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. 导演首秀 ② raw adj. 质朴的 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. 描绘

【难句解析】

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

释义：……但是，没人告诉我她过去是个年轻的姑娘。

点拨：used to 是指过去常常做某事，但是现在不做这些事了;be used to doing是指习惯做某事，to是介词，后需接动名词;be used to do sth.是指什么被用来做什么，表示被动。例如：

I used to play basketball after school. 我过去常常在放学后打篮球。

They are used to working hard. 他们习惯于努力工作。

Plastic is used to make bags. 塑料被用来制造塑料袋。

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

釋义：这部电影于2月12日发行，是39岁、从喜剧演员转型为电影制片人贾玲的导演首秀。

点拨：released on Feb 12是过去分词作状语，因为released与其逻辑主语the film是动宾关系。例如：

Seen from the moon， the earth looks green. 从月亮上看时，地球是绿色的。

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

释义：为了使得这部电影更吸引人，贾玲把这部电影拍成一个时光旅行的故事。

点拨：在此句中，to make the film more appealing作目的状语。在主句中，Jia作主语，made作谓语，it作宾语，a time-travel story作宾语补足语。例如：

To get strong， I go to the gym. 为了变得强壮，我去健身房。

Most pop singers make music their career. 很多流行歌手把音乐当作他们的职业。

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

释义：正如贾玲在电影中所说：“她不仅是我的妈妈，还是她自己。”

点拨：as引导非限制性定语从句，在非限制性定语从句中作宾语，as指代后面的主句。as在非限定性定语从句中可以作主语、表语或宾语，且引出的从句位置比较灵活，可位于句首或句末，也可置于句中，通常均由逗号将其与主句隔开。as有“正如……，就像……”之意。例如：

As is known to the United States， Mark Twain is a great American writer. 美国人都知道，马克·吐温是一位伟大的美国作家。（as在从句中作主语）

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……為基础） fact.

2. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ （为了使得我们的城市美丽）， the cleaners start to work very early every morning.

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

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

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

6. ____ ____ ____ ____ （被她的老师所鼓励）， the girl was very happy.