万圣节恐怖电影：鬼屋的万能钥匙_影视英语

万圣节恐怖电影：鬼屋的万能钥匙

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2006-09-26 08:07 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

The Skeleton Key

A gothic thriller¹ set in New Orleans about a caretaker working with an elderly couple in their haunted home.
发生在新奥尔良的惊悚故事，在鬼屋里为一对老夫妇做看护的年轻女孩……

Strong-minded Caroline Ellis is a driven young woman with no time for local tales of witchcraft² and black magic. The young hospice worker is determined³ to make enough money to attend nursing school, even if it means taking a job as a live-in caretaker for the elderly owner of an isolated⁴ plantation⁵ house an hour's drive outside of New Orleans, deep in the atmospheric⁶ Louisiana delta⁷ renowned⁸ for the locals' mystical practices and powerful ceremonies. The decrepit⁹ Terrebonne Parish mansion¹⁰ is home to born-and-bred Southerners Violet and Ben Devereaux and both the house and its occupants seem weighted with somber¹¹ histories.

gothic a. 哥特式的，野蛮的　　New Orleans n. （美国城市）新奥尔良
thriller n. 使人毛骨悚然的小说　　haunted a. 闹鬼的

witchcraft n. 魔法，魔力         　　　hospice n. 收容所
strong-minded a. 意志坚强的      　  live-in a. 住在雇主家的
caretaker n. 看护，护工          　　 plantation n. 种植园，大农场
delta n. 三角洲                  　　　　 Louisiana n. （美国州）路易斯安娜
somber a. 阴森的                              weight v. 负担

But for Caroline, the setting is unimportant--she's there to do her job, caring for Ben after a stroke has left him nearly paralyzed and mute. To make maneuvering¹² throughout the large home an easier task, Violet entrusts¹³ the new live-in with a skeleton key that unlocks every door--including one that Caroline discovers obscured by a bookcase at the back of the house's attic¹⁴.

Seemingly forgotten, the room holds an intriguing¹⁵ mix of antiques, mirrors oddly banished¹⁶ from the rooms below and artifacts apparently¹⁷ connected to the practice of a strange kind of magic--a folk magic that conflicts directly with Caroline's common sense and pragmatic way of thinking. And yet, small instances of the unexplainable begin to occur. The mansion--and the strange couple who inhabit it--are rife¹⁸ with secrets.

The more Caroline explores, the deeper she is drawn¹⁹ into a darkening mystery in the attic room at the very heart of the house--towards a terrifying and sinister²⁰ legacy²¹ that threatens to take vengeance²² on anyone who comes to believe in its power. As Caroline begins to question her own convictions, she comes ever closer to opening the door and crossing the threshold to where simple belief becomes deadly reality.

mute a. 无声的，沉默的           　　 paralyze v. 使瘫痪，使麻痹
attic n. 阁楼，顶楼              　　　　maneuvering a. 灵活机动的
skeleton key n. 万能钥匙         　　   bookcase n. 书柜，书架

intriquing a. 引人好奇的         　　　antigue n. 古董，古物
artifact n. 人造物品             　　　　banish v. 驱逐，放逐
folk magic n. 民间巫术           　　　pragmatic a. 注重实效的

mansion n. 大厦，公寓            　　   rife a. 普遍的
terrifying a. 可怕的             　　　　 sinister a. 险恶的，不祥的
legacy n. （祖先传下的）遗物     　   take vengeance on v. 向……复仇
threshold n. 开端，极限          　　　deadly a. 致命的

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收听单词发音

1 thriller
n.惊险片，恐怖片
参考例句：
He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。 I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

2 witchcraft
n.魔法，巫术
参考例句：
The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。 All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

3 determined
adj.坚定的；有决心的
参考例句：
I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。 He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 isolated
adj.与世隔绝的
参考例句：
His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。 Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 plantation
n.种植园，大农场
参考例句：
His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。 The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

6 atmospheric
adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的
参考例句：
Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。 Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

7 delta
n.（流的）角洲
参考例句：
He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。 The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 renowned
adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的
参考例句：
He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。 She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

9 decrepit
adj.衰老的，破旧的
参考例句：
The film had been shot in a decrepit old police station.该影片是在一所破旧不堪的警察局里拍摄的。 A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.一个衰弱的老人坐在公园的长凳上。

10 mansion
n.大厦，大楼；宅第
参考例句：
The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。 The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

11 somber
adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的
参考例句：
He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。 His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

12 maneuvering
v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵
参考例句：
This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。来自辞典例句 In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。来自辞典例句

13 entrusts
v.委托，托付( entrust的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
It is the bank to which the seller entrusts the documents. 一方是托收银行，是受卖方的委托接收单据的银行。来自互联网 Mr. Thomas entrusts the Bank of Paris to pay money to us. 托马斯先生委托巴黎银行向我们付款。来自互联网

14 attic
n.顶楼，屋顶室
参考例句：
Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。 What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

15 intriguing
adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心
参考例句：
These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。 It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。来自《简明英汉词典》

16 banished
v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。 He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。来自《简明英汉词典》

17 apparently
adv.显然地；表面上，似乎
参考例句：
An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。 He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

18 rife
adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的
参考例句：
Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。 Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

19 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

20 sinister
adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的
参考例句：
There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。 Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

21 legacy
n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西
参考例句：
They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

22 vengeance
n.报复，报仇，复仇
参考例句：
He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。 For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

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