The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名) were announced on Jan 15, and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year’s top Hollywood films.
The Imitation Game
This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War II, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码） the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch’s portrayal（扮演）of Turing’s personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.
Birdman
This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson’s, plays the leading role.
Selma
A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King’s (David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.
The Theory of Everything
We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist’s (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.
Boyhood
American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for 12 years to record a boy’s growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college. How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?
| A．Five | B．Six | C．Eight | D．Nine |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman. |
| B．Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game. |
| C．Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans. |
| D．The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories. |
What is Boyhood mainly about?
| A．How Richard Linklater did his decade-long experiment. |
| B．The wonderful life of Mason. |
| C．The growth of a young boy. |
| D．How Mason spent his college years. |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards. |
| B．To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees. |
| C．To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history. |
| D．To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics. |
Sport is not only physically challenging，but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism from coaches，parents，and other teammates，as well as pressure to win can create an excessive amount of anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical，emotional，or psychological，and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can，for example，learn how to cooperate with others，make friends，and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware，at all times，that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find flaws（缺陷）in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also be cautious that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting，young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngsters’ performances. Positive reinforcement（正面强化）should be provided regardless of the outcome. Research indicates that positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again，criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
72．An effective way to prevent the burnout of young athletes is ____________.
A．to make sports less competitive
B．to make sports more challenging
C．to reduce their mental stress
D．to increase their sense of success
73．According to the passage sport is positive for young people in that____________.
A．it can help them learn more about society
B．it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves
C．it enables them to find flaws in themselves
D．it can provide them with valuable experience
74．Many coaches and parents are in the habit of criticizing young athletes ________.
A．without realizing criticism may destroy their self-confidence
B．in order to make them remember life lessons
C．believing that criticism is beneficial for their early development
D．so as to put more pressure on them
75．The author’s purpose in writing the passage is ____________.
A．to persuade athletes not to worry about criticism
B．to emphasize the importance of positive reinforcement to young athletes
C．to discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement
D．to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout
The largest earthquake （magnitude 里氏 9．5） of the 20th century happened on May 22,1960 off the coast of South Central Chile
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It generated（生成） one of the most destructive Pacific-wide tsunamis（海啸）．Near the generating area, both the earthquake and the tsunami were very much destructive, particularly in the coastal area from Concepcion to the south end of Isia Chiloe．The largest tsunami damage occurred at Isia Chiloe—the coastal area closest to the epicenter（震中）．Huge tsunami waves measuring as high as 25 meters arrived within 10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake, killing at least two hundred people, sinking all the boats, and flooding half a kilometer inland．
There was large damage and loss of life at Concepcion, Chile's top industrial city．Near the city of Valdivia, the earthquake and following aftershocks generated landslides which killed 18 people．At me port city of Valparaiso, a city of 200,000, many buildings collapsed．A total of 130,000 houses were destroyed —one in every three in the earthquake zone and nearly 2,000,000 people were left homeless．
Total damage losses, including to agriculture and to industry, were estimated to be over a half billion dollars ．The total number of death related with both the tsunami and the earthquake was never found accurately for the region Estimates of deaths reached between 490 to 5,7002 with no distinction（差别） as to how many deaths were caused by the earthquake and how many were caused by the tsunami．However, it is believed that most of the deaths in Chile were caused by the tsunami．
68．Where did the largest tsunami damage occurred?
A．Concepcion B．Isia Chiloe C．Valdivia D．Valparaiso
69．What can we learn about the tsunami waves generated by the earthquake?
A．The tsunami waves as high as 25 meters arrived immediately after the earthquake．
B．The tsunami waves killed 200 people and sank all boats．
C．The tsunami waves were very destructive．
D．The tsunami waves flooded half of the inland．
70．What is generally thought the main cause of deaths in Chiloe?
A．landslides B．the tsunami
C．aftershocks D．the magnitude 9．5 earthquake
71．What does the underlined word "collapsed" probably mean ?
A．was destroyed B．caught fire
C．was flooded D．sank
Susan Sontag（1933—2004） was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything—to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s，publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review，she appeared as the symbol of American culture life，trying hard to follow every new development in literature，film and art. With great effort and serious judgment，Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言），but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In “Notes Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name，she explained what was then a little—known set of difficult understandings，through which she could not have been more famous.“Notes on Camp”，she wrote，represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’ ”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者），but by nature she was a moralist（伦理学者），and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s，it was the latter side of her that came forward. In “Illness as Metaphor”—published in 1978，after she suffered cancer—she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities（被压抑的性格），a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact，re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America，her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California，won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless，all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
“Sometimes,” she once said，“I feel that，in the end，all I am really defending…is the idea of seriousness，of true seriousness.”And in the end，she made us take it seriously too.
64．The underlined sentence in paragraph l means Sontag ____________.
A．was a symbol of American cultural life
B．developed world literature，film and art
C．published many essays about world culture
D．kept pace with the newest development of world culture
65．She first won her name through____________.
A．her story of a Polish actress
B．her book Illness as Metaphor
C．publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D．her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
66．Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon____________.
A．a tireless，all-purpose cultural view
B．her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C．publishing books on morals
D．enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing
67．From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s，we can learn that _____.
A．she was more a moralist than a sensualist
B．she was more a sensualist than a moralist
C．she believed repressed personalities mainly led to illness
D．she would like to re-examine old positions
Will you get a good job？ What will you do？ Many new graduates feel lost when they consider the endless list of career choices. They’ve invested a lot of money for their diploma（文凭）and now an important question stares them in the fact.
I’ve seen so many now graduates who do not know how to use the degree they have just earned. An example was Dave，who loved sports and had played baseball throughout his college years. He had his heart set on working for Nike. But he had never made clear in his own mind what kind of job he could do for Nike，so nothing ever happened. Another example was Allison，who was a history major. She wanted to work as an event planner，but unfortunately，no one hired her. Why？ No experience.
Failing to do some solid career exploration first，to get a clear idea of the types of jobs you can do，is a big error that many college students make. After our suggestion，Dave and Allison both found their jobs. To ensure a brighter future，follow these effective strategies：
—Make educated career choices. Identify the job you want. Conduct research. Ask parents to advise you on actual job duties. Consider what your natural talents are，and look for positions where you can use them.
—Don’t rely on the Internet. Networking is an effective tool—be sure it’s a job—hunting strategy you use. New studies from the Department of Labor state that only 4％ of job-seekers found their job on the Internet. The fact is that 63％ of all jobs are filled by contacts.
Employers are making quick decisions. Most people lose the job in the first minute of the interview. It’s deadly to let the employers focus quickly on how well you can perform the job.
—Practice your interviewing skills. Be ready for the tough questions by first writing out good answers to possible questions and having a role-playing interview with your friend.
60．What does the author seem to be most probable？
A．A job-hunter. B．A magazine editor.
C．A website owner. D．A job-seeking adviser.
61．In order to be well prepared for the interview, you’d better ____________.
A．surf the Internet for contacts
B．get along well with your workmates
C．practice the interview for several times
D．take care of your dress
62．According to the text it is suggested that Dave should ____________.
A．let others know what he can do for them
B．study further to get a higher degree
C．give up his interest in playing basketball
D．take part-time jobs first
63．For Allison, she should ____________.
A．find a job in another field
B．find some work to gain work experience
C．not tell the employer her major
D．offer more personal information
After my husband died suddenly from a heart attack，my world crashed around me. My six children were all under 10，and I was burdened with the responsibilities of earning a living，and caring for the children. I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week，but from Friday nights to Monday mornings，the children and I were alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big pretty German Shepherd（牧羊犬）on our doorstep. This dog seemed to intend to enter the house. The children liked “German” immediately and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner，but with no results.
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by，we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas，we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. No way was he going to be left behind.
Monday morning I let him out for a run. He didn’t come back and we were all disappointed. We were convinced that we would never see him again. We were wrong. The next Friday evening，German was back on our doorstep. Again he stayed until Monday morning，when our housekeeper arrived.
This pattern repeated itself every weekend for almost 10 months. We grew more and more fond of German. We took comfort in his strong，warm presence，and we felt safe with him near us. As German became part of the family，he considered it his duty to check every bedroom to be sure each child was cozy in bed.
Each week，between German’s visits，I grew a little stronger，a little braver and more able to handle; every weekend we were no longer alone and enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted him on the head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. We never saw German again.
56．The dog first came to the family when _______________.
A．it was needed most
B．the writer became strong enough
C．the writer was away on a business trip
D．the writer was busy on the weekday
57．The family planned to go on a picnic without the German Shepherd because ____.
A．it was too wild to control
B．it was too young to walk so far
C．the owner might come by to pick it up
D．it might spoil the trip
58．The writer was ____________ the German Shepherd.
A．afraid of B．grateful to
C．cruel to D．annoyed with
59．Which of the following can’t be used to describe the dog？
A．Loyal B．Helpful
C．Lovely D．Wild
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