VOA标准英语2010年-'Secretariat' Tells Inspiring Story of

Only a few horses have won the Triple Crown, three grueling thoroughbred races held every spring. Some four decades ago, one horse who did achieve that pinnacle¹ of American racing² became a national hero, along with the woman who owned and believed in him, against all odds³. Their inspiring story gets the Hollywood treatment in a new film from Walt Disney. Here's a look at Secretariat.

"Horse racing is unforgiving for housewives."
"It's like every other multi-million dollar gamble we housewives make every day."

Penny Chenery was a housewife and mother in Denver, Colorado in the 1960's; but when her father's ailing⁴ health threatened the future of her family's Virginia horse breeding farm, Penny took it over, stubbornly determined⁵ to put the business back on its feet. All she needed was one winning horse ...and she got that in a chestnut⁶ red colt born on the farm in 1969.

"You're in a rough spot so I'll buy that horse of yours, right now: seven million dollars, all cash."
"If he does what I think he'll do, his value will double, if not triple."
"Eight million."
"No."
"You're that stubborn."
"I'm that right."

John Bramley
Diane Lane in a scene from "Secretariat"
By the time he was three years old, the thoroughbred nicknamed "Big Red, but formally called "Secretariat," would earn a place in American horse racing history. So too did Penny Chenery, as one of the few women among the owners of horse racing stables. Diane Lane plays her in the film and says she learned about the character first-hand.

"First of all, it was very surreal to spend time with the real Penny Chenery because, invariably, it is unusual to spend time with somebody that you are going to be bringing to the screen," noted⁷ Lane. "It raises the stakes. I really personally wanted to make it a gratifying experience for her.

John Bramley
Diane Lane and John Malkovich in a scene from "Secretariat"
"I don't think that Penny ever took on or saw herself in a vainglorious⁸ manner at all representing any gender⁹ or any generation. It was, rather, a timeless story from her point of view of her family business and what needed to be done to save it," added Lane. "So I take a page from her book and salute¹⁰ her for not letting this become an issue, but more one for the history books for people to, with the patina¹¹ of time, say 'well, there is a hero.' "

John Malkovich plays Lucien Laurin, the horse trainer who, at Penny's urging - and guided by her unflagging faith in him - pushes Secretariat on to victory.

Movies about horse racing have been done before; for instance, in 2003, the Depression-era hero Seabiscuit was the subject of a hit film. So Secretariat director Randall Wallace says he set out to show the grueling and sometimes dangerous sport from a different perspective.

John Bramley
Director Randall Wallace on the set of the movie
"I understood about this movie from the beginning that we had to experience these races as participants, not as observers," Wallace explained. "That required that we shoot the movie in a way no horseracing movie had ever been shot ...with an approach of filming where you are subjectively¹² in the race. You are not seeing what it is like to have watched "Secretariat" run; you experience what was it like to run like "Secretariat." There is a world of difference in that and we had to understand what it was like for the characters when they were alone. Some of the most evocative moments in this movie, for me, are when the characters are by themselves."

Wallace put the viewer "in the races" by shooting them with lightweight video cameras mounted right on the horses. Of course, horse racing fans know the results of the 1973 season when "Secretariat" won the Triple Crown; but director Wallace contends there is still suspense¹³ and a sense of religious exultation¹⁴ about the outcome of the film.

John Bramley
Otto Thorwarth (2nd from left) in a scene from "Secretariat"
"In all of my other films - Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Man In The Iron Mask - along with courage and honor there is a sense of tragedy," Wallace said. "This was a movie in which it is unalloyed joy that glories in love and courage."

Secretariat reinforces that religious tone with lines from the biblical book of Job at the beginning and the 1969 hit version of the Christian¹⁵ hymn¹⁶ "Oh Happy Day" at its climax¹⁷. The book Secretariat: The Making of A Champion by journalist Bill Nack is among the sources for the script by Mike Rich.
 

1 pinnacle   

n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰

参考例句：

• Now he is at the very pinnacle of his career.现在他正值事业中的顶峰时期。
• It represents the pinnacle of intellectual capability.它代表了智能的顶峰。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

4 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 vainglorious   

adj.自负的；夸大的

参考例句：

• She is a vainglorious woman.她是个爱虚荣的女性。
• Let us not become vainglorious,provoking one another,envying one another.不要贪图虚荣，彼此惹气，互相嫉妒。

9 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

10 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

11 patina   

n.铜器上的绿锈，年久而产生的光泽

参考例句：

• The trophy has a beautiful green patina.这个奖杯表面有一层漂亮的绿锈。
• Ancient bronze animal are covered in vivid green patina.古代青铜器动物被绿色彩铜绿笼罩。

12 subjectively   

主观地； 臆

参考例句：

• Subjectively, the demand of interest is the desire of human being. 荀子所说的对利的需要从主观上说就是人的欲望。
• A sound also has an amplitude, a property subjectively heard as loudness. 声音有振幅，振幅的主观感觉是声音的大小。

13 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

14 exultation   

n.狂喜，得意

参考例句：

• It made him catch his breath, it lit his face with exultation. 听了这个名字，他屏住呼吸，乐得脸上放光。
• He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. 他一点都激动不起来。

15 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。

16 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

17 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。