知道你和章子怡、佩內洛普·克魯茲還有阿諾·施瓦辛格共同之處是什么嗎？對了，答案就是大家都得學英語。本期《隨身英語》探討學習一門外語必須迎接的挑戰。

課文內容

詞匯: cinema 電影院

We all hear about foreign actors making it big in Hollywood. But many acknowledge that they were shaking in their boots the first time they were waiting for the director to shout: 'Action!'

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, star of Zoolander-2 and Vanilla Sky, is a respected actress with a Hollywood career. But she hardly spoke any English when she was cast in her first role in an English language movie in 1998. In a candid interview with the US broadcaster CBS, Penelope admitted: "I would lock myself in the bathroom and cry because I didn't understand what was going on on the set, because I didn't understand everything that the director was saying or what the other actors were saying."

Closer to home we have the example of Ziyi Zhang. She gained international acclaim in Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and received many nominations for awards. What's helped her to learn English? Well, she says she listened to Eminem songs. And as she learned the language, she realised “how rude” the lyrics were.

But when it comes to acting in English, nobody has a more colourful story than Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger. He had to be dubbed at the beginning of his career because nobody could make out what he was saying. In his next film, he played a deaf mute.

The bodybuilder turned actor claims his accent has softened, but he keeps it thick on purpose. "It's become such a big part of me that people really enjoy it," says Arnie. He's aware of the irony when he tells us: "The very things that they said would make it impossible for me to be successful in acting were the things that became my assets."

Yes – the complicated name, the thick accent, the big body – nothing stopped him from doing the things he liked. So don't despair when you struggle with English. They've all been there and they'veprevailed. Are you ready for your close up in life?  

詞匯表

to make it big (= to achieve great success)   成功，飛黃騰達
to shake in their boots   膽戰心驚
director    導演
Action!    開拍！
to cast    出演（某角色）
role    角色
candid    坦誠的，直言不諱的
set    拍片現場
acclaim    公眾的稱贊
nomination    提名
lyrics    歌詞
to be dubbed    被（給）配音
deaf mute    聾啞者
accent    口音
irony    諷刺，冷嘲
to prevail    被接受，取勝
Are you ready for your close up in life?    你準備好迎接你的人生特寫了嗎？

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Describe in one word what some non-native speakers of English felt when they were told to act in English.

2. What made Penelope Cruz lock herself in the bathroom? 

3. What surprised Ziyi Zhang about Eminem's music?

4. How did movie makers make sure the young Arnold Schwarzenegger would be understood?

5. True or false? Arnold Schwarzenegger is resentful of the way he was treated in Hollywood.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I thought you were born in England. Your Mandarin accent is very __________.

soft            thick         strong         small    

2. If you get __________ for an award it's a sign you made it big in Hollywood!

acclaim         a role         a nomination        an accent

3. My cousin can lift you from the ground very easily. That's because he is __________.

German            deaf mute         candid          a bodybuilder

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger is well known for playing a robot from the future. He was perfect for the __________.

set           accent         role         irony

5. Johnny is trying to tell us something but he is far away and I can't quite make __________ what he's saying.

up        off       out        on    

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Describe in one word what some non-native speakers of English felt when they were told to act in English.
You could say: nervous, anxious or afraid.

2. What made Penelope Cruz lock herself in the bathroom?
She was upset and she didn't want people to see her cry because she couldn't understand what the director and other actors were saying.

3. What surprised Ziyi Zhang about Eminem's music?
When she started to understand English, she realised his lyrics were very rude.

4. How did movie makers make sure the young Arnold Schwarzenegger would be understood?
They got his voice dubbed by the voice of another actor who could speak English more clearly.

5. True or false? Arnold Schwarzenegger is resentful of the way he was treated in Hollywood.
False. The Austrian actor seems to have a sense of accomplishment when he considers that he was successful in spite of what people considered his failings.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處 。

1. I thought you were born in England. Your Mandarin accent is very soft.

2. If you get a nomination for an award it's a sign you made it big in Hollywood!

3. My cousin can lift you from the ground very easily. That's because he is a bodybuilder.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger is well known for playing a robot from the future. He was perfect for the role.

5. Johnny is trying to tell us something but he is far away and I can't quite make out what he's saying.