"The Artist' a Big Winner at Oscars

 　　The black-and-white film The Artist was the big winner at Sunday's 84th Annual Academy Awards -- the Oscars -- capturing best picture and major awards for its director and lead actor.

　　Frenchman Jean Dujardin won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the film about a struggling silent-era movie star, while Michel Hazanavicius was honored as Best Director.

　　Meryl Streep won her third Oscar, taking the award for Best Actress for her portrayal¹ of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher² in The Iron Lady.

　　Christopher Plummer made history by becoming the oldest actor to win an Oscar.  The 82-year-old won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in Beginners as an elderly widower³ who embraces his homosexuality.

　　Octavia Spencer received a standing⁴ ovation⁵ when she won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Help. She was one of two actresses nominated in the category from the film, which tells the story of African American maids in the racially segregated⁶ southern United States of the 1960s.

　　Another big winner was Hugo, a visually rich 3D tribute to a French film pioneer.  It won five awards, including cinematography, art direction and sound editing.

　　Asghar Farhadi, of Iran, accepts the Oscar for best foreign language film for “A Separation” during the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2012, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

　　In the best foreign language film category, the prize went as expected to Iran's A Separation. Directed by Asghar Farhadi, it tells the story of the difficult lives of a couple seeking a divorce. It already has won numerous awards this year.

　　The award ceremony by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood honors last year's best films, actors, directors and producers, and is viewed by hundreds of millions around the world.

1 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

2 thatcher   

n.茅屋匠

参考例句：

• Tom Sawyer was in the skiff that bore Judge Thatcher. 汤姆 - 索亚和撒切尔法官同乘一条小艇。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• Mrs. Thatcher was almost crazed; and Aunt Polly, also. 撒切尔夫人几乎神经失常，还有波莉姨妈也是。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

3 widower   

n.鳏夫

参考例句：

• George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
• Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

6 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。