【原创】Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. | C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
【原创】Disney World presents a dilemma for many people. If you’re there, you’re probably there because you love the children in your life. But should that noble desire to do right by the wee ones automatically put you in a disgusting holiday of six-foot animated characters, wailing toddlers and chicken-finger meals?
B Resort & Spa has solved this problem. Stay here and you’ve got easy access to “the happiest place on Earth” without sacrificing your adult sensibilities.
There’s 80-minute B Indulged massages to be had at the Aveda spa, complete with footbaths for your weary feet, and adventure tours to nearby Boggy Creek to observe tigers in their natural habitat. Even the mini-bar is stocked with a nod to grownup tastes (think Boulder Canyon natural, kettle-cooked chips).
location
B is right inside Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort, just a short, free shuttle from Downtown Disney. This means you don’t have to stay in the kid zone all day long.
If you have a car at your disposal, it’s also well worth a trip out to the East End Market, where you’ll find the best of Orlando’s local food scene, along with a superb Basque eatery, Txokos, whose famous cook Henry Salgado has been nominated twice for a James Beard Award.
Eat in or eat out?
Room service is exceptional for breakfast: quick and delicious, with perfectly poached eggs and house-made sausage so tasty you’ll find yourself craving it for weeks to come. For dinner, American Q has tasty house-made barbecue sauces and all-you-can-eat, Brazilian-style carved meat dishes from across the U.S. The foods here will keep everyone in the family happy, and good pineapple wine should mellow out the grownups after a long, crazy day at Disney.
Who may be interested in the passage?
| A．Parents | B．Teachers . |
| C．Children . | D．Adolescents. |
Living in B Resort & Spa, you can _____.
| A．visit Disney World for free |
| B．have breakfast without leaving your room |
| C．enjoy meals cooked by Henry Salgado |
| D．watch tigers closely |
Why does the writer think Disney World is a dilemma?
| A．Because Disney World is like a trap for adults. |
| B．Because adults are forbidden to enter Disney World. |
| C．Because adults can get little joy from Disney World. |
| D．Because Disney World is full of animated characters. |
Which is not mention in the passage?
| A．Transportation. | B．Location. | C．Food. | D．History. |
Where can you find this passage ?
| A．In a science book. | B．In a travel magazine. |
| C．In a government work report | D．In a news report |
【改编】Our body clock，or natural body rhythm，influences our energy and alertness．Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of day when we best perform specific tasks．
The reality，however，is that most of us organize their time around work demands，school deadlines，commuting or social events．Doing whatever your body feels like doing is a luxury in today's fast-paced modem society．
But that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying．Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits．Disrupting our natural body rhythm，on the other hand，has been linked to problems such as depression，obesity，or headache，says Steve Key，a biology professor．
When the body clock can synchronize（使……同步）the rhythms of its natural processes，it “gives us an advantage in daily life”，says Key．
According to him，when it comes to cognitive（认知的）work，most adults perform best in the late morning．As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday，our memory，alertness and concentration gradually improve．
However，he adds，our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter．Most of us are more easily distracted between noon and 4 pm．
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm，making that a good time for a nap．
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers．For most adults，problems that require open ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired， according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning．
When choosing a time of day to exercise，paying attention to your body clock can improve results．Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm，says Michael Smolensky，a professor of biomedical engineering．
Of course, not everyone's body clock is the same，making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans．What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?
| A．The benefit of natural body rhythm. |
| B．A new research about our body clock. |
| C．Something about natural body rhythm. |
| D．The definition of natural body rhythm. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “disrupting”?
| A．Following. | B．Destroying. |
| C．Noticing. | D．Finding. |
According to the passage, we can know _____.
| A．people don’t know tiredness can increase creative powers. |
| B．people are most focused at 3 o’clock.. |
| C．natural body rhythm can’ t influences people’s energy. |
| D．most grown-ups perform best in the early morning |
Which of the following is true ?
| A．Our memory and concentration improve with the fall of body temperature. |
| B．A good time for a nap is usually at 1pm. |
| C．Physical performance is usually best in the morning. |
| D．Not all people have the same body clock. |
The benefit of knowing our natural body rhythm is that_____.
| A．we can keep healthy all our life. |
| B．we can improve our IQ. |
| C．we can do specific tasks in suitable time. |
| D．we can do whatever our body wants to. |
My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering and weeding over everything .For many years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets(花束)to enjoy inside the house—both hers and mine . I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement(布置)of fresh flowers on my coffee table.
Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquet-a-month special. It seemed to be a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years.
After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month’s bouquet. the small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase(花瓶).
I was so embarrassed(尴尬的).However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received.“Mom, I’m sorry, ”I told her.“I can’t believe how skimpy that bouquet is.”She looked at me and smiled.“It’s okay,”she said“It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one.”
Mom’s words helped me to realize something bigger and more important—when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one.
Thanks, Mom ,for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.According to paragraph 1 ,which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The author’s mother put fresh flowers on the author’s coffee table. |
| B．The author used to buy some fresh flowers on her way home. |
| C．The author’s mother usually bought flowers for her daughter. |
| D．The author and her mother shared a beautiful garden. |
The author bought her mother flowers to_______.
| A．celebrate the coming Christmas |
| B．express thanks for all her mother’s done |
| C．bring more flowers to her mother’s garden |
| D．arrange her mother’s new house |
The underlined word“skimpy”in Paragraph 4 means_______.
| A．beautiful | B．colorful | C．cheap | D．small |
What did the author learn from her mother?
| A．How to grow flowers. |
| B．How to arrange flowers |
| C．Enjoying life if possible |
| D．Considering things in other ways. |
Alice’s mother died when Alice was five years old. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, told me that after her mother’s death her family was too poor to even afford to give her a doll.
In December 2012, I had a job at a local bank. One afternoon, we were decorating the tree in the bank lobby(大厅). One of my customers approached me with her beautiful handmade dolls. I decided to get one for my daughter, Katie, who was almost five years old. Then I had an idea. I asked my customer if she could make me a special doll for my mother—one with gray hair and spectacles(眼镜): a grandmother doll. And she gladly agreed.
A friend had told me that his dad who played Santa Claus would be willing to make a visit on Christmas morning to our home to deliver my Katie her presents, so I made some special arrangements.
Christmas Day arrived and at the planned time; so did Santa Claus. Katie was surprised that Santa had come to see her at her own house. As Santa turned to leave, he looked once more into his bag and found one more gift. As he asked who Alice was, my mother, surprised at her name being called, indicated that she in fact was Alice. Santa handed her the gift, with a message card that read:
For Alice:
I was cleaning out my sleigh(雪橇) before my trip this year and came across this package that was supposed to be delivered on December 25,1953. The present inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it. Many apologies for the lateness of the gift.
Love,
Santa Claus
My mother’s reaction was one of the most deeply emotional scenes I have ever seen. She couldn’t speak but only held the doll she had waited fifty-nine years to receive as tears of joy ran down her cheeks. That doll, given by “Santa”, made my mother the happiest “child” that Christmas.【改编】Why couldn’t the writer’s mother have a doll when young ?_________.
| A．Santa Clause forgot to send the doll to her |
| B．her daughter couldn’t make a doll by herself |
| C．her parents left the doll in the Santa Clause’s sleigh |
| D．her family was badly off when she was a child |
【改编】What can be inferred from the passage ?__________.
| A．the writer’s father played the Father Christmas |
| B．the writer’s mother was already in her sixties when she received the doll |
| C．the writer urged one of her friends to make the doll for her mother |
| D．the Santa Clause was too careless to deliver the doll on time |
The best title for this passage could be __________.
| A．A Doll from Santa |
| B．An unforgettable Christmas |
| C．A considerate daughter |
| D．A help from Santa Claus |
It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking, and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. My parents lived nearby, and Dad had visited us several times already. “What are you doing out there?” I called to him.
He looked up, smiling. “I’m making you a surprise.” Knowing my father, I thought it could be just about anything. A self-employed jobber, he was always building things out of odds and ends. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us.
Today, however, Dad would say no more, and caught ups in the busyness of our new life, I eventually forgot about his surprise.
Until one gloomy day the following March when I glanced out of the window. Any yet… I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses (番红花), throughout the front lawn. Lavender, blue, yellow and my favorite pink --- little faces moved up and down in the cold wind.
Dad! I smiled, remembering the things he had secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father’s crocuses bloomed each spring for the next four or five seasons, bringing the same assurance every time they arrived: hard times was almost over. Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms. The next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses. I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did.
He died suddenly one October day. My family was in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith. I missed him terribly.
Four years passed, and on a dismal spring afternoon I was driving back when I found myself feeling depressed. “You’ve got the winter depression again and you get them every year.” I told myself.
It was Dad’s birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual --- my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived his faith. Once I saw him give his coat to a homeless man.
Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. And there on the muddy grass and small gray piles of melting snow, bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years old, one that had not blossomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day. But it built my faith for a lifetime.【改编】What can we conclude From the first three paragraphs ? _________.
| A．the writer was unpacking when her father was surprised |
| B．the writer understood what the surprise was because she knew her father |
| C．it was not the first time that the writer’s father had made a surprise |
| D．it kept bothering the writer not knowing what the surprise was |
Which of the following would most probably be the worst time of the year as seen by the writer?
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. |
| C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
The writer’s father should be best described as_________.
| A．a full-time gardener with skillful hands |
| B．a part-time jobber who loved flowers |
| C．a kind-hearted man who lived with faith |
| D．an ordinary man with doubts in his life |
At the end of the passage, crocus was viewed as the symbol of _________ by the writer.
| A．belief | B．family | C．love | D．friendship |
There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and green fields. There’s even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events.
Cushing Academy has all the characteristics of a New England school, with one exception. This year, after having had a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. They have decided to give away all their books. The future, they believe, is digital.
“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology,” said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing. “We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and use technology. Instead of a traditional library, we’re building a virtual library where students will have access to millions of books on the computer. We see this as a model for the 21st-century school.”
Not everyone on campus is sold on Tracy’s vision.
Liz Vezina, a librarian at Cushing for 17 years, said she never imagined working as the director of a library without any books. “It makes me mad,” said Vezina, who has made a career of introducing students to books. “I’m going to miss them, and there’s something lost when they are done on a computer. There’s sensual side to them — the smell, the feel, the physicality of a book is something really special.”
Cushing is one of the first schools in the country to give up its books. William Powers, author of a book called the changes at Cushing “radical（激进的）” and “a huge loss for students”.
“There are modes of learning and thinking that at the moment are only available from actual books,” he said. “There is a kind of deep-dive reading that’s almost impossible to do on a screen. Without books, students are more likely to do the quick reading that screens enable, rather than be by themselves with the author’s ideas.”What is special about Cushing Academy?
| A．It is built in rolling mountains |
| B．Its buildings are covered with ivy. |
| C．There will be no books in its library. |
| D．There is a clock tower with a big bell. |
The underlined sentence in the passage probably means _________.
| A．not all people agree with Tracy’s idea |
| B．Tracy’s idea is welcome in the school |
| C．in Tracy’s opinion not all books are sold |
| D．not everyone can imagine a virtual library |
【改编】According to the Powers, actual books can make students _________.
| A．do a lot of quick reading |
| B．develop the habit of reading |
| C．experiencing the pleasure of reading |
| D．make sense of the author’s views deeply |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Cushing is facing challenges |
| B．The Internet library promises a bright future |
| C．A library says goodbye to books |
| D．Cushing leads the world in digital technology |
In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.
That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.
Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expection are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.【改编】The reason why Tom decides to spend his senior year in Poland is that _______.
| A．there are evident differences between the two countries |
| B．Polish kids are better at learning |
| C．he plans to improve his scores |
| D．sports are not supported at schools in Gettysburg |
According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.
| A．little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools |
| B．too much importance is placed on sports in America |
| C．American high schools complain about sports time |
| D．PISA plays a very important role in America |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot |
| B．high expectations push up American students’ academic performance |
| C．lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance |
| D．low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance |
【改编】What is the main purpose of this article ?_______.
| A．push public attention to a weakness in American school tradition |
| B．Appeal to American schools to learn from the Polish model |
| C．compare Polish schools with those in America |
| D．explain what is the matter with American schools and provide solutions |
Would you like to discover all the corners of the UK, or travel abroad? Maybe you have never tried the motorhome (旅宿车) lifestyle before. Well, read this article and you will know why a motorhome is a good choice.
Nothing is better than a motorhome. It has so many uses that it is considered the most versatile vehicle(交通工具)and it is also very comfortable. If you are thinking about hiring a motorhome this summer, then the best advice is to book it early, especially if you are considering the school holidays. The motorhome hire service is very seasonal and motorhome hire companies will never have extra vehicles available in the summer months.
There are a lot of companies throughout the UK, and some of the big ones have motorhomes spread all over the country. At present, the largest network for motorhome hire is provided by Motorhome which is based in Cambridge. If you are in the UK , you may phone 0800-612-8719 for details of its motorhome hire information. Motorhome has a network of over 500 vehicles all over England, Scotland and Wales.
Most people wishing to hire a motorhome are families that are looking for an alternative(替代品)to a European package holiday, especially as flying now has become more expensive, and is considered to be environmentally unfriendly. There is no doubt that the idea of no-fly holidays is going to become more popular as fewer people think it is safe to fly. This explains why more and more people are choosing to hire a motorhome for their holidays.This passage is written to explain why it is a good idea to_______
| A．take an adventure | B．travel to England |
| C．try a new lifestyle | D．hire a motorhome |
What does the underlined word“versatile”in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Large and comfortable. | B．Fast and exciting |
| C．Having a lot of uses. | D．Having a lot of fun. |
【改编】Why should you book a motohome early if you want to book one for this summer?
| A．Because booking early is much cheaper than before |
| B．Because summer is usually a very busy season. |
| C．Because you can arrange your time better. |
| D．Because students usually book them to earn much money. |
You should book a motohome early if you want to book one for this summer.Because___
| A．booking early is much cheaper. |
| B．summer is usually a very busy season. |
| C．you can arrange your time better. |
| D． students usually book them to earn money. |
The last paragraph tells us the advantages of hiring a motorhome by_______.
| A．telling us a story |
| B．giving detailed data |
| C．comparing it with flying |
| D．showing the results of a study |
【原创】On Aug.11 shopper Jenni Ware bought 207 dollars' worth of groceries at Trader Joe's and when she was waiting to pay,she realized that she had lost her wallet.Carolee Hazard,who was in line behind her,offered to pay the bill!Jenni later sent Carolee a check for 300 dollars,and suggested that Carolee treat herself to a massage with the cash leftover.
Carolee turned to her online Facebook group for advice on what she should do with the 93 dollar gift.The idea Carolee chose was to give it to a local food bank.
Carolee not only sent in the money that Jenni had given her to Second Harvest Food Bank,but matched that amount herself.So did a Facebook friend.And another,and another.So far,over 10,000 dollars have come in from people in many countries to feed the hungry through local food banks.
Carolee has started the "93 Dollar Club" on Facebook,where people across the globe can read the story and comment on it.There are links on that page which people may use to give money to a food bank close to them.Carolee says,"It's been amazing to see this grow and how excited people are getting.I have told the story to my friends and they say it encourages them to do good immediately."
Carolee and Jenni are no longer strangers.They've become Facebook freinds and they've made a real_world connection that will likely stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Junni remembers that she was in a "bad mood" that day in the grocery store,and Carolee's help reminded her that there are good people in the world.Jenni said,"It's just a reminder that there are these amazingly kind people out there.And it also reminds me of hwo good I want to be."Why did Carolee offer to pay for the groceries?
| A．Carolee and jenni were Facebook friends. |
| B．Carolee wanted to set up the “93 Dollar club” |
| C．Jenni was Carolee’s neighbor. |
| D．Caroleewas always ready to help others. |
How much money did Carolee send in to Second Harvest Food Bank?
| A．＄93 | B．＄186 | C．＄207 | D．＄300 |
Caroleedry set up the “93 Dollar club” to_____
| A．Help people make Facebook friends |
| B．Make her story known to people across the globe |
| C．Call on people to donate money for hungry |
| D．Make herself known to the public |
It can be inferred from jenni’s words that ____
| A．She believes there are many kind people in the world |
| B．She does not believe in humanity |
| C．She doubts whether she can become a kind person |
| D．She believes Carolee will be her life-long friend |
An Australian film company has halted the preproduction of its upcoming film Deep Water because of eerie similarities the plot has to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
MH370 disappeared from radar screens less than an hour after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board on March 8.No confirmed sighting of the plane has been made since.
The action horror film, from Arclight Films, tells the story of a flight bound for China that mysteriously crashes in a remote stretch of ocean.The survivors then have to fight against hungry sharks as the plane is starting to sink.
“Out of sensitivity to the Malaysia flight situation，we’ve decided to put it on pause for now，”Arclight Films managing director Gary Hamilton told the Hollywood reporter Monday.
The news comes as Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stated at a press conference that new analysis suggested the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean，and that all those on board are now dead.
The eerily similar film plot had been promoted with the tagline (宣传词)：“Survivors of a plane crash face terror beyond imagination as the plane is starting to sink and soon discover they are surrounded by the deadliest natural born killers on earth.”
It’s not the first time Alister Grierson, the film’s director, has had a preference for film subjects of reallife disasters.Two weeks before the 2011 release of his best known film Sanctum, about an underwater cave diving expedition, Australia was hit by disastrous floods.
Grierson began preproduction on Deep Water at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland weeks before the reallife incident of MH370.
The Queenslandbased filmmaker said he couldn’t deny the strange timing between his project and MH370.
Despite saying it was “mysterious” , he insists that his film is vastly different.
“In simple terms, Deep Water is about an accident that happens on an airplane which goes down in the ocean, and the survivors trying to stay alive afterwards.”
“It’s more complicated as there are villains (反面角色) and sharks, but it’s a fun adventure with thrills and scares. ”
It is unclear when the preproduction will restart, but it will be at least two years before the film makes it to cinemas.
Why has the preproduction of Deep Water been stopped?
| A．Because MH370 mysteriously disappeared after takeoff on March 8. |
| B．Because the plot of the film is similar to the reallife incident of MH370. |
| C．Because Malaysian Prime Minister was very sensitive at a press conference. |
| D．Because the film won’t make it to cinemas until two years later. |
【改编】Which of the following statements about Alister Grierson is not wrong?
| A．He is a film director on the missing flight MH370. |
| B．He is keen on the film subjects of reallife disasters. |
| C．He is famous for his best film Deep Water. |
| D．He worked with Arclight Films to make Sanctum. |
The underlined word “eerie” in the first paragraph means “________”．
| A．strange | B．funny |
| C．deadly | D．sensitive |
Where will you most probably read this article?
| A．In a popular science magazine. |
| B．In Queensland Financial Daily. |
| C．In an entertainment special column. |
| D．In a disaster report of MH370. |
B
Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same one color may mean differently in different places of the world?
In the Englishspeaking world, black is the color of mourning. People wear black clothes at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血)．Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the Englishspeaking world. In China and Korea white is the color of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear.
Even within the Englishspeaking area it is not difficult to find color contradictions (矛盾). A red cap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a red cap is a military policeman. Both names are logical because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a blackcoated worker.
One does not have to cross an area to find color differences. Would you rather be redblooded or a blueblooded? If we go back to the origin, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression “blue blood” comes from Spain, where some noble families proudly said that they had “blue blood”. Actually they meant that they had no Moorish or Jewish blood. But then why “blue” blood? Because they were fairskinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue.
Yellow is concerned with anger in ________.
| A．Russia | B．Britain |
| C．Germany | D．China |
The two meanings of the term “red cap” form a difference in ________.
| A．pronunciation | B．climate |
| C．logical relationship | D．custom |
【改编】Britain as well as America would probably agree that ________.
| A．black stands for the color of mourning |
| B．a blackcoated worker is employed in an office |
| C．red represents beauty and excellence |
| D．a red cap is a porter in a station |
The best title for this passage is “________”．
| A．The Origin of Blue Blood |
| B．The Development of the Symbolic Use of Colors |
| C．Colors That Carry Bad Meanings |
| D．The Meaning Concerned with Certain Colors |
【原创】NOWADAYS, most animated (动画) films rely heavily on computer technology. But his magical world – where witches (魔法师) cast spells and castles float in the sky – is brought to life by hand. Nevertheless, Hayao Miyazaki is referred to as Japan’s Walt Disney and considered by many to be the world’s greatest living animator.
This month, the 72-year-old Miyazaki announced his retirement. The Japanese animator has directed 11 animated full-length films over the past four decades, including the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (《千与千寻》) and his latest release, The Wind Rises (《起风了》), which tells the life story of a man who designed Japanese World War II fighter planes.
Just as The Wind Rises shows, Miyazaki is well-known for his obsession with flight, especially human flight. Other striking aspects of Miyazaki’s films include his themes of environmental protection and the horrors of war.
Miyazaki’s work is also famous for its lack of clearly defined good and evil characters. He sees the 21st century as a complex time when old norms need to be re-examined.
As a storyteller, he is an inventor of fairy tales full of mystery. In the Miyazakian universe, wizards (巫师) turn into birds of prey; young girls are transformed overnight into 90-year-old women; greedy parents are changed into pigs; and shooting stars become fire demons (恶魔).
As a visual (视觉的) artist, most of Miyazaki’s grace comes from his vivid (鲜明的) colors and lovingly drawn landscapes – a rolling meadow (草地) covered with flowers and shadowed by clouds, or a range of rocky hills rising toward snow-capped mountain peaks
People attribute Miyazaki’s success to his long pursuit of his hand-drawn technique, although in an interview with CNN he called himself an “extinct species” in the age of digital animation.
A recent television documentary on the making of The Wind Rises showed a disappointed Miyazaki throwing a pile (堆) of drawings into the trash. He is said to have redrawn thousands of frames of the much-praised Princess Mononoke (《幽灵公主》) when they did not meet his standards.
But his huge attention to detail has earned him the respect of the entire animated film world. Even John Lasseter – head of Pixar, the famous US computer animation studio – once called Miyazaki “one of the greatest filmmakers of our time”.What can we know about Miyazaki’s film The Wind Rises?
| A．It was put on a long time ago. |
| B．Its hero is a soldier. |
| C．It describes horrors of war. |
| D．It is an Oscar-winning film. |
What does the underlined word “obsession” mean in paragraph 3? ?
| A．Enthusiasm. | B．Hate. | C．Envy | D．Sympathy. |
According to the article,Miyazake’s films _____.
| A．are full of mystery and imaginative characters and landscapes |
| B．are likely to use hand-drawn technique and redrawn abstract frames |
| C．are full of new norms and clearly defined good and evil characters |
| D．are likely to demonstrate environmental protection and anti-war themes |
What is the main idea of this article ?
| A．Miyazake’s impact on Japanese culture |
| B．the characteristics of Miyazake’s films |
| C．what inspired Miyazake to create his films |
| D．what made Miyazake succeed |
Before he sailed round the world alone, Francis Chichester had already surprised his friends several times. He had tried to fly round the world but failed. That was in 1931.
The years passed. He gave up flying and began sailing. He enjoyed it greatly. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo transatlantic sailing race. His old dream of going round the world came back, but this time he would sail.His friends and doctors did not think he could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry out his plan. In August 1966, at the age of nearly 65, an age when many men retire, he began the greatest voyage of his life.
Chichester covered 14100 miles before stopping in Sydney, Australia. This was more than twice the distance anyone had previously sailed alone. He arrived in Australia on 12 December, just 107 days out from England. He received a warm welcome from the Australians and from his family who had flown there to meet him. On shore, Chichester could not walk without help. Everybody said the same thing: he had done enough; he must not go any further. But he did not listen.
After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more in spite of his friends' attempts to dissuade him. The second half of his voyage was by far the more dangerous part, during which he sailed round the treacherous Cape Horn.After succeeding in sailing round Cape Horn, Chichester sent the following radio message to London: "I feel as if I had wakened from a nightmare. Wild horses could not drag me down to Cape Horn and that sinister Southern Ocean again."
Just before 9 o'clock on Sunday evening 28 May 1967, he arrived back in England, where a quarter of a million people were waiting to welcome him.Queen Elizabeth II knighted(授以爵位) him with the very sword that Queen Elizabeth I had used almost 400 years earlier to knight Sir Francis Drake after he had sailed round the world for the first time.The whole voyage from England and back had covered 28,500 miles. It had taken him nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he wanted to accomplish.
What can we learn about Chichester?
| A．He failed the solo transatlantic sailing race in 1959. |
| B．He was a brave and determined man. |
| C．The second half of his voyage was not as dangerous as the first half. |
| D．The radio message expressed his concern about the sailing. |
【改编】What happened to Queen Elizabeth II after Chichester arrived back in England?
| A．She called on the English to learn form him. |
| B．She was waiting to congratulate on his success in sailing. |
| C．She thought little of his achievements. |
| D．She knighted him for praising him. |
【改编】What can we infer from the text ? ____
| A．Anyone who had sailed alone traveled less than 7050miles before 1966 |
| B．Chichester sailed round the Atlantic in 1931 |
| C．Most of the English leave their jobs at the age of 65 |
| D．Chichester died of lung cancer in 1967 after he went back to England |
B
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability. People with autism have trouble communicating and with social skills. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the person also might repeat some behaviors and not want change in their daily activities. Some people with the condition need a lot of help. Others need less.
CDC officials say autism affects one in every 68 children in the United States. More boys than girls are believed to have the condition. But the number of cases appears to be growing. It is unclear whether the growing number shows a real increase or comes from more knowledge about this disorder.
Symptoms of autism
Common signs of autism include trouble making eye contact and a delay in learning how to speak. Some people with severe autism never learn how to talk. Many people with autism also have difficulty understanding facial expressions and the feelings of others. They also have trouble making friends of the same age.
Doctors have learned how to recognize autism, but much is still unknown about its causes.
Researchers at Harvard University have come closer to finding answers. They found that women exposed to the highest levels of fine particulate air pollution late in their pregnancies are two times more likely to give birth to a child with autism. The findings appeared in Environmental Health Perspectives -- a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The study found that the women who were around high levels of fine particulate matter air pollution were at highest risk of having an autistic child. The increased risk of these women was two times that of women who lived in areas with low levels of fine particulate pollution.
The researchers found that the timing of exposure to pollution was important. They found no increased risk of autism in children whose mothers were around high levels of pollution before becoming pregnant. And the study found air pollution does not seem to increase the risk of children developing autism after they are born.
What can pregnant women do?
Mr. Weisskopf says pregnant women should avoid air pollution as much as possible. But he warns that other things may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder.
"You can avoid being in extremely polluted cities during pregnancy if possible. You can also choose to go running in a park rather than next to a street. But that said, I think also it's very important to recognize that autism spectrum disorders is a very multi-factorial disorder. And there are lots of reasons why risk could be increased."
Autism is believed to result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
For now, Marc Weisskopf says researchers are trying to identify the exact substances in air pollution that increase the risk of autism.What can we learn from Paragraph 1________?
| A．people with autism don’t need help |
| B．people with autism have no trouble communicating |
| C．autism is a developmental disability |
| D．people with autism want change in their daily activities |
Which is NOT the Common signs of autism_______?
| A．low level of intelligence |
| B．a delay in learning how to speak |
| C．understanding facial expressions |
| D．making eye contact |
Which is TRUE according to the passage________?
| A．the growing number of cases shows a real increase |
| B．women exposed to high levels of fine particulate air pollution during their pregnancies are more likely to have a child with autism |
| C．high levels of fine particulate air pollution have no effect on autism |
| D．doctors have learned the causes of autism |
What can pregnant women do_______?
| A．they should go running in a street |
| B．they should stop smoking |
| C．they should be in extremely polluted cities during pregnancy |
| D．they should avoid air pollution as much as possible |
What’s the main idea of the passage__________?
| A．what is autism spectrum disorder |
| B．the reasons of autism |
| C．autism and air pollution |
| D．how to treat autism |
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