VOA标准英语2011--It's US Marines Vs Aliens in 'Battle: Lo

Southern California is the battleground for a new sci-fi action film that pits US Marines against unfriendly visitors from outer space. Here's a look at Battle: Los Angeles.
"These things are everywhere. There's one off the coast of 20 countries."
At first, it seems that Earth has spun² into the path of a meteor swarm³ with fiery⁴ objects plummeting⁵ into the sea near coastal⁶ areas. But as news reports begin to come in from around the globe, a much more ominous⁷ picture develops.
"It appears that there is something like shadowy figures !"
The "meteors" are in fact landing craft: the first wave of a global invasion. At the sprawling⁸ Camp Pendleton Marine¹ Base on California's coast, troops are readied for a battle none of them ever trained for or even imagined.
"At 14:46 Pacific standard time, 12 different locations across the globe were breached⁹ in what appears to have been a coordinated¹⁰ attack by an unknown enemy. This is a textbook military invasion. We are the last offensive force on the west coast. We can not lose Los Angeles."
Watch the trailer:
Battle: Los Angeles follows one platoon of Marines on a mission to rescue stranded¹¹ civilians¹² and keep the west coast metropolis¹³ from being destroyed by the technologically¹⁴ advanced enemy.
Director Jonathan Liebesmann says the nameless, faceless extraterrestrial enemy in the story gave him the freedom to make a modern war movie without having to justify¹⁵ the use of military force.
"My goal was to make a war movie with aliens and what that allows me to do is not get into political reasons for why we are fighting this war, Is this a good war or a bad war?" explains Liebesmann. " I just wanted to watch guys who put their lives on line, how they bond and what they do for us. That kind of stuff is what I was interested in."
Sony Pictures
Scene from "Battle: Los Angeles"
There's a long history of science fiction films taking aim at Los Angeles. It seems that Hollywood-based filmmakers find destroying well-known landmarks¹⁶ in America's second-largest city almost impossible to resist. However, South Africa-born Liebesmann chose to make Battle: Los Angeles about door-to-door combat that could be in any city besieged¹⁷ by space aliens.
"To an alien or to someone who is not from America, I think that you don't know what is supposed to be a landmark," notes Liebesmann. " I didn't want the Capitol Records [tower] or the Hollywood sign. Obviously, you've seen that kind of stuff done before in $200 million movies. There's no point in trying to outdo that, so I just do it on a much more grounded, visceral level."
Director Liebesmann and the script by Chris Bertolini borrow elements from both classic sci-fi films and war movies dating to the beginnings of the genre¹⁸. For instance, the platoon at the center of the story is made up of Marines from a variety of ethnicities and social backgrounds: a microcosm of American society led into battle by a crusty, war-weary sergeant¹⁹ played by Aaron Eckhart.
Richard Cartwright / Columbia Tristar
Aaron Eckhart as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz in "Battle: Los Angeles"
"I tried to actually fit the stereotype²⁰ of the archetypical leader," Eckhart says, " the salty leader that I think audiences have always enjoyed and always has a place in cinema. I think that we remember the best of them - Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, and Paul Newman - that salty guy who has been through it, who is sort of jaded²¹ yet he goes back and saves the day."
Michelle Rodriguez co-stars as the sole survivor²² of an Air Force reconnaissance team who brings the Marines vital intelligence about the enemy. A veteran of the surreal TV series "Lost" and the blockbuster film "Avatar," Rodriguez says she has no trouble with the science fiction in Battle: Los Angeles.
Richard Cartwright / Columbia Tristar
Michelle Rodriguez in a scene from "Battle: Los Angeles"
"I just feel like that's part of the whole manifestation²³ process of being human and figuring out what the future of society is going to look like," Rodriguez says.
Aaron Eckhart believes that beneath all the action and special effects, it's a story about human nature.
"I think the film sets itself apart because it has a documentary feel to it and it's about Marines bonding together and surviving," Eckhart says. "It is an alien movie, so it is entertaining, but it's difficult to make a movie in this genre that finds its own place. I think what is required is a heart and I feel this movie finds its heart in the younger Marines in the film."
Battle: Los Angeles also features Ramon Rodriguez as the fresh-out-of-training Lieutenant²⁴; music star Ne-Yo plays a corporal putting his life on the line; and Michael Pena and Bridget Moynahan are civilians caught up in the fray²⁵.
Ironically, much of the movie was shot in the southern state of Louisiana where the filmmakers could take advantage of generous tax credits.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

3 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

4 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

5 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

8 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

9 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

10 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

11 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

14 technologically   

ad.技术上地

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a technologically advanced city. 上海是中国的一个技术先进的城市。
• Many senior managers are technologically illiterate. 许多高级经理都对技术知之甚少。

15 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

16 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

17 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

18 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

19 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

20 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

21 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

23 manifestation   

n.表现形式；表明；现象

参考例句：

• Her smile is a manifestation of joy.她的微笑是她快乐的表现。
• What we call mass is only another manifestation of energy.我们称之为质量的东西只是能量的另一种表现形态。

24 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

25 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。