《奇异博士》
2017-02-21
大家对漫威(Marvel)漫画应该并不陌生,其创作的复仇者联盟(The Avengers)、银河护卫队(Guardians of the Galaxy)等英雄团队以及钢铁侠(Iron Man)、美国队长(Captain America)和雷神(Thor)等英雄形象受到了众多粉丝的喜爱。取材于漫威漫画的漫威电影将许多英雄和他们的故事搬上了大荧幕,给无数观众留下了深刻的印象。这一次,由漫威出品的电影《奇异博士》(Doctor Strange)又成功地塑造了一位英雄的形象。不过,不同于漫威以往的科幻片,该片试图将东西方元素相结合,让科技与魔法并存。
Stephen Strange是一位医术精湛的医学博士,在神经外科手术方面颇有造诣。然而,因为一场意外的车祸,Strange身受重伤,虽然经过一番抢救保住了性命,但双手却严重致残,无法再次拿起手术刀。为了挽救自己的事业,Strange做出了许多努力,进行了无数次康复训练,却依旧效果甚微。
就在他日渐消沉时,Strange偶然听说曾被自己诊断为无法康复的瘫痪病人Pangborn如今竟然恢复得很好。Strange迫不及待地找到了对方,得知他的病是由Kamar-Taj的一位圣人治好的。于是,Strange变卖了自己的所有家产,抱着最后一丝希望只身来到了尼泊尔的加德满都,四处寻找这个名为Kamar-Taj的地方。然而,當地人根本就不知道Kamar-Taj是什么。太阳快要落山时,Strange依旧一无所获,还被人打劫了。危急时刻,暗中跟踪他的Kamar-Taj法师Mordo出手相救,打跑了劫匪,还将他带到了Kamar-Taj。Strange如愿以偿见到了精通神秘魔法(Mystic Arts)的至尊法师(Sorcerer Supreme) Ancient One并受到了热情的接待,他开门见山地询问对方是如何医治好Pangborn的,法师表示自己是通过调整精神来治愈身体疾病的,这令Strange感到匪夷所思。面对有些自负的Strange,Ancient One向他施展了法术,让他意识到自己在庞大的宇宙中有多么渺小。Strange被Ancient One强大的法力深深折服,决定留下来潜心修炼法术。
在图书馆中,Strange发现了一本研究时间的书《卡里奥斯特罗之书》(Book of Cagliostro),并注意到这本书缺了两页。管理员Wong告诉他,它们是被曾在这里修行过的另一位法师Kaecilius偷走的。在黑暗维度(Dark Dimension)中,时间是不存在的,万事万物都可以获得永生。为夺得召唤黑暗维度统治者Dormammu的仪式咒语,Kaecilius便和追随自己的狂热信徒们杀害了图书馆前管理员,撕掉并带走了记载着仪式咒语的书页。尽管Ancient One竭力追捕他们,却还是以失败告终。
在Ancient One、Mordo以及Wong的指导和帮助下,Strange对魔法的兴趣日渐浓厚,法术也日益精湛。一日,Strange在好奇心的驱使下偷偷启动能操纵时间的阿戈摩托之眼(The Eye of Agamotto),找回了当年被Kaecilius偷走的书页。Mordo和Wong发现之后立即呵止了Strange,并向他警告了滥用阿戈摩托之眼的严重后果。两位师兄还告诉Strange,神秘魔法的创始人Agamotto曾经在纽约、伦敦和香港这三个城市建立了三座圣殿,它们会在地球周围形成一层屏障,以保护地球不受异次元生物的入侵。正在这时,伦敦圣殿遭到了Kaecilius的袭击并沦陷,守护法师也惨遭杀害。在魔浮斗篷(The Cloak of Levitation)的帮助下,Strange在纽约圣殿成功击退了敌人。事后,他受到了Ancient One的嘉奖并被委以保护地球的重任,可他却打算退出。就在这时,Kaecilius带着自己的信徒卷土重来。为保护圣殿和徒弟,Ancient One受了重伤。在垂死之际,她的灵体告诉Strange,自己在他身上看到了无限的潜力。在Ancient One的说服和鼓励下,Strange决心肩负起守护世界的重任。在随后的香港圣殿之战,Strange凭借着强大的法力、过人的智慧与胆识战胜了Kaecilius,主线故事也在他归还阿戈摩托之眼后接近尾声。
海明威曾说过:“人可以被毁灭,但不可以被打败。(A man can be destroyed but not defeated.)”从天才医生变成一无所有的凡人,再成长为可以肩负重任的至尊法师,Strange的经历很好地诠释了这句话。人类就是在不断的挑战自我和超越自我中创造着一个又一个的奇迹。没有超越,原始人便无法直立行走;没有超越,人类便还过着刀耕火种的生活;没有超越,飞机便不会在蓝天中翱翔;没有超越,地球便不会成为村落。
世间万物都像影片中万花筒般的异度空间那样难以预料,当你武断地否定成功的可能,并把失败的原因归结于种种外在因素时,你可曾想过这是不是因为你没有努力地去超越自己?倘若我们鼓起勇气去突破,奇迹终究会出现,就像影片开头Strange驳回了其他医生对一位患者的死亡宣判并成功将其抢救回来那样。也许曾经的你光鲜亮丽,也许曾经的你落魄不堪,但当你将自己清零,静下心来感受人生的音符,你就会对自己有一个全新的认识并在此基础上不断地超越极限、超越自我。
医术高明的神经外科医生Strange因为一场车祸导致双手神经严重受损,在接受了手术及多次康复训练之后仍然没有任何好转,东京的医学专家看过他的档案之后也表示无能为力。一想到自己可能无法再拿起手术刀,无法继续在医学界叱咤风云,曾经有些自以为是的他受到了极大的打击,情绪濒临崩溃的边缘。这时,同事兼好友Christine来到他的身边安慰他。
Christine: Hey ... He (指东京的医学专家) won't do it.
Strange: [摇了摇头] He's a hack (医术不高的人). There's a new procedure1 in Tokyo. They culture2 donors' stem cells (干细胞), and then harvest them and 3D-print a scaffold (支架). If I could get a loan together ... just ...
Christine: Stephen, Stephen ...
Strange: A small loan, 200,000.
Christine: You've always spent money as fast as you could make it. But now you're spending money you don't even have. Maybe it's time to consider stopping.
Strange: No, no. It is exactly the time not to stop. Because, you see, I'm not getting any better!
Christine: But this isn't medicine anymore. This is mania (躁狂症). Some things just can't be fixed.
Strange: Life without my work ...
Christine: Is still life. This isn't the end. There are other things that can give your life meaning.
Tips for Learning
1
对于procedure这个单词,大家可能更为熟悉它作为“程序,手续,步骤”的含义,比如follow normal/standard/accepted procedure (遵循正常的/标准的/惯用的步骤)、court/legal/parliamentary procedure (法庭/司法/议会程序)等。在这里,procedure当然指的不是这层含义了,结合语境我们应该可以猜到,它指的其实是“a medical treatment or operation”,即“治疗;手术”,比如我们可以说perform a routine surgical procedure (做一个常规的外科手术)。
2
Culture同学们应该都认识吧?它的意思是“文化,文明”,这种文化既可以是某个国家或群体的风俗、信仰、生活方式及社会组织,也可以是艺术、音乐、文学等的统称,其内涵非常丰富。比如European/African/Chinese culture (欧洲/非洲/中国文化)、corporate/modern/popular/consumer culture (企业/现代/大众/消费文化);又如:Venice is a beautiful city full of culture and history. (威尼斯是一座具有深厚文化和历史底蕴的美丽城市。)除了这层含义之外,culture作名词时还可以指“种植;栽培;养殖;培育”,其对象既可以是植物、动物,也可以是细胞、细菌,比如the culture of silkworms (桑蠶养殖)、an expert on bee culture (养蜂专家),又如:Yogurt is made from active cultures. (酸奶是由活性培养菌制成的。)在上面的台词中,culture指的就是这层含义,只不过是用作了动词。
没有事业的人生依旧有意义
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Strange历经千辛万苦终于见到了Ancient One,迫不及待地询问她如何才能治好自己的双手。Ancient One却只说“I know how to reorient the spirit to better heal the body (我知道如何调整精神,从而更好地治愈身体)”,这令Strange感到难以置信。
Ancient One: You're a man looking at the world through a keyhole, and you spent your whole life trying to widen that keyhole. To see more, to know more. And now, on hearing that it can be widened in ways you can't imagine, you reject the possibility?
Strange: No, I reject it because I do not believe in fairy tales about chakras1, or energy, or the power of belief. There is no such thing as spirit! We are made of matter, and nothing more. We're just another tiny, momentary speck2 within an indifferent3 universe.
Ancient One: You think too little of yourself.
Strange: Oh, you think you see through me, do you? Well, you don't. But I see through you!
Tips for Learning
1
Chakra指的是“轮,轮穴”,是瑜伽和传统印度医学中所划分的七个人体能量中心之一,相当于中医经络学中的穴位。七轮的理论后来流传至西藏,被藏传佛教所吸收,进而流传至西方国家,并广泛应用于各类身心灵(Body-Mind-Spirit)的理论之中。按照它们在人体所处的部位,七轮由下而上分别称为根轮、腹轮、脐轮、心轮、喉轮、额轮和顶轮。
2
Speck这个单词同学们可能不大熟悉,它可以指“斑点;污点;缺点;瑕疵”,比如a reputation without a speck (清白无瑕的名誉);又如:There was a speck or two of blood on his shirt. (他的衬衣上有一两滴血迹。)此外,它还可以指“微粒;一点点;微小的东西”,在上面的台词中指的即是这层含义,如speck of dust (尘埃);再比如:He has not a speck of humor. (他没有一点儿幽默感。)
3
大家可能知道indifferent一词有“不感兴趣的;漠不关心的;不在乎的;冷漠的”之意,比如:I am absolutely indifferent to this talk. (我对这番讲话完全不感兴趣。)在上面的台词中,indifferent所表示的这层含义不太常见,它指的是“不重要的,无关紧要的”,比如:We chatted upon indifferent subjects. (我们扯了些无关紧要的话题。)
用精神治愈身体
Strange凭借着魔浮斗篷击退了Kaecilius和他的信徒们,成功守护了纽约圣殿。看到Strange有这么出色的表现,Ancient One决定让他肩负起守护地球的重任,可他却打算退出,因为他觉得作为一位救死扶伤的医生,他的使命是救人,而不是反过来去结束他人的性命。
Ancient One: The London Sanctum (圣殿) has fallen. Only New York and Hong Kong remain now to shield us from the Dark Dimension1. You defended the New York Sanctum from attack. With its Master gone, it needs another, Master Strange.
Strange: No. It is Dr. Strange. Not Master Strange, not Mr. Strange. Doctor Strange! When I became a doctor, I swore an oath to do no harm. And I have just killed a man! I'm not doing that again. I became a doctor to save lives, not take them.
Ancient One: You became a doctor to save one life above all others. Your own.
Strange: Still seeing through me, are you?
Ancient One: I see what I've always seen. Your overinflated (過度膨胀的) ego. You want to go back to the delusion that you can control anything, even death, which no one can control. Not even the great doctor Stephen Strange.
Strange: Not even Dormammu? He offers immortality (永生;不朽).
Ancient One: It's our fear of death that gives Dormammu life. He feeds off2 it.
Strange: Like you feed on2 him? You talk to me about controlling death. Well, I know how you do it. I've seen the missing rituals from the Book of Cagliostro.
Ancient One: Measure3 your next words very carefully, doctor.
Tips for Learning
1
指黑暗维度,是漫威多元宇宙(Multiverse)中的一个维度,通过不断侵略、吞噬其他维度来使自身壮大。在这里,时间是不存在的,万事万物都可以获得永生。其统治者是Dormammu,他是Doctor Strange最强劲的宿敌。在电影中,Dormammu与Kaecilius取得了联系,并说服他去摧毁保护地球的三座圣殿,以期让黑暗维度进入地球,从而将地球吞噬。
2
词组feed off和feed on同义,都指的是“以……为食;因……而壮大,从……中得到滋养”,比如:Sheep feeds mostly off/on grass. (羊主要以草为食。)又如:The public feeds off/on these periodicals. (公众以这些杂志为精神食粮。)
3
同学们应该都比较熟悉measure作为“测量;度量”“估量,判定(重要性、价值或影响等)”的含义,比如measure a piece of land/the distance/the speed of a car (测量一块土地/测量距离/测定车速)、measure the importance of an issue (权衡问题的重要性)。而在上面的台词中,measure指的是“斟酌,权衡”,比如measure one's words (斟酌词句)。
放下恐惧方能改变命运
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为了守护圣殿、保护徒弟,Ancient One身负重伤、奄奄一息。在垂死之际,她的灵体飘到了一座大厦的窗前,时间就此定格,唯有一片片雪花在飘落。Strange紧随其后,想要挽留Ancient One。在弥留之际,法师跟他说了这样一番话。
Ancient One: You wonder what I see in your future?
Strange: No. [沉默了片刻] Yes.
Ancient One: I never saw your future. Only its possibilities. You have such a capacity for goodness. You always excelled1, but not because you crave success, but because of your fear of failure.
Strange: It's what made me a great doctor.
Ancient One: It's precisely what kept you from greatness. Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all.
Strange: Which is?
Ancient One: It's not about you. When you first came to me, you asked me how I was able to heal Jonathan Pangborn. I didn't. He channels2 dimensional energy directly into his own body.
Strange: He uses magic to walk.
Ancient One: Constantly. He had a choice, to return to his own life or to serve something greater than himself.
Strange: So, I could have my hands back again? My old life?
Ancient One: You could. And the world would be all the lesser for it. I've hated drawing power from the Dark Dimension. But as you well know, sometimes one must break the rules in order to serve the greater good.
Tips for Learning
1
看到excel这个词,大家有没有觉得很熟悉?对了,Office办公软件中用于表格制作、数据处理和分析等功能的那款软件就叫Excel。在上面的台词中,excel作动词,它指的是“突出;胜过他人”,既可以作及物动词,也可以接介词in或at作不及物动词,比如:He excelled all other poets of his day. (他胜过同时代的其他所有诗人。)又如excel in chemistry/in foreign languages/at chess (擅长化学/外语出类拔萃/棋艺精湛)。关于excel还有一个固定搭配,那就是excel yourself,英文释义是“to do extremely well and even better than you usually do”,形容“做得非常出色,甚至胜过平时的表现”,比如:Rick's cooking was always good but this time he really excelled himself. (里克的烹饪技术一直不错,但这次简直是好上加好。)
2
Channel可以指“海峡;水道,航道”,比如著名的英吉利海峡用英文说就是“the English Channel”。作名词时,channel还有一层常见的含义是“频道”,比如a movie/sports channel (电影/体育频道)、to change/switch channels (换台)。进一步引申,该词还可以指“渠道;途径”,比如through diplomatic/legal channels (通过外交/法律途径)、the channels of communication between teachers and parents (老师和家长之间沟通的渠道)。在上面的台词中,channel作动词,它指的是“引导;(通过某种渠道)输送,传送”,比如:He channeled the information to us. (他给我们传递了信息。)再比如:He channels his aggression into sport. (他把自己的好斗劲儿倾注于体育比赛之中。)
超越小我,成就大我
正如著名游戏《英雄联盟》的广告词所说的那样,“英雄,去超越”,不管你是谁,希望你都能走出自己角色的光环,去努力重塑自我、超越自我。因為,突破就在此刻;因为,超越自己,你就是英雄。