Diverse Films Face Off for Oscar

    With the Oscars just days away, media mavens are abuzz with predictions(预言,预报) of which films will win on Hollywood's biggest night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently doubled the number of films competing for Best Picture from five to 10,  making the selection even more contentious¹.
    What criteria² are necessary for a "Best Picture?"  The contenders offer a diverse picture of the finest Hollywood has to offer.
    Don Cobb masterminds high tech corporate³ espionage(间谍) in Chris Nolan’s dream-like film "Inception⁴." The film delves⁵ into the human subconscious⁶. Besides Best Picture, it has received seven other nominations⁷, including original screenplay, score, cinematography and visual effects.
    The plot of "Inception" combines mystery, action, horror and character development but despite its mesmerizing⁹ cinematography the film is confusing. It overloads¹⁰ the viewer with too many subconscious worlds.
    There's a similar problem with Darren Aronofsky’s "Black Swan." His story of Nina, an emotionally conflicted prima ballerina pursued by unseen enemies, is fraught¹¹ with meandering¹² sub plots which confuse the viewer.
    Aronofsky, who also received an Oscar nomination⁸ for best director, tries to keep us guessing until the end.  But in the process, our attention has trailed off.
    The film is visually rich; the costumes and music are superb. And one has to hand it to Natalie Portman, who received a Best Actress nomination, for getting into prima ballerina shoes. But does a film that lacks focus deserve to win Best Picture?
    Tom Hooper’s period piece, "The Kings Speech," is about King George VI and his battle to overcome a debilitating¹³ stutter as he prepares to address the British people at the outset of World War ll. The movie is masterful and has earned 12 Oscar nominations. Colin Firth delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as King George. Geoffrey Rush is a match for him in the supporting role of speech therapist Lionel Logue. However gripping, this film lacks the cinematic scope one expects from a Best Picture Oscar-winning movie.
    And then, there's "The Social Network."Director David Fincher and script writer（编剧） Aaron Sorkin deliver a crisp story about Facebook founder¹⁴ Mark Zuckerberg and his morally-questionable path to dizzying success. Actor Jesse Eisenberg received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal¹⁵ of the anti-social computer genius.
    The film’s clipped dialogue and storyline appeal to the younger audiences the Academy is trying to woo. But does "The Social Network" deserve to be crowned Best Picture? It's a trendy story but it lacks the cinematic grandeur¹⁶ of an Oscar winner.
    David O Russel’s uplifting drama, "The Fighter," may be a metaphor¹⁷ for the film’s path to the Oscars. Based on a true story, it's about a boxer¹⁸ who wins against all odds¹⁹. Nominated for seven Academy awards, "The Fighter" offers an impressive cast, dramatic scenes and larger-than-life boxing sequences.
    Part of the movie is filmed in documentary style and one could argue that much of it is too grainy to be deserving of the Best Picture award.  However, the gritty scenes reflect a working class Boston neighborhood. And the boxing scenes are grand.
    "The Fighter" does not contain the cinematic greatness of "Inception," "Black Swan’s" harrowing elegance²⁰ or "The Social Network’s" hipness²¹.
    In the end, none of this year's Oscar contenders achieves a perfection that sets it far apart from the others(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑).

1 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

2 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

3 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

4 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

5 delves   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• That delves the grave duly. 误不了你的洞房。 来自互联网
• The exhibition delves deep into the physics, aromatics and even the timbre of flatulence. 此次展览向人们介绍了人体物理、气味甚至肠胃胀气的声音等各方面知识。 来自互联网

6 subconscious   

n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的)

参考例句：

• Nail biting is often a subconscious reaction to tension.咬指甲通常是紧张时的下意识反映。
• My answer seemed to come from the subconscious.我的回答似乎出自下意识。

7 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

8 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。

9 mesmerizing   

adj.有吸引力的，有魅力的v.使入迷( mesmerize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I think you must be mesmerizing me, Charles. 查尔斯，我想你一定在对我施催眠术啦。 来自辞典例句
• The attendant one-dimensional wave equation has mesmerizing harmonic properties. 伴生的一元波平衡具有迷人的和谐特性。 来自电影对白

10 overloads   

使负担太重( overload的第三人称单数 )； 使超载； 使过载； 给…增加负担

参考例句：

• Given these overloads, we can see the working of the rules above. 对于给定的这些重载，我们可以看看上述规则的工作方式。
• The numerous overloads for each data access method have been reduced. 每一个数据访问方法重载的数量被减少了。

11 fraught   

adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的

参考例句：

• The coming months will be fraught with fateful decisions.未来数月将充满重大的决定。
• There's no need to look so fraught!用不着那么愁眉苦脸的！

12 meandering   

蜿蜒的河流，漫步，聊天

参考例句：

• The village seemed deserted except for small boys and a meandering donkey. 整个村子的人都像是逃光了，只留下了几个小男孩和一头正在游游荡荡的小毛驴。 来自教父部分
• We often took a walk along the meandering river after supper. 晚饭后我们常沿着那条弯弯曲曲的小河散步。

13 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

14 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

15 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

16 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

17 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

18 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

19 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？

20 elegance   

n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙

参考例句：

• The furnishings in the room imparted an air of elegance.这个房间的家具带给这房间一种优雅的气氛。
• John has been known for his sartorial elegance.约翰因为衣着讲究而出名。

21 hipness   

n.hip（使知晓，使了解）的变形

参考例句：

• But across Europe, it's the fun and hipness quotient of the new scooters that matters most. 然而在欧洲，人们更看重新型踏板车带来的欢乐时尚感。 来自互联网