The Magic of Movies

電影魔力by Drew Devlin

What's showing this winter at a theater near you?

When you go to the movies, what do you watch? Exhilarating action films? Romantic comedies? Animated adventures? Whatever you enjoy, you'll find it on the silver screen this holiday season.
Three animated films promise adventure and excitement in 3-D. In Megamind, a supervillain named Megamind discovers that his life is boring without an adversary, so he creates Titan, the perfect superhero. Unfortunately, Titan decides to destroy the world and Megamind has to save it. Disney's Tangled is an adaptation of the Rapunzel fairytale about a princess who has spent her entire life in a tower. After falling in love with a clever young man, she must venture out into the world to find him. Yogi Bear follows the adventures of two bears, Yogi and Boo Boo, who live in Jellystone Park. When the greedy mayor wants to close the park, Yogi and Boo Boo spring into action to save their home.

Romance fans will enjoy Due Date. Robert Downey Jr. plays a father-to-be trying to reach home for the birth of his first child. He hitches a ride with an aspiring actor and on the cross-country trip encounters one disaster after another.

Fantasy-adventure fans won't want to miss The Chronicles of Narnia. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In it, Lucy and Edmund and their cousin Eustace are swallowed up by a painting in Lucy's room. Rescued by the ship the Dawn Treader. the group undertakes a quest to find the seven lost lords of Narnia. In Gulliver's Travels, Jack Black plays Lemuel Gulliver, a struggling writer. Gulliver hopes to impress a travel editor by taking a boat to the Bermuda Triangle. He survives a brutal storm and finds himself on an island populated by 6-inch-tall people. Tron: Legacy, the sequel to the 1982 film about video game programmer Kevin Flynn, tells the story of Kevin's son, Sam. While investigating his father's disappearance, Same is thrust into the digital world of Tron. He reunites with his father, and they try to escape from the cyberuniverse that Kevin created 25 years earlier. Those who enjoy historical dramas must see The King's Speech, which is inspired by from the true story of England's King George VI. A speech therapist helps the stuttering king prepare to deliver the most important speech of his life.

You'll also find heart-stopping action in theaters this winter. The action thriller Unstoppable stars two-time Oscar winner Danzel Washington. Washington plays an experienced locomotive engineer, who, with the help of a young conductor, must stop a long, unmanned train. The train, nicknamed "The Beast," is loaded with flammable liquids and poison gas and is hurtling toward a highly populated area.

Audiences will be amused at the romantic comedy Morning Glory. In it, a hard-working TV producer has trouble with her career and love life. She decides to revive her last-place morning news show, so she pairs a legendary TV anchorman with a former celebrity gossip specialist. Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton play the anchorman and gossip specialist respectively. The resulting clash of personalities plays out both on and off the air. Reese Witherspoon stars in How Do You Know, a comedy drama about professional athletes and their love lives. Witherspoon plays a professional softball player who has both a corporate executive and major-league pitcher vying for her affections. Take time to see a movie this winter, and don't forget the popcorn!

Grammar:
Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton play the anchorman and gossip specialist respectively.
respectively=in the order that was just mentioned.
Harrison Ford plays the anchorman, and Diane Keaton plays the gossip specialist.
"respectively"-
In our class play, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Samantha will play Goldilocks, Robert will play papa Bear, Mandy will play Mama Bear, and Terry will play Baby Bear.
=In our class, Goldilocks and the Three Bears Samantha, Robert, Mandy and Terry will play Goldilocks, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear respectively.
Sandra plays the saxophone, Violet plays the violin, and Charlie plays the cello.
= Sandra, Violet, and Charlie play the saxophone, violin and cello respectively.

Vocabulary Tips:
exhilarating- 令人興奮的，刺激的。exhilarate-使振奮，使高興的現在分詞。
*The amusement park's exhilarating roller-coaster ride attracts many young visitors.
*The video footage captured the exhilarating atmosphere of the car race.
adversary-對手，敵人，敵手，敵對的一方。
*Our football team will compete against our long-time adversary tonight.
*The one-time best friends are now adversaries in the business world.
hitch a ride (hitch a lift) - 搭便車hitch-用繩子勾住，掛住，
*Our car broke down so we decided to hitch a ride back home.
*Howard hitched a lift to Vegas from a passing RV.
quest-探索, 探索什麽用"for"。 追索要做的事情用"to".
*The movie is about a quest to find a lost treasure under the sea.
*The reporter's quest to find the truth was hindered by some politicians.
legacy-遺產，先人遺留下來的東西。
*William's grandfather left him a large legacy. 大批遺產。
*Romans enjoy the cultural legacy left by their ancestors. 祖先留下來的文化遺產。
*The war left a legacy of hatred and pain. 留下來的仇恨與痛苦
stuttering-口吃，説話結結巴巴的， 結巴。
*Victor couldn't stop stuttering as he delivered his speech.
*Shannon suddenly began stuttering when the boy she liked walked in the room.
hurtle -猛衝,奔馳, -very fast, probably out of control. hurtled,
*The frightened horse hurtled toward the fence and almost got away.
*The kids hurtled down the stairs to answer the door when they heard the bell ring.
anchorman-男主播 anchorwomen女主播, anchor-(不分男,女)主播.
*The anchorman tried to stay calm as he broadcasted live from the scene of the explosion.
*The TV station hired young anchors to replace the old ones.
vie-爭奪,激烈的競爭. vied (過去式), vying (現在進行式) "for"
* The two brothers vie for their mother's attention every day.
*Many companies are vying for the top spot in the market. 爭奪領先地位.
flammable-can explode, something is easy to burn.

Chat Room
mega-數目大的，
mega bucks-很多的錢
mega dose-很大的葯劑量dose-葯的劑量
megastar-星星很多。
megacity-大城市New York, L.A.
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swallow-吞噬，吞嚥
The Chronicles of Narnia. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
are swallowed up by a painting-被一幅畫吞噬了
swallow one's pride-把驕傲吞下去。意即“放下身段”
hard to swallow-難以下嚥，難以接受。
a bitter pill to swallow-吞下苦葯丸，即是“吞下能不做的苦差事，不能不吞下去的屈辱.”
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You'll also find heart-stopping action in theaters this winter.
heart-stopping=心臟停下來,即"驚心動魄"
show-stopper=由於觀衆的熱烈掌聲而使得表演中斷的某個動作或表演
conversation stopper=是對話停止.即"無法使對方對話延續的答覆.