VOA标准英语2011--George Clooney, Ryan Gosling Star in 'Th

George Clooney, Ryan Gosling Star in 'The Ides of March'

George Clooneys' political thriller¹, The Ides of March, is the latest film to zoom² in on American society and politics. The film takes its name from a reference in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar to the Ides, or middle, of March and the sense of doom³ that accompanies it. The film is a sleek⁴ political drama with a different sense of doom and it's already generating Oscar buzz.
In The Ides of March, Stephen Meyers, played by Ryan Gosling, is the brilliant campaign manager of Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Morris. Governor Morris, played by George Clooney, is trying to win the Ohio primary. It's key to clinching⁵ the Democratic nomination⁶ for president.
Stephen Meyers believes in Morris. But as he tries to outline the governor's political agenda, the two clash. Morris is uncompromising, and Meyers fears the governor might lose.
Tom Duffy is the campaign manager for Morris's opponent. Duffy tries to undermine the governor by stealing Stephen Meyers. The meeting the two have destroys Meyers' credibility and gets him fired. But there's a twist. Meyers finds out the governor has a secret. With that knowledge, he blackmails⁷ Governor Morris to get rehired and forces him to make political compromises.
Through their unholy alliance, the ambitious campaign manager and the morally compromised politician make their way to the top.
The film touched a nerve with audiences in Washington DC, the country's political epicenter.
WOMAN1: "Not only did it reflect the political climate, but just our society as a whole. May people are about 'me, me, me' and will do anything to get ahead."
WOMAN2: "All the back door deals are always happening."
George Clooney also directed the film and co-wrote the script.
In addition to Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers, Paul Giamatti plays Tom Duffy. Oscar winners Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei complete a stellar cast.
Clooney says although the film is fiction, it accurately⁸ depicts⁹ politics today.
"If this film somehow reflects the cynicism that we've seen in recent times, that's probably good," said Clooney. "It's not a bad thing to hold a mirror and look at some of the things that we're doing. Not a bad thing to look at how we elect our officials."
The Ides of March is the latest in a series of films that have reflected America's political psyche¹⁰. One of the most iconic was Alan J. Pakula's "All The President's Men." It chronicled the unraveling of the Nixon administration in the early 1970s as two Washington Post reporters exposed the Watergate cover up.
The Ides of March focuses on a new menace: cutthroat politics, political amorality, and cynicism taken to new heights.

1 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

2 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

3 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

4 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

5 clinching   

v.（尤指两人）互相紧紧抱[扭]住( clinch的现在分词 )；解决（争端、交易），达成（协议）

参考例句：

• Joe gets clinching evidence of the brains role when he dreams. 乔做梦时得到了大脑发生作用的决定性依据。 来自辞典例句
• Clinching, wrestling, pushing, or seizing, without attempting a throw or other technique. 抱，扭摔，推或抓而没有摔或其它的技术。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 blackmails   

胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Francis blackmails Niko, and threatens to lock him up unless he kills his brother Derrick. 弗兰西斯要挟Niko（尼克），并威胁除非杀死了他的弟弟德里克否则是不会放过尼克的。

8 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

9 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

10 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。