节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-11-30
难易度:Low
关键字:muscle, assemble, worldwide, audience, box office, gross
Hey, friends.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
Thanks for joining us today.
My name is Steve.
We're looking at the life and career of Chris Hemsworth, Hollywood's Latest
Superhero.
Yesterday we learned that Hemsworth got his start with small roles on Australian
TV.
Then after some ups and downs, Hemsworth landed the role of a lifetime - playing
a superhero named Thor.
Now in the comic books, if you've ever seen them, Thor is a big guy.
So in order to get his body into superhero shape, Hemsworth had to focus on four
things: eating, lifting weights, more eating and sleeping.
Let's learn more about Hemsworth's preparation for the role of Thor over at the
top of page 52.
Chris Hemsworth - Hollywood's Latest Superhero.
Hemsworth didn't know much about Thor.
He hadn't read comic books as a kid.
So he got a whole pile to read in order to learn about the character.
In addition, he had to put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role.
He said that preparing for the role was harder than the shoot itself!
But all the work was worth it.
The 2011 film Thor made more than $449 million at the box office.
Hi, friends.
Thank you for joining us.
My name is Ryan.
And my name is Kaylah.
And today we're back looking at the ever-standing Chris Hemsworth.
Oh, you really do like him, don't you, Kaylah?
I do! He made me a big fan of Thor.
Have you seen him?
He is so attractive.
You need to look in your magazine.
Friends, especially ladies, take a look at Chris Hemsworth.
He is a good-looking man.
OK... Well, for the rest of us, let's take this a little more seriously.
We know just yesterday that Chris Hemsworth was really trying to get a part in
Hollywood.
And finally he auditioned for a part in the movie Thor, and he landed it.
That's right.
He didn't think he impressed at first, but he definitely impressed on his second
audition, landed the role of Thor.
But Hemsworth didn't know much about Thor.
That's right.
Of course, we remember Thor is a character - the God of Thunder - but Chris
Hemsworth didn't know much about that character at all.
Well, why didn't he know much?
He hadn't read comic books as a kid.
We saw he grew up on the cattle station moving back and forth.
He grew up surfing.
He was an outdoor, he's get-out-there-doing-action kind of kid, so he wasn't
reading comic books.
Which, Ryan, I actually think is a good thing.
Yeah. I mean, if you spend too much time reading comic books, and you're not,
well, being social or doing other important things.
Now let's talk about what comic books actually are.
Oh, right. We should know what a comic book is.
A comic book is a story that is told through a series or groups of pictures
with... sometimes they do have a script,
sometimes there are words, and sometimes it's just action pictures.
And it tells you the story through animated drawing.
And Marvel Comics is actually the one we're talking about because we're talking
about Thor.
Right. And Thor's character is from comic books.
So Hemsworth decided to go get a whole pile of comic books in order to read and
learn more about that character.
That's right.
So he could get "a whole pile of," that means he bought a bunch of them, a large
stack, very many,
to learn about Thor, to read about it so he can play this character well.
But you know, Ryan, he can also read that Norse mythology because Thor is not
originally from comics.
That's true, Kaylah.
But of course, the movies are based on the comic books, and the comics are based
on the Norse mythology.
So Hemsworth decided start with the comic books, learn about his character that
he's going to be playing in the movies.
But that's not all.
In addition - this phrase means as well as or on top of - he added... he had to
put on up to 20 pounds of muscle for the role.
Muscle, 20 pounds of muscle.
That is a lot of muscle.
That's right.
Now "muscle" is tissue in your body or the parts of your body that can move and
contract.
Muscles are the part of your body that make you strong.
OK. Thanks, Ryan.
That's a really interesting example.
It's in there somewhere.
I have muscle, I think.
OK. Well, he had to put on 20 pounds of muscle.
That does not mean he just got to eat and put on weight.
This takes a lot of work.
Building muscle takes a lot of exercising.
And you have to be careful with your diet.
But friends, if you look at his pictures in Thor, you can see his muscles really
paid off.
Now Kaylah, it's important to point out here that we use the phrase - to "put
on" pounds of muscle.
And sometimes you think, well, maybe people can gain pounds.
But here, if you're gaining weight, then usually that means you're getting a
little unhealthy.
But if you are putting on weight, it can either mean you're getting fatter or
larger, but it can also refer to muscle.
That's right.
Now he said that preparing for the role was harder than the shoot itself!
So we know that shooting is, once again, filming of movie or a film.
It's difficult.
It takes a lot of energy.
But he said that getting ready for it, putting out all this muscle and reading
up about this character was even more work.
Exactly, so.
Here, though, he says all the work was worth it.
If something is worth it, then the reward is equal to the amount of work that
you put in to getting it.
Absolutely. It was definitely worth it for him because the 2011 film Thor made
more than $449 million at the box office.
Whoo! Now the "box office" is an important phrase here.
That is referring to the first weekend that a movie is released and all the
amount of money that comes in from people buying movie tickets during those
first couple days.
Now a box office at a theater is the place you go to buy your tickets.
So they're counting all the theaters all over and putting all that money
together, this is how much they made.
Well, we're going to talk a little bit more about Thor and where Chris Hemsworth
is going in his career now after we visit the Chat Room.
Hey, Bryan.
Oh. Hi, Ken.
So how was lunch?
Well, if you call an apple and some salad "lunch," then it wasn't too bad.
Oh, I forgot. You're on a diet.
Hey, I think you look thinner than you were several months ago.
Did you lose weight?
I'm glad you notice, Ken.
I've lost three pounds since the beginning of summer.
Congratulations.
Say, Bryan, it should be "lose" weight, right?
Yes, that's right.
So how come I hear people say weight lost sometimes?
Oh, they're not saying that.
What they're saying is weight loss, L-O-S-S.
Weight loss?
How's that different from lose weight?
Well, "lose weight" is a verb phrase because "lose" is a verb.
So I should say I want to lose weight?
That's right.
Loss, on the other hand, is a noun.
So "weight loss" is a noun phrase.
A noun phrase?
So I should say "how is your weight loss going"?
Well, you actually could say that.
But "weight loss" is usually used as an adjective, so you can talk about a
weight-loss technique or a weight-loss program.
I see.
You know, when I was younger, I had the opposite problem.
I wanted to add some weight to my body.
Oh, so you wanted to gain weight.
That's right.
I wanted to gain weight.
Or you could say put on weight.
People who are too skinny need to put on some weight.
And I have to admit, those are the people I envy.
Well, by the way you're going, you won't have to envy anyone much longer.
I hope not, Ken.