VOA标准英语2012--Courier Delivery Becomes Race Against Clock in 'Premium Rush'
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(八月)
Courier Delivery Becomes Race Against Clock in 'Premium 1 Rush'
On any business day, crossing the street in Manhattan is likely to mean a close encounter with a bicycle courier. They speed from one one end of the city to the other with rush deliveries.
Wilee is one of the fastest among the hundreds of two-wheeled messengers. But after he picks up a 'premium rush' package, he discovers someone will stop at nothing to keep him from making the delivery.
Premium Rush is written and directed by David Koepp, whose action films range from Jurassic Park to Spider-Man. He calls it a fresh take on an old Hollywood standby: the chase.
"We've all seen car chases a million times," notes Koepp, "but the consequences for car chases are dented 2 fenders or smashed windshields and in movies it's certainly been explored fully 3. The thing about a bike is the slightest contact can kill you. So you feel it when you're watching the movie that the risk is much higher."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Wilee. He's no stranger to action films like Inception 4 and the current hit The Dark Knight 5 Rises. He was intrigued 6 by this character's embrace of that risk.
"He is a guy that lives very much in the present, and there is a really strong upside to that," the actor says, "especially because maybe nowadays more than ever we're a culture that is sort of obsessed 7 with the future, making plans and 'what am I going to be?' 'what's going to happen not just next week, but five years from now?' All that stuff …and Wilee is a character who has very much turned his back on that way of thinking."
Dania Ramirez co-stars as Vanessa, a fellow bike messenger. She says making the film was physically 8 demanding because they really were in Manhattan traffic.
"Most of the movie we were riding bikes, doing all the dialogue while riding bikes," she explains. "A lot of the training - we trained for six weeks prior to going to New York City - was just a lot of endurance because you couldn't run out of breath. You had to get your scene across and still be going really fast in the midst of New York City."
Keeping the pace brisk, Premium Rush plays out in real time. Most of the action takes place within its 90-minute length. Michael Shannon co-stars as the villain 9 chasing the valuable package. And dozens of real New York City bike messengers join the actors on screen.
- You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
- Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。
- The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
- I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
- They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
- The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
- Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。
- He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
- A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。
- You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
- He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。
- He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
- The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。
- He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
- Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。