VOA标准英语2011--'Contagion' Tracks Deadly Virus

'Contagion¹' Tracks Deadly Virus

Local outbreaks of new diseases have occurred throughout history, but in this age of global jet travel and international commerce, a deadly virus can spread rapidly worldwide.
That's what happens in "Contagion," a gripping new medical thriller² directed by Steven Soderbergh.
It starts with a nagging³ cough, which spreads through something that seems harmless, like a handshake or flipping⁴ a light switch.
The unknown and deadly virus in "Contagion" crosses the Pacific with an American businesswoman returning home from Asia. Within days, she is dead and dozens of people she infected are dying, triggering a response from the U.S. government's Centers for Disease Control.
Screenwriter Scott Z. Burns has plenty of experience with fictional⁵ thrillers⁶ like "The Bourne Ultimatum," but says the "Contagion" script is about a very real threat.
"All of the scientists that we spoke⁷ to about it said it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," Burns says. "We had started writing the movie and about three or four months into the research is when H1N1 (swine flu) happened. So that became a really interesting tracer bullet through the system for us to follow some of the issues."
The cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow as Beth Emhoff, the businesswoman whose death sounds the alarm. Matt Damon, who plays her widowed husband, says the participation⁸ of real medical professionals gave the film a ring of authenticity⁹, such as the scene where his character is told of his wife's death.
"We had a guy there who really had done this a lot - this doctor who delivered this news - and we asked for certain trends, like what happens," Damon says. "He said sometimes people fall apart, but he said, 'There is this other reaction that we get a lot…it's just too much' and they expect you to not even get it."
In the film, when Damon's character is told of his wife's death, he says, "Okay, so can I go talk to her?"
Director Soderbergh adds to the sense of realism by avoiding the cinema clichés which are usually part of the disaster genre¹⁰. While making the film did not turn him into a 'germophobe,' Soderbergh admits that he is more conscious of the danger and thinks audiences will be as well.
"It was fun during the previews to watch the lights come up and 400 people realize that they are next to a bunch of strangers and that they've touched everything," he says.
"Contagion" was filmed at locations in China and the United States with an international cast which includes Laurence Fishburne as the CDC chief, Kate Winslet as an epidemiologist and Marion Cotilliard as her World Health Organization counterpart tracing the origins of the virus. Jude Law plays an Internet blogger whose half-baked conspiracy¹¹ theories threaten to spread panic.

1 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

2 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

3 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

5 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

6 thrillers   

n.紧张刺激的故事( thriller的名词复数 )；戏剧；令人感到兴奋的事；（电影）惊悚片

参考例句：

• He has written seven thrillers, and clearly enjoys intellectual pursuits. 他已经写了7本惊悚小说，显然很喜欢这样的智力活动。 来自辞典例句
• Most Americans prefer to read fast-moving adventure stories that we call "thrillers". 大部分美国人喜欢看我们称之为"惊险小说"的情节多变的冒险故事。 来自辞典例句

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

9 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

10 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

11 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。