Hooray for Bollywood 寶萊塢萬歲

by Leigh Goldberg
Bollywood movies are taking the world by storm.
　　Before there was Mumbai, there was Bombay, the city's former name, which was the center of the Indian film industry. Bollywood, which is a combination of Bombay and Hollywood, is not actually a physical location like its cousin in the West. Instead, it refers to the part of the industry that produces nearly all the Hindi-language based movies in the world.
　　Tracing its start to 1911, Bollywood films are typically three to four-hour long musical productions that include intermissions. Essential to this format are lots of action, without the bloodshed of Hollywood movies, and dozens of song-and-dance numbers, which oftentimes feature at least 100 choreographed dancers. Additionally, big-name stars blaze across the screen as they sing and act out melodramatic stories that contain no kissing or sexual contact and always end happily. Movie plots usually center around star-crossed lovers, siblings separated at birth, corrupt politicians, love triangles, and more. Such creations have everything the audiences want and are called masala movies, just like the spice mixture commonly used in Indian cuisine. Bollywood movies are jam-packed with all forms of entertainment because Indian audiences expect to get full value for their hard earned money. With more than 800 Bollywood movies produced each year, which is twice the number made in the US, it comes as no surprise that over 14 million Indians go to the movies daily.
　　Aside from being popular in their home country, Bollywood films have been well received in practically every part of the world, including Egypt, Russia, Taiwan, and even Hollywood. Bollywood has wormed its way into Western society so much so that Western actors are now seeking out roles in their productions. Pretty soon, we will all be singing and dancing to Bollywood movies instead of watching the latest Hollywood thriller.

1. What is NOT an element of Bollywood movies?
(A) Movie endings that are joyful.
(B) Men and women making out on screen.
(C) A short amount of time to take a break to get a snack.
(D) Singing and dancing.
2. According to the article, where are Bollywood films popular?
(A) In some places in the US.
(B) Only in the UK.
(C) Mostly in Ethiopia and other Africa

1. hooray vi. 歡呼
2. typically adv. 典型地
3. intermission n. 中場休息
4. format n. 形式
5. bloodshed n. 殺戮；流血
6. number n. 表演節目
7. choreographed a.（舞蹈）編排好的
choreograph vt. 為……編舞
choreographer n. 編舞者
8. big-name a. 知名的
9. melodramatic a. 戲劇性的
10. contact n. 接觸；連絡
11. star-crossed a. 命運多舛的
12. sibling n. 兄弟姊妹
13. love triangle　　三角戀情
14. cuisine n. 料理，菜餚
15. thriller n. 恐怖電影∕小說
16. joyful a. 愉快的，開心的
17. require vt. 需要；要求
18. bound a. 被束縛的
19. convention n. 傳統

@片語小舖
1. be jam-packed with...　　擠滿……
2. aside from...　　除了……之外
3. make out　　親熱
@Grammar Tips

Instead, it refers to the part of the industry that produces nearly all the Hindi-language based movies in the world.

注意
nearly, almost, practically 和 virtually 等表『幾乎』的副詞用來修飾其他形容詞或副詞時，這些形容詞或副詞必須是具有涵蓋性完全的詞類，故形容詞如 all（全部）、every（每一個）、any（任一）、no（沒有）等字均可與其並用。
Almost all sailors are good swimmers.
幾乎所有的水手都很會游泳。

Practically every celebrity makes a lot of money.
幾乎每位名人都賺很多錢。

@精解字詞片語
1. take...by storm
風靡……，席捲……
The young French designer has taken the fashion industry by storm.
那位年輕的法國設計師風靡整個時裝界。

2. combination n. 結合
a combination of...　　……的綜合
= a mixture of...
Being a dancer requires a combination of grace, strength, and creativity.
作為一名舞者需要結合優雅、力量和創意。

3. refer to...　　指的是……
The stars in front of the vocabulary words refer to those that are intended for advanced learners.
那些字彙前面的星星指的是專為進階學習者所設計。

4. trace vt. 追溯；追蹤
This Chinese character can be traced back to the third century.
這個中國字可追溯至西元三世紀。

5. essential a. 必要的
be essential to...　　對……是必要的
Both nutritious food and adequate sleep are essential to our health.
營養的飲食與充足的睡眠對健康都是必要的。

6. feature vt. 以……為特色
The new restaurant features all my favorite dishes.
這家新餐廳的招牌料理都是我最愛吃的菜。

7. blaze vi. 燃燒；閃耀 & n. 火焰
By the time the fire fighters arrived, the blaze had spread to the sixth floor of the hotel.
消防隊員抵達時，大火已蔓延到那間旅館的六樓。

8. act out...　　表現……
Unhappy children often act out their frustrations in the classroom.
不快樂的小孩常會在課堂上表現出挫折感。

9. plot n. 情節
As the plot unfolded, it became clear to the audience who was guilty.
隨著劇情發展，觀眾逐漸清楚誰是有罪的。

10. center around...　　以……為中心
The book centers around a romance between a vampire and a human.
這本書的情節以吸血鬼與人類的愛情故事為中心。

11. separate vt. 分離
Evan was separated from his friends at the crowded night market.
艾凡在擁擠的夜市和朋友走散了。

12. mixture n. 混合
a mixture of...　　……的混合
The best-selling novel tackles the subject of racial discrimination with a mixture of drama and comedy.
那本暢銷小說以富有劇情及喜劇成分的綜合情節來探討種族歧視的議題。

13. jam vt. 擠進；塞進
Frank jammed all his stuff into a small bag.
法蘭克把他所有的東西塞進一個小袋子中。

14. come as no surprise　　一點也不意外
The manager's resignation came as no surprise to me, for I knew about it ages ago.
那位經理辭職對我來說一點都不驚訝，因為我老早就知道了。

15. receive vt. 接受；收到
Since Matt could run exceptionally fast, he received an athletic scholarship from the University of Oregon.
由於麥特跑得非常快，因此他得到了奧勒岡大學的體育獎學金。

16. worm one's way into...　　逐漸進入……
worm vt. & vi. 蠕動；擠進
The young actress tried to worm her way into Hollywood.
那名年輕女演員試圖打入好萊塢。

17. seek out...　　找出……
If the storm doesn't stop, we will have to seek out a place to stay for the night.
如果暴風雨不停的話，我們晚上就得找個地方過夜。

18. element n. 要素，元素
According to the report, common elements in our homes and workplaces have become threats to our respiratory system.
根據這份報告，家庭和工作場所的常見要素已對我們的呼吸系統造成威脅。

19. ensure vt. 確保
This medicine will ensure that you get a good night's sleep.
這種藥能確保你一夜好眠。
@中文翻譯＆標準答案
寶萊塢萬歲
寶萊塢電影正席捲全世界。
　　孟買（Mumbai）這個城市原名為 Bombay，它曾是印度電影業的中心。寶萊塢（Bollywood）這個名稱是由 Bombay 和 Hollywood（好萊塢）綜合而成，它並不像好萊塢這個西方同質產品一樣是個實際的地點。相反的，它指的是生產幾乎全世界所有印度語電影的業界。
　　寶萊塢電影的起源可追溯至 1911 年，典型的寶萊塢電影是指包含中間休息時間全程長達三至四小時的音樂劇。這種類型的電影沒有好萊塢電影的血腥畫面，它的要素為大量的動作以及豐富的歌舞表演，其特色為至少有一百位精心設計的舞者。除此之外，大牌明星以歌唱和演出戲劇性的故事在大螢幕上大放異彩，其內容完全沒有親吻或性接觸，且總是以喜劇收場。電影情節通常圍繞著命運多舛的戀人、出生時就分離的兄弟姊妹、腐敗的政客、三角戀情及更多主題。這樣的作品滿足了觀眾所有的需求，它被稱之為瑪薩拉電影，就像印度菜餚中常用的混合香料。寶萊塢電影帶來的娛樂包羅萬象，因為印度觀眾期待他們辛苦賺來的錢花得有價值。每年有八百多部寶萊塢電影上映，那是美國電影產量的兩倍，因此每天都有一千四百多萬的印度人去看電影並不令人驚訝。
　　寶萊塢電影除了在其祖國印度備受歡迎，在世界各地也已廣泛為人接受，包括埃及、俄羅斯、台灣，甚至是好萊塢。寶萊塢已在西方社會奠定相當地位，以致於西方演員如今都想在寶萊塢電影作品中爭取演出機會。很快地，我們都會跟著寶萊塢電影唱唱跳跳，而不是觀看最新的好萊塢驚悚片。
1. 下列哪一項並非寶萊塢電影的元素？
(A) 歡樂的電影結局。
(B) 男人和女人在螢幕上親熱。
(C) 有短暫的時間可以休息和買零食。
(D) 唱歌及跳舞。
題解：根據本文，只有 (B) 項未被提及，故應為正選。
2. 根據本文，寶萊塢電影在何處受到歡迎？
(A) 美國部份地區。
(B) 只有在英國。
(C) 大部分在衣索比亞和其他非洲國家。
(D) 泰國、緬甸，尤其是越南。
題解：根據本文第三段，寶萊塢電影在世界各地廣為人接受，甚至是美國好萊塢，故 (A) 項應為正選。
3. 下列有關寶萊塢的敘述何者正確？
(A) 它是印度的一個城市。
(B) 它是孟買的一個地區。
(C) 它是印度電影業的主要部分。
(D) 它是好萊塢為打入亞洲市場而打造的。
題解：根據本文第一段，寶萊塢指的是生產幾乎全世界所有印度語電影的業界，故 (C) 項應為正選。
4. 為何瑪薩拉電影充滿娛樂？
(A) 多年來，法律規定要這樣做。
(B) 這些電影不會受到一般電影的傳統束縛，因此該電影的長度可任由導演決定。
(C) 為了確保觀眾不會在電影院睡著。
(D) 印度觀眾期望電影內容能值回票價。
題解：根據本文第二段，寶萊塢電影帶來的娛樂包羅萬象，因為印度觀眾期待他們辛苦賺來的錢花得有價值，故 (D) 項應為正選。

答案：1. B　2. A　3. C　4. D
(D) Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam especially.
3. What is true of Bollywood?
(A) It is a city in India.
(B) It is a district in Mumbai.
(C) It is a major part of the film industry in India.
(D) It was created by Hollywood for the Asian market.
4. Why are masala movies packed with entertainment?
(A) Over the years, laws have been written making it required.
(B) They aren’t bound by normal movie conventions, so they can be as long as the director wants.
(C) To ensure that audiences don’t fall asleep while they are in theaters.
(D) Indian audiences expect to get what they pay for.
@單字小舖