1
Will Smith slaps Chris Rock after Jada Pinkett Smith joke at Oscars
Because his wife was teased, Smith slapped Locke at the Oscars
The 94th Academy Awards were held on Sunday night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. “CODA,” a relatively small-scale drama once considered an underdog①, won the award for best picture, becoming the first film distributed by a streaming service to win Hollywood’s top honor. The night’s most awarded movie was “Dune,” which won in six categories including cinematography② and production design. The best director honor went to Jane Campion, whose subversive western, “The Power of the Dog,” was the most nominated movie of the night. Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) won for best actress. In an unscripted③ moment, the actor Will Smith hit the presenter④ Chris Rock, who had made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, referring to her short-cropped⑤ hair. Pinkett Smith has said she has alopecia⑥, a condition that leads to hair loss. Moments later Smith went on to win best actor for “King Richard” and apologized to the academy. (The New York Times & The Washington Post)
On the evening of March 27, local time in the United States, the 94th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. The previously unpopular small-scale production drama "Sound-sounding Girl" won the Best Picture Award, becoming the first streaming release film to win Hollywood's highest honor. Dune won the most awards of the night, including six awards for best cinematography and best art direction. The credit for best director went to Jane Campion, whose subversive Western, Power of dogs, was the most nominated film of the night. Jessica Chastain won the Award for Best Actress for Tammy Faye's Eyes. An unexpected scene took place at the ceremony, where actor Will Smith slapped host Chris Locke for joking about the bald head of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Pinkett Smith has revealed that he suffers from hair loss. Shortly after the accident, Smith still won the Best Actor award for "King Richard," and he apologized to the organizers in his acceptance speech.
【Notes】
① underdog: [ˈʌndədɒɡ] n. a person, team, country, etc. that is thought to be in a weaker position than others and therefore not likely to be successful, win a competition, etc. People who are at a disadvantage (or team, country, etc.); weak people; people who are not optimistic before the game
(2) cinematography: [ˌsɪnəməˈtɒɡrəfi] n. the art or process of making films/movies, especially the photography and camerawork cinematography, cinematography
③ unscripted: [ʌnˈskrɪptɪd] adj. (of a speech, broadcast, etc.) not written or prepared in detail in advance without a draft; not prepared in detail
④ presenter: [prɪˈzentə(r)] n. a person who gives somebody a prize at a ceremony （仪式上的）颁奖人
⑤ crop: [krɒp] v. to cut somebody’s hair very short 剪短
⑥ alopecia: [ˌæləˈpiːʃə] n. loss of hair from the head and body, often caused by illness 脱发，秃头（常因疾病而起）
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(Credit: Reuters)
2
China recovers second black box of crashed passenger jet
The second black box of the Chinese crashed airliner has been found
Recovery crews on Sunday found the second black box—the flight data recorder—from the wreckage of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet that crashed into a mountainside in southern China on Mar. 21, killing all 132 people on board. The second black box was dug out of a slope① at the crash site about 9:20 a.m. in muddy conditions after rain in recent days. The black box, which could shed light on the cause of the crash, has been sent to Beijing for examination and analysis. The other black box—the cockpit② voice recorder—was delivered to experts in the Chinese capital after being found on Wednesday. It was too soon to determine the cause of the crash, and crashes are usually the result of a combination of factors, experts said. (Reuters)
On March 27, rescuers found a second black box (flight data recorder) from the wreckage of a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane that crashed on a hillside in southern China on March 21, killing all 132 people on board. At about 9:20 a.m. on the 27th, under the muddy conditions caused by the recent rains, rescuers dug out a second black box from the slope of the crash. At present, the black box has been sent to Beijing for inspection and analysis, and may reveal the cause of the crash. Another black box (cockpit voice recorder) was found on the 23rd and handed over to Beijing experts. Experts say it is too early to determine the cause of the crash, which is usually caused by a combination of factors.
① slope: [sləʊp] n. a surface or piece of land that is higher at one end than the other 斜坡；坡地
(2) cockpit: [ˈkɒkpɪt] n. the area in a plane, boat or racing car where the pilot or driver sits cockpit, cockpit, cockpit
(Credit: Xu Dong / AP)
3
Joe Biden signs landmark law making lynching a hate crime
Biden signed a milestone bill that lists lynchings as hate crimes
US President Joe Biden has signed Tuesday the first federal legislation that makes lynching a hate crime, addressing a history of racist killings in the United States. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act is named for the black teenager whose brutal murder in Mississippi in 1955 helped spark the civil rights movement. The bill makes it possible to prosecute as a hate crime any lynching conspiracy that results in death or serious bodily injury. According to the bill’s champion①, the Illinois congressman Bobby Rush, the law lays out a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and fines. Till’s death, and an all-white jury’s dismissal② of charges against two white men who later confessed to his killing, drew national attention to the atrocities③ and violence that African Americans face in the United States and became a civil rights rallying cry④. With the bill signing, the president was addressing both “unfinished business” and “horror” in America’s history, Kamala Harris said from the White House Rose Garden after the bill signing. (The Guardian)
On March 29, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the first federal bill to make lynching a hate crime, aiming to address long-standing racist killings in the United States. The Emmett Till Anti-Privacy Code is named after Emmett Thiel, a 14-year-old black boy brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, whose tragic death sparked the American civil rights movement. The bill provides that perpetrators who conspire to commit lynching and cause death or serious bodily harm to others will be prosecuted as hate crimes. Bill's advocate, Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush, said the maximum penalty under the law is 30 years in prison and a fine. In Thiel's murder case, a jury of all-white men dismissed charges against two white men suspects who later pleaded guilty to homicide — Thiel's death and jury acquittal sparked national attention to the brutal oppression of African Americans and became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement. After the bill was signed, Kamala Harris said in the Rose Garden of the White House that the president's signing of the bill was both a completion of the "unfinished business" in American history and a solution to the "terrorist problem" in American history.
① champion: [ˈtʃæmpiən] n. a person who fights for, or speaks in support of, a group of people or a belief 斗争者；扞卫者；声援者；拥护者
② dismissal: [dɪsˈmɪsl] n. the act of not allowing a trial or legal case to continue, usually because there is not enough evidence 驳回（诉讼）；不予受理
(3) atrocity: [əˈtrɒsəti] n. a cruel and violent act, especially in a war.jpg
④ rallying cry: [ˈræliɪŋ kraɪ] n. a phrase or an idea that is used to encourage people to support somebody/something （团结众人的）战斗口号，信念
Joe Biden signs the Emmett Till Antilynching Act in the Rose Garden of the White House on Tuesday
(Credit: Xinhua / REX / Shutterstock)
4
US astronaut returns to Earth in Russian capsule after record-breaking mission
The U.S. astronauts ended their record-breaking mission and returned to Earth in a Russian spacecraft
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei caught a Russian ride back to Earth on Wednesday after a US record 355 days at the International Space Station, returning with two cosmonauts①, the Russian Space Agency’s Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov. They landed in a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan. Despite escalating tensions between the US and Russia over the war in Ukraine, Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. It was the first taste of gravity for Vande Hei and Dubrov since their Soyuz launch on 9 April last year. Shkaplerov joined them at the orbiting② lab in October, escorting③ a Russian film crew up for a brief stay. To accommodate that visit, Vande Hei and Dubrov doubled the length of their stay. Before departing the space station, Shkaplerov embraced his fellow astronauts as “my space brothers and space sister④”. (The Guardian)
On March 30, NASA astronaut Mark Van der Hai returned to Earth with two Russian cosmonauts, Anton Shkaplerov and Peter Dubrov, aboard a Russian spacecraft; mark van der Hay has been stationed on the International Space Station for 355 days, setting a new U.S. record. Together, the three landed in Kazakhstan aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. Despite the escalation of U.S.-Russian tensions caused by the war in Ukraine, van der Hai's return voyage followed the usual procedure. This is the first time van der Hay and Dubrov have tasted gravity since the launch of the Soyuz spacecraft on April 9, 2021. Shkaprerov joined them in October 2021 as escorting a Russian film crew into the space station for a short stopover. To coincide with the visit, Van der Hay and Dubrov doubled their station time. Before leaving the space station, Shkaplerov hugged his remaining astronaut colleagues, calling them "my brothers and sisters in space."
(1) cosmonaut: [ˈkɒzmənɔːt] n. an astronaut from the former Soviet Union astronaut, astronaut
② orbit: [ˈɔːbɪt] v. to move in a curved path around a much larger object, especially a planet, star, etc. 沿轨道运行；围绕…… 运动
③ escort: [ɪˈskɔːt] v. to go with somebody to protect or guard them or to show them the way 护卫；护送
(4) My space brothers and space sister: refers to astronauts Raja Charry, Thomas Marshburn, Matthias Maurer and Kayla Barron who are still on the International Space Station.
(Credit: Bill Ingalls / NASA / Getty Images)
5
Bruce Willis to retire from acting due to aphasia① diagnosis
Bruce Willis is dying of aphasia
Bruce Willis, the star of the “Die Hard” franchise② and dozens of other action movies, will retire from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disease that has hampered his “cognitive abilities,” his family said on Wednesday. Willis, 67, rose to fame in the 1980s comedy-drama TV series “Moonlighting,” and has appeared in about 100 films across his four-decade career, garnering③ acclaim for his roles in “Pulp Fiction” and “The Sixth Sense,” and winning a Golden Globe Award and two Emmys. But Willis is perhaps best known for playing the tough-as-nails④ New York cop who pursued bad guys in the five “Die Hard” movies, released from 1988 to 2013. Aphasia is a disorder most commonly caused by a stroke⑤ that can also stem from head trauma or, in rare cases, from neurological disease, said Brenda Rapp, a professor of cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University. Symptoms vary widely and can affect speech, comprehension and reading ability. In some instances, aphasia can be treated with speech therapy. (Reuters)
On March 30, Bruce Willis's family said the star, who had starred in the "Die Hard" film series and dozens of other action films, would retire from show business because he had been diagnosed with aphasia, which had severely hampered his "cognitive abilities." Willis, 67, rose to fame in the 1980s with the TV series Blue Moonlight. In a 40-year acting career, he starred in about 100 films, received critical acclaim for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense, and won a Golden Globe and two Emmys. But Willis is probably best known for playing tough New York cops hunting down bad guys in five Die Hard Movies released from 1988 to 2013. Brenda Rapp, a professor of cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University, said aphasia is most likely caused by stroke, may also stem from head trauma and, rarely, neurological disorders. Symptoms are varied and vary widely, and may affect speech, comprehension, and reading skills. In some cases, aphasia can be treated with speech therapy.
① aphasia: [əˈfeɪziə] n. the loss of the ability to understand or produce speech, because of brain damage 失语症
② franchise: [ˈfræntʃaɪz] n. a set of films in which the same characters appear in related stories 系列电影
③ garner: [ˈɡɑːnə(r)] v. to obtain or collect something such as information, support, etc. Get, get, collect (information, support, etc.)
④ tough-as-nails: [tʌf əz ˈneɪlz] adj. having a hard, strong, and determined mindset 刚硬的，决然的
⑤ stroke: [strəʊk] n. a sudden serious illness when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or is blocked, which can cause death or the loss of the ability to move or to speak clearly 中风
(Credit: Kenneth Rexach / Lionsgate)
Beijing University of Chemical Technology
Yang Yunqian compiled
Liu Jingfei and Wang Tuo read aloud
Zhang Ju reviewed