英语听力精选进阶版 6120

Batman Film Shatters Box Office Record 蝙蝠侠新片冲破票房纪录

It's not often you see a giant bat-shaped car driving through central London, unless perhaps Batman is in town.

The caped¹ crusader's famous Batmobile was here for the European premiere of new Batman film The Dark Knight², a film which has already been making waves at the US box office.

It has set a box office record for best opening weekend ever, taking $155m (1.1bn yuan) in the US alone in its first three days in cinemas.

But while it is not unusual for summer blockbusters to make a lot of money, what is less common is for such films to receive good reviews from critics.

"An epic³ that will leave you staggering from the theatre, stunned⁴ by its scope and complexity," was how Associated Press described the film, one of many reviews which sung the praises of the latest Batman film.

The movie, which stars British actor Christian⁵ Bale in the lead role and the late Heath Ledger⁶ as his arch-enemy the Joker, has already been voted the number one film of all time by users of the website imdb.com.

The story follows the superhero Batman as he battles the criminal underworld in the fictional⁷ Gotham City.

One particularly stunning⁸ part sees Batman leap from the top of the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong; and even features a cameo role for controversial star Edison Chen.

Many critics have singled out Heath Ledger's performance as the maniacal⁹ Joker, who wreaks¹⁰ mayhem as Batman tries to stop him.

Anglo-American director Christopher Nolan described his performance as breathtaking, complex and "hard to pin down". Co-star Sir Michael Caine called him "one of the greatest villains¹¹ you've ever seen."

Ledger died earlier this year from an accidental prescription¹² drugs overdose. It now looks likely that he will receive a posthumous¹³ Oscar nomination¹⁴.

GLOSSARY 词汇表

caped crusader 披斗篷的先锋（蝙蝠侠的别称）

making waves 掀起一阵热潮

box office 票房

opening weekend 首个周末

summer blockbusters 夏季大片

staggering 摇摇晃晃

stunned 受惊的

scope （影片的）范围

sung the praises 表扬

arch-enemy 死敌

criminal underworld 黑社会

cameo role （电影中）托明星演员的小配角

singled out 挑出，选出

maniacal 疯狂的

wreaks mayhem 犯下重伤罪

breathtaking 激动人心的

hard to pin down 很难下结论

villains 坏人，反面人物

accidental prescription drugs overdose 意外过量服药

posthumous 死后获得的

1 caped   

披斗篷的

参考例句：

2 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

3 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 ledger   

n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿

参考例句：

• The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺，然后又埋头写起分类帐。
• She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的，家庭分类账记得清楚详细。

7 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

8 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

9 maniacal   

adj.发疯的

参考例句：

• He was almost maniacal in his pursuit of sporting records.他近乎发疯般地追求着打破体育纪录。
• She is hunched forward over the wheel with a maniacal expression.她弓身伏在方向盘前，表情像疯了一样。

10 wreaks   

诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Worshipping the sun wreaks havoc on skin. So does smoking. 过度晒太阳会毁掉好皮肤，吸烟也是如此。
• His hard work wreaks havoc in his personal life. 他拼命工作破坏了他的私人生活。

11 villains   

n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼

参考例句：

• The impression of villains was inescapable. 留下恶棍的印象是不可避免的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some villains robbed the widow of the savings. 有几个歹徒将寡妇的积蓄劫走了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

13 posthumous   

adj.遗腹的；父亡后出生的；死后的，身后的

参考例句：

• He received a posthumous award for bravery.他表现勇敢，死后受到了嘉奖。
• The legendary actor received a posthumous achievement award.这位传奇男星在过世后获得终身成就奖的肯定。

14 nomination   

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。