英语听力精选进阶版 6133（在线收听）

Echoes of the Past 过去重现

The British actress Keira Knightley has rejected claims that her latest film The Duchess, a historical drama set in the 18th Century, parallels the life of Princess Diana.

The film tells the true life story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was the great-great-great-great aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales.

In the film Knightley plays an aristocratic woman that is trapped in a marriage to a man who is in love with his mistress. It is this storyline that mimics the experiences of Princess Diana, who married Prince Charles only to discover that he was continuing a long-standing clandestine relationship with another woman.

Even the film’s tagline, "There were three people in her marriage", suggests a link to Diana’s story, as it bears a remarkable similarity to the words the princess used to describe her own situation in a highly candid 1995 television interview.

Speaking to the BBC, Keira Knightley was quick to play down the similarities in the stories, saying her character was "an interesting enough person to warrant a film completely about her without comparisons".

In fact the 23-year-old actress claims not to remember the story of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s doomed marriage.

"I was 11 when Diana died, so I don’t really know what the actual story is so I don’t feel I can comment on the parallels," Knightley scolded reporters at a recent press conference.

Whether the Diana connection exists or not, The Duchess provides a fascinating insight into personal relationships in a society where divorce was taboo.

The film is also a visual feast as the architecture and fashions of 18th Century England are painstakingly recreated down to the smallest detail.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

rejected claims 否认

Duchess 女公爵

parallels 相似

great-great-great-great aunt 上推曾祖母

aristocratic 贵族的

mistress 情妇

storyline 故事情节

clandestine relationship 秘密关系

tagline （电影的）标志性语言

highly candid 非常坦诚不公的

play down 淡化

character 角色

warrant 确保，保证

doomed marriage 注定要失败的婚姻

scolded 批评

press conference 记者招待会

divorce 离婚

taboo 禁忌

visual feast 视觉大餐

painstakingly recreated 费尽心机重现