VOA慢速英语2015 迪士尼纪录片里的猴

Monkeys Rule the Ruins in Disney Documentary¹ 迪士尼纪录片里的猴

Monkeys are entertaining. They can swing through trees, hang by their tails, play, dance, kiss and argue. A new Disney movie captures all of that and more.

The nature film “Monkey Kingdom” stars a group of monkeys that live among the ruins of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. These small reddish-colored monkeys are known as toque macaque monkeys. They also follow an established social order.

“Monkey Kingdom” centers on Maya and her newborn, Kip. Maya is low on the social order among the monkeys. She struggles to find food and safety. That struggle increases when she has Kip.

Maya is a resourceful monkey. She fights for territory when other troops of monkeys try to invade her living area. The drama and danger is real.

Tina Fey narrated² “Monkey Kingdom.” Reviews say her skills as a comedian³ add humor to the story. Maya’s love interest Kumar first appears in the movie jumping strongly and skillfully while the R&B song “Whatta Man” plays in the background. Fey then describes Kumar as a “fifteen pounds of hunky monkey.”

But, Fey also says the monkeys are funny on their own. At one point, Maya is desperate for food. She leads some monkeys on a raid⁴ of a human house in the area. They enjoy some birthday cake and steal eggs.

The monkeys are far from alone at the Polonnaruwa ruins. There are many kinds of animal neighbors, including leopards⁵ and monitor lizards⁶ that see the monkeys as a food source. Danger is all around. But most of it comes from the sharp climb Maya makes up the social order.

Co-director Mark Linfield said Disneynature spent almost three years filming “Monkey Kingdom.” He told National Public Radio that shooting the movie was easier than one might think. He said researchers have been studying the monkeys at the ruins for fifty years. He said they were able to explain the animals’ behavior and often correctly predict their actions during shooting.

“Monkey Kingdom” is the latest in a series of nature documentaries⁷ from Disneynature. The documentary combines fun with education. It is probably best for children eight years and older.

Disneynature is sharing “Monkey Kingdom” profits with the non-profit group Wildlife Conservation. For each ticket sold during opening week, Disney will give $20 to the organization. Around $5 million worth of tickets sold in the first two days of the documentary’s release.

Words in This Story

entertaining – adj. amusing⁸ and enjoyable

swing – v.  to move backward and forward or from side to side while hanging

drama – n. a situation or series of events that is exciting and that affects people's emotions

desperate – adj. having a strong need or desire for something or to do something

documentary – n. a movie or television program that tells the facts about actual people and events

1 documentary   

adj.文献的；n.纪录片

参考例句：

• This case lacked documentary proof.本案缺少书面证据。
• I watched a documentary on the Civil War.我看了一部关于内战的纪录片。

2 narrated   

v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some of the story was narrated in the film. 该电影叙述了这个故事的部分情节。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Defoe skilfully narrated the adventures of Robinson Crusoe on his desert island. 笛福生动地叙述了鲁滨逊·克鲁索在荒岛上的冒险故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

4 raid   

v.劫掠，攫取，袭击，突击搜捕；n.突然袭击

参考例句：

• Our house was blown up in an air raid.在一次空袭中我们的房子被炸掉了。
• During their raid on the house,the police found a lot of drugs.在对这所房子的搜查中，警方发现了大量的毒品。

5 leopards   

n.豹( leopard的名词复数 )；本性难移

参考例句：

• Lions, tigers and leopards are all cats. 狮、虎和豹都是猫科动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• For example, airlines never ship leopards and canaries on the same flight. 例如，飞机上从来不会同时运送豹和金丝雀。 来自英语晨读30分（初三）

6 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

7 documentaries   

n.纪录片( documentary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• As for 'documentaries', these too are not altogether new. 至于“资料性文学”那也并不完全是新鲜事。 来自辞典例句
• These are not just animations live-action films, comedies, dramas and documentaries. 这些不仅仅是动画片，还包括表演摄制影片，喜剧，戏剧以及纪录片。 来自互联网

8 amusing   

adj.有有趣的，好玩的

参考例句：

• The girl was amusing herself with a doll.那女孩在玩洋娃娃自娱。
• He related some amusing stories in his childhood to his children.他向孩子们述说了他少年时代的一些趣事。