HE is one of the most charming young heroes since Harry Potter. Like Potter, he is chosen by fate to carry out a mission, but unlike the boy wizard, he doesn’t get any chances to have fun or hang out with friends because he’s a little too busy preparing to lead during an upcoming war to save the Earth.
Meet Ender Wiggin, 15, the main character of the hit US sci-fi movie Ender’s Game (《安德的游戏》), which will come out on Jan 7 in China.
The story opens in 2086, 50 years after an insect-like alien race, called the Formics, attacked the Earth and killed tens of millions of people before being driven back to their home planet. Since then, human beings have been in a state of fear, awaiting a second attack.
Earth’s military leaders seek young warriors to risk going into space for battle, and children are taught to compete for these positions. As the film explains, youths can make leaps of logic and intuition, devising effective attack strategies more quickly than adults.
So here comes Ender, the savior (救世主) of all mankind. Though Ender is a skinny kid, smaller than most, he is also smarter than average. He tends to analyze situations and easily find ways to achieve the most positive outcomes. This rare gift makes him stand out in the program and get promoted to the Battle School, where he is directed to plan and carry out a series of virtual attacks on the Formics.
Can he use his military talents to wipe out Earth’s enemies?
Despite the obvious “be all you can be” subtext (潜台词), the movie “explores complex issues, including the consequences of violence and maintaining humanity and morality during wartime with intelligence and insight,” commented Yahoo.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film best presents the power of empathy (感情移入), which is what makes Ender a good leader. “The reason Ender succeeds is because he understands what makes his opponents tick (有某种行为) on the battlefield,” explained the entertainment news site.The underlined words “a mission” in the first paragraph probably refer to “______”.
| A．having fun and hanging out with friends |
| B．being a boy wizard to save the Earth |
| C．working to save all of mankind |
| D．acting as a leader of the Formics |
Earth’s military leaders want to choose youths to be warriors because they think ______.
| A．youths are smarter and more fearless than adults |
| B．youths are more willing to take risks in space |
| C．youths have sharper intuition and quicker reactions than adults |
| D．youths adapt to new battle environments more quickly than adults |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The movie intends to encourage people to try to be what they want to be and never give up. |
| B．Ender is able to defeat Earth’s enemies because he possesses a super power that enables him to read his enemies’ minds. |
| C．Ender’s success proves that a good leader should have intelligence and insight and make full use of his or her teammates’ talents. |
| D．The movie discusses a variety of issues such as the effects of violence and the importance of morality and humanity during wartime. |
A young father was visiting an old neighbor． They were standing in the old man's garden， and talking about children． The young man said， “How strict should parents be with their children？”
The old man pointed to a string（绳子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one． “Please untie（解开）that string,” he said． The young man untied it, and the young tree bent（弯）over to one side． “Now tie it again， please，” said the old man， “but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again．”
The young man did so． Then the old man said， “There，it is the same with children． You must be strict with them, but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on． If they are not yet able to stand alone， you must tie the string tight again． But when you find that they are ready to stand alone， you can take the string away．”The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．how to take care of young trees |
| B．how strict parents should be with their children |
| C．how the young father should get on with his old neighbor |
| D．how to tie and untie the string |
When can the string be taken away？＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．When the old man has left |
| B．After you have untied it |
| C．When the young man has untied it next time |
| D．When the young tree grows strong enough |
In the story the relation（关系） of the big strong tree to the thin one is like that of ＿＿.
| A．the young father to the old neighbor |
| B．parents to their children |
| C．the old neighbor to the children of the young father |
| D．grown ups to their parents |
Many people turn to doctors or self-help books, but they ignore a powerful thing that could help them fight illness: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that old People with a large circle of friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk （危险） for obesity （肥胖） among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological （心理的） health than family relationships. ”
While many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that it can do good to men too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart attack. Only smoking was as important a risk factor （因素） as having little social support.
Exactly why friendship has such a big effect isn’t entirely clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the advantages go well beyond physical help. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better. ”
The three studies in paragraph2 show that .
| A．old people need friends the most. |
| B．friends can help us lose weight. |
| C．social ties （关系） are connected to health |
| D．more friends make us healthier. |
What do underlined sentences in paragraph3 mean?
| A．Friendship is more important to women than to men. |
| B．What people need most is a friend’s care. |
| C．Friendship is more important than family relationship |
| D．The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood. |
The author mentioned smoking in the text to discuss .
| A．the cause of heart attack. |
| B．the risk of having no friends. |
| C．smoking is bad for men. |
| D．friends’ influence on habits. |
You probably know you should say "please" and "thank you" at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can't hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. No one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears. So even if you are alone when listening to your MP3 players, you shouldn't turn it up too high.
Take Them Off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 off and put it away. Libraries and schools don't allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don't have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense(无意义）to listen on your MP3 player . Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it's okay just to take out one earphone and not the other. Imagine you are listening on your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone.
It's Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 players when reading books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.
The underlined word "volume" in Paragraph 2 probably means "_________."
| A．the amount of a sound | B．the length of a song |
| C．the type of music | D．the color of an MP3 player |
We should turn down the music when we are alone because loud music_________.
| A．may annoy others | B．can hurt our ears |
| C．is bad for MP3 players | D．will make us tired |
If we listen to our MP3 player at a play, _________.
| A．the theatre won't allow it |
| B．the actors will get angry |
| C．others won't hear the play well |
| D．we may miss part of the play |
The main idea of this passage is about _________.
| A．music lovers | B．music manners |
| C．music players | D．MP3 earphones |
Kenyon Scudder once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a convict (罪犯) returning home from a prison far away. What he did had brought shame (羞耻) on his family, and they had neither visited him nor written to him. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too busy to write.
When he was set free he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them, however, he had asked them to put up a signal (信号) for him when the train passed their little farm. If the family had forgiven (原谅) him, they were to put up a white ribbon (丝带) in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.
As the train neared his hometown his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his hand on the young convict’s shoulder. "There it is," he said, his eyes filled with sudden tears. "It’s all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons."For which of the following reasons might the young man be worried?
| A．His family might not allow him to go home. |
| B．His family would not remember him. |
| C．His family hadn’t written to him frequently. |
| D．His family hadn’t visited him for a long time. |
According to the passage, the white ribbon in the big apple tree means ________.
| A．pleasure | B．forgiveness |
| C．happiness | D．education |
The word "suspense" underlined in the last paragraph can best be replaced by ________.
| A．pain | B．interest |
| C．worry | D．happiness |
Why did Michael cry at the end of the story?
| A．The young man couldn’t live with his family. |
| B．There were many white ribbons on the apple tree. |
| C．He was moved by the young man. |
| D．The young man was very sad. |
Now, it’s time for some brief news items.
Teens Go Online
Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen’s “Net-rating”. The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids on line and keep them away from chat rooms.
Chat to the magic Mum
British author J.K.Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book ”Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August.
School Soldiers
Russian school students will have to do basic military training (军训) in their final year of school, the government has decided．The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country.
_____________________
Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas(睡衣) and go to class in their own bedrooms. Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state’s only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra(代数), American government , chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes.
Why will Russian school students have basic military training?
| A．To get ready for being a military. |
| B．To learn to protect themselves. |
| C．To gain some military knowledge. |
| D．To develop their love for the country. |
About Florida High School, which of these facts is true?
| A．Some of the students have to attend classes at home instead of in the school. |
| B．There are altogether 250 students who take classes in the classrooms. |
| C．At the online school, 250 students are taking classes not only by computer. |
| D．Students can’t take classes in algebra, chemistry, computer and so on. |
The news from Florida can be given a title “ ” .
| A．Get up Late | B．Online School |
| C．Magical Computers | D．No Teachers |
What is the second news item mainly about?
| A．J.K.Rowling will have an Internet interview. |
| B．Children will meet Harry Potter’s mother. |
| C．The Harry Potter book will be sold on the Internet. |
| D．The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June. |
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