Reading in Depth
Read the following quotes from Academy Award Speeches by award-winning actors and actresses.Choose the one that you like most and explain why.
I know that my work in this case is magnified by the fact that the streets of heaven are too crowded with angels.We know their names.They number a thousand for each one of the red ribbons that we wear here tonight.
—Tom Hanks,Philadelphia,1993
I haven’t had an orthodox career,and I’ve wanted more than anything to have your respect.The first time I didn’t feel it,but this time I feel it,and I can’t deny the fact that you like me,right now,you like me!
—Sally Field,Places in the Heart,1985
Everybody,I love you.I love you all.I love you.Everybody who’s involved with this,I love you.I love you.
—Cuba Gooding Jr.,Jerry Maguire,1996
And most of all,I want to thank my father,up there,the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor,he said,“Wonderful,just have a back-up profession like welding.”
—Robin Williams,Good Will Hunting,1997
The only way to find the best actor would be to let everybody play Hamlet and let the best man win.
—Humphrey Bogart,The African Queen,1951
You’re only two years older than me,darling.Where have you been all my life?
—Christopher Plummer,Beginners,2011
I have a television,so I’m going to spend some time here to tell you some things.And sir（speaking to music conductor Bill Conti）,you’re doing a great job,but you’re so quick with that stick.So why don’t you sit,’cause I may never be here again.
—Julia Roberts,Erin Brockovich,2000
Oh my God.Oh my God.I’m sorry.This moment is so much bigger than me.This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge,Lena Horne,Diahann Carroll.It’s for the women that stand beside me,Jada Pinkett,Angela Bassett,Vivica Fox.And it’s for every nameless,faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.
—Halle Berry,Monster’s Ball,2001
As a little kid I lived in the projects,and you’re the people I watched.You’re the people wanted—made me want to be an actor.I’m so proud to be here.I’m proud to be an actor and I’m gonna keep on acting.
—Whoopi Goldberg,Ghost,1990
When they called my name,I had this feeling I could hear half of America going,“Oh no! Oh,corne on why?Her?Again?” You know?But,whatever.
—Meryl Streep,The Iron Lady,2011
Think about the following questions and exchange ideas with your partner.
1.What do you think makes an actor / actress excel in the field?
2.What are the important qualities or personalities do you expect of a good actor / actress?
3.Do you think it is appropriate for a famous actor / actress to do endorsement for a product?
4.Do you agree that famous actors / actresses are always strong role models for the young?
TEXT
Pre-reading
Look at the following portraits.Do you know who they are?Can you share something about them?
Initial Reading
Read the following text as quickly as you can,and underline the topic sentences or the key word to help understand the main idea of the text.Then complete the exercises that follow.
[1]In the movie Saving Mr.Banks,a crucial plot point hangs on whether the movie mogul Walt Disney will make Mary Poppins an animated film.He promises author P.L.Travers(played by Emma Thompson)that he won’t.But we all know that parts of the film were animated.So is he lying or just carefully choosing his words?
[2]How you feel about the movie depends a lot on this question.If you see Disney as a manipulative liar trying to trick Travers,the film doesn’t really work.But if you trust Disney that the small bits of animation he plans to add to the film won’t take away from Travers’ vision,the film is definitely a sentimental triumph.
[3]To sell the moment,the filmmakers turned to the most trustworthy of all actors:Tom Hanks.Although he didn’t land an Oscar nomination for his role,Hanks won universal praise for his portrayal of the prickly legend,and the $35 million film earned $100 million at the box office.
[4]Hanks is the most trustworthy celebrity in Hollywood,according to the most recent E-Score list.For its E-Score Celebrity service,E-Poll Research ranks more than 6,600 bold-faced names on 46 attributes through public opinion polling.Hanks’ trustworthy score is 25 and his appeal is 81,putting him ahead of all other celebrities with a combined score of 106.
[5]“Trustworthy,like influential,can be very subjective descriptors based on the nature of their celebrity.For the most part,it reflects how genuine people perceive that person to be,” says Gerry Philpott,Chief Executive of E-Poll Market Research,which provides the E-Score data.“It positively impacts a celebrity’s ‘brand’ for getting more chances of top roles and endorsements if consumers see him as credible and believable.”
[6]Only a few know how trustworthy Hanks is in real life.What people trust is his image.In film after film Hanks has reinforced his persona of a nice,dependable guy.Although Hanks never does endorsements,marketers would gladly pay Hanks a fortune to speak up for their products.
[7]Morgan Freeman,who in the last year has topped the trustworthy list,ranks third this year.Freeman is one of the few trustworthy celebrities who makes hay out of goofing on his strong public image to shill products.Anyone watching the Olympics this year regularly hears Freeman’s distinct voice in Visa ads.In the new Lego Movie,Freeman voices Vitruvius,a blind Lego guru.Freeman scores 21 for trustworthiness and 82 for appeal.
[8]Sandwiched in between Freeman and Hanks is Carol Burnett,with a score of 24 for trustworthiness and an 80 for appeal.Though the comic legend sometimes pops up in cameos on shows like Hot in Cleveland and Glee,Burnett mostly stays out of the limelight.She was recently nominated for an Emmy for the audio version of her book Carrie and Me about her daughter,who passed away at age 38.
[9]Michael J.Fox ranks fourth with a 26 trustworthy score and a 76 for appeal.NBC was hoping to ride the star’s appeal all the way to the bank with The Michael J.Fox Show.But the show,loosely based on Fox’s struggles with Parkinson’s disease,is at serious risk of being canceled.It has been pulled from NBC’s lineup for now.
[10]Rounding out the top five is Betty White.Best known for Golden Girls,White has staged something of a comeback over the last few years with films like The Proposal and TV shows like Off Their Rockers,in which older people pull pranks.At the age of 92 she is still beloved and shows no signs of slowing down.White scores 22 for trustworthiness and 79 for appeal.
New Words
mogul /'məʊɡl/ n.大亨
manipulative /mə'nɪpjʊlətɪv/ adj.狡猾的；玩弄手段的
sentimental /sentɪ'ment（ə）l/ adj.动人的
trustworthy /'trʌs（t）wɜːðɪ/ adj.可靠的；可信赖的
universal /juːnɪ'vɜːs（ə）l/ adj.广泛的
prickly /'prɪklɪ/ adj.脾气暴躁的；易怒的
legend /'ledʒ（ə）nd/ n.传奇
celebrity /sɪ'lebrɪtɪ/ n.名人
attribute /ə'trɪbjuːt/ n.属性；特质
appeal /ə'piːl/ n.吸引力
influential /ˌɪnflʊ'enʃ（ə）l/ adj.有影响力的
descriptor /dɪ'skrɪptə/ n.描述符
positively /'pɒzətɪvlɪ/ adv.积极地
endorsement /ɪn'dɔːsm（ə）nt；en-/ n.代言
reinforce /riːɪn'fɔːs/ vt.加强；强化
persona /pə'səʊnə；pɜː-/ n.人物；角色
distinct /dɪ'stɪŋ（k）t/ adj.独特的
guru /'ɡʊruː/ n.古鲁（指印度教等宗教的长老或宗师）
comic /'kɒmɪk/ adj.喜剧的
cameo /'kæmɪəʊ/ n.配角
limelight /'laɪmlaɪt/ n.聚光灯
lineup /'laɪnʌp/ n.电视节目表
comeback /'kʌmbæk/ n.重返；回归
beloved /bɪ'lʌvɪd；-'lʌvd/ adj.挚爱的；热爱的
Phrases and Expressions
plot point 情节
box office 票房
public opinion polling 民意测验
for the most part 在很大程度上
chief executive 首席执行官
pay...a fortune 花大价钱
speak up for...为……代言
make hay 赚钱
goof on 开玩笑
pop up 客串
ride all the way to the bank 大赚一笔
round out 完成
pull prank 恶作剧
Related Information
1.Walt Disney：华特·迪士尼（1901.12.5—1966.12.15），美国著名动画大师、企业家、导演、制片人、编剧、配音演员、卡通设计者，举世闻名的迪士尼公司创始人。他共获得56 个奥斯卡奖提名和7 个艾美奖，迄今仍是世界上获得奥斯卡奖最多的人。
2.Tom Hanks：汤姆·汉克斯，美国著名影视演员。1993 和1994年因在《费城故事》和《阿甘正传》中的精彩演绎而获得奥斯卡最佳男主角奖。2001年10月，他获美国电影学院颁发的终生成就奖。2014年，他凭借在《菲利普斯船长》中的表演再次获得美国金球奖剧情类最佳男主角提名。
3.Morgan Freeman：摩根·弗里曼，美国著名演员、导演。2005年，他凭借《百万美元宝贝》获得第77 届奥斯卡最佳男配角奖。2010年11月，弗里曼获得美国电影学院终生成就奖。
4.Carol Burnett：卡罗·贝奈特，美国著名女演员、喜剧演员、歌手、作家。
5.Michael J.Fox：麦克·福克斯，加拿大裔美国演员、作家、制作人、活动家和配音演员。福克斯在1991年被诊断出患有帕金森症，此后，他成为积极推动帕金森症治疗研究的社会活动家。2011年5月27日他被授予加拿大勋章，以嘉奖他在帕金森症治疗方面所做的积极倡导和在资金筹措方面的贡献。
6.Betty White：贝蒂·怀特，美国著名女演员、歌手、喜剧演员、作家和电视明星。怀特在电视界从艺长达60余年，共获得18项艾美奖提名，6次获奖，她最负盛名的电视作品是1973—1977年间的《玛丽·泰勒·穆尔秀》和1985—1992年的《黄金女郎》。2010年，她获得美国演员工会奖颁发的终生成就奖。
7.NBC：全国广播公司（National Broadcasting Company）的简称，全美三大商业广播电视公司之一。总部设于纽约。创办于1926年，是美国历史最久，实力最强的商业广播电视公司。1985年，全国广播公司被通用电气公司（GE）以62 亿美元收购。
Exercise 1
Work out an appropriate title for this text.
Exercise 2
Order the top five trustworthy celebrities on the E-score list.
________Michael J.Fox
________Betty White
________Carol Burnett
________Tom Hanks
________Morgan Freeman
Re-reading
Read in more detail and complete the following exercises according to the text.
Exercise 1
Decide whether the following statements are True(T)or False(F).
( )1.The marvelous portrayal of Walt Disney in the movie Saving Mr.Banks brought Tom Hanks great praise but not Oscar nomination.
( )2.Trustworthy Celebrity List was conducted by a committee of most powerful filmmakers,directors,editors and critics in USA.
( )3.The public decide whether or not an actor / actress is trustworthy on the roles he / she plays.
( )4.Morgan Freeman,just as many celebrities in Hollywood,takes advantage of his image to make big hay.
( )5.Carol Burnett is beloved by public for the impressive leading role she played in Hot in Cleveland.
( )6.Unexpectedly,the audience did not buy the Michael J.Fox Show and so it has been closed down.
( )7.Although Betty White is in her 90s,she is now still active on the stage.
Exercise 2
Read the sentences taken from the text carefully and try to explain the italicized words with your own words.
1.If you see Disney as a manipulative liar trying to trick Travers,the film doesn’t really work.
Trick here means:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
2.But if you trust Disney that the small bits of animation he plans to add to the film won’t take away from Travers’ vision,the film is definitely a sentimental triumph.
Triumph here means:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
3.For the most part,it reflects how genuine people perceive that person to be.
Perceive here means:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
4.It positively impacts a celebrity’s “brand” for getting more chances of top roles and endorsements if consumers see him as credible and believable.
Credible here means:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
5.Freeman is one of the few trustworthy celebrities who makes hay out of goofing on his strong public image to shill products.
Shill here means:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
6.Sandwiched in between Freeman and Hanks is Carol Burnett,with a score of 24 for trustworthiness and an 80 for appeal.
Sandwich here means:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.