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VOA慢速英语2010年-THIS IS AMERICA - A Look at Holiday Mo

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SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Shirley Griffith.

STEVE EMBER: And I'm Steve Ember. Some of the best movies of the year are released in December. Many will be competing for Academy Awards next year. This week we look at a few of these interesting new films.

(Sound: “The Black Swan”)

“I had the craziest dream last night about a girl who was turned into a swan; but her prince falls for the wrong girl and she kills herself.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: One of the most talked about new movies is a psychological thriller1 about the world of ballet called “Black Swan.” Natalie Portman plays a young woman named Nina Sayers who dances in a New York ballet company. She is given the leading role in a production of the famous ballet “Swan Lake.” She must dance two roles -- the innocent White Swan and the evil Black Swan. The director of the ballet company, played by French actor Vincent Cassel, questions whether she can do this.

(Sound: “The Black Swan”)

“In four years, every time you dance I see you obsessed2 with getting each and every move perfectly3 right, but I never see you lose yourself … ever. All that discipline for what?”

“I want to be perfect.”

“Perfection is not just about control. It is also about letting go. Surprise yourself so you can surprise the audience. Transcendence: very few have it in them.”

STEVE EMBER: Nina works hard to meet the expectations of the ballet director. She becomes a great dancer but has severe emotional problems. Mila Kunis co-stars as Lily, a dancer who is competing for the leading role in the ballet. Both young actresses trained intensively to be able to dance their roles which were physically4 demanding.

Many critics are praising Natalie Portman’s performance and are predicting an Academy Award nomination5 for her. The movie also features Barbara Hershey as Nina’s overly protective mother who hopes her daughter will have the success she failed to gain. Winona Ryder plays the former lead dancer who was replaced by Nina.

Darren Aronofsky directed “Black Swan.” He says the movie shows how hard it is to be a ballet dancer. He also says it represents the beauty of the art. The world of ballet is far different from the world of professional wrestling that Aronofsky showed in his last movie, “The Wrestler6.”

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Haggis explores what a husband will do for love in his latest film, “The Next Three Days.” This crime drama stars Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. The film is an American version of a two thousand eight French thriller called “Pour Elle.” It tells the story of a schoolteacher who creates a plan to break his wife out of prison.

STEVE EMBER: Russell Crowe plays John Brennan, a college professor. He and his young son are shocked when their wife and mother, Lara, is arrested. She is accused of murdering her supervisor7. She is tried, found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. John refuses to believe Lara is guilty. He makes every possible appeal but fails to gain her release.

(Sound: “The Next Three Days”)

Russell Crowe

“Forget that Lara is your wife. Look at the evidence.”

“I’ve seen the evidence. She is innocent.”

“It doesn’t matter what we believe; Lara is not getting out.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: After Lara attempts suicide, John gets information from the Internet. He develops a plan to break his wife out of a local jail. He attempts the dangerous plot just three days before she is to be sent to a high-security prison.

STEVE EMBER: Writer-director Paul Haggis says the research John does in the movie is similar to the studying he did for the film.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: John never questions Lara’s innocence8. But filmmaker Paul Haggis wants viewers to make up their own minds.

(Sound: “127 Hours”)

Climber Aron Ralston, left, and actor James Franco

STEVE EMBER: The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston’s near-death experience is told in the film “127 Hours.” Critics have praised this movie as one of the best of the year. James Franco plays Aron Ralston who became trapped in a canyon9 during a rocking climbing trip in two thousand three.

The twenty-six-year-old went hiking alone in Canyonlands National Park in the western state of Utah. A huge rock became loose and sent him falling into a deep crack in the canyon. His right arm was crushed between the rock and canyon wall. Aron Ralston could not move. He knew his chances of survival were low because he had not told anyone where he was hiking.

Aron Ralston spent one hundred twenty-seven hours trapped and alone. Finally, after five days, he decided10 he had to cut off his arm in order to escape. The young climber carried out the amputation11 using a small, unsharpened knife. Then he dragged himself from his rocky prison and hiked out to safety. Aron Ralston wrote a book about his experience called “Between a Rock and a Hard Place.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Filmmaker Danny Boyle shows the hours that Aron Ralston struggled to survive in extreme conditions. The young climber’s suffering increases as he battles extreme heat, lack of water and the threat of death. For two hours the audience syays captive with Ralston. The film includes comments based on some of the messages Aron Ralston recorded on his video recorder to friends and family while he was trapped.

(Sound: “127 Hours”)

“This marks twenty-four hours since I’m stuck and chipping away. I have one hundred fifty milliliters of water left which would keep me alive until tomorrow night if I’m lucky. So, that’s it.”

STEVE EMBER: A film that takes place almost completely in one place is difficult to make. Director Danny Boyle uses intense music against the images of Ralston alone in the wild. He also shows the main character’s memories of family members and loved ones. This brings moviegoers into Ralston’s mind and shows how the relationships help him to stay alive. But Boyle says the movie is about more than survival.

DANNY BOYLE: “It's about someone who's turned his back on his friends and family and society and goes through this extraordinary change. He's forced by the events to re-examine his life and where he went wrong and what he could've done differently, people he could've treated in a slightly kinder way, maybe.”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The audience watches as Aron Ralston cuts off his arm to free himself.

DANNY BOYLE: “In reality it took him over forty minutes, and involved a series of plateaus of pain that he had to live through.”

STEVE EMBER: The end of the film is as intense as its beginning. Although he loses an arm, Ralston becomes a more complete person. Today, wearing a prosthetic arm, Aron Ralston still climbs mountains and explores canyons12. He also travels the world as a speaker.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: The comedy “Morning Glory” is for people looking for a more light-hearted movie experience. It shows the daily operation of a morning television news program.

(Sound: “Morning Glory”)

Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford13 in "Morning Glory"

“Coming up tomorrow, we’ll show you what to do with those shampoo bottles with just an inch of shampoo left.”

“Ah!”

STEVE EMBER: Rachel McAdams play Becky Fuller, a young, energetic television producer. She loses her job at one television station. She gets a job at Daybreak, the lowest-rated morning program on television. Becky tries to improve the program and increase the number of viewers. The movie makes fun of the real-life battle between news and entertainment that takes place each day on American morning television.

Diane Keaton plays Daybreak’s co-host, Colleen Peck, a former beauty queen. Harrison Ford co-stars as a famous former news reporter who now works on the show. Ford says the real morning television broadcasts are not the main target of the film.

HARRISON FORD: “We weren’t mocking the good ones…We’re just talking about, specifically, the lowest-rated morning talk show in the history of television.”

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Finally, many critics are praising a historic film as a candidate for Academy Awards. “The King’s Speech” tells the true story of how Britain’s King George the Sixth overcame a speech difficulty to give hope to his country during World War Two.

(King George Speech)

Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter in "The Kings Speech"

“In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my people, both at home and overseas, this message.”

STEVE EMBER: That was a recording14 of a nineteen thirty-nine broadcast from Buckingham Palace. It gives an idea of how difficult it was for King George the Sixth to speak in public. He struggled with a lifelong stammer15. Every effort at speech therapy failed. Then his wife, Elizabeth, found an Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue. She speaks with him, pretending to be someone named Mrs. Johnson.

(Sound: “The Kings Speech” )

“My husband has seen everyone, to no avail. I’m awfully16 afraid he has given up hope.”

“Well, we need to have your hubby pop by. He can give me his personal details, I’ll make a frank appraisal17 and then we’ll take it from there.”

“Doctor, I don’t have a ‘hubby.’ We don’t ‘pop.’ Nor do we ever talk about our private lives. No, you must come to us.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Johnson: my game, my turf, my rules.”

“And what if my husband were the Duke of York?”

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: That was Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen, and Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist. His methods are unusual, but he finds success as well as friendship with the King. Colin Firth stars as King George the Sixth. Critics have praised his performance.

The film’s director, Tom Hopper, says the heart of his film is how the King faces the universal problems of loneliness and communication.

The screenplay for “The King’s Speech” was based on extensive research and personal writings. Among them were Lionel Logue’s unpublished diaries, which were discovered just weeks before filming began.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: Our program was written and produced by Brianna Blake, with reporting by Alan Silverman. I’m Steve Ember.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I’m Shirley Griffith. Our programs are online with transcripts18 and MP3 files at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can find us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 thriller RIhzU     
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。
2 obsessed 66a4be1417f7cf074208a6d81c8f3384     
adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的
参考例句:
  • He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
  • The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
3 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
4 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
5 nomination BHMxw     
n.提名,任命,提名权
参考例句:
  • John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
  • Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。
6 wrestler cfpwE     
n.摔角选手,扭
参考例句:
  • The wrestler tripped up his opponent.那个摔跤运动员把对手绊倒在地。
  • The stronger wrestler won the first throw.较壮的那个摔跤手第一跤就赢了。
7 supervisor RrZwv     
n.监督人,管理人,检查员,督学,主管,导师
参考例句:
  • Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说,我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
  • He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。
8 innocence ZbizC     
n.无罪;天真;无害
参考例句:
  • There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
  • The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。
9 canyon 4TYya     
n.峡谷,溪谷
参考例句:
  • The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
  • The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。
10 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
11 amputation GLPyJ     
n.截肢
参考例句:
  • In ancient India,adultery was punished by amputation of the nose.在古代印度,通奸要受到剖鼻的处罚。
  • He lived only hours after the amputation.截肢后,他只活了几个小时。
12 canyons 496e35752729c19de0885314bcd4a590     
n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
  • Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存? 来自互联网
13 Ford KiIxx     
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过
参考例句:
  • They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
  • If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
14 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
15 stammer duMwo     
n.结巴,口吃;v.结结巴巴地说
参考例句:
  • He's got a bad stammer.他口吃非常严重。
  • We must not try to play off the boy troubled with a stammer.我们不可以取笑这个有口吃病的男孩。
16 awfully MPkym     
adv.可怕地,非常地,极端地
参考例句:
  • Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
  • I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。
17 appraisal hvFzt     
n.对…作出的评价;评价,鉴定,评估
参考例句:
  • What's your appraisal of the situation?你对局势是如何评估的?
  • We need to make a proper appraisal of his work.对于他的工作我们需要做出适当的评价。
18 transcripts 525c0b10bb61e5ddfdd47d7faa92db26     
n.抄本( transcript的名词复数 );转写本;文字本;副本
参考例句:
  • Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样,都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
  • You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书,你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句

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