VOA常速英语:Asian-Americans Help Alter Face of Hollywood

短语讲解：

1. For many years, actors whose ancestors came from Asia and the Pacific Islands landed few major roles in Hollywood.

come from出生于; 来自某处
例句：She came from a long line of singers.
她出身于一个歌手世家。

2. In a recent documentary, “To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen’s Journey,” actress Nancy Kwan looks back on her life. Ka Shen is her Chinese name.

look back回顾,倒退;回顾,追忆
例句：He still feels quite guilty when he look back on the past.
想起过去，他仍然感到很内疚。

3. "When I started out, it was really just the beginning of producers realizing, 'Hey, we’d better use an Asian to play an Asian role,'" Kwan says.

start out启程, 出发; 开始〔着手〕做
例句：He started out to write a novel.
他着手写一部小说。

4. A year later, Kwan went on to star in the hit musical, "Flower Drum Song." She played Linda Low, a nightclub singer and dancer.

go on继续下去
例句：If he goes on like this he'll lose his job.
如果他继续这样下去,他会丢掉差事的。

5. "We’re in a lot better place and we’ve got a ways to go," says Hollywood film producer Chris Lee, pointing out how different the situation is today compared to 50 years ago.

point out指出
例句：He pointed out that there was little chance of success.
他指出很少有成功的机会。
compare to把…比作, 喻为; 与…相比
例句：The writer was compared to Shakespeare.
把这个作家与莎士比亚进行了比较。

6. "If you think back to some of the traditional ways that Asians have been portrayed on the screen - "Breakfast at Tiffanys," "Sixteen Candles" - Asian characters tended to be joke characters," Lee says.

tend to趋向
例句：My grandmother tends to go to bed early every day.
我祖母每天通常比较早睡。

7. Americans got used to seeing Asians in leading roles on the silver screen, and that helped Asians in Hollywood.

get used to习惯于
例句：I get used to looking after myself.
我已经习惯于照顾自己了。

8. He believes a number of films, from "The Joy Luck Club" in 1993 to 2002's "Better Luck Tomorrow," helped pave the way.

pave the way铺平道路
例句：Their economic policy pave the way for industrial expansion.
他们的经济政策为工业发展铺平了道路。

9. It is opening up a lot more than it has been.

open up变宽; 展现; 揭示
例句：The story of the hero opened up a new world to me.
这位英雄的事迹使我大开眼界。

10. Some are bypassing the gatekeepers in Hollywood, starring in their own videos for the Internet and YouTube, and connecting with a worldwide audience.

connect with与…连接; 使有关系
例句：The village is connected by a bus service with the nearest town.
公共汽车把该村与最近的市镇联系起来。