大千世界:所向无敌的"星际争霸战"

Less a bid to measure up against other movies at the box office, Star Trek¹ may actually be more in competition with itself, and its many incarnations preceding this latest voyage of the USS Enterprise into theaters everywhere. But what does distinguish Star Trek from the cookie cutter crop of futuristic fantasies, and what led to its legendary² status, is its humor and the personality of its characters, who can knock off the self-serious posturing³ from time to time, to laugh at themselves and each other. Focusing on an intricate web of enduring family feuds⁴, Star Trek traces James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) back to his birth, during which his dad met his demise⁵ at the hands of Romulan leader Captain Nero (Eric Bana). And Nero has long harbored his own festering grudge⁶ against the Enterprise, after the death of his wife. The occasional surprises materialize when all the noisy sci-fi machinery⁷ takes a break and allows the characters some quiet time to breathe through, especially comic relief provided by Anton Yelchin as the Russian accented know-it-all teen pilot Chekov, and Tyler Perry doing an admiral cameo in judicial⁸ punitive⁹ mode, as he cuts the cocky Kirk down to size. "Star Trek" was fashioned with obvious affection for the source material, but still offers something new.
incarnation (n.) 化身；典型
She's the very incarnation of goodness. 她是美德的化身.

cookie cutter 千篇一律的；了無新意的

to knock off 停止；中止
All the workers knocked off for lunch at twelve o'clock.
所有的工人都在12点钟停止工作去吃午饭。　 
What time do you knock off?
你们什么时候下班?

posturing (n.) 故作姿态，装模作样

intricate (adj.) 错综复杂的;复杂精细的
The intricate machine requires a skilled operator.
这种复杂精细的机器须由技能熟练的人操作。 

demise (n.) 死亡;终止
the demise of a newspaper
报纸的停刊 

festering (adj.) 恶化的

know-it-all 假装或自称无所不知的人
My brother-in-law is an obnoxious¹⁰ know-it-all.
我的姐夫是个讨人厌的自以为是万事通的家伙。

punitive (adj.) 给予惩罚的，非常严厉
punitive taxation¹¹ 重税
punitive increases in the cost of living 生活费用之急剧增加

cocky (adj.) 自高自大的; 趾高气扬

1 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

2 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

3 posturing   

做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was posturing a model. 她正在摆模特儿的姿势。
• She says the President may just be posturing. 她说总统也许只是在做样子而已。

4 feuds   

n.长期不和，世仇( feud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Quarrels and feuds between tribes became incessant. 部落间的争吵、反目成仇的事件接连不断。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史
• There were feuds in the palace, no one can deny. 宫里也有斗争，这是无可否认的。 来自辞典例句

5 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

6 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

7 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

8 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

9 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

10 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

11 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。