在城市里经常能看到流浪狗，它们活得很惨，往往要在垃圾里找吃的。在美国，人们比较关心动物的福祉。这也体现在电影里，有些以动物为主题的影片还会特地找流浪狗来主演。
From a stray puppy to a movie star
by Duncan Strauss
We've all heard the cliched stories of an actor's struggles before a career breakthrough: living hand to mouth, waiting tables, temping, couch surfing and generally scraping by before landing that major role.
cliched /ˈkliːʃeɪd/ adj. 陈词滥调的
struggle /ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l/ n. 挣扎（这里指过苦日子）
career /kəˈrɪə(r)/ n. 事业、职业生涯
breakthrough /ˈbreɪkθruː/ n. 突破（由break和through组成）
live hand to mouth 勉强糊口
wait tables 在餐馆做服务员
temping /ˈtempɪŋ/ n. 打短工
couch surfing 指没有地方住，在不同的亲戚朋友家睡沙发
generally /ˈdʒen(ə)r(ə)li/ adv. 一般来说
scrape /skreɪp/ by 勉强维持生计
land /lænd/ v. 成功得到
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的
role /rəʊl/ n. 角色
Shelby, the star of "A Dog's Way Home," has a hard-luck tale that could top them all. Before her big break, she was living in a landfill, rooting through garbage for her next meal.
tale /teɪl/ n. 故事（hard-luck tale指悲惨的经历）
top /tɒp/ v. 超过、胜过
break /breɪk/ n. 意外的机会
landfill /ˈlændfɪl/ n. 垃圾填埋场（由land和fill组成）
root /ruːt/ v. 翻找
Shelby's big break came in April 2017, when animal-control officer Megan Buhler was driving in Cheatham County, Tennessee. Out on an unrelated call, Buhler spotted and approached what she recalled was a noticeably skittish（易受惊吓的） puppy emerging from the dump.★
control /kənˈtrəʊl/ n. 控制
county /ˈkaʊnti/ n. 县
Tennessee /ˌtenəˈsiː/ n. 田纳西州（美国东南部的州）
unrelated /ˌʌnrɪˈleɪtɪd/ adj. 无关的（由related加上表示否定的前缀un-）
spot /spɒt/ v. 看见、看到
approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ v. 走近、接近
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ v. 回忆
noticeably /ˈnəʊtɪsəbli/ adv. 明显地
puppy /ˈpʌpi/ n. 小狗、幼犬
emerge /ɪˈmɜːdʒ/ v. （从隐蔽处）出来、出现
dump /dʌmp/ n. 垃圾堆
★ animal control的工作，经常会接到电话（比如某地出现了野生动物），然后要去现场处理。这句话一开始的out on an unrelated call指的就是Buhler接到电话后要去处理，不过这个电话和路上遇到的小狗无关。
"I knelt down and just said, 'Oh, come here, baby,' " said Buhler. "She was so scared, and she finally came right up to me, and I was able to put her in my truck." The pair headed to the county animal shelter, where the staff took to calling the new resident Baby Girl.
kneel /niːl/ v. （单膝或双膝）跪地（knelt是过去式）
scared /skeəd/ adj. 害怕的
head /hed/ v. （往某个方向）前进
shelter /ˈʃeltə(r)/ n. 庇护所、收容所
resident /ˈrezɪd(ə)nt/ n. 居民
Buhler and others had no inkling that 3,200 kilometers away, Hollywood was looking for a dog to play Bella in a film written by Cathryn Michon and W. Bruce Cameron.
inkling /ˈɪŋklɪŋ/ n. （对于即将发生的事情）稍微知道
Hollywood /ˈhɒliwʊd/ n. 好莱坞
play /pleɪ/ v. 扮演
Cameron and Michon are unabashed（不害羞的） dog lovers and say part of their passion is expressed by advocating for homeless dogs whenever possible. "We started off in the very beginning saying that the dog will have to be a rescue, because we were trying to prove something," Cameron said. "We're trying to reveal to the world that rescue dogs are wonderful animals."
passion /ˈpæʃ(ə)n/ n. 激情、强烈的情感
express /ɪkˈspres/ v. 表达
advocate /ˈædvəkeɪt/ v. 倡导、公开支持
homeless /ˈhəʊmləs/ adj. 无家可归的（由home加上表示否定的后缀-less并变成形容词）
start off 开始做某事
very /ˈveri/ adj. 刚好的（表示强调）
rescue /ˈreskjuː/ 指rescue dog，意思是被救下的狗（rescue dog既可以指被人救的流浪狗，也可以指能救人的搜救犬。在这里根据上下文可以知道是前者）
prove /pruːv/ v. 证明
reveal /rɪˈviːl/ v. 揭示
The find-a-Bella job went to freelance trainer Teresa Ann Miller. Her mission was to search shelters nationwide for a dog that could play Bella – and then give her the acting chops to do it.
freelance /ˈfriːlɑːns/ adj. 自由职业的
mission /ˈmɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 使命、重要任务
nationwide /ˌneɪʃ(ə)nˈwaɪd/ adv. 全国范围地（由nation和wide组成）
chops /tʃɒps/ n. 能力、技能
Meanwhile, back in Tennessee, Baby Girl was already getting diva treatment. The shelter's staff believes that shooting stellar photographs of its animals immensely boosts their adoption prospects.
meanwhile /ˈmiːnwaɪl/ adv. 与此同时
diva /ˈdiːvə/ n. 女明星
treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ n. 对待、待遇（由treat加后缀-ment变成名词）
shoot /ʃuːt/ v. 拍摄（照片或视频）
stellar /ˈstelə(r)/ adj. 优秀的、卓越的
immensely /ɪˈmensli/ adv. 极其地、非常
boost /buːst/ v. 增加、提高
adoption /əˈdɒpʃ(ə)n/ n. 收养、领养（由adopt加后缀-ion变成名词）
prospect /ˈprɒspekt/ n. 前景
One day, Miller spotted Baby Girl's adoption photo. "Honestly, it was a really good picture, and she was flat-out smiling," Miller said. Then she met Baby Girl, and the trainer assessed her new friend on personality, temperament and the ability to respond to simple commands.
honestly /ˈɒnɪstli/ adv. 老实说（由honest加后缀-ly变成副词）
flat-out 竭尽全力地
assess /əˈses/ v. 评估
personality /ˌpɜːsəˈnæləti/ n. 个性、性格（由personal加后缀-ity变成名词）
temperament /ˈtemp(ə)rəmənt/ n. 脾气
respond /rɪˈspɒnd/ v. 做出反应
command /kəˈmɑːnd/ n. 命令
Miller was sold. In short order, she adopted Baby Girl from the shelter, renamed her Shelby and took her to California for training. Miller and Shelby trained for just over three months before filming began. Then they were together each day on the set.
sell /sel/ v. 说服
in short order 不耽误地、很快地
adopt /əˈdɒpt/ v. 收养、领养
rename /riːˈneɪm/ v. 重新起名字、改名（由name加上表示再次的前缀re-）
California /ˌkælɪˈfɔːniə/ n. 加利福尼亚州（美国西部的州）
filming /ˈfɪlmɪŋ/ n. 拍电影
set /set/ n. 拍摄现场
Most of the film's reviews have lauded Shelby's performance. Variety wrote that the film "is at its best when relying on Shelby and her trainers: It's amazing how much of the humor, drama and emotion is carried on her canine shoulders."
review /rɪˈvjuː/ n. 评论、影评
laud /lɔːd/ v. 赞扬
performance /pəˈfɔːməns/ n. 表演、表现
Variety /vəˈraɪəti/ 是美国知名的娱乐周刊
rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ on 依靠
humor /ˈhjuːmə(r)/ n. 幽默
drama /ˈdrɑːmə/ n. 戏剧性事件
emotion /ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n/ n. 情感、情绪
canine /ˈkeɪnaɪn/ adj. 狗的、犬的
shoulder /ˈʃəʊldə(r)/ n. 肩膀
Shelby has come a long way from the dump. But Buhler said she saw Shelby recently and needed only a split second to compare the movie star with the dog she coaxed away from piles of trash. "She's exactly the same," Buhler said.
split /splɪt/ second 一瞬间
coax /kəʊks/ v. 哄、诱
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