看电影学英语,一直是一个热门话题。很多英语爱好者看了 很多英文原声电影,除了练出了跟读汉语字幕的速度,其他的效果并不理想。那么,到底该如何利用好电影素材呢?除了精选电影素材,还应该做什么呢?针对看电影学英语出现的一系列问题,本 书把迪士尼的著名电影《疯狂动物城》(Zootopia)作为学习素材, 从文化背景、字词句分析、句子深层含义解读,到章节末的练习,对电影进行了全方位解读,下面就是本书的一些特色:
1.对整部电影全覆盖,无任何删减。整部电影被分为26个 片段,结合电影情节,每个片段2分多钟到5分多钟不等,相比网 络上的一些文章只介绍电影经典片段,通过本书可以系统并彻底 地学习这部电影的全部内容。
2.实用。本书主要使用对象为高中生和大学英语四、六级考 试的学生。从多个维度对电影素材进行分析。每章节的开头分别 为电影的背景介绍,《疯狂动物城》的制作花絮,普及西方文化知 识如美国警用无线电代码、种族歧视和耐人深思的“电车理论” 等。主体部分从单词的释义,重点词组的归纳,句型的分析,到句 子背后的深层含义都进行了全方位解读。所有单词的释义到句子的讲解、例句的选取,参考了《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》,必应词典,有道词典,百词斩词典,Urban Dictionary和一些网络上的其他解释。读者可以放心使用。
3.每章末尾的阅读小练习能够帮助读者快速地把握本章大意,只要细心找一下,都能发现答案哦!同时问题的形式和内容结 合了高考阅读理解和大学四、六级考试的出题类型,帮助读者熟悉考试。
4.和章节配套的26个电影视频片段的起止时间(已经标注在文章开头)已为读者截取好,读者可以在看电影视频的时候结合本书,反复地精听和赏析,对其中的句子进行模仿和背诵,终达到提高英语综合水平的目的。
作为“英语好学伴”系列的本书,由于成书仓促,还有很多的不足,希望广大英语爱好者予以批评指正。我会认真接纳、学习和改正自己的不足,并在后期的作品《英文电影赏析——傲慢与 偏见》和《英文原版小说赏析——小王子王子》中进行改进。
后,用一句话来总结一下这部电影,同时和读者共勉:In life, there are no shortcuts to joy. Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer just a little bit.(生命中,快乐没有捷径,所有值得追求的东西都会让我们经受一点点磨难)。
Chapter One
(开始—00:04:15)
名称解读:
影片名Zootopia是zoo utopia(乌托邦)的组合。Utopia(乌托邦) 是英国空想社会主义者托马斯·莫尔(Thomas More)所著书名的简称。作者在书里描写了他所想象的没有阶级的幸福社会,并把这种社会叫作乌托邦,也可以理解为中国的世外桃源。
这部电影以乌托邦为基础,想象各种动物和谐地生活(live in harmony)在动物城里。各种动物安居乐业,各得其所。从这个角度来说,Zootopia这个创意就很贴切了,不过影片官方的中文翻译为《疯狂动物城》,走的是商业化的道路,类似的翻译还有《疯狂原始人》(The Croods)、 《上帝也疯狂》(The God Must Be Crazy)、《修女也疯狂》(Sister Act)。
作为迪士尼影业出品的一部优秀动画片,该片于2016年3月4日在中国大陆与北美同步上映。2016年12月,《疯狂动物城》被美国电影学会选为2016年度十佳电影。2017年1月,获得第74届美国电影电视金球奖动画长片奖。2017年2月,该片获得第89届奥斯卡金像奖动画长片奖。
值得一提的是,在2019年国产动画电影《哪吒之魔童降世》上映之前,国内上映的动画电影票房榜的榜首一直都是由《疯狂动物城》占据。所以,在欣赏这部迪士尼电影的同时,我们也希望国产动画能有更多的杰作供我们欣赏。闲话少说,下面进入章。
Fear, treachery(背叛), blood lust(渴望).
(1)Thousands of years ago these were the forces that ruled our world,a world where prey(猎物) were scared of predators(食肉动物、捕食者) .
And predators had an (2)uncontrollable biological urge to maim(残害), and maul(撕咬), and…
Awww!Blood! Blood! Blood! And…death!
Back then, the world was (3) divided in two.
Vicious(凶猛的) predator, or meek(温顺的) prey.
But (4) over time, we evolved(进化), and moved beyond our primitive(原始的) savage(野蛮的) ways.Now predator and prey (5) live in harmony.
And every young mammal has multitudinous(无数的) opportunities.
Yeah, I (6) dont have to cower in a herd anymore.Instead, I can be an (7) astronaut.
I dont have to be a lonely hunter anymore.Today I can hunt for(寻找;找工作) tax exemptions(免除).Im gonna(=going to) be an actuary(精算师).【注意:电影片段里翻译为抓捕逃税的人并不准确,应该是寻找税务减免的办法】
And I can make the world a better place.I am going to be…a police officer!
Bunny cop? That is the (8) most stupidest thing I ever heard!
(1)Thousands of years ago these were the forces that ruled our world,a world where prey were scared of predators.这句话里出现由that和where引导的两处定语从句:that引导的定语从句,先行词force,that在从句作主语。这句话理解为统治我们世界的力量;where引导的定语从句,此处理解为一个猎物害怕捕食者的世界。
be scared of:害怕;恐惧
e.g.Be confident.Dont be scared of your opponents.要有自信,不要害怕你的对手。
本句大意:几千年前,就是这些力量统治着我们的世界,一个猎物害怕捕食者的世界。
(2)uncontrollable biological urge:难以控制的本能冲动
uncontrollable的词根为control(控制),通过附加否定前缀un 和形容词后缀able得来。
e.g.unbelievable: 难以置信的
urge:n.冲动v.催促
e.g.I was so hungry that I urged the waiter to serve the dishes faster.我太饿了,催促服务生上菜再快点。
(3)divide:分开(侧重于把整体分成部分)
It may seem impossible to small minds.Im looking at you, Gideon Grey.But, (9) just 211 miles away, stands the great city of Zootopia. Where our ancestors first joined together in peace and declared that anyone can be anything! Thank you and good night.
Judy, you ever wonder how your mom and me got to be so darn happy?
Nope(=no)
Well, we gave up on(对……放弃希望) our dreams, and we settled.Right, Bon?
Oh, yes.Thats right, Stu.We settled hard.You see, thats the beauty of complacency(自满), Jude.If you dont try anything new, youll never fail. (这句很耐人寻味哦!)
I like trying, actually.
What your father means, honey, is that its gonna(=going to) be difficult, impossible even…for you to become a police officer.
Right.Theres never been a bunny cop.
No.
Bunnies dont do that.Never.
Never.
Well…Then I guess Ill have to be the first one.
Because I am gonna make the world a better place!
Or, heck(语气词,表示略微吃惊或恼怒), you know.You wanna(want to口语中的说法) talk about making the world a better place, (10)no better way to do it than becoming a carrot farmer.
e.g.This film is divided into 26 small parts.
若是把不同的东西分开,应该用separate。
e.g.The teacher separates the boys from the girls.
(4)over time:随着时间推移。此外,over有在……期间的意思。
e.g.Lets discuss it over coffee.
(5) live in harmony:和谐相处
(6) not anymore=no more:不再
(7) astronaut:宇航员
astro是一个前缀,表示和星星、天体、宇宙有关的事物,比如astronomer: 天文学家;astronomy: 天文学。
(8)most stupidest:此处其实是有语法错误的,小孩子把的用法重叠了,正确表达应该是stupidest 或者the most stupid。
(9)just 211 miles away, stands the great city of Zootopia
为完全倒装句,即把所有谓语动词提到句首。当表示地点、方位的介词短语位于句首时,句子使用完全倒装的形式。
e.g.Under the tree lay a boy.
Yes! Your dad, me, your 275 brothers and sisters, were changing the world.
Yeah.One carrot at a time.
(11)Amen to that.Carrot farming is a noble profession.
Just pulling their seeds out.
And one with the soil.Just getting covered in dirt.
You get it(理解), honey? I mean, its great to have dreams.
Yeah, just (12)as long as you dont believe in them too much.(又一句发人深省的话哦!)
Where the heckd (heck did 的缩写) she go?
正常语序:A boy lay under the tree.
(10) no better way to do it than becoming a carrot farmer 没有什么比当一个种胡萝卜的农民更好的事情了。比较级的否定形式表示的含义。
e.g.I have never spent a more worrying day.这是我经历的令人担心的一天。
(11) Amen to that= I certainly agree with that.我当然同意那个意见。
(12) as (so) long as:只要
e.g.You can use my dictionary as long as you return it on time.
你可以使用我的词典,只要你按时归还就行。
Quiz:
1.What did Judy want to be when she grew up?
A.An astronaut. B.A tax actuary. C.A police officer.
2.What was the attitude of Judys parents to her dream?
A.Positive.B.Negative.C.Indifferent.
3.Which one of the following is right?
A.The predators and preys lived in harmony in the past.
B.Gideon Grey was friendly to Judy.
C.Judy was determined to be a cop.