In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.
And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.
Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.
As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.
“Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”
A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.
The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies.Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?
| A．A growing number of people are going to the cinema. |
| B．People are richer with the development of economy. |
| C．More comedies are made than serious films. |
| D．People have to pay more to watch a movie. |
Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.
| A．she tried to escape reality |
| B．she was a crazy movie fan |
| C．she was fond of Disneyland |
| D．she wanted to please her kids |
According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?
| A．17.5% | B．$1.7 billion |
| C．$60 | D．$25 million |
The passage is developed mainly by ________.
| A．presenting the effect and analyzing the causes |
| B．following the order of time |
| C．describing problems and drawing a conclusion |
| D．making comparison of ideas |
What’s delicious, healthy to eat and comes in various colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg. It can be steamed, fried or baked. It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.
Eggplant was first grown in India during the 5th century B.C. Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia. Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe. At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today. Instead, it was like a white egg. Due to this egg-like appearance, eggplant got its name. In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple”. This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one’s health. People actually thought eggplant could cause insanity(精神错乱) and cancer.
Fortunately, today people know that eggplant doesn’t cause insanity or cancer. In fact, eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer. In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this supper vegetable. Since it is high in fiber, eggplant can also improve digestion.
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today. Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow-white. And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber. Dish diversities(多样性) range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious!
Today, thousands of people are gathering in Loomis, Calif, for the 23rd annual Loomis Eggplant Festival. The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes. There is plenty more to do and see, though. Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children’s activities all “egg-cite” festival-goers. Most people at the festival would agree — eggplant is an “egg-cellent” vegetable!What does the underlined word “versatile” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．simple in shape | B．various in cooking |
| C．diverse in size | D．flexible in price |
Which of the following statements about eggplants is TRUE?
A. Eggplant was once misunderstood by the people for its bitterness.
B. Eggplant was introduced into Europe during the 5th century B.C.
C. Eggplant got its name for its nutrition which is as rich as an egg.
D. Eggplant looks like what it used to be in color and shape.Eggplant is so healthy that it can _____________.
| A．cure the cancer with certainty | B．do good to digestion |
| C．replace other vegetables | D．help relieve insanity |
The diversities of eggplant reflect in many aspects EXCEPT _____________.
| A．colors | B．sizes | C．dishes | D．nutrition |
The passage mainly tells us about __________________.
| A．the 23rd annual Loomis Eggplant Festival |
| B．the general introduction of eggplant |
| C．the origin of eggplant |
| D．the benefits of eggplant |
Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the learned in the early days of the history, while during the fifteenth century the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become popular.
One should be careful, however, of supposing that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction（分散注意力）to others. Examination of reasons connected with the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.
The last century saw a gradual increase in literacy（读写能力）and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.
Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages are, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.
By the end of the century students were being advised to have some new ideas of books and to use skills in reading them which were not proper, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological developments in the century had greatly changed what the term “reading” referred to.Why was reading aloud common before the nineteenth century?
| A．Because silent reading had not been discovered. |
| B．Because there were few places for private reading. |
| C．Because few people could read for themselves. |
| D．Because people depended on reading for enjoyment. |
The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed_______.
| A．a change in the position of literate people |
| B．a change in the nature of reading |
| C．an increase in the number of books |
| D．an increase in the average age of readers |
Educationalists are still arguing about__________.
| A．the importance of silent reading |
| B．the amount of information provided by books and newspapers |
| C．the effects of reading on health |
| D．the value of different types of reading material |
The International Space Station，one of the most ambitious space projects ever and a key launching board for exploration of the solar system，turns l0 years old Thursday．
On Nov．20，1998，the first part of the space station was launched by the Russians from Kazakhstan．NASA followed up two weeks later with Piece No 2 carried up by a space shuttle．
The space station has grown into a giant outpost(前哨)355 km up，home to three people at any given time—soon to be six．
Thanks to the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour，the space station now has five sleep stations，two baths，two kitchens and two mini—gyms．Ahogether，there are nine rooms，three of which are full scale labs．
The United States has financed the main part of the project，estimated to cost some 100 billion dollars．Fifteen other countries have also contributed，including Russia，Japan，Canada，Brazil anti eleven nations belonging to the European Space Agency．
Fhe space station has traveled 2．1 billion km，orbited Earth more than 57，300 times，hosted 167 people from 15 countries，and served up more than l 9，000 meals
“The ISS is the largest ever expenment in international technological cooperation，” said John Logsdon。a historian at the National Air and Space Museum in US．
“1 think it’s a necessary stepping stone to long—term human activities in new Areas of operations，”Logsdon said．The station is“off the planet and it’s the first Step outward—not all end in itself，but a step along the way．”The passage is mainly about ．
A the construction of the International Space Station
B．the history of the International Space Station．
C the tenth anniversary of the International Space Station．
D．the eountries that help establish the International Space Station．Piece No 2 of the ISS was put into orbit oil
| A．Nov．6，1998 | B．Nov．24，1998 |
| C．Dec．8，1998 | D．Dec．9，1998 |
Which of the following is true about Endeav our according to the passage?
| A．Endeavour is a newly built shuttle |
| B．Endeavour is part of the space station |
| C．Endeavour didn’t get close to the space station |
| D．Endeavour carried a lot of equipment for the apace station |
Which of the following country has not made a contribution to the eonstruction of the International space station according to the passage?
A．USA． B．Japan． C．Korea． D．Spain
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition . Some value it highly , believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity . Others say that competition is bad ; that it sets one person against another ; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people .
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied (依赖)on how well they performed at tennis and other skills . For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit ( 追求)of success , the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten .
However ，while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed , others take an opposite attitude .In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players , they strongly blame competition . Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society . Teaching these young people . I often observe in them a desire to fail . They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success . By not trying , they always have an excuse : “I may have lost . but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try . “What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot . Such a loss would be a measure of their worth . Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves . Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others . Both are afraid of not being valued . Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition .What does this passage mainly talk about ?
| A．Competition helps to set up self-respect . |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development . |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition |
Why do some people favor competition according to the passage ?
| A．It pushes society forward . | B．It builds up a sense of duty . |
| C．It improves personal abilities . | D．It encourages individual efforts |
The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means .
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
Which point of view may the author agree to ?
| A．Every effort should be paid back . |
| B．Competition should be encouraged . |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter . |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition |
LONDON—Archaeologists have discovered a smaller prehistoric(史前) site near Britain’s famous circle of standing stones at Stonehenge.
Researchers have named the site “Bluehenge” after the color of the 27 Welsh stones that were laid to make up a path. The stones have disappeared, but the path of holes remains.
The new circle, unearthed over the summer by researchers from Sheffield University, represents an important find, researchers said Saturday. The site is about a mile away from Stonehenge.
Bluehenge, about 80 miles southwest of London, is believed to date back to about the time Stonehenge was built, about 5,000 years ago.
Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University said he believed the path and stonehenge itself were linked to rituals(仪式) of life and death.
Mike Parker suggested that the ancient funerary rituals began at a different circle site known as “Wood-henge”, which represented the world of the living. The bodies of the dead were then brought down the River Avon to Bluehenge, which represented death, and were finally carried along a ceremonial route known as the Avenue to Stonehenge.
Bournemouth University Professor Tim Darvill, an expert on Stonehenge, told Britain’s Dail Mail that Bluehenge “adds to the richness” of the ancient site’s story.
“This henge is very important because it forms part of the picture of ceremonial monuments in the area and puts Stonehenge into context,” Darvill was quoted(引述) as saying. “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.”How many henges are mentioned in this passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Who believed the Stonehenge is related to ancient ritual of death?
| A．Archaeologists from London | B．Welsh researchers |
| C．Mike Parker Pearson | D．Professor Tim Darvill |
What does the underlined sentence “It’s no longer Stonehenge standing alone, but it has to be seen in context with the landscape.” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Stonehenge has noting to do with Bluehenge |
| B．Woodhenge represented the world of living in ancient times. |
| C．Bluehenge represented death |
| D．Stonehenge, Woodhenge and Bluehenge should be studied together |
From the passage we can learn that ______.
| A．researchers have named the site “Bluehenge,” because they have found blue huge stones there |
| B．funerary rituals were carried out along the path starting from Woodhenge, River Avon to Bluehenge, finally Stonehenge. |
| C．Bluehenge is 1 mile away from London |
| D．Bluehenge dates back to 2000 BC |
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