EZCNN 易英网

Pirates Continue to Excite 《神鬼奇航》风靡全球

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

If you’re looking for fun, excitement, and a taste of adventure on the high seas, only one film trilogy can truly deliver the goods. Disney’s Pirate of the Caribbean series lets you climb aboard the Black Pearl with Captain Jack Sparrow and experience the voyage of a lifetime.

如果你寻求乐趣、刺激和想尝尝在海上冒险的滋味，只有一部电影三部曲不会辜负你的期望。迪斯尼的《加勒比海盗》系列让你和杰克．史派洛船长一同登上黑珍珠号，并体验让你一生难忘的航程。

 

Unlike many movies, which are based on novels or TV shows, the idea for this fantastical series came from the riveting Pirate of the Caribbean amusement park ride at Disney World. When the idea was pitched, studio executives were a bit skeptical about whether the film would be well-received, as films in the pirate genre tended to tank at the box office. Nonetheless, Walt Disney Pictures decided to give the project the green light.

这部电影和其他由小说或电视节目改编的电影不同之处在于，这系列充满想象力的电影灵感来自于迪斯尼乐园中吸引人的加勒比海盗游乐设施。当在推广这个想法时，电影公司主管有点怀疑这片子是否会广受好评，因为海盗类型的电影以往的票房通常不佳。尽管如此，华特迪斯尼影片公司决定允许执行此企划案。

 

The first film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was released in 2002 and boasted a cast filled with A-list actors. Johnny Depp starred as the swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow, who’s recruited for a perilous mission to rescue the governor’s daughter, played by Keira Knightley, after she is abducted by Captain Hector Barbossa and his treacherous gang of pirates. With its quirky sense of humor and spectacular special effects, the movie was a hit with audiences of all ages, and became a critical and commercial success.

第一集电影《神鬼奇航：鬼盗船魔咒》于2002年上映，并且拥有超强卡司。在殖民地总督女儿（由绮拉．奈特莉饰）被巴船长和一群危险的海盗绑架后，意气风发的杰克，史派洛船长（钱宁，戴普饰）被征召去执行解救她的危险任务。兼具这种怪异的幽默感与壮观的特效，这部电影叫好又叫座，且获得各年龄层观众的喜爱。

 

In the second and third installments, Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, a slew of new characters are introduced to spice things up. Davy Jones, the ghoulish captain of a ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, is hell-bent on claiming Sparrow’s soul. The films also feature the historical East India Trading Company, which ushered in a new era and threatened to squash piracy forever.

在第二集《聚魂棺》和第三集《世界的尽头》，许多新角色纷纷露脸，让情节更加丰富有趣。这部电影也以历史上的东印度贸易公司做为其特色，引领观众进入一个新时代，并誓言要永远终止所有海盗活动。

 

Vocabulary

 单词发音

 

high sea 公海 the open seas of the world outside the territorial waters of any nation

trilogy [ˋtrɪlədʒɪ] n. 三部剧

riveting [ˋrɪvɪtɪŋ] a. 极有吸引力的; 饶有兴味的

pitch [pɪtʃ] v.【俚】竭力推销 to adapt so as to be applicable; direct

skeptical [ˋskɛptɪk!]  adj. 怀疑的

genre [ˋʒɑnrə] n.〔艺术﹑写作﹑音乐等的〕类型﹐体裁

tank [tæŋk]  v. 不成功; 失败 Slang to suffer a sudden decline or failure

box office

  1. 售票室  A booth, as in a theater or stadium, where tickets are sold.

  2. 收入  The amount of money received from ticket sales for an entertainment.

cast [kæst]  n. 班底，演员阵容

A-list   一线的，最好的，最优秀的

swashbuckling  [ˋswɑʃ͵bʌklɪŋ]  adj. 神气活现的；吹嘘的

recruit [rɪˋkrut] v. 吸收（新成员）

perilous [ˋpɛrələs] adj. 危险的；冒险的

abduct [æbˋdʌkt] v. 绑架；劫持

treacherous  [ˋtrɛtʃərəs] adj. 不牢靠的；危险的

quirky [ˋkwɝkɪ] adj. 古怪的

hit [hɪt] n. 成功而风行一时的事物

installment  [ɪnˋstɔlmənt] n.（分期连载的）部分

slew  [slu] n. 许多

ghoulish  [ˋgulɪʃ] adj. 残忍的

hell-bent adj. 坚决的﹐不顾一切的  impetuously or recklessly determined to do or achieve something

squash  [skwɑʃ]  v. 镇压，压制

 

Idiom

片语发音

 

deliver the goods 履行诺言; 不负众望  if someone or something delivers the goods, they do what people hope they will do

give somebody/something  the green light 准许某人做某事 to give permission for someone to do something or for something to happen

spice (something) up  增添趣味  to make something more interesting, lively, or sexy

usher in (something) 领进; 引进 to signal the beginning of something

 

 

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

In the latest Pirates movie, Sparrow and his castaways embark once more on an exciting new mission. On Stranger Tides, the fourth film of the franchise, set anchor in theaters everywhere in May. But some changes have been made to shake things up a bit. The popular characters Will and Elizabeth have been removed from the storyline and replaced by two heinous villains. One is Blackbeard the pirate, played by Ian McShane. The other is his stunning daughter, Angelica, portrayed by Oscar winner Penelope Cruz.

在最新一部「海盗」系列电影里，杰克和他的遇难同伴再次执行刺激的新冒险任务。《神鬼奇航4：幽灵海》是海盗系列电影经销权下的第四部片，将在今年五月于各大电影院上映，但是一些改变让很多事都变得很不一样。有名的角色如威尔与伊丽莎白退隐幕后，取而代之的是两位狠毒的恶棍：一位是由伊恩麦克夏饰演的黑胡子船长，另一位则是船长的女儿安洁莉卡，由奥斯卡得主潘妮洛普．克鲁兹饰演。

 

As the storyline goes, Sparrow has a brush with an old flame from his past. Yet at heart, he is undecided whether she is his soul mate or just a dishonest huckster who is using him to find the elusive Fountain of Youth. He soon discovers it’s the latter, after she tricks him into boarding the Queen Anne’s Revenge, a ship piloted by the abominable pirate Blackbeard. To defeat them, Sparrow may have to team up with his old nemesis Barbossa. As if it didn’t have enough thrills already, On Stranger Tides will be the first Pirates movie to come out in 3D.

随着情节发展，杰克遇到了前女友，却不确定她是否是他的灵魂伴侣，抑或仅仅是名油腔滑调的骗子，想利用他找到隐蔽的青春之泉。在被骗上可憎的黑胡子船长航驶的《安娜女王复仇号》后，杰克很快就发现是后者。为了打败他们，杰克可能需要和旧仇人巴船长连手。这些听起来好像都不够刺激，但是《神鬼奇航4：幽灵海》将会是第一部以3D方式上映的「海盗」系列电影。

 

Die-hard fans of the series need not worry that this is Sparrow’s final voyage, as it appears that there will be plenty of high sea high jinks to come in the future. Rumor has it that the Pirates of the Caribbean team will reunite and reportedly set sail again for two additional movies to be filmed in the near future.

忠实的头号粉丝不用担心这会是杰克最后一次远航，因为看起来未来会有更多在海上狂欢作乐的电影上映。谣传《神鬼奇航》的工作小组将再齐聚一堂，于不久的将来再多拍两部续集。

 

－by Jamie Blackler

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

castaway [ˋkæstə͵we] n. 沉船后漂流到孤岛的人; 船难者

heinous [ˋhenəs] adj. 可憎的；凶恶的

villain [ˋvɪlən] n. 坏人，恶棍

portray [porˋtre] v. 扮演；表现

huckster [ˋhʌkstɚ] n. 〔有时用欺骗手段的〕骗子; 强行推销者

elusive [ɪˋlusɪv] a.〔人或动物〕难找的; 常见不到的

trick [trɪk] v. 哄骗，欺骗

abominable [əˋbɑmənəb!] adj. 可恶的，令人讨厌的

nemesis [ˋnɛməsɪs]  n. 难以打败的敌人 an opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome

 

Idiom

片语发音

 

embark on something 从事；开始做  begin a journey by boarding a ship, airplane, etc

set anchor in 上映

shake something up 重组; 调整  to reorganize a group or organization, not always in a gentle way

have a brush with 与…发生冲突  to have a brief contact with something; to have an experience with something

an old flame  旧情人  a person who you had a romantic relationship with in the past

soul mate 性情相投的人; 情人  a person for whom one has a deep affinity, esp a lover, wife, husband, etc

team up 与…合作, 与…齐心协力  form a team

come out 出版或发表 to be issued or brought out

die-hard fan  忠实追随者

high jinks [dʒɪŋks] 【口】狂欢作乐; 胡闹  playful, often noisy and rowdy activity, usually involving mischievous pranks

rumor has it that 传说…, 谣传…  there is a rumor that

 

 

Reading Questions

 

1.    Where did the idea for the Pirate of the Caribbean movies come from?  

(A)  The Disney executives.

(B)  A series of novels.

(C)  An amusement park ride.

(D)  A TV show.

 

2.    Which of the following is NOT true?

(A)  Pirate movies usually do very poorly at the box office.

(B)  The East India Company tried to stop piracy.

(C)  Jack Sparrow is played by Johnny Depp.

(D)  Everyone knew the first film would be a commercial success.

 

3.    What is Angelica trying to find?

(A)  The pirate Blackbeard.

(B)  The Fountain of Youth.

(C)  Captain Barbossa.

(D)  The Queen Anne’s Revenge.

 

4.    Which of the following statement about the fourth movie is true?

(A)  Will and Elizabeth are not in it.

(B)  The film will not be in 3D.

(C)  Jack Sparrow had not met Angelica before it.

(D)  Blackbeard is not one of the movie’s villains.

 

 

Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me) - Pirates of the Caribbean

 

 

Pirates of the Caribbean / Disneyland

 

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl Trailer (HD)

 

 

Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest Trailer HD

 

 

more videos

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 - At World's End Trailer

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Trailer 1

 

 

 

 

 

Answer

1. ( C )

2. ( D )

3. ( B )

4. ( A )