"Thor" holds on to top place for 2nd weekend

     LOS ANGELES, May 15 (Xinhua) -- This weekend tunes¹ out to be a time when the superhero from "Thor" held on to his crown with a big hammer, grossing a total of 100 million dollars in sales in North America, the box office authority reported on Sunday.

    Helped by its word of mouth and big family turnout during daytime Saturday, the Paramount² superhero drama is on track to fetch 34.5 million dollars in movie theaters(剧院) across the United States and Canada, bringing its 10 day total to 119.3 million dollars. The weekend's showing represents a mere³ 48 percent decrease from the previous week, which is well within the expectations by the executives.

    Elsewhere in the international market, the Norse god also fares well. It has grossed a total of 225 million dollars in ticket stub sales across 60 territories.

    Sitting in the second place is "Bridesmaids," an R-rated comedy targeting female audiences which stars a batch⁴ of newcomers. The Universal release is estimated to garner⁵ 24.4 million dollars from 2,918 locations, a feat⁶ "well above projections," industry analysts⁷ Paul Degerabedian said.

    The majority of the moviegoers(常看电影的人) are women, who accounted for 67 percent, and more than half are audience aged⁸ 30 or older, according to the studio.

    The debut⁹ won positive reviews from critics and audience as well. CinemaScore gave it a "B+" while 91 percent of the Rotten Tomatoes' 140 critics liked the film.

    Jill Clayburgh, who played the heroine's mother in the film, made her final cinematic appearance before she died from leukemia in November 2010.

    "Fast Five," the latest installment¹⁰ from the "Fast & Furious" franchise¹¹ was still drawing big, with a 19.5 million dollar showing this weekend and a BB-week record of 168.8 million dollars. The street racing¹² turned heist film, directed by Justin Lin, has accumulated a total of 440.5 million dollars in movie stub sales both in North America and abroad.

    "Priest (3-D)"opened in the third place with a 14.5 million dollar weekend for Sony/Screen Gems¹³. The apocalyptic¹⁴ horror film, which targets young male audience, is adapted from a popular graphic¹⁵ novel series written by Min-Woo Hyung.

    Rounding out the 10 most popular movies during the Friday- Sunday period are:

    "Rio" (8 million dollars), "Jumping The Broom" (7.3 million dollars),"Something Borrowed"(7 million dollars), "Water For Elephants"(4.1 million dollars), "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" (2.2 million dollars) and "Soul Surfer"(1.8 million dollars).(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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。

3 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

4 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

5 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

6 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

7 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

8 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。

9 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。

10 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

11 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

12 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

13 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

14 apocalyptic   

adj.预示灾祸的，启示的

参考例句：

• The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
• Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。

15 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。