英语听力精选进阶版 6474（在线收听）

Have you ever dreamt of being in the movies? Maybe you're a bit of a thespian? 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 rejection. 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 Brook Busey-Maurio, for her debut 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