VOA慢速英语2014 英语电影:罗宾·威廉姆斯

 

English at the Movies: Robin¹ Williams 英语电影:罗宾·威廉姆斯

Welcome to American Mosaic² from VOA Learning English.

I’m Caty Weaver³.

People around the world were shocked and saddened by the death of entertainer Robin Williams. Many of you commented on the Learning English website. Several of you said you had learned from his movies and other work.

So, today we listen to some famous Robin Williams movie lines that can help teach English.

"Dead Poets Society"

A good place to start is “Dead Poets Society,” a 1989 film in which language is central. Robin Williams plays a professor of English at a respected private boys’ school in the northeastern United States. He teaches his students about poetry, prose and life.

“Gather ye rosebuds⁴ while ye may. The Latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem.”

In this part of the movie, he is teaching the boys about a poem hundreds of years old. The first line is “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” The teacher tells the students what the poet is saying.

“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

Carpe diem means to seize the day in Latin. In other words, act now when you can. “No time like the present” is another way Americans sometimes express this thought. It means do not wait for a future you might not have.

"Mrs. Doubtfire"

“Mrs. Doubtfire” was another very popular Robin Williams movie. It was released in 1993. In it, Mr. Williams plays a man who separates from his wife and misses his children. He dresses as a woman to hide his identity so his wife will employ him as a nanny -- someone who takes care of children. That way, he gets to see his children every day. Here, Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire, explains what is important about family.

“But if there’s love, dear, those are the ties that bind⁵ and you’ll have a family in your heart forever.”

Mrs. Doubtfire is saying that love keeps people together emotionally even if they are separated physically⁶. The “ties that bind” are good in this case. “Ties that bind” could also be undesirable⁷. They could be restrictive.

"Aladdin"

Robin Williams acted in more than 70 movies. “Aladdin” was one of the most successful. But you could only hear him in the movie. That is because he played the voice of the Genie⁸ in the animated⁹ Disney film. A genie is a creature with magical powers. Robin Williams as the Genie sings to the boy Aladdin. The song “Friend Like Me” explains that Aladdin now controls how the Genie uses his magic.

One part says “Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service.” That is another way of saying “we do great work.” You can “pride” yourself on any activity. For example, a good bike rider might say, “I pride myself on cycling.”

Other terms in the song include “you’re the boss,” “in your corner,” and “you’ve never had a friend like me.” What do you think these mean? You can post your answers below.

We leave you with Robin Williams performing “Friend Like Me.”

1 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

2 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

3 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

4 rosebuds   

蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女，初入社交界的少女( rosebud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 花开堪折直须折。
• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 有花堪折直须折，莫待花无空折枝。

5 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

8 genie   

n.妖怪，神怪

参考例句：

• Now the genie of his darkest and weakest side was speaking.他心灵中最阴暗最软弱的部分有一个精灵在说话。
• He had to turn to the Genie of the Ring for help.他不得不向戒指神求助。

9 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。