Getting to Know Mom

王宇

“For as long as I can remember， mom has been a middle-aged woman， but no one told me she used to be a young girl.” This is a line from the film Hi， Mom， as well as the way director and star Jia Ling once felt about her own mother.

Released on Feb 12， the film is the directorial debut① of 39-year-old comedian-turned-filmmaker Jia. It has gotten a high score of 8.1 on the movie rating website Douban. Many people said they were touched by its raw② emotion.

The film is based on the real-life story of Jia and her mother， showing her longing③ and regret at failing to see her mother before she died. To make the film more appealing④， Jia made it a time-travel story. She goes back to 1981 and becomes friends with her own mom， Li Huanying. She risks giving up her own life and disappearing to make sure that her mother has a better future.

The Spring Festival holiday box office⑤ tends to favor films “with broad family appeal and a little hurt”， and Hi， Mom has “hit all the right notes⑥，” Hollywood Reporter commented.

The film has also been praised for its sincere depiction⑦ of female roles. In the movie， Li is more of a young girl rather than a mother. As Jia says in the movie， “She is not only my mom， but also herself.”

The many women who helped make the film， including Jia herself， helped the movies female roles shine in ways that had nothing to do with their looks， according to Jiemian News.

Notes： ① debut n. 導演首秀 ② raw adj. 質樸的 ③ longing n. 想念 ④ appealing adj. 有吸引力的 ⑤ box office 票房 ⑥ note n. 音符 ⑦ depiction n. 描繪

【難句解析】

1. ...but no one told me she used to be a young girl.

釋義：……但是，沒人告訴我她過去是個年輕的姑娘。

點撥：used to 是指過去常常做某事，但是現在不做這些事了;be used to doing是指習慣做某事，to是介詞，后需接動名詞;be used to do sth.是指什么被用來做什么，表示被動。例如：

I used to play basketball after school. 我過去常常在放學后打籃球。

They are used to working hard. 他們習慣于努力工作。

Plastic is used to make bags. 塑料被用來制造塑料袋。

2. Released on Feb 12， the film is the directorial debut of 39-year-old comedian-turned-filmmaker Jia.

釋義：這部電影于2月12日發行，是39歲、從喜劇演員轉型為電影制片人賈玲的導演首秀。

點撥：released on Feb 12是過去分詞作狀語，因為released與其邏輯主語the film是動賓關系。例如：

Seen from the moon， the earth looks green. 從月亮上看時，地球是綠色的。

3. To make the film more appealing， Jia made it a time-travel story.

釋義：為了使得這部電影更吸引人，賈玲把這部電影拍成一個時光旅行的故事。

點撥：在此句中，to make the film more appealing作目的狀語。在主句中，Jia作主語，made作謂語，it作賓語，a time-travel story作賓語補足語。例如：

To get strong， I go to the gym. 為了變得強壯，我去健身房。

Most pop singers make music their career. 很多流行歌手把音樂當作他們的職業。

4. As Jia says in the movie， “She is not only my mom， but also herself.”

釋義：正如賈玲在電影中所說：“她不僅是我的媽媽，還是她自己?！?/p>

點撥：as引導非限制性定語從句，在非限制性定語從句中作賓語，as指代后面的主句。as在非限定性定語從句中可以作主語、表語或賓語，且引出的從句位置比較靈活，可位于句首或句末，也可置于句中，通常均由逗號將其與主句隔開。as有“正如……，就像……”之意。例如：

As is known to the United States， Mark Twain is a great American writer. 美國人都知道，馬克·吐溫是一位偉大的美國作家。（as在從句中作主語）

I. Choose the right answer.

1. Many viewers were moved by ____ in the film Hi， Mom.

A. Li Huanyings death? ???????????????????? B. the sad story

C. the sincere feelings?? ??????????????????????????? D. the lines from the film

2. Jia Ling returns to 1981 in order to ____.

A. give up her life ?????????????????????????????? B. make her mothers future better

C. live with her mother ?????????????????? D. become young

3. Why does the film win high praise？

A. Because it describes the female roles genuinely.

B. Because it has a good box office record.

C. Because its score gets to as high as 8.1 on a website Douban.

D. Because the director has much experience.

4. The film helped the female roles to succeed in the way their success ____.

A. had no relation to their appearances?? ???? B. had something to do with looks

C. needed help each other???????????????????? D. needed performance skills

II. Fill in the blanks.

1. What she said ____ ____ ____ （以……為基礎） fact.

2. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ （為了使得我們的城市美麗）， the cleaners start to work very early every morning.

3. Please ____ ____ ____ （確保） the house is properly locked.

4. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ （眾所周知）， China is a developing? country.

5. After he came out of prison， many of his friends would? ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ （和……無關） him.

6. ____ ____ ____ ____ （被她的老師所鼓勵）， the girl was very happy.