If you’ve ever seen a James Bond movie you’ll know that the hero gets around in a smart Aston Martin car. Even if you know full well that you could never afford such an expensive vehicle, you don’t forget the name, or the car. Why? You have been subjected to product placement.
Companies pay for a film to place their products in the movie. Product placement took off in the West in the 1980s and is now catching on in China. Two Hunan Satellite TV series are recent examples：Ugly Wudi and Let’s Go Watch the Meteror Shower（《一起去看流星雨》）. Shampoo, mobile phones, cars— anything can be product-placed. Advertisers value the great appeal (吸引力) of the movies, knowing that a successful film can showcase their goods to hundreds of thousands of viewers. But when product placement takes over, artistic value can take a back seat.
Cai Zhiyong has been product-placing for years. The Beijing-based advertiser admits there is a conflict between art and business. He explains cash-strapped filmmakers often have to sacrifice (牺牲) the quality of their work because they need money from advertisers. In the original story for Meteor Shower, the heroine’s mother owned an ice cream shop. But no ice cream company wanted to give away money to the film. For this reason, the story was changed. In the film the man drinks 20 cups of milk tea where it was originally intended that he would eat ice cream.
Even here incredible, you may see the power of business over the movies, since the flim was perhaps written so that a product could be placed— whether it was ice cream or milk tea.
James Bond movies are mentioned in the first paragraph to show _________.
A. how popular James Bond is B. how great the Aston Martin car is
C. how to make a movie more artistic D. how well product placement works
Product placement can have a bad effect on the _________ of a movie.
A. sound effect B. appeal
C. commercial success D. artistic value
What does the underlined word “cash-strapped” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A. Short of money. B. Self-moneymaking
C. With a lot of cash. D. Intending to earn money
We can learn from the example of Meteor Shower that __________.
A. business has a big say in the movie
B. the original story was not good for a movie
C. filmmakers care more about making money.
D. milk tea companies are more successful than ice cream companies.
Certainly, a well-rounded education is the foundation from which all of us spring forth. I am grateful to the many incredible teachers who have inspired me to do greater things, and have fired my enthusiasm for everlasting learning!
I have also been honored to have the most amazing teachers in all of my children’ s lives. These are extraordinary people who not only teach our children, but love them, challenge them, and provide an environment where a child learns how to learn.
But, sometimes I wonder if the outline of our educational plan is lacking something. I watched the movie Easy A with my older daughter. The main character’ s parents were loving, supportive, and built great confidence in their daughter and developed her ability to handle her own problems.
There was a scene where the mother was speaking to the younger child and he announced that he received an “ A” on his spelling test. She replied, “ That’s great, honey, but everything has spell check these days. ”It was funny — but TRUE!I don’t mean that we shouldn’t teach our children how to spell, but maybe some of our time should be spent educating them about the dangers of posting things on Facebook.
Maybe we might want to spend time showing them how real life works— the credit card isn’t free money— you will have to pay it back at sometime. Oh, and get this—they charge you for borrowing that money. Perhaps, we should spend some time on interpersonal relationships. I worry that our kids do not know how to relate to one another.
Choosing a career is a daunting task. My daughter is in her second year in college and has changed her major twice. It’s not that she didn’t know what she wanted to do. What she “ wanted to do”and the degree she chose did not match.
I have learned many college students do not know what they want to do because they haven’t seen what it looks like in the real world. Being a journalist in the real world looks very different from writing stories. Maybe if we spent some time exposing them to real life experience— maybe two or three courses in areas of interest in high school that give them a “ feel’ for what that particular field would look like, they might be better prepared. I do not know the solution, but it seems that it should at least be a topic of discussion.Why does the author mention the movie Easy A?
| A．To prove the importance of book learning. |
| B．To show the parents’ ignorance of spelling. |
| C．To lead to the topic he is going to talk about. |
| D．To share with the readers his feeling about the movie. |
The author believes that .
| A．students need to focus on the skills in learning |
| B．parents and school should be consistent in education |
| C．his daughter is smart enough to make her own choice |
| D．courses in areas of interest in high schools will benefit students |
The underlined word “ daunting” in Paragraph 6 probably means
| A．specific | B．discouraging |
| C．rewarding | D．regular |
What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Schools should prepare students for the real life. |
| B．What students learn in school should be practiced in life. |
| C．Life experience is of greater importance than school education. |
| D．Students should spend more time discussing practical problems. |
Cotton farmers in some Indian villages are busily buying Coca-Cola and Pepsi, believing that the sugar in the fizzy(有 泡 沫 的 ) drinks kills pests.
Farmers say scientists advised them to mix pesticides with a sugary juice to control pests, and they found the mixture cheaper and more effective than pure chemicals— although soft drink makers and scientists dismissed the remarks. N. Hamunayya, who has become a famous person in his village in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, said his crop survived an attack of pests which had resisted other pesticides. “We found that all the colas had uniform effect on pests. The pests became dead and fell to the ground, ”he said. He said the drinks had all the elements they needed : they were cheaper, sticky, fizzy, and attracted ants, which ate the young of the pests. But Thinupathi Reddy, assistant director of the Regional Agri-Research Station, Guntur, says tests had proved such results wrong. “We conducted some field trials on cotton crop at our research station. There was no obvious productivity or destruction of pests, ”he says.
Statements from Pepsi and Coca-Cola said there was “ no scientific basis” for this practice. But their dealers are enjoying increasing sales. Mantan Wall, who sells soft drinks in 17 villages in the region, said sales rose up, thanks to the farmers. “ For the 10 days between August and September I had successful business. Instead of just 30 cases( each containing a dozen one-litre bottles) of cola, I started selling almost 200 cases, ”he said. “ We expected the sales to drop after the news over pesticide residues(残 留 ) in the cola drinks. Now I have to keep extra supply for the cotton farmers, ”he said.
In February, an Indian environment group made a report saying drinks made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticides and called for tougher safety standards. The U. S firms strongly rejected the findings of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment and said their products were safe.The writer’ s purpose of writing this passage is to.
| A．tell an interesting incident |
| B．warn people that some drinks might be dangerous to health |
| C．suggest using Coca-Cola to kill pests. |
| D．announce a new discovery of Coca-Cola |
The drink makers would not accept the fact that their drinks could kill pests because .
| A．they thought it went against science |
| B．they believed that the farmers didn’t tell the truth |
| C．they might fear that it could bring harm to their business |
| D．they insisted that no poison was left in their products |
The underlined part in Para. 3 “ this practice” probably refers to .
| A．testing the mixture |
| B．selling more drinks in India |
| C．mixing the drinks with the pesticide |
| D．attracting ants to eat the young pests |
The drinks can kill pests because .
| A．there is some pesticide left in them |
| B．they are sticky and fizzy |
| C．they have elements that kill pests |
| D．they made the pesticide more effective |
The Tropical Paradise Holiday
Welcome to St Anna, our tropical paradise just off the coast of Latin America. You can spend two weeks in our luxury four-star hotel. The cost of your flight is included in the holiday, and you can be picked up from your home by our special airport bus. On your arriving, our coach will be waiting to take you to the hotel. All flights leave from Heathrow on a Monday morning.
The Cowrie Hotel is built right on the beachfront, and many rooms have wonderful ocean views. If swimming and surfing are not enough for you, the hotel also offers horse rides on the island, and a discount membership of the golf club.
The Rain Forest Adventure Holiday
Every year Broughton holidays offer twelve days of unforgettable adventure in a tropical rain forest. You may have a choice of Borneo, Malaysia, Indonesia, or even to the greatest rain forest of them all, the mighty Amazonian forest.
You will fly to our special base camps at the edge of the forest, where you will be given five days of survival training, and talks on the local wildlife.
Then you take a bus into the forest. You will have to walk the final five miles to the camp sites to avoid disturbing the local ecology. All of the camp sites have been carefully built to cause the minimal amount of disturbance to the local wildlife.
Remember that these adventure holidays take you deep into the wilderness, and they are not suitable for families with young children. Also remember that no more than two dozen guests can stay at any camp at one time, so if you want to go on one of these very special holidays, you will need to book early!What can we learn about the rain forest holiday?
| A．Travelers will learn to talk with wild animals. |
| B．Different means of transportation will be used. |
| C．The holiday will end with a survival training. |
| D．Booking early, travelers will get a discount. |
What kind of people will probably choose the rain forest holiday?
| A．People loving water sports. |
| B．People travelling with children. |
| C．People preferring comfortable hotels. |
| D．People concerned with environment and wildlife. |
Which of the following is mentioned in both holidays?
| A．Transportation. | B．Price. |
| C．Reservation. | D．Departure time. |
When Abraham Lincoln was young, he worked in a store. One day a woman came into the store and bought some things. They added up to two dollars and six and a quarter cents.
The bill was paid, and the woman was entirely satisfied. But the young storekeeper, not feeling
quite sure as to the accuracy of his calculations, added up the things again. To his surprise he found that it should have been but two dollars.
“ I’ve made her pay six and a quarter cents more, ”said Abe, disturbed.
It was an unimportant thing, and many clerks would have forgotten it, but Abe was too conscientious for that.
“ The money must be paid back, ”he decided.
At night, he closed the store, and walked to the home of his customer. He explained the matter, paid over the six and a quarter cents, and returned satisfied.
Here is another story of young Lincoln’s strict honesty. A woman entered the store and asked for half a pound of tea. The young clerk weighed it out. This was the last sale of the day.
The next morning, when beginning his duties, Abe discovered a four-ounce weight on the scales. It flashed upon him at once that he had used this in the sale of the previous night, and so, of course, given his customers short weight. I am afraid that there are many country merchants who would not have been much worried by this discovery. But Abe weighed out the balance of the half pound, shut up the store, and carried it to the defrauded customer. I think my young readers will begin to see that the name so often given, in later times to President Lincoln, of “Honest Old Abe, ”was well deserved. A man who begins by strict honesty in his youth is not likely to change as he grows older, and mercantile honesty is some guarantee of political honesty.We know from the text that Abe .
| A．charged less for the woman |
| B．tricked the woman on purpose |
| C．was careful and responsible |
| D．was confident of his calculations |
From the underlined sentence, we can see that the author .
| A．speak highly of Abraham Lincoln |
| B．learns how to succeed in the political field |
| C．comes to understand the importance of honesty |
| D．hopes to give readers some personal suggestions |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Better late than never. |
| B．Honesty is the best policy. |
| C．A good name is better than gold. |
| D．Where there is a will there is a way. |
The author develops his idea mainly .
| A．by reasoning | B．by making comparisons |
| C．by giving examples | D．by recalling what he had seen |
A young fashion designer from Germany is revolutionizing high fashion by designing clothes from milk.
Domaske, 28, has developed a fabric(织物) called QMilch from high concentrations of the milk protein casein (酪蛋白). “It feels like silk and it doesn’t smell----you can wash it just like anything else,“ Domaske told Reuters. Made from all natural materials, QMilch has many health benefits, says Domaske. The amion acids （氨基酸）in the protein fight bacteria and aging, and can help regulate both blood circulation and body temperature, she says.
Domaske’s fashion label MCC is popular among people, and has now started weaving the milk fiber into its collection.
Currently MCC’s line of clothes----which feature flowing wrap dresses with modern cuts and bright patterns----are made from combinations of various fibers, including QMilch. But Domaske plans to design a collection made entirely from the milk fiber.
Milk fabric has been around since the 1930s, but was always produced in environmentally unfriendly ways that used a lot of chemicals. Unlike early forms, QMilch is made almost entirely from casein without chemicals.
“We have developed an all-natural fiber consisting of a very high concentration of casein, with a few other natural ingredients – and in only two years,” Domaske, a fo
rmer microbiology student, say.
The casein is taken from dried milk powder and then heated up in a type of meat-mincing machine（绞肉机）with other natural ingredients. The fiber comes out in threads and is then made into yarn（纱线）on a spinning machine.
Domaske says it would take about 6 liters of milk to produce an entire dress, which costs about $200 to $270. Luckily, for that kind of money, the clothes don’t come with a date when they are no longer usable----during the heating process, the molecules（分子）bond in such a way that the protein won’t break down.
Due to its anti-bacterial qualities, the fiber can also be used in medicine and makeup, and some auto companies have ever looked into using it in car seat covering.Which of the following feature of QMilch is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．It is beneficial to one’s health. |
| B．It feels soft and has a special smell. |
| C．It is easy to clean. |
| D．It is a man-made fiber that uses no chemicals. |
We can learn from the passage that MCC’s line of clothes ?
| A．are fashion labels created by Domaske’s students |
| B．are characterized by their modern cuts and bright patterns |
| C．are made completely from various chemicals |
| D．are produced in environmentally unfriendly ways |
Put the following in order in which clothes can be produced from milk.
a. Casein is heated
b. Milk powder is acquired.
c. Casein is taken from dried milk powder.
d. The fiber is spun into yarn.
e. Threads of fiber are produced.
f. Clothes are woven.
| A．a,c,b,e,d,f | B．b,c,a,d,e,f. |
| C．b,c,a,e,d,f | D．c,a,e,b,d,f |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．this new type of clothing will never go out of fashion |
| B．these new clothes are reasonably priced |
| C．the new clothes are heat-resistant |
| D．milk fiber will have a good sales market |