VOA标准英语2011--'Twilight Breaking Dawn, Pt 1' Features Long-Awaited Vampire Wedding

'Twilight¹ Breaking Dawn, Pt 1' Features Long-Awaited Vampire² Wedding

 

Fans around the world are queueing up to see the latest film based on author Stephanie Meyers' Twilight novels. The final book chronicling the romance of teenager Bella and vampire Edward has been split into a pair of films. Here's a look at Breaking Dawn - Part 1.

The wedding vows³ may be traditional, but the bride and groom⁴ are most unusual. She is a human teenager, just beginning her adult life. He looks like a teen but is actually a 108-year-old vampire. After their picture-perfect wedding in rain-soaked Washington state, Edward whisks Bella off to Brazil for a rainforest honeymoon⁵ that starts when he carries her over the threshold.

BELLA "Is this totally necessary?"
EDWARD "I'm nothing if not traditional."

Their idyllic⁶ interlude is all-too short. Bella expected Edward to turn her into a vampire so they could share immortality⁷. But before that can happen she becomes pregnant and the baby could be deadly.

While Bella's new vampire in-laws struggle to save her life, her pregnancy⁸ threatens to break the fragile peace treaty with their werewolf neighbors.

The combination of teenage romance and supernatural characters has captivated fans of the Twilight novels and films - most of them young women. Kristen Stewart, who stars as Bella, believes the themes resonate with that audience.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart star in the Twilight Saga9: Breaking Dawn- Part 1

"It's such a far-fetched story and all …but it's really not if you just compare it to somebody who is my age and not in agreement with people that think they are making the wrong decision. That's such a common position," Stewart says.

Robert Pattinson co-stars as Edward. He says, supernatural elements aside, it's basically about the emotions that teenagers everywhere experience.

"He is a 108-year-old guy and he has never achieved anything he has wanted to achieve. He is stuck in adolescence," explains Pattinson. "When you're an adolescent you think nothing is given to you. You think everything is unfair …and he's been living that that for 100 years."

The romantic triangle in the Twilight saga includes Bella's best friend Jacob, who happens to be a werewolf, the mortal enemy of her beloved. He is again played by Taylor Lautner.

"Jacob becomes a man in this one and he has to make a lot of decisions," explains Lautner. "He is being torn between his two families so it was really tough. It was by far the most challenging one for me and it's just very exciting to see him in a completely different light than ever before."

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg has adapted all of the Twilight novels. But since the first film in 2008, different directors have taken on each chapter. Bill Condon, who helmed the musical Dreamgirls, takes over for Breaking Dawn.

"Obviously it's my take on the material, but you want to make sure that it doesn't betray what people's expectations are and yet still becomes a full cinematic experience," Condon says.

The Twilight experience ends with Breaking Dawn - Part 2 which Condon also filmed. It arrives in theaters this time next year.

1 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

2 vampire   

n.吸血鬼

参考例句：

• It wasn't a wife waiting there for him but a blood sucking vampire!家里的不是个老婆，而是个吸人血的妖精！
• Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampire.由于听过许多有关吸血鬼的传说，孩子们晚上不敢去睡觉。

3 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

4 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

5 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

6 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

7 immortality   

n.不死，不朽

参考例句：

• belief in the immortality of the soul 灵魂不灭的信念
• It was like having immortality while you were still alive. 仿佛是当你仍然活着的时候就得到了永生。

8 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

9 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。