VOA标准英语2012--'A Separation' Explores Life in Modern Tehran

'A Separation' Explores Life in Modern Tehran

The film opens in divorce court with Nader, a bank employee, and his estranged¹ wife Simin, a doctor, appearing before a judge.
Simin is filing for divorce because she wants to leave the country. Simin feels if they left, life would improve for them and their daughter Termeh. But Nader refuses to go. He says he needs to tend to his father who suffers from Alzheimer's. We watch the couple's strained faces as they argue their case. We don't see the judge. In a sense, we are the judge.
Although the court refuses to grant the divorce, Nader and Simin agree on an informal separation. In Simin's absence, Nader hires a working class woman to help look after his father. The woman is negligent², and Nader's dad has a near fatal accident. Nader gets into an argument with the caretaker.
The argument escalates³, and Nader pushes the woman out of the house. The caretaker files a complaint against Nader. She tells the court she was pregnant and claims she lost the baby because of Nader shoved her. Nader says he had no idea the woman was pregnant.
The cast of characters is caught in a web of deception⁴ and despair. Peyman Moaadi plays Nader, a decent but stubborn man who sees his world crumbling⁵ around him.
Termeh, 11, played by the director's daughter, Sarina Farhadi, offers a heartbreaking performance as the innocent girl who lies to keep her family together. Sareh Bayat interprets the caretaker, a deeply pious⁶ working-class woman who distorts the truth for money.
Asghar Farhadi's drama offers up a society where lying is a sin, but its people are forced to bend the truth to overcome dubious⁷ court rulings, religious codes of ethics⁸ and day-to-day misery⁹.

1 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

2 negligent   

adj.疏忽的；玩忽的；粗心大意的

参考例句：

• The committee heard that he had been negligent in his duty.委员会听说他玩忽职守。
• If the government is proved negligent,compensation will be payable.如果证明是政府的疏忽，就应支付赔偿。

3 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

4 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

5 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

6 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

8 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

9 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。