《英语学习》三刊精选2013年第04期(图文版)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：侯毅凌

出版社：外语教学与研究出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

《英语学习》三刊精选2013年第04期(图文版)试读：

缤纷世界

"...You're doing it to relax, you come home from work, you change into baby mode, you put away your adult stuff and everything goes on hold."

——英美等国一些“成人宝宝”悄然出现。在外面他们和其他人一样工作、生活，一回到家中就开始扮演起宝宝的角色，他们穿上大号尿不湿和婴儿服装，睡在四周有围栏的婴儿床里，用奶瓶喝水……享受婴儿所能享受到的特权。这些“宝宝”们称，这是为了逃避压力，放松身心。据报道，扮演“宝宝”的人通常性格孤僻，认为没人能理解自己，因此渴望一种安全感。相对税负和压力，拥抱和玩具显然更招人喜欢。

"This voyage is a product of a dream, my dream. Finally it can be a reality. I am more excited about this than anything I have done in my life to date."

——英国著名女歌手莎拉·布莱曼将以私人游客身份访问国际空间站。国际空间站项目组负责人表示，布莱曼已经通过了相关的心理和身体检查。结束2013年的巡演后，布莱曼将在莫斯科的宇航员培训中心接受六个月的准备训练，她将是造访国际空间站的第七位私人游客，并成为首位在太空放歌的专业音乐人。布莱曼表示：“太空之旅是我的梦，这个梦终于要成真了。这是目前为止我生命中最让我兴奋的事情。”布莱曼的具体行程将由俄罗斯联邦航天局和国际空间站共同决定。

"I'm overjoyed. It is a wonderful thing. I see the past winners, like Messi, and it almost makes me shiver. "

——2012年欧洲金童奖评选公布：西班牙新人伊斯科当选。 20岁的伊斯科成为继2006年法布雷加斯之后，第二位获得欧洲金童奖的西班牙球员。欧洲金童奖由《都灵体育报》在2003年创建，这一奖项颁发给效力于欧洲俱乐部表现最好的21岁以下球员。伊斯科说：“我太高兴了！这太棒了！我看到了以往的获奖者，比如梅西，这让我兴奋得颤抖”。

"It's not because Beyoncé can't sing. We all know Beyoncé can sing. We all know the Marine Band can play."

——在奥巴马总统就职典礼现场演唱美国国歌的碧昂丝近日被指假唱（lip-sync）。海军陆战队方面称，因为碧昂丝之前未跟乐队排练，在这种情况下让其现场演唱是不明智的，所以才会使用预录好的演唱版本。大型演出活动一般都会提前预录以防现场出现意外状况影响转播。2009年奥巴马第一次宣誓就职典礼中，大提琴家马友友就因为室外气温太低、乐器无法正常演奏而“假奏”。负责为整场演出伴奏的总统专属乐队发言人对媒体表示，在碧昂丝演出前他们接到紧急通知，称她要用之前预录好的版本。这位发言人说：“这并不是因为碧昂丝不能唱。我们都知道碧昂丝能唱。我们也知道海军陆战队乐队能演奏。”

"I did not give my children a legacy of fear. I gave them a legacy of freedom."

——“我留给孩子们的不是恐惧，而是自由。”辛德勒名单上年纪最小的幸存者利昂·雷森如是说。利昂·雷森是奥斯卡·辛德勒从纳粹集中营中救出的1,100名犹太人中年纪最小的一个。1月12日，83岁的雷森于美国加利福尼亚州去世。1939年纳粹德国入侵波兰时他只有10岁，他的两个哥哥都死于大屠杀。重生的雷森并没有活在痛苦的阴影里，而是选择乐观面对。一个经历了这般苦难的人说出这样的话让人不禁为之动容。

"Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time."

——“我们尚无法击碎那最高最硬的玻璃天花板，但感谢你们，至少我们已经在上面敲出了1,800万的裂缝。穿透进来的前所未有的光明令我们心生希望，也让我们更加坚信下一次的冲击将不再如此艰难。”前美国国务卿希拉里在2008年对她在总统初选中支持她的1,800万选民如此说道。在四年的国务卿生涯后，希拉里的支持率前所未有的高。而且，她去年一年在国际政坛上的表现尤为出色，达到了她20年政治生涯的最高峰。这让许多人都猜测她很可能会竞选2016年的美国总统，这说不定就是她话中的“next time”。

部长演讲特辑

When we talk of nuclear power, many of us will think of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, and the picture of China's "salt rush" will come to mind immediately. Today I am going to introduce to you the development of Nuclear Power, to which I have devoted myself for over 20 years.

Last year's Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan obviously caused a huge panic among the public, and left nuclear power at a crossroad in many people's mind, just as the Chernobyl nuclear accident once did. It gave rise to a wide-spread debate over the future of the nuclear energy industry. At the World Nuclear Security Summit held in South Korea in March 2012, President Hu Jintao said that China will continue to strengthen nuclear security with great efforts and develop nuclear power safely and efficiently. At the White House, President Obama delivered a statement, saying that nuclear power will remain an important part of the future energy policy of the U.S. Meanwhile, Russian Premier Putin announced to the world that by 2020 Russia will have installed more than 50 GW of nuclear power capacity. However, in contrast to these countries, several developed countries like Japan, Germany and Switzerland have turned away from the nuclear power option, and have even started launching their phase-out programs.

Is nuclear power really a monster? No, definitely not.

First of all, nuclear power is much safer than other means of energy production. More than 6,000 coal miners died worldwide in 2004, and in China alone the number was 2000 in 2011, while in comparison, the death rate in Chernobyl disaster was 28, and in the Fukushima accident it was zero. The nuclear industry started from the end of 1950s, there are now more than 430 nuclear power plants under safe operation worldwide, supplying 16 percent of total world electricity. But ironically, the large number of coal-mining accidents has never aroused calls for the world to reconsider its numerous coal-fired power stations, while the accident at Fukushima triggered a global doubt over nuclear power. It was a fact, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), that compared with energy sources like coal, hydroelectricity, and natural gas, nuclear energy is by far the safest.

Second, nuclear power is much more environment-friendly. It does not emit greenhouse gases, which means it poses no threat to climate change. According to WHO statistics, every year 150,000 people die directly or indirectly from climate change. The combined threats of climate change, heavy transportation load, energy security and fears over the high prices and dwindling reserves of oil are forcing countries like China towards the nuclear power option. A 1,000 MW thermal Power Plant needs 3,000,000t of coal per year, but a 1,000MW Nuclear Power Plant needs only 25t of uranium per year. Without nuclear energy, sustainable development is hard to achieve.

Last but not least, can we guarantee the safety of nuclear power? My answer is: "Yes, we can."

Even if the extreme Fukushima disaster of earthquake and tsunami happened in China, the consequence would not be that serious. We can safely lock the radiation within the power plant itself. This is because our nuclear power industry started in late 1980s, and we have used more advanced and safer technology. The third generation nuclear power technology which China adopted at present is the most advanced and safest in the world, and we have more than 30 years'experience of nuclear power construction and operation. We also have sufficient highly competent engineers and experts to guarantee our nuclear safety.

As each coin has two sides, so it is with nuclear power. What we have to do is to draw on its advantages and avoid its disadvantages. What we should not do is to stop eating for fear of choking. I firmly believe that nuclear power will enjoy a bright future.❖

提到核能，我想大家都会想起切尔诺贝利和福岛核事故，去年中国“抢盐风波”的画面也会立刻浮现在脑海里。我在核工业领域已经工作了二十多年，今天在这里我想和大家谈谈核能发展问题。

正像曾经发生的切尔诺贝利核事故一样，去年发生在日本福岛的核灾难引起了公众的极大恐慌，使核能的发展陷入了两难境地，也引起了人们对于核工业未来将何去何从的广泛争论。2012年三月份，胡锦涛主席在韩国的世界核峰会上提出，中国将更加重视核能安全，继续安全高效地发展核能；美国总统奥巴马在白宫发表了讲演，称核能仍将会是美国未来能源政策的重要组成部分；俄罗斯总理普京则向世界宣布俄罗斯将在2020年前再增加5,000万千瓦的核电装机容量。但也有一些发达国家比如日本、德国和瑞士等选择关闭核电站，并开始启动了“弃核”进程。

核能就真的那么可怕吗？不，绝对不是。

首先，核能相对于其他能源生产方式来讲更加安全。煤炭开采的灾难性事故发生频率很高，仅2004年一年全世界死于煤矿开采事故的矿工就逾6,000人之多，而2011年仅中国死于煤矿开采事故的矿工就多达2,000人，相比之下，切尔诺贝利事故因核辐射而死的人数仅为28人，福岛核事故则没有人因核辐射而致死。核能工业始于20世纪50年代末。迄今为止，全世界有四百三十多座核电站在安全运行，并为全球提供了16%的电力供应。但讽刺的是，如此高的煤炭产业的事故频率并没有唤起人们对火力发电的问题的反思，福岛核事故却触发了人们对核能的反省。事实上，根据国际原子能机构的分析对比，相对于火电、水电、气电来说，核电目前是最安全的。

再者，核能是更加环保的绿色能源。核能不排放温室气体，对气候变化不会造成影响。根据世界卫生组织的数据，由于气候变化而造成的每年间接或直接死亡的人数达到了15万人。气候变化的威胁、日益严重的运输压力、能源安全、石油资源的不断减少和其价格的不断攀升，诸如此类的问题也迫使中国等一些国家必须选择核能。一个100万千瓦的火电厂每年要消耗300万吨的煤，而一个同样大小的核电站只需要25吨的铀。离开了核能，可持续发展的目标很难实现。

最后一个问题是：我们能否保证核能的安全？我的回答是：“我们能。”

即使像福岛那样的地震和海啸的极端情况发生在中国，事故的后果也绝不会像日本那样严重，因为我们的核电站可以做到将放射性的影响限制在核电厂厂区。这是因为我国的核能产业起步于上世纪80年代末，采用的技术比日本福岛核电站的更为先进和安全。如今，中国采用了当前世界上最先进的第三代核能技术，并且我们已有了三十多年的核电建设和运营的经验，积累了一批经验丰富的工程师和技术专家，我们一定能够保证核能的安全可靠。

就像每个硬币都有两面一样，核能也具有两面性。我们要做的就是利用其优势，避免其劣势，而不是因噎废食。我坚信核能的未来发展前景是光明的。❖知识链接

中国电力投资集团公司（简称中电投集团）是国内五大发电集团之一，是集电力、煤炭、铝业、铁路、港口各产业于一体的综合性能源集团，在全国唯一同时拥有水电、火电、核电、新能源资产，是国家三大核电开发建设运营商之一。公司组建于2002年12月29日，在党中央、国务院的正确领导下，公司认真贯彻落实科学发展观，坚持“背靠资源，面向市场”的发展原则，坚持“建设国际一流能源集团”的发展目标。

China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) is one of the five Gencos in China and a comprehensive energy group integrating industries of power, coal, aluminium, railway and port. Possessing assets in hydropower, thermal power, nuclear power and new energies, it is one of the three companies in China that can develop, build and operate nuclear power plants. Founded on 29 December 2002, CPI, under the leadership of the State Council, carefully practices the Scientific Outlook on Development, firmly implements the development principle of "depending on resources and market-oriented" and the development goal of "develop world first-class energy group".

蝶翼文丛

Sophie Zhang（张苏菲）生于美国波士顿，后随家人移居北京，现在是美国韦尔斯利学院的学生。Sophie从小热爱阅读和写作，丰富多彩的生活经历是她创作的灵感源泉。她的首部英文小说《柯盼的神奇旅程》（The Kohpan Crossing）不久前由外语教学与研究出版社出版。

I've always said that I think religion is stupid and that it's the cause of so many problems. I look at so many devout Christians, Mormons, and Muslims who are convinced that their religions are the supreme way to live and turn their faiths into cults.While some see an additional benefit of going to church, that of joining a community, I think the social aspect of it is merely that: a social aspect. For religion truly to have meaning it needs to be personal. When it becomes an act of mindless uniformityand shallow thought, it loses all value. Although I have never followed a religion and have only attended church once in my life, I recognize that religion does not exist to be blindly followed. Religion, in its most basic element, cannot complete a human being. Otherwise, you degradeits very meaning when you deny it the value of your individuality and challenges. On the other hand, if you interpret religion as a mechanism to discriminate against others, such as the homosexuals or non-believers, you strip it of all meaning by letting it become an outlet for you to express your own dirty beliefs.

I think on a larger scale, religion is a means of conveying one's faith. I never realized the importance of faith, but after living nineteen years, I understand that it is perhaps faith that will allow me access to greater happiness and greater concentration. I don't know if I necessarily want to follow a specific religion—the idea of worshiping a god or "the" God still seems a little bit far-fetchedto me. Or maybe my faith simply isn't strong enough for the time being to believe in something like that. I do believe in some sort of divineexistence, a supreme being who has input in some aspects of life, but I wouldn't be so sure as to call that God. To me, humans try to control their own fate, but it is ultimately someone else who has control. There must be something responsible for the incidents science has yet to explain, but I'm reluctantto assign it a particular identity. I don't think I've accumulatedenough knowledge to fulfill such a large task yet. But even if I don't want to necessarily be "religious" per se, I can still have faith. It was silly of me to previously equatethe words "religion" and "faith." Faith is something much larger. Faith is believing. It's about confidence that can overcome any challenge, something that allows you to continue being a positive existence even when all of the forces of the universe tell you otherwise. Sometimes I wonder whether accumulated faith can have an actual, real impact on world events. The world was "supposed" to end on December 21st, 2012, but most believed it wouldn't. And it didn't. If we all theoretically knew that the Newtown shooting was going to happen in the near future,and we wished against it, would it perhaps not have occurred? Maybe. They say faith is a powerful thing.

In Life of Pi, the writer asks Pi if he really has a story that will "make you believe in God." After watching the film twice, I can't say that I believe in God yet. But I have reconsidered my thoughts regarding spirituality: the movie finally showed me that faith isn't something that is grounded in emptiness.True faith can be tested and challenged, but will always prevail. Perhaps if I can discover my own faith, I can achieve some sort of inner peace that I haven't yet found.

I'm not really sure where spirituality starts. I'm sure it doesn't randomly begin with just believing in God all of a sudden. Belief, I think, takes years to form, and once it forms, it needs to be tested in order to demonstrate its strength and validity.

I'm not sure what my first step will be. But regardless, I'm excited to begin this journey of finding something deeper within me that has perhaps been waiting these past nineteen years, waiting to be discovered and used.❖

影视文化笔记

自1925年进入好莱坞担任导演助理到1970年息影，威廉·惠勒（William Wyler 1902—1981）执导了无数部影片，其中多部获奖，成为电影史上的经典，并使众多主演其影片的演员在奥斯卡上得奖或提名。虽然电影批评家们因惠勒影片的多样性和侧重技巧而对其艺术性评价不高，但从另一面看则意味着他是个不拘泥题材和体裁的行家里手。

历数他从影以来拍摄的经典，你会惊讶于惠勒驾驭各种影片的才能以及挖掘和培养演员的慧眼。1938年的Jezebel（由亨利·方达，Henry Fonda和贝蒂·戴维斯，Bette Davis主演）获得奥斯卡奖五项提名并使贝蒂·戴维斯名声大振（获得奥斯卡最佳女演员奖）；1939年的《呼啸山庄》获得奥斯卡奖八项提名，其中英国演员劳伦斯·奥利弗（Lawrence Olivier）获得最佳男演员奖提名；1942年的《忠勇之家》（Mrs. Miniver）获得奥斯卡奖六项提名并获得最佳影片、最佳导演、最佳女演员和最佳女配角奖；1946年的《黄金时代》（The Best Years of Our Lives）获得奥斯卡七项大奖，包括最佳影片、最佳导演、最佳改编剧本、最佳男演员、最佳男配角、最佳作曲和最佳电影剪辑奖；1949年的《女继承人》（The Heiress）获得奥斯卡奖八项提名并使奥利维娅·德哈维兰（Olivia de Havilland）获得奥斯卡最佳女演员奖；1953年的《罗马假日》（Roman Holiday）使初出茅庐的奥黛丽·赫本（Audrey Hepburn）一举获得奥斯卡女演员奖；1959年的史诗巨片《宾虚传》（Ben Hur）更是获得了创纪录的包括最佳影片在内的11项奥斯卡奖，这一纪录直到1997年才被《泰坦尼克号》（Titanic）和2003年的《指环王》(Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)追平；1966年的《滑稽女郎》（Funny Girl）获得奥斯卡奖七项提名并使歌坛巨星芭芭拉·史翠珊（Barbara Streisand）获得奥斯卡最佳女演员奖。

对于这些非常人所能及的成就，电影史学家Ian Freer归结为惠勒对于完美的不懈追求，称其为“bona fide perfectionist”，他对于每个场景的反复重拍（有时达数十次）成为传奇（“the stuff of legend”）。“He became well known for his insistence on multiple retakes, resulting in often award-winning and critically acclaimed performances from his actors.”作为完美主义者，人们戏称他为”90-take Wyler”。例如在拍摄Jezebel 时，惠勒强迫主演之一的亨利·方达就一个场景拍摄了多达40次才肯罢休。

惠勒改编一系列文学经典并获得票房和评论双丰收的能力使他早在20世纪三四十年代就成为“one of Hollywood's most bankable moviemaker”。他驾驭各种题材与体裁影片的能力一直保持到20世纪60年代。限于篇幅，下文仅仅介绍惠勒最富盛名的几部经典作品以飨读者。《忠勇之家》（Mrs. Miniver, 1942）《忠勇之家》海报

1939年的夏天，在英国伦敦郊外有一户中产阶级家庭，姓米尼佛（Miniver），一家五口人，丈夫叫克里姆（Clem Miniver），妻子被大家叫做米尼佛夫人（Kay Miniver），大儿子叫魏恩（Vin Miniver）。他们为人正直，安居乐业。有一天，米尼佛夫人外出归来，欣赏了小镇站长贝勒（Beldon）的红玫瑰，并欣然同意此花被命名为“米尼佛夫人”（Mrs. Miniver），支持“米尼佛夫人”参加小镇花卉竞展。魏恩结识了花会创办人的孙女卡罗尔（Carol Beldon），两人产生了爱慕之情。正当大家欢度假日的时候，传来了英德开战的消息，魏恩加入皇家空军，开赴前线作战，克里姆跟镇上其他男人一起参加民兵巡逻队。米尼佛夫人满怀生活和抗战的热情，坚持在大后方，某天凌晨她在院内偶然发现一位受伤的德军飞行员，勇气战胜了恐惧，她临危不乱、巧妙周旋，乘飞行员昏厥时电话报警，将敌人捉拿。不久，在百花展览会上，“米尼佛夫人”红玫瑰夺魁，正当大家兴高采烈欢度节日的时候，空袭警报再次响起，花会中断，大家各自回家掩蔽。此时已经与魏恩结婚的卡罗尔与米尼佛夫人一起送魏恩赶赴驻地迎战敌机，婆媳二人在归途中遭遇空战，卡罗尔不幸中弹……

该片为鼓舞英国抗击德国侵略而拍摄（开拍时日本尚未偷袭珍珠港，美国还未参战），并起到了说服游离于战争之外的美国人参战的作用。其中最动人的场景之一是小镇牧师在遭受德国空袭造成伤亡和毁坏之后对全镇的演讲：

"We in this quiet corner of England have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us, some close to this church. George West, choirboy. James Ballard, stationmaster and bellringer, and the proud winner only an hour before his death of the Beldon Cup for his beautiful Miniver Rose. And our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago. The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have been taken. There's scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely you must have asked yourselves this question? Why in all conscience should these be the ones to suffer? Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness? Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed?

I shall tell you why. Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is the war of the people, of all the people. And it must be fought not only on the battlefield but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the farms, in the home and in the heart of every man, woman and child who loves freedom. Well, we have buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead they will inspire us with an unbreakable determination to free ourselves, and those who come after us, from the tyranny and terror that threaten to strike us down. This is the People's War. It is our war. We are the fighters. Fight it then. Fight it with all that is in us. And may God defend the right."

在这段场景拍摄之前，惠勒与编剧对演讲词进行了反复修改，务必达到震撼人心的效果。据说美国总统罗斯福看到这段之后急令该片在全国范围上映，以动员美国人民参战。

2009年，美国国会图书馆国家电影档案馆（National Film Registry）因该片在文化、历史或美学上的贡献（culturally, historically or aesthetically significant）而永久收藏。评价词如下：“This remarkably touching wartime melodrama（情节剧）pictorializes（刻画）the classic British stiff upper lip（上嘴唇）and the courage of a middle-class English family amid the chaos of air raids and family loss. The film's iconic tribute to the sacrifices on the home front, as movingly directed by William Wyler, did much to rally America's support for its British allies.”《黄金时代》（The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946）《黄金时代》剧照

1945年，战争的乌云终于过去了。在美国中部的布恩市（Boone City），有三位同乡军人复员后，乘坐同一架飞机回到了故乡。这三个人是原银行职员艾尔中士（Al）、原百货店职员弗雷德上尉（Fred）和水兵霍默（Homer）。其中艾尔已过中年，霍默则最年轻，他们分手前约好以后再见，然后就各自回家了。

回家后，幸运的艾尔受到妻子米莉（Milly）、长大成人的女儿与儿子极其热情地迎接。从此，艾尔和他美丽的妻子、可爱的儿女过着安宁美满的生活。但是，弗雷德回家时却看到自己的父亲酒精中毒，母亲也已堕落，而出征前才结婚的妻子则经常出没于夜总会，跟别的男人鬼混。在战场上失去了双手的霍默，虽然装上了假手，却仍给双亲、恋人及周围的人带来极大负担。

在约好的那一天，三人在一家酒吧相见，各自谈起自己的境况：霍默说爱人与亲戚的怜悯使他受不了，而弗雷德则为自己妻子的离别而愤愤不平……《黄金时代》可以说是基于惠勒自己亲身参战的三年经历以及战后适应复原回家的心路历程。1942年到1945年，惠勒应征入伍加入美国空军，领少校军衔。正如弗兰克·卡普拉在二战服役期间拍摄了著名的纪录片系列《我们为何而战》（Why We Fight），惠勒在服役期间也拍摄了一部反映美国空军参战的经典纪录片《孟菲斯美女号》（The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress, 1944)。由于《黄金时代》深入细致地探讨了从激烈战场上转入和平时期大批复原军人的一些共同问题，影片在票房与评论方面均获得丰收，在美国和英国成为自《乱世佳人》（Gone with the Wind, 1939）上映之后票房最高的美国电影。《黄金时代》在纽约首映后不久，《纽约时报》（New York Times）影评人Bosley Crowther赞扬该片为杰作（a masterpiece）:

"It is seldom that there comes a motion picture which can be wholly and enthusiastically endorsed not only as superlative（极好的）entertainment but as food for quiet and humanizing thought... In working out their solutions Mr. Sherwood and Mr. Wyler have achieved some of the most beautiful and inspiring demonstrations of human fortitude that we have had in films."

影评家大卫·汤姆森（David Thomson）回顾该片的成就时也赞赏有加：“I would concede that Best Years is decent and humane... acutely observed, despite being so meticulous （细致的）a package. It would have taken uncommon genius and daring at that time to sneak a view of an untidy or unresolved America past Goldwyn or the public.”

即使在半个世纪之后的今天，《黄金时代》仍然能打动大多数人的心灵。据2010年7月“烂番茄”网站的统计，在该网站的36篇影评平均给该片打出了惊人的97分。而重点评论栏目的八篇评论给出的评价是100%的“新鲜”。《芝加哥太阳时报》（Chicago Sun Times）著名影评人罗杰·易伯特（Roger Ebert）在2007年将该片列入自己的“伟大电影”名单，赞扬该片：“...modern, lean, and honest.”

除了七项奥斯卡奖，该片还于1947年获得金球奖最佳剧情片奖；1948年获得英国电影学院最佳影片奖；1998年美国电影学院评选出美国百部佳片，《黄金时代》名列第37；1989年美国国会图书馆国家电影档案馆将该片永久收藏。《宾虚传》（Ben Hur, 1959）《宾虚传》剧照

故事发生在古代罗马军队入侵以色列国的时期。耶路撒冷（Jerusalem）新任总督奎忒斯（Valerius Gratus）抵达以色列，其部下、军团司令官玛瑟拉（Messala）凯旋回到故乡，得意非凡。他遇见了儿时的伙伴——改信基督教的犹太王子宾虚（Ben Hur），玛瑟拉希望宾虚配合他治理此地，并要宾虚将那些犹太反叛者的名字告诉他。正义的宾虚严辞拒绝了，两人成了冤家。

宾虚偷偷爱上了贩卖奴隶的商人的女儿埃丝特（Esther）。一天，奎忒斯率领官吏巡市，宾虚的妹妹特扎赫（Tirzah）在自家的楼上观看欢迎队伍，无意中将屋顶上的瓦片碰落下去，使总督的马受惊，总督落马受伤。

于是玛瑟拉下令将宾虚一家当做谋反者统统抓起来，宾虚被流放，而他的母亲米亚姆（Miriam）和妹妹则被罚做苦役。

后来，宾虚因救了一位罗马舰长之命而被收养并被带回罗马。在罗马的竞技场上，他英勇无比，成为了一名著名的角斗士。后来他重返耶路撒冷时又和玛瑟拉相遇了，玛瑟拉十分妒忌他，提出要同他来个战车竞赛。在竞赛那一天，两人加鞭催马，互相追赶，竞争场面十分残酷。玛瑟拉不时地暗害宾虚，而宾虚却凭借着自己的沉着、坚定的意志力和高超的技艺战胜了玛瑟拉。玛瑟拉被掀翻在地上，他的马蹄和战车从他自己的身上碾过……

20世纪50年代，好莱坞电影受到方兴未艾的电视的激烈竞争。为了吸引观众回到影院，各大电影公司先后推出用彩色印染技术和宽银幕拍摄的史诗巨片。1956年派拉蒙公司翻拍了《十诫》（The Ten Commandments），取得票房巨大成功。米高梅公司为挽救自身的每况愈下，决定投巨资翻拍《宾虚传》，任用惠勒执导该片。最初计划投资700万美元，投拍时已追加到1,500万美元，成为当时为止最昂贵的影片。 在惠勒的统领下，影片不负众望，在票房上取得成功并斩获了创纪录的11项奥斯卡奖。

虽然现在看来，该片显得过于冗长（三个半小时：It was the third-longest motion picture ever made at the time, behind Gone with the Wind and The Ten Commandments），但其中的恢弘气势，尤其是其中最精彩的九分钟战车竞赛拍得惊心动魄，至今仍少有人超过。影评人凯文·布朗罗（Kevin Brownlow）将其令人目不暇给的快速剪辑与爱森斯坦在《战舰波将金号》中的著名的敖德萨台阶场景相提并论，认为这开创了电影的现代化剪辑手法。惠勒对耶稣基督受难场景的刻画也可圈可点，尽量实现不落窠臼的突破。惠勒回忆他怎样刻画耶稣受难场景时说：

"I spent sleepless nights trying to find a way to deal with the figure of Christ. It was a frightening thing when all the great painters of twenty centuries have painted events you have to deal with, events in the life of the best-known man who ever lived. Everyone already has his own concept of him. I wanted to be reverent, and yet realistic. Crucifixion（钉死在十字架上） is a bloody, awful, horrible thing, and a man does not go through it with a benign expression on his face. I had to deal with that. It is a very challenging thing to do that a get no complaints from anybody."威廉·惠勒《宾虚传》上映后受到绝大多数影评人的正面评价。“烂番茄”网站的综合评价高达89分，普遍认为该片：“Uneven, but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle, Ben-Hur still ranks among Hollywood's finest examples of pure entertainment.”《纽约时报》(New York Times)影评人波斯来·克罗瑟（Bosley Crowther）对战车竞赛的场景这样评价：“There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race. It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men, panoramic observation and overwhelming use of dramatic sound.”《洛杉矶时报》（Los Angeles Times）影评人菲利普·斯科尔（Philip K. Scheuer）称该片是：“magnificent, inspiring, awesome, enthralling, and all the other adjectives you have been reading about it.”

负面的批评主要是影片的内容太过夸张、冗长而且主演查尔顿·赫斯顿（Chalton Heston）的表演有些华而不实、流于表面。所以，法国和美国笃信“作者理论”（即一个伟大的导演就像一个伟大的作家，在题材与风格方面都能体现出自己独特性）的电影批评家再次印证了他们对惠勒的看法，即他只不过是个善于经营的工匠（“merely a commercial craftsman”）而不是电影大师。《宾虚传》所获11项奥斯卡奖分别是：最佳影片、最佳导演（惠

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