2006年NPR美国国家公共电台二月-'King Kong': Not Suitable for Children '

Critics have called King Kong, director Peter Jackson's 207 million-dollar special effects extravaganza, a triumph of digital technology. The movie's described as featuring enough dinosaurs¹ to overrun Jurassic Park. It's been nominated for 4 Oscars: Best Art Direction,Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. But King Kong was shut out in all the major categories for this year's Academy Awards. Our commentator² Zoe Walrand is not upset by that. She was wowed by the special effects, but not in the way you might imagine.

It's no surprise that director Peter Jackson's retelling of the King Kong story appeals to boys of all ages. Recently a couple of grown-up friends coerced³ me into attending Jackson's action spectacle where we heard a few cools and awesomes whispered with reverential fervor⁴ by zealous⁵ teenagers. My friends said they thought the movie was a little silly but they expressed tremendous admiration⁶ for the special effects, translation, they loved it. I liked it okay, but I didn't think it was silly, it was terrifying. I was disturbed, startled, scared, grossed out, even afraid, just as I suspect, Peter Jackson intended.

So is the tiny girl, a wispy⁷ blonde of no more than 3 or 4, sitting 2 rows in front of me in a seat away from her daddy. As the images grew more repulsive⁸ and violent, I couldn't help but watch the screen less and the little girl more. She squirmed, rocked back and forth⁹, hopped¹⁰ on and off her chair, changed seats, hit her head and tried to talk to her daddy. He was too mesmerized¹¹ to offer the comfort of a lap or a hug. I wanted to grab her and run out of the theater before the images would traumatize before that night's dreams. I thought of Hilary Clinton's " it takes a village to raise a child " and decided¹² then and there that I would confront her father when they left the theater. I rehearsed "what on earth is the matter with you? you're her father, why would you expose your precious little child to this horror show!" I felt like a witness to child abuse but with no bruises¹³ to prove it. The action escalated¹⁴, bodies flew, the heroine trembled, terrifying creatures leapt on unsuspecting victims, people died in anguish¹⁵, and the little girl made noise, she whimpered, she pulled on her daddy's sleeve, she asked pleading,tearful questions. And finally she talked, out loud.

When her father had had it enough, he stood up and walked out, tiny daughter trailing behind. I followed, but my resolve began to fade. Wait, Wait a minute! Stop! This is none of my business. I don't know the circumstances and he is leaving the theater after all. As they neared the exit, I heard her ask yet another question in that sweet high-pitched tiny voice, then his answer, "Because you couldn't keep your freaking mouth shut!" Well, then, neither would I.

Commentator Zoe Walrand is a writer who lives in Northern California and teaches at Humboldt State University.

1 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

3 coerced   

v.迫使做( coerce的过去式和过去分词 )；强迫；（以武力、惩罚、威胁等手段）控制；支配

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• He was coerced into making a confession. 他被迫招供。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

5 zealous   

adj.狂热的，热心的

参考例句：

• She made zealous efforts to clean up the classroom.她非常热心地努力清扫教室。
• She is a zealous supporter of our cause.她是我们事业的热心支持者。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 wispy   

adj.模糊的；纤细的

参考例句：

• Grey wispy hair straggled down to her shoulders.稀疏的灰白头发披散在她肩头。
• The half moon is hidden behind some wispy clouds.半轮月亮躲在淡淡的云彩之后。

8 repulsive   

adj.排斥的，使人反感的

参考例句：

• She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
• The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。

9 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

10 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

11 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

15 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。