A. Vocabularies to Know
1) bureau: an organization or a business that collects or provides information; a government organization
2)
democracy: (
demonstration;
govern) the belief in freedom and equality between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves
3) hinder: to limit the ability of someone to do something, or to limit the development of something
4)
union: ( =
the only) the act or the state of being joined together
4-1) uniform: a particular set of clothes which has to be worn by the members of the same organization or group of people
4-2) unison: the playing or singing of notes at the same pitch by different instruments or voices
4-3) unique: being the only existing one of its type or, more generally, unusual or special in some way
5) advocate: to publicly support or suggest an idea, development or way of doing something
5-1) advanced: class/course a school class which is doing work of a higher standard than is usual for students at that stage in their education
5-2) adventure: an unusual, exciting and possibly dangerous activity such as a journey or experience, or the excitement produced by such an activity
6) exclude to prevent someone or something from entering a place or taking part in an activity
6-1) include: to contain something as a part of something else, or to make something part of something else
6-2)
seclude
to keep someone or something away from other people or things se- apart from
6-2-1) select: to choose a small number of things, or to choose by making careful decisions
6-2-2) separate: existing or happening independently or in a different physical space
7) recourse: using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation
7-1) boisterous: noisy, energetic and rough
8) sue: to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you
9) V. +
tive - Adj.
9-1) preserve: to keep something as it is, especially in order to prevent it from decaying or being damaged or destroyed; to conserve
9-1-1) preservative: a substance used to prevent decay in wood
9-2) restrict: to limit the movements or actions of someone, or to limit something and reduce its size or prevent it from increasing
9-2-1) restrictive: limiting the freedom of someone or preventing something from growing
9-3) conserve: to keep and protect something from damage, change, or waste
9-3-1) conservative: often not liking or trusting change, especially sudden change
10) change to make or become different, or to exchange one thing for another thing, especially of a similar type
10-1)
alter: to
change something, usually slightly, or to cause the characteristics of something to change
10-2) rotate to: (cause to) turn in a circle, especially around a fixed point
10-3) switch: a small device, usually pushed up or down with your finger, that controls and turns on or off an electric current
11) option: one thing which can be chosen from a set of possibilities, or the freedom to make a choice
11-1) choice: an act or the possibility of choosing
12) forbidden city: 紫禁城
13) endow: to give a large amount of money to pay for creating a college or hospital, etc. or to provide an income for it
14) defendant: a person in a law case who is accused of having done something illegal
15) plaintiff: someone who makes a legal complaint against someone else in court
16) district: attorney a lawyer whose job is to represent the government in a particular area of the US
B. Movies
a. Divergent
Divergent is a 2014 American science fiction action film directed by Neil Burger, based on the novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. The film is the first installment in The Divergent Series and was produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick, with a screenplay by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q and Kate Winslet. The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago where people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues.
Beatrice Prior is warned that she is Divergent and thus will never fit into any one of the factions and soon learns that a sinister plot is brewing in her seemingly perfect society.
b. The Giver
The Giver is a 1993 American Young-adult fiction-Dystopian novel by Lois Lowry.
It is set in a society which at first appears as a utopian society but then later revealed to be a dystopian one as the story progresses. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth and thirteenth years of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness," a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness, as there may be times where one must draw upon the wisdom gained from history to aid the community's decision making. Jonas struggles with concepts of all of the new emotions, and things being introduced to him, and whether they are inherently good, evil, in-between, and if it's even possible to have one without the other. The Community lacks any color, memory, climate and terrain whatsoever, all in effort to preserve structure, order, and a true sense of equality beyond personal individuality.
c. The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science
fiction adventure film directed by Gary Ross and based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The picture is the first installment in The Hunger Games film series and was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, with a screenplay by Ross, Collins, and Billy Ray. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, where boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 must take part in the Hunger Games, a televised annual event in which the "tributes" are required to fight to the death until there is one remaining who will be crowned the victor. Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the games. Joined by her district's male tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson).
d. The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner is the first book in a young-adult post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction trilogy of the same name by James Dashner. The novel was published on October 6, 2009, by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, and was made into a 2014 major motion picture by 20th Century Fox. The novel spawned two sequels: The Scorch Trials (2010) and The Death Cure (2011).Dashner also wrote a prequel to The Maze Runner, entitled The Kill Order, that was released in 2012. He also announced that another prequel, The Fever Code, is set to be released in 2016.
e. 007: Spectre
Spectre is the twenty-fourth James Bond film produced by Eon Productions. It features Daniel Craig in his fourth performance as James Bond, and Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, with the film marking the character's re-introduction into the series. It was directed by Sam Mendes as his second James Bond film following Skyfall, and was written by John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth. It is distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Columbia Pictures. With a budget of $300 million, it is tied with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as the second most expensive film ever made. The story features James Bond's first encounter with the global criminal organisation Spectre, marking the group's first appearance in an Eon Productions film since 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, and tying Craig's series of films together with an over-arching storyline. Several recurring James Bond characters, including M, Q and Miss Moneypenny return, with the new additions of Léa Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, and Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra.Spectre was released on 26 October 2015 in the United Kingdom on the same night as the world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London, followed by a worldwide release. The film has received mostly positive early reviews from critics.
f. The wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American
musical comedy-drama fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. The film co-stars Terry the dog, billed as Toto; Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, Billie Burke, Margaret Hamilton, with Charley Grapewin and Clara Blandick, and the Singer Midgets as the Munchkins.
The Wizard of Oz is often ranked on best-movie lists in critics' and public polls. It is the source of many quotes referenced in modern popular culture. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming (who left production to take over direction on the troubled Gone with the Wind production). Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The songs were written by Edgar "Yip" Harburg (lyrics) and Harold Arlen (music). The incidental music, based largely on the songs, was composed by Herbert Stothart, with interspersed renderings from classical composers.
