最小的奧斯卡最佳女主角提名獲得者

When the 76th Academy Awards nominations were announced3 on January 27， 2004， no one was more surprised than a 13- year-oldgirl in New Zealand. Keisha Castle-Hughes was asleep in herfamily'shome in Auckland when her mom woke her with the news: Keisha had been nominated for the best-actress award for her starring4 role in the 2003 movie Whale Rider. The ninth grader is the youngest nominee ever named in the best-actress category5.

The Academy Awards are presented6 annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood to honor the year's best movies. The prize， a golden statue7 called the Oscar， is considered by many to be the world's most prestigious8 film award.

\"I can't get my head around the fact that it's the Oscars，\" Keisha said. \"It's something ... a Kiwi [New Zealand] girl like myself would never dare dream about.\"

Keisha was only 11 when she was chosen to play the role of Pai， a Maori girl， in Whale Rider.The Maori are the indigenous9 people of New Zealand. In the movie， Pai defies10 tradition to lead her tribe11. Keisha， who is part Maori herｓelf，had never acted before landing the starring role.

For the best-actress Oscar， Keisha is up against four experienced12 and well-known adults -- Diane Keaton， Charlize Theron， Naomi Watts， and Samantha Morton. Against such competition， Keisha's chances of winning are thought to be slim13. Still， as Academy Awards nominees often say， just being nominated is an honor.

注釋

1. Oscar n. 奧斯卡金像（獎）（美國電影藝術(shù)科學(xué)院頒發(fā)的年獎）

2. nominee n. 被提名者，被任命者

3. announce vt. 宣布，宣告

4. star vt. 使成為明星，使擔(dān)任主角

5. category n. 種類，類別

６. present vt. 授予，贈送

７. statue n. 雕像，塑像

８. prestigious adj. 有威望的，有威信的

9. indigenous adj. 當(dāng)?shù)氐模辽灵L的

１0. defy vt. （公然）違抗，反抗，蔑視

11. tribe n. 部落，宗族

12. experienced adj. 有經(jīng)驗的，有見識的

13. slim ａｄj. 微薄的，少的，小的

當(dāng)?shù)?6屆奧斯卡金像獎的提名于2004 年1月27日宣布時，最感到驚喜的莫過于新西蘭的一位13歲小女孩了。凱薩·卡斯特·休伊斯正在奧克蘭的家中熟睡之際，媽媽叫醒她并告訴她這個消息：凱薩因在2003年拍攝的電影《騎鯨人》中擔(dān)任女主角而被提名為奧斯卡最佳女主角參選者。這位剛上9年級的孩子是最佳女主角中迄今為止最小的被提名者。

奧斯卡金像獎是由美國電影藝術(shù)科學(xué)院每年在好萊塢頒發(fā)，以獎勵本年度的最佳電影。其獎品是一尊被稱為奧斯卡的金色塑像，它被世人公認(rèn)為最負(fù)盛名的電影獎項?！拔业拇竽X簡直無法接受這是奧斯卡金像獎提名的事實，”凱薩說，“這種事情對我這樣一個新西蘭小女孩來說做夢也不敢想像的。”

凱薩被挑選上飾演《騎鯨人》中女主角(一個名叫“佩”的毛利族小女孩)時才剛11歲。毛利族是新西蘭的土著原住居民。電影中的“佩”戰(zhàn)勝了傳統(tǒng)成為本部落的首領(lǐng)。本身有部分毛利血統(tǒng)的凱薩在擔(dān)任主角前從來就沒出演過什么角色。

在奧斯卡最佳女主角的被提名者中，還有其他四位經(jīng)驗豐富和享有盛名的成人演員，即黛安·基頓，莎莉·賽隆，娜奧米·沃茨和莎曼莎·莫頓。面對這場競爭，凱薩的獲勝機(jī)會確實比較小。當(dāng)然，正如奧斯卡金像獎提名獲得者常說的那樣，僅僅被提名這一點就已經(jīng)是莫大的榮譽(yù)了。