More money,more problems

重庆远恒佳公学 黄忠雪

2018年暑期档电影，沈腾的新作《西虹市首富》于7月27日上映。仅上映三天，票房就达到8.9亿。该电影戳中你的笑点了吗？

Last weekend,“Hello Mr.Billionaire”opened to an astonishing$131 million in Chinese box-offices.

Made by Mahua FunAge,a well-lovedcomedytroupe（剧团）,it continued the typical comedy type of this company.This movie is atakeon America's“Brewster's Millions”,which was once put on the Broadway stage in 1906.

Shen Teng,a most famous and audienceappealing comedian in China,played Wang Duoyu,a goalkeeper of anamateurfootball team who finds spending 1 billion yuan in one month to be a painful experience.It's a challenge from hislateuncle—if he spends the money fast,withoutresorting tophilanthropy（慈善）,drugs,damaging the money or wasting the money in buying fixed assets（资产）,he'll go on toinherita large amount of money—30 billion yuan.

Wang Duoyu uses the money to live a rich life.He invests some ridiculous projects in order to lose money.However,something beyond his imagination,all the projects earn him times of profits.

This story has greatly satisfied the daydream we all have—if one day I had a huge amount of money,how would I spend it?

Like other Mahua-produced movies,“Hello,Mr.Billionaire”not only earns a good marketing feedback from the box-office,but also arouses thecontroversyof the value of this movie.Somedisapprove ofthe show-off consumption（炫耀性消费）.

In 1978 China opened up its economy to allow privateenterpriseand foreign investment,and last year research from Thomas Piketty,a French economist,found that as China's GDP has been on the way to catching up with America's,so too has itsinequality.

No wonder this comedy about an accidental billionairehits some raw nerves.

Reading Check

1.Which aspect about the movie is not mentioned according to the text?

A.The plot. B.The actor.

Language Study C.The critics. D.The music.

2.What is people's attitude towards the movie?How do you like the movie?

Ⅰ.Words in the context

Ⅱ.Difficult sentence

Last weekend, “Hello Mr.Billionaire”opened to an astonishing$131 million in Chinese box-offices.上周，《西虹市首富》首映创下惊人的一亿三千一百万票房。

【点石成金】本句的句式结构为open to a（n）+adj.+ 数字+in box offices，意为“开局的、首周末票房”。

句式仿写

那部电影首周末票房交出了满意的答卷，赚了一千万美元。

Using Language

Ⅰ.Important vocabulary in the text Words

1.box-office n.票房

2.comedy n.喜剧

3.amateur adj.业余的

4.inherit v.继承（金钱、财产等）

5.controversy n.（公开的）争论

6.enterprise n.企业；公司

7.inequality n.不平等

Phrases

1.resort to诉诸；依靠

2.disapprove of不赞成

3.hit some raw nerves触及一些人的痛处

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences in correct forms with the words and phrases given above.

1.We held a discussion about whether scientists should do scientific experiments on animals.Many people ______it.

2.It's my position that gentlemen should reason thing out rather than _____ force.

3.This morning,the businessman made a speech about poverty,which _____ .

4.With the economy developing fast,people are more and more concerned about social_____.

5.The decision to cancel the holiday has aroused great_____.