December 27
[ 2006-12-31 08:40 ]
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| The film was released in
the US seven months ago |
| 1977: Star Wars fever invades
Britain |
England have
Thousands of people are flocking to cinemas in the UK to watch the
long-awaited blockbuster, Star Wars - a movie which is already setting US
box offices alight.
Bracing the cold weather, young and old queued from 0700 GMT in London
at the Dominion, and Leicester Square cinemas, to snatch up non-reserved
tickets which are otherwise booked until March.
Star Wars, which was first released in America seven months ago, has
taken audiences by storm and outstripped last year's blockbuster Jaws to
gross $156m at the box office.
Carrie Fisher, Sir Alec Guiness and little known Harrison Ford star in
this fairytale set in space.
Produced by Gary Kurtz, written and directed by George Lucas who
directed American Graffitti, the U-classified sci-fi film is a classic
epic of good versus evil.
It has enthralled audiences
under a dazzle of special effects with wizards, heroes, monsters in "a
galaxy far, far away".
The 900 people involved in the film included giants, dwarfs, artists
and the man who built machines for James Bond.
All the special effects, costing $4m (?.14m), have been put together in
Britain and filming took the cast to Tunisia, Death Valley California,
Guatemala and the EMI soundstage at Elstree.
The build-up and hype has led to store wars over Star Wars with
products including T-shirts, sweets, jig-saw puzzle, watches and food to
name but a few.
Mr Lucas has published a paperback version and Marvel comics have
produced a special edition to meet the thirst for Star Wars'
merchandise. |
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| The explosion in the
Sahara has provoked outrage in Africa and the
USSR |
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1960: France explodes third atomic
bomb | Artificially 1969:
The France has
completed a third nuclear test in the Sahara desert in Africa.
It brings the nation a step closer to its aim of developing a compact
nuclear device to arm missiles.
The explosion took place this morning at Reggan in south-western
Algeria, according to a communique from the French Armed Forces Ministry.
France's first two atomic bombs were also exploded there earlier this
year - in February and April .
The communique stated the "nuclear explosion of limited power" had been
successful and that care had been taken to prevent radioactive fall-out
from affecting people living in the remote part of the desert, and those
in neighbouring African countries.
The test provoked swift condemnation from Japan, which has also
protested in the past against tests carried out by the United States,
Britain and the USSR. All three nations agreed two years ago to cease test
explosions but France would not be bound by such an agreement.
Today, Moscow joined Japan in condemning the test saying it was a
serious blow to any hope of disarmament and against the wishes of the
United Nations. Moscow Radio described the act as "a monstrous challenge
to world public opinion".
Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana have also expressed outrage at
France's action and its timing - on the eve of the African summit in
Casablanca.
In Cairo, the deputy secretary general of the Arab League, El Dardiri
Ismail, called for all Arab nations to break off political and economic
links with France.
Today's bomb contained plutonium and had an explosive force equal to
10,000 to 14,000 tons of TNT - half as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb.
It was exploded at the top of a steel tower. Military equipment,
dummies and caged rats and mice were positioned in the area of the blast
were monitored during and after the explosion.
The rodents have been flown to Paris for examination. |
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| Vocabulary:
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outstrip: go far ahead
of（超過(guò)）
enthral : hold
spellbound（迷惑）
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