instead.

Tony Gilroy is one of Hollywood's most sought-after screenwriters, with blockbusters such as The Devil's Advocate, Armageddon and The Bourne Identity under his belt.

His advice to budding screenwriters is to make stuff up but keep it real. Gilroy believes knowing about human behaviour is the deal-breaker. According to him, "the quality of your writing will be directly related to your understanding of human behaviour".

He says: "You need to become a journalist for the movie that is in your head. You need to report on it; every scene has to be real."

Gilroy also thinks you've got to start with a very small idea that you can build on. For example, the Bourne films are based on novels by the writer Robert Ludlum, but Gilroy says he didn't actually read them. Instead he created a world around the character of Jason Bourne, a spy who has lost his memory and tries to discover his own identity.

Gilroy says: "The smallest thing with Bourne was, 'If I don't know who I am and I don't know where I'm from, perhaps I can identify who I am by what I know how to do'. We built a whole new world around that small idea."

In short, he explains: "You just start small, you build out and you move one step after the next and that's how you write a Hollywood movie".

One thing a screenwriter can't do without though, is a thick skin. You've got to learn how to handle rejection². Even when you're successful. Gilory was nominated for an Oscar for his script for Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney. But the 2007 award in that category went to Brook³ Busey-Maurio, for her debut⁴ script for the film Juno.

So, do you think you have what it takes to consider a career in the movies?

Quiz 测验

1. Who wrote the script for the film Armageddon?

The Hollywood screenwriter Tony Gilroy.

2. What do people have to know about when trying to write a good script?

Human behaviour.

3. What's Jason Bourne's mission?

To discover his own identity.

4. Why it is advisable to have thick skin if you want to be a scriptwriter?

Because you might have a lot of scripts rejected.

5. Which word means 'doing something for the first time'?

Debut.

Glossary 词汇表

thespian 戏剧演员

matinee-idol looks 有英俊潇洒男演员的长相

screenwriter 电影剧本作家，编剧

sought-after 抢手的，吃香的

under (his) belt 已获得的成就

blockbuster 卖座的大片

budding 初露头角的

to make stuff up 杜撰，编造

deal-breaker 成败的决定性条件

scene 场景

character 角色

can't do without 不能没有的

thick skin 厚脸皮

rejection 拒绝

debut 处女作

1 thespian   

adj.戏曲的；n.演员；悲剧演员

参考例句：

• If you enjoy acting in plays,join your school's thespian club.如果你喜欢戏剧表演，就加入你学校的戏剧社团。
• The actress demonstrated thespian talents at her first audition.这位女演员第一次试镜就展现出戏剧天分。

2 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

3 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。