DAmericanshaveneverbeforeexerc-优题课

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.

A popular CCTV host’s “improper remarks” that were caught on video at a dinner party have led to an investigation into the incident and a suspension of his programs.
The video, released online on Monday, showed host Bi Fujian using vulgar words about Chairman Mao Zedong while singing in the style of Peking Opera, enraging（激怒） some netizens and causing a stir on the Internet.
CCTV said on its micro blog on Wednesday that it will investigate the incident, which it said many have found disturbing.
Bi’s programs will stop being broadcast until at least Sunday, as his comments in the video have seriously damaged the broadcaster’s image, Huaxi Metropolis Daily quoted a CCTV staff member as saying.
The CCTV employee said it is uncertain whether the programs can be broadcast again after Sunday, the report added.
Bi, 56, is popular for a hosting style that engages the audience. He has hosted the CCTV Spring Festival Gala since 2012, as well as a popular talent show involving Westerners speaking Chinese. The cancellation was the first decision after Nie Chenxi was named CCTV president on Tuesday, the report said, adding that Nie had ordered all staff members to strictly correct work styles.
A micro-blogger named Zhou Junchi said that free speech doesn’t mean it is OK to defame others, adding that Bi’s comments were not proper for a popular host. Cheng Manli, a professor specializing in communication at Peking University, echoed Zhou, saying Bi should pay more attention to his behavior and speech as a public figure.
“It does not mean we cannot share our opinions, but using ugly words and sarcasm to comment on Chinese leaders who have passed away is improper,” Cheng said.
“The actions and words of celebrities are easily broadened in today’s Internet era, which is open and can have a huge influence, so it is a must for the public figures to boost the quality of their speech and behavior. Otherwise, their images will be affected, such as the stars who were recently punished for drug use,” she said.
“Everyone should take responsibility for what he or she says in public and online. It’s better, I think, to share different ideas in a normal way,” she suggested. But she added that the party in the video seemed private, “so its release is also improper to some extent.”
The video was recorded by someone sitting on Bi’s right, but who it is and why the video was put online is unknown.
According to the passage, CCTV’s response when the incident happened was ______.

A．to change his job

B．to have Bi Fujian fired

C．to look into the matter

D．to make him apologize

We can learn from the passage that _______.

A．Bi Fujian’s program will be stopped forever

B．the incident happened before the new CCTV president’s arrival

C．the video was recorded when Bi Fujian was working in a program

D．Huaxi Metropolis Daily thinks the incident damages CCTV’s image

As is mentioned in the passage, Chen Manli holds the view that________.

A．Bi Fujian should be severely punished

B．a celebrity’s influence can be enlarged through the Internet

C．public figures should not share their opinions

D．it is all right to release private video of a celebrity

The underlined word “boost” probably means “_________”.

A．cover	B．improve
C．influence	D．Solve

Immigration is the act of coming to a foreign country to live. The act of leaving one's country to settle in another is called emigration. Immigrants who flee their country because of persecution, war, or such disasters as famines or epidemics are known as refugees or displaced persons. Most people find it very hard to pull up roots in their native land and move to a strange country. But throughout history, countless millions of people have done so. The heaviest immigration worldwide took place from the early 1800's to the Great Depression, the economic hard times of the 1930's. In that period, about 60 million people moved to a new land. Most came from Europe. More than half immigrated to the United States. Other destinations included Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Today, the availability of fast, safe, and cheap transportation helps make migration easier. Asia is replacing Europe as the major immigrant-sending area. The United States remains the chief receiving nation.
People abandon their homeland and move to another country for various reasons.
The main reason for immigration has long been economic opportunity----the desire for better land or a better job. During the 1800's, for example, the rich prairie land of the United States attracted many European farmers. Today, professional people commonly emigrate because of better opportunities elsewhere. Such emigration has sometimes been called brain drain. Many doctors and nurses and numerous engineers and scientists have moved to the United States.
Religious persecution has led many people to move to a new land for the freedom to practice their faith. Such immigrants include Jews expelled from England in the 1200's.
Wars, revolutions, and political unrest have driven innumerable people to find new homes. In the 1990's alone, millions of refugees fled from warfare in Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Iran, Uganda, Southeastern Asia, and Central America.
Some immigrants were brought to a new land against their will. From the 1500's to the 1800's Europeans shipped black Africans to the Western Hemisphere as slaves. The United Kingdom transported prisoners to Australia from the late 1700s to the 1860s to relieve over crowding in British jails. Before that time, the United Kingdom sent prisoners to the American colonies.
Immigrants have made enormous contributions to the culture and economy of such nations as Australia, Canada, New Zealand the United States. But their accomplishments have been made with great difficulty. At times, the United States, like many receiving countries, has restricted immigration to maintain a more homogeneous society in which all the people share the same ethnic, geographic, and cultural background. Although some immigration laws have been relaxed, many new comers of different backgrounds still face challenges in gaining acceptance.
Most Immigrants to the United States in the nineteenth century came from _______.

A．Europe

B．Asia

C．Australia

D．South Africa

There are altogether______ reasons of immigration listed in the passage.

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

The main reason for immigration is __________according to the passage.

A．slavery trade	B．religious persecution
C．economic opportunity	D．political unrest

In the last paragraph ,“a homogeneous society” is one in which__________.

A．immigration laws have been relaxed.

B．people from different backgrounds live harmoniously together.

C．a brain drain occurs.

D．people share the same ethnic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds.

Deaf teenagers Orlando Chavez and German Resendiz have been friends since kindergarten. Together the two boys, who go to Escondido High School in California, have had the difficult job of learning in schools where the majority of the students can speak and hear.
Orlando lost his hearing at the age of one. German was born deaf, and his parents moved from Mexico to find a school where he could learn sign language. He met Orlando on their first day of kindergarten.
“We were in a special class with about 25 other deaf kids,” German remembers. “Before then, I didn’t know I was deaf and that I was different.”
“Being young and deaf in regular classes was very hard,” signs Orlando. “The other kids didn’t understand us and we didn’t understand them. But we’ve all grown up together, and today, I’m popular because I’m deaf. Kids try hard to communicate with me.”
Some things are very difficult for the two boys.“We can’t talk on the phone, so if we need help, we can’t call an emergency service,” German signs. “And we can’t order food in a drive-thru.”
Despite their difficulties, the two boys have found work putting food in bags at a local supermarket. They got their jobs through a “workability” program, designed for teenagers from local schools with different types of learning disabilities.
German has worked in the supermarket since August, and Orlando started in November.
“The other people who work here have been very nice to us,” Orlando signs.“They even sign sometimes. At first, we were nervous, but we’ve learned a lot and we’re getting better.”
The opportunity to earn money has been exciting, both boys said. After high school, they hope to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in New York.
Orlando and German have been_____________.

A．to Mexico together.

B．deaf since they were born.

C．friends since they were very young.

D．to different high schools.

The word “emergency” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to________.

A．food.

B．crisis.

C．alarm.

D．quick.

Both boys are happy to__________________.

A．have the opportunity to earn money.

B．work at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

C．help students with learning disabilities.

D．design programs for the deaf.

Raised in a motherless home, my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in severe weather. If I grumbled, he’d say in his loudest father-voice, “That’s what your legs are for!”
The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone along the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was cancelled one spring evening.
It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop, I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.
A row of hedge（树篱）edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey, I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when I saw something gray moving along the top of the hedge, moving toward the house. Upon closer observation, I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I knew, each time I’d come home, he had stood behind the hedge, watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care, after all.
On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home, I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair. “So! My son, it’s you!” he’d say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.
I replied, “Yes, Dad, it’s me. I’m home.”
What does the underlined word “grumbled” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Accepted happily.	B．Spoke unhappily.
C．Agreed willingly.	D．Explained clearly.

What made the author feel upset was ______.

A．the tiredness after long hours in labs.

B．the fear of seeing something moving.

C．the feeling of being less than valued.

D．the loneliness of riding the bus home.

The author’s father watched behind the hedge because ______.

A．he wanted to help his son build up courage.

B．he was concerned about his son’s safety.

C．he didn’t want to meet his son at the doorway.

D．he didn’t think his son was old enough to walk alone.

Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Terrible Journey Home.	B．My College Life.
C．My Father’s Secret.	D．Riding Bus Alone.