英文电影宝典——Apollo 13

			
	
Apollo 13
(Drama/Adventure) (1995)
© 2000 by Raymond Weschler





Major Characters

Jim Lovell……………………………………Tom Hanks
     The greatly respected commander of Apollo 13.

Fred Haise……………………………………Bill Paxton
     The second astronaut that was planning to walk on the moon with Jim.
	
Jack Swigert………………………………..Kevin Bacon
     The pilot of the command module that was going to circle
     the moon while Jim and Fred walked on the lunar surface.

Ken Mattingly………………………………Gary Sinise
     The original pilot of the command module, who was replaced by Jack
     at the last moment, because of health concerns by NASA doctors.

Gene Kranz………………………………….Ed Harris
     The head of Mission Control in Houston, Texas, which is
     responsible for guiding all of the missions into outer space.

Marilyn Lovell………………………………Kathleen Quinlan
     Jim’s wife, and the mother of his three kids.


Plot Summary

This film is the true story of Apollo 13, the third American space mission to
the moon. It took place in the Spring of 1970, just one year after Neil Armstrong
became the first man to ever walk on the lunar surface, in July 1969. A couple days
after the rocket took off, an explosion dramatically changed the nature of the mission,
and what was to become the third trip to the moon was suddenly changed into a desperate
attempt to get the astronauts back home to earth.  

It is easy to forget just how difficult this was, for much of the spaceship had been
heavily damaged by the explosion. Over the course of four extremely tense days, specialists
in Houston and the astronauts themselves faced a variety of deadly challenges, from
the spaceship’s shortage of electrical power and breathable air to the risk of literally
getting lost in space. Ultimately, this is one of the truly amazing tales of human
skill and courage.

Some basic NASA-related vocabulary frequently used in this film:

NASA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which is the government
agency responsible for all space exploration.

Mission Control: The highly computerized control center in Houston, Texas,
that guides all space missions. Often referred to as simply "Houston."

The Command Module: That part of the spaceship which was supposed to stay in orbit
around the moon. For Apollo 13, it was named "Odyssey" (which is a word that means
a great adventure or voyage).

The LEM: This is the Lunar Excursion Module, which was supposed to take two of
the three astronauts down to the moon’s surface after separating from the main rocket
("Lunar" is an adjective for anything related to the moon). For Apollo 13, it was
called "Aquarius," which is a constellation of stars.

Roger: A NASA/military way of saying OK.

Standby: A NASA/military way of saying  "please wait a moment."


Some Words and Expressions that You May not Know


         
9 
7 
3 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
 4 
 8 
:

 
责任编辑:yechenglu