“Tomorrow is another day”—this line has impressed various people at various times. It’s now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s successful 1936 novel Gone with the Wind. It’s set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O’Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant (不相关的) to today’s viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, “Frankly, dear, I don’t give a damn. ”
Great epic(史诗)
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World WarⅡ, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (侵略), people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins. Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone with the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3. 9 million budget. The film brought in $200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy Awards in 1940.
【文章大意】本文是一篇电影评论。文章向读者介绍了电影《飘》所反映的时代背景、艺术魅力和社会影响。
1. The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to _______.
A. the novel Gone with the Wind
B. “tomorrow is another day”
C. the movie Gone with the Wind
D. the Academy Award
【解析】选B。指代判断题。根据前后文中的关键信息“this line”和“in the film”可知, it指代上文提及的“Tomorrow is another day”这句台词。
2. The text is written mainly to _______.
A. celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell
B. introduce how the film was directed and filmed
C. throw light on (阐述) the charm of the movie Gone with the Wind
D. inspire people to struggle the economic downturn
【解析】选C。推理判断题。通读全文, 尤其结合倒数第二段最后一句可知, 全文主要阐明电影《飘》的艺术魅力。
3. It can be concluded that Scarlett O’Hara is _______.
A. optimistic and lucky
B. childish and realistic
C. caring and stubborn
D. strong-minded and persistent (坚毅的)
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句及第四段中的“With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. ”可知, 电影中的女主人公Scarlett意志坚定且执着。
4. The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
A. prove that the background of the movie touched viewers
B. describe how popular the movie was at that time
C. point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment
D. tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then
【解析】选A。推理判断题。文章倒数第二段提到的几个例子正是为了证明倒数第三段最后一句“The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre. ”即该电影所体现的社会背景感动了观众。
【知识拓展】长难句分析
But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, “Frankly, dear, I don’t give a damn. ”
分析: 本句是主从复合句。主句中含有when引导的时间状语从句, 后面是现在分词作结果状语, 结果状语中是the woman作先行词的定语从句, 关系代词that作love的宾语。
翻译: 但当瑞德只留给他曾经爱过的女人残酷的话“坦白地说, 亲爱的, 我一点也不在乎。”就离开时, 她的心都碎了。
