My Left Foot (1989)
Imagine being a prisoner of your own body, unable to make any movements except to move your left foot. The main character in My Left Foot，based on the real story of cerebral palsy (大脑性麻痹) sufferer Christy Brown，can barely move his mouth to speak, but by controlling his left foot, he’s able to express himself as an artist and poet. For his moving performance of Brown, Daniel Lewis won his first Academy Award for best actor.
Shine (1996)
Do you have a talent you’re afraid to share with the world? David Helfgott seemed meant from childhood to be “one of the truly great pianists,” but the pressures of performing (and pleasing his father) resulted in a complete breakdown. Ten years in a mental hospital didn’t weaken Helfgott’s musical gift: When he was rediscovered, he was playing concertos in a bar. Shine received seven Oscar nominations (提名), and Geoffrey Rush won best actor for his performance of Helfgott.
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Nothing’s more powerful than the love between a parent and a child. In this heartbreaking Italian film, a father (Roberto Benigni) makes an unbelievable sacrifice for his 4-year-old son: trapped in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, the Jewish man convinces his boy that they are playing a complicated game. He manages to spare him the horror of the terrible war, and even in his final moments of life, keeps his son smiling and hopeful. Benigni won the best actor Oscar.
Stand and Deliver (1988)
Few people can inspire us more than a good teacher. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos got Oscar nomination for best actor) is a great one. Employed at a high school where kids are expected to fail, Escalante challenges his math students to struggle for better things, like getting good grades in the AP exam. Despite the obstacles in their lives, the classmates achieve their goals, thanks to Mr. Escalante’s support. The real Jaime Escalante, the Best Teacher in America, says that Stand and Deliver is “90% truth, 10% drama.”The underlined part in the passage means _________.
| A．The main character in My Left Foot can’t control his whole body |
| B．The main character in My Left Foot is trapped by others |
| C．The main character in My Left Foot is a prisoner |
| D．The main character in My Left Foot is a disabled person |
If you want to watch a movie about wars, which may be one of your choices?
| A．Life Is Beautiful. | B．Stand and Deliver. |
| C．Shine. | D．My Left Foot. |
Which of the following is true according to the four movies’ information?
| A．My Left Foot was directed by Christy Brown |
| B．Geoffrey Rush stayed in a mental institution for ten years |
| C．Edward James Olmos received nomination for best actor Oscar |
| D．Jaime Escalante has a talent for playing the piano |
What do the four movies have in common?
| A．They are all based on real stories. |
| B．The main characters are all sick to some degree but succeed. |
| C．The main characters all won Academy Award for Best Actor. |
| D．They are all inspiring stories that make a difference. |
How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?
In the southwest African country of Namibia,and the Sahara lands of Mall further north,the desert elephant does just that.
Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant,the desert cousin differs in many ways.Their bodies are smaller,to absorb less heat,and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces.They are taller,to reach higher branches.They have shorter tusks(象牙),and most importantly,longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.
Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and water-holes,and have a larger group of families.They drink only every 3-4 days,and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat,which is only used when badly needed.Desert elephants are careful feeders—they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches,and thus maintain what little food sources are available.Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.
During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly.Desert elephants have sand baths,sometimes adding their own urine(尿液) to make them muddy!
As we continue to overheat our weak planet,it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.
| A．remains in the African countries |
| B．drinks 120 liters of water a day |
| C．manages to live in desert areas |
| D．eats 150 kilograms of food daily |
Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they______.
| A．rarely ruin trees |
| B．drink only every 3-4 days |
| C．search for food in large groups |
| D．protect food sources for their young |
The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with______.
| A．stories and explanation |
| B．facts and descriptions |
| C．examples and conclusion |
| D．evidence and argument |
What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?
| A．Overheating the earth can be stopped. |
| B．Not all animal species are so adaptable. |
| C．The planet will become hotter and hotter. |
| D．Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants. |
Karen,grown up in a very traditional family in the western United States,maintained high moral(道德的) standards throughout her youth.In 1984,at the age of 23,she married Bill.They were blessed with two children,a boy and a girl.
By 1991 their love had deepened,and they were happy.Later that year,Bill developed a white spot on his tongue.He visited a doctor.
One day shortly after that,Bill called Karen to sit beside him.He said with tears in his eyes that he loved her and wanted to live forever with her.The doctor suspected that he had been infected with HIV,the virus that leads to AIDS.
The family was tested,Bill and Karen’s results were positive.Bill had become infected before he met Karen;then he passed the virus on to Karen.The children’s results were negative.Within three years,Bill was dead.“I don’t know how to express what it is like to watch the once handsome man you love and intend to live with forever dying slowly.I cried many nights.He died three months short of ten years of our marriage,”says Karen.Though a doctor told Karen that she would soon follow her husband into death,she is still alive.The infection has progressed to the early stages of AIDS.
Karen is but one of about 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS,a figure larger than the combined populations of Australia,Ireland and Paraguay.According to one UN report,Africa has 21 million of these victims.By the turn of the century that number could reach 40 million and the disease will bring on the greatest disaster in human history.Of the world’s sexually active adults aged 15 to 49,1 in 100 has already been infected with HIV.Of these,only 1 in 10 realizes that he or she is infected.In some parts of Africa,25 percent of the adults are infected.
Since the beginning of the spread of AIDS in 1981,about 11.7 million people have died of it.It is roughly calculated that in 1997 alone,about 2.3 million people died of it.Nevertheless,there are fresh reasons for optimism in the battle against AIDS.During the past few years,there has been a drop in new AIDS cases in wealthy nations.In addition,promising drugs hold out hope of better health and longer life.By telling the story of Karen,the author intends to______.
| A．warn people against high risk behaviors |
| B．stress the importance of medical tests |
| C．express sympathy for AIDS victims |
| D．show the consequences of AIDS |
The underlined part in Paragraph 1 most probably means “_______”.
| A．were lucky in having |
| B．were asked to adopt |
| C．regretted having |
| D．gave birth to |
Bill was suspected of being infected with HIV after______.
| A．he got married to Karen |
| B．the family members were tested |
| C．Karen persuaded him to see the doctor |
| D．he found something wrong with his tongue |
It can be concluded from the passage that______.
| A．promising drugs will soon stop AIDS |
| B．the spread of AIDS could be controlled |
| C．it is hopeless to win the battle against AIDS |
| D．the death rate of AIDS patients has been reduced |
Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back,a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs,catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video cameras.To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years.The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Ban University.The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli.They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners-a positive experience-their tails wagged energetically to the right side.When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right,but with somewhat less enthusiasm.The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag,although with less intensity again.The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog,similar to a German shepherd,changed the direction of tail wagging to the left.Reseachers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back.When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left,suggesting they preferred company.While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video,it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood(心情) of dogs.Computer and video systems,for example,could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.
| 1． |
The video cameras were used to catch the dogs' responses because.
|
| 2． |
The underlined word "intensity" in the passage means.
|
| 3． |
When there are no stimuli,a dog will.
|
| 4． |
The underlined word "they" refers to.
|
| 5． |
The purpose of doing the experiment is.
|
The best title of the 3rd advertisement would be _______.
| A．Training at Home | B．Learning at Home |
| C．Recording Work | D．Working at Home |
According to the information above,if your child has hearing problems,you can turn to _______.
| A．At-Home Profession Crop |
| B．Globe Insurance Company |
| C．Bradford Publications |
| D．American Inventors Corp |
From the advertisements above,we can learn that _______.
| A．Globe Insurance Company has a history of 51 years |
| B．as a medical transcriptionist,you may earn $25 000 a month |
| C．Bradford Publications offers a treatment to hearing impaired parents |
| D．you can visit www.aic.com when you invent a new model of hearing aid |
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星),and say they could be protecting life from the planet's terrible environment.
Images of the Mars caves from Northern
Arizona University
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.Each as large as a football field,they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
"If there is life on Mars,there is a good chance you'd find it in caves,"said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke,a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia,yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm,suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
"I said:'Wow,that's a cave',"Dr.Clarke said excitedly."People have been looking for these for a long time;now we have found them."
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold,radiation-soaked(充满辐射的),dry surface.
"Tiny drops of water could collect inside,"he said."If there are gases coming out,they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria.A cave is also a protection from radiation;the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation."
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago.The outside of the tubes cooled,forming solid walls,while something hotter inside allowed the remaining lava to flow out,forming caves.
| 1． |
What does the passage mainly talk about?（）
|
| 2． |
We can learn from the passage that（）
|
| 3． |
According to the passage,Dr.Clarke was so excited because（）
|
| 4． |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include（）
|
粤公网安备 44130202000953号