Some of those who oppose smoking in movies have just seen the future, and they are not happy about it.
Having caught up withJames Cameron’s3-D science fiction thriller,“Avatar,”over the holidays,Stanton A.Glantz,director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at theUniversityof California,said hisSmoke Free Movies initiative(倡议)would soon come out swinging with an informational campaign aimed at what he saw as the movie’s pro-smoking message.
“This is like someone just put a bunch of plutonium(钚)in the water supply,”Mr.Glantz said in a telephone interview last week.He was referring to scenes in which an environmental scientist played bySigourney Weaverdrags lovingly on a cigarette as she works to save the moon Pandora sometime in the 22nd century.
Scenesmoking.org,which monitors tobacco mentions in films,gave“Avatar”a rating:A“black lung.”Still,this movie is not the only holiday picture to earn that distinction,which indicates unacceptable depictions(描绘)of tobacco.
“Sherlock Holmes”and“The Blind Side,”which were distributed byWarner Brothers;“Nine,”from the Weinstein Company;“Did You Hear About the Morgans?”fromSonyPictures;and“The Fantastic Mr.Fox,”also from Fox,were similarly rated with a“black lung”fortobacco use.
In a statement sent by e-mail over the weekend,Mr.Cameron said he had never intended Ms.Weaver’s character,Grace Augustine,to be“a role model”for teenagers.“She’s rude,she swears,she drinks,she smokes,”wrote Mr.Cameron.“Also,from a character perspective,we were showing that Grace doesn’t care about her human body,only her avatar body,which again is a negative comment about people in our real world living too much in their avatars,meaning online and in video games.”
Speaking as an artist,Mr.Cameron said:“I don’t believe in the dogmatic（教条的）idea that no one in a movie should smoke.Movies should reflect reality…I do agree that young role-model characters should not smoke in movies,especially in a way which suggests that it makes them cooler or more accepted by their peers.”
For the record,apart from the 3-D tobacco use,Mr.Glantz said he found“Avatar”to be“a great movie.”
13. What would be the best title for the text?
A. “Avatar”Made byJames CameronBecomes the Latest Hit Again
B. A discussion about the Role-model for Young People
C. ‘Avatar’Joins Holiday Movies That Fail an Antismoking Test
D. A Campaign against Smoking
14. What isWarner Brothers?
A. A rating administration. B. A research center.
C. A film. D. A film company.
15. What is the tone of the text?
A. Doubtful. B. Objective C. Subjective. D. Sensitive.