VOA标准英语2013--'Man of Steel' Caps Superman's 70-year Evolution

 

'Man of Steel' Caps Superman's 70-year Evolution

Superman's character rests on his dual¹ nature. He was born as Kal-El on the planet Krypton, which was destroyed right after his parents launched him to Earth. Allusions² to the story of Jesus are threaded through Man of Steel. Kal-El, now known as Clark Kent, is adopted into a humble³ human abode⁴ in Kansas and, like Jesus, is 33 years old when he faces mortal danger and humankind's mistrust.

Howard Marshall, the manager of  “AfterTime Comics,” an established comic book store in the Washington, D.C., area, believes the character of Superman transcends⁵ Christian⁶ tradition.

“One of the reasons we in our culture have a need for these superheroes is because it's like modern mythology," Marshall said.

There are other interpretations⁷. Some religious commentators⁸ and pop culture articles contend Superman has Jewish origins. They liken him to Moses, and point out that "Kal-El" sounds like the Hebrew words which mean "voice of God."

Marshall disagrees. He says though Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were Jewish, they did not infuse any Jewishness into the superhero, at least not purposefully.

“I don't feel that they consciously did that,"Marshall said. "I think that we all in our culture, or culture from which we were raised, we may unconsciously or subconsciously⁹ do things a certain way or think a certain way, but I don't think they actually said 'OK, let's put some Jewishness into this character.'”

Rather, Marshall says, the comic book hero born in the 1930s in the middle of America’s Great Depression, was meant to represent the superhero in everyone. Superman became a household name in the 1950s, when George Reeves fleshed out the character in a TV series.

The series shaped the baby boomer generation.

“We were the first ones to have TV as furniture full time in the living room," Marshall said. "There will be a quick shot of him like “Boom!” Punching a villain¹⁰ in the face...he's knocked out. Just one quick tab and then he goes to the next guy. It was pretty exciting.”

But it was the Superman movies in the 1970s and 80s that won fans the world over. Christopher Reeve embodied¹¹ the superhero in the iconic role.  

Director Zach Snyder's turbo-charged Man of Steel offers 3-D special effects, sonic speed action, an impressive cast and a new chiseled¹² Superman played by newcomer Henry Cavill. Cavill resembles a young Christopher Reeve, but holds his own.

For now, the film is a box office hit, but it remains¹³ to be seen if it will stand the test of time.

1 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

2 allusions   

暗指，间接提到( allusion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We should not use proverbs and allusions indiscriminately. 不要滥用成语典故。
• The background lent itself to allusions to European scenes. 眼前的情景容易使人联想到欧洲风光。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 abode   

n.住处，住所

参考例句：

• It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫，才好不容易打听到他的住处。
• Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍！

5 transcends   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• The chemical dilution technique transcends most of the difficulties. 化学稀释法能克服大部分困难。
• The genius of Shakespeare transcends that of all other English poets. 莎士比亚的才华胜过所有的其他英国诗人。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 subconsciously   

ad.下意识地，潜意识地

参考例句：

• In choosing a partner we are subconsciously assessing their evolutionary fitness to be a mother of children or father provider and protector. 在选择伴侣的时候，我们会在潜意识里衡量对方将来是否会是称职的母亲或者父亲，是否会是合格的一家之主。
• Lao Yang thought as he subconsciously tightened his grasp on the rifle. 他下意识地攥紧枪把想。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

10 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

11 embodied   

v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• a politician who embodied the hopes of black youth 代表黑人青年希望的政治家
• The heroic deeds of him embodied the glorious tradition of the troops. 他的英雄事迹体现了军队的光荣传统。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 chiseled   

adj.凿刻的，轮廓分明的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Woltz had chiseled the guy, given him peanuts for the book. 乌尔茨敲了这个作家的竹杠，用了他的书，却只给微不足道的一点点钱。 来自教父部分
• He chiseled the piece of wood into the shape of a head. 他把这块木头凿刻成人头的形状。 来自辞典例句

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。