Natalie Portman romantic comedy leads box office

    BEIJING, Jan. 24 -- Natalie Portman, already riding high during awards season with "Black Swan," took the No. 1 spot at the North American box office on Sunday for the first time in five years with her romantic comedy（喜剧） debut¹.
    "No Strings² Attached," in which she co-stars with Ashton Kutcher, sold about $20.3 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada during the three days beginning January 21, distributor Paramount³ Pictures said.
    The opening exceeded the modest expectations（期望,预期） of the Viacom Inc unit, which said the film cost just $25 million to make. Portman and Kutcher play friends who enter into a sexual relationship with the titular⁴ proviso. Complications ensue.
    Paramount said women accounted for 70 percent of the audience, and patrons aged⁵ under 25 gave it the best reviews in exit polls. Paramount said it was impossible to tell how the "Black Swan" buzz helped, but "everything helps," noted⁶ the studio's distribution president Don Harris.
    The film was directed by "Ghostbusters" veteran Ivan Reitman who has not had a big hit since "Six Days, Seven Nights" in 1998. Kutcher's last big movie was "What Happens in Vegas," a 2008 romantic comedy with Cameron Diaz. Portman, 29, last led the box office in March 2006 when the thriller⁷ "V For Vendetta⁸" grossed $26 million during its first weekend.
    OSCAR PICS IN FOCUSLast weekend's champion, Columbia Pictures' 3D comic-book adaptation "The Green Hornet," slipped to No. 2 with $18.1 million. "The Dilemma," a Universal Pictures romantic comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, was also down one, to No. 3, with $9.7 million in its second weekend. Their respective 10-day totals stand at $63.4 million and $33.4 million.
    "No Strings Attached" was the weekend's only new wide release, in keeping with January's reputation as a graveyard⁹ for new films. Much of the focus is on the awards-season contenders, four of which were in the top 10.
    That includes "Black Swan," in which Portman plays an unhinged ballerina. The Fox Searchlight(探照灯) melodrama¹⁰ slipped one to No. 6 with $6.2 million. It has earned $83.6 million to date, and is poised¹¹ for further gains as the awards season enters the home stretch. Portman has won most of the bellwether¹² awards leading up to Tuesday's announcement of the Academy Award nominations¹³.
    Elsewhere, Weinstein Co's royals drama "The King's Speech" was steady at No. 4 with $9.2 million. The film's Oscar chances received a surprise boost on Saturday when it was named best picture by the Producers Guild¹⁴ of America, a group whose picks usually go on to win the top Oscar. Its victory weakened the awards-season dominance of "The Social Network," which has just come out on DVD.
    Paramount's hit Western remake "True Grit," largely overlooked during awards season, fell two to No. 5 with $8 million; its total stands at $138.6 million, easily a personal best for filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen.
    "The Fighter," also released by Paramount, rose two to No. 7 with $4.5 million; the boxing drama, buoyed¹⁵ by acclaim¹⁶ for Christian¹⁷ Bale's supporting turn as a boxer-turned-crackhead, has earned $73 million to date.
    Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. Weinstein Co is privately¹⁸ held. Fox Searchlight is a unit of News Corp.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

3 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

4 titular   

adj.名义上的，有名无实的；n.只有名义（或头衔）的人

参考例句：

• The Queen is titular head of the Church of England.英国女王是英国国教名义上的领袖。
• He is titular head,and merely signs laws occasionally.他是名义上的首脑，不过偶尔签字批准法律法规。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 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。

7 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。

8 vendetta   

n.世仇，宿怨

参考例句：

• For years he pursued a vendetta against the Morris family.多年来他一直在寻求向莫里斯家族报世仇。
• She conducted a personal vendetta against me.她对我有宿仇。

9 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

10 melodrama   

n.音乐剧；情节剧

参考例句：

• We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
• White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。

11 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

12 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

13 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

14 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

15 buoyed   

v.使浮起( buoy的过去式和过去分词 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神

参考例句：

• Buoyed by their win yesterday the team feel confident of further success. 在昨天胜利的鼓舞下，该队有信心再次获胜。
• His encouragement buoyed her up during that difficult period. 他的鼓励使她在那段困难时期恢复了乐观的情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

17 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。

18 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。