Gao Yuanyuan, a Beijing girl, is lucky. She seems to have everything that most girls can only dream of. Her pretty face and slim figure were spotted by a talent scout (星探) when she was only 16. Now her latest work, “Shanghai Dreams” won the Jury
Prize (评委会奖) at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, in France, on May 21. That success put Gao in the spotlight everywhere.
But Gao, 25, said that she didn’t think there was much to get excited about. “I am an actress. That’s my job,” she said. Nowadays people pay more attention to fame and money in the entertainment world, but ignore the effort(努力，汗水) made by an actor.” “Acting in front of the camera is just a vocation（职业）. Like any other job, you need to show that you are capable,” Gao explained. With more young people seeing acting as an ideal job, Gao advises that they first ask themselves seriously, “Do I love performing, or do I want to be a star?” For Gao, being a good actress is the most important thing.
Gao admitted that she didn’t like acting before. Her dream was to be an office worker. Her major at college was secretarial studies. “I did shoot ads and films when I was in college, but I thought of it as just a part-time job,” she added. “It was nothing special, in the same way my classmates were tutors and salesmen in their spare time.”
It was not until the TV series “Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber” was shot that Gao began to love acting. At first, she said, the Hong Kong director didn’t think she was suitable for the role. “I performed in a fit of pique (赌气) and I’d never been so serious before,” she said. Then Gao found she became more interested in performing and worked harder for perfection.
51. Gao Yuanyuan became a star probably because __________.
A. She had pretty face and slim figure
B. She had always dreamed of it.
C. “Shanghai Dreams” won the Jury Prize at the 58th Cannes Film Festival, in France
D. Her job was an actress.
52. The word “ ignore” in Paragraph 2 means _________.
A. know about B. respect C. pay no attention to D. pay much attention to
53. Gao’s advice on being actress shows _____________.
A. one needs to work hard. B. one has to work hard.
C. one should be honest D. one should be capable
54. The best title of the passage is ____________.
A. Gao and her acting life B. Gao’s new work “Shanghai Dreams”
C. Gao and her TV series D. Gao’s loving of acting
55. We may infer（推断） that Gao ________.
A. Gao loved acting when she was young
B. the Hong kong director didn’t appreciate her performance at first
C. the TV series “Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber” was popular
D. When she was young, she acted in “Shanghai Dreams”
Most friendships die a nature death: people move, change jobs, or start different stages of life. Other friendships, however, end unexpectedly. When a friendship is over and you don’t understand why, it can be especially painful. Sometimes a friend ends your relationship without telling you why.
The loss of friendship might be worth reflecting on. Knowing when a friendship is over and why it ends may help you build stronger friendships in the future.
●See if you can find a problem.
When a friendship is over, examine your relationship. Perhaps you remember your friend complaining that you’re always late. Maybe you seldom return your friend’s phone calls. When a friend ends your relationship, try to find out the reasons why the friendship is over.
● Writer a letter to your friend .
Express you feelings about the friendship. Do you miss seeing them? Do you have any regrets? Would you act differently if you were still friends? Make it an honest communication.
● Express you feeling of being hurt or anger.
Write or talk about how you feel in a letter. When a friendship is over, it’s important to communicate exactly how hurt you feel, and why. Write until you have nothing left to say. When a friend ends your relationship, you do have the right to express yourself.
● Communicate that you are open to pick up the friendship .
When a friendship is over and you want to reconnect some day, send Christmas, or birthday cards. Say hi and send greetings through mutual(共有的) friends. When a friendship is over, don’t give up until you’re ready.
● Decide to make your present friendships better.
An adviser once told me that simply talking about your relationship strengthens your relationship. Talk to your present friends. Are they happy with your friendship? If a friend ends your relationship, learn something from it.The underlined phrase “reflecting on” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
| A．keeping on | B．giving up | C．thinking about | D．getting angry |
What can we know from “See if you can find a problem.”?
| A．You are always late when you and your friend plan to go out. |
| B．Perhaps your friendship is over because of your problem. |
| C．Your friend is fond of complaining all the time. |
| D．You often refuse to answer your friend’s phone calls. |
When a friendship is over, you may do all the following EXCEPT .
| A．ask your friends whose fault on earth it is |
| B．talk about how you feel about your friendship |
| C．write a letter to your friend to tell your regrets |
| D．send your greetings to your friend before giving up |
Thousands of years ago, birthdays were considered special days. On birthdays, the bad spirits were able to harm you and change your life. It was believed that the only way to solve the problem was to have your friends and family around you, so that good wishes and presents would keep the bad spirits away. Also, noisemakers were thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.
The custom of lighting candles was created by people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods, so they could be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish were thought to be another way of sending a signal or a message.
This is how the way we celebrate our birthdays came about. But different cultures celebrate in different ways.
The birthday story in the Bible（圣经） that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem（地名：伯利恒）. For nearly 2000 years since that day, the Christian world has been honoring this birth. The day many Englishmen celebrate is, of course, Christmas. There are other references to birthday parties. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee (地名：加利利).According to the passage, good wishes and presents given by one’s friends and family on his birthday can _____________________.
| A．cheer him up |
| B．push bad spirits away |
| C．bring him a big fortune |
| D．prove that he’s a popular person |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People send messages to the gods by lighting or blowing out the candles. |
| B．The gods celebrate their birthdays by lighting candles. |
| C．The custom of lighting candles originated with the gods. |
| D．The gods will help people realize their dreams on their birthdays. |
The two ancient kings’ ways of celebrating their birthdays show__________________.
| A．how great the two kings were |
| B．that their court followers were awarded the special honors |
| C．the two kings’ excellent cooking skills |
| D．how different cultures celebrate in different ways |
The passage is mainly about __________________.
| A．the functions of the noises made on birthdays. |
| B．how to scare away the bad spirits on birthdays |
| C．how birthdays came about |
| D．the origin of a famous day Christmas |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts ,it came without wrap（包装）. On September 11, 1958, mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap（大腿）, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is .” What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard mum and dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”，and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming, don’t expect any presents this year ”Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say.” What? he’s all right?” he hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we could bring Richard home! ”
“Thank god!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty: they were filled with love!What happened to the author on September 11, 1958 ?
| A．He got a baby brother. | B．He got a Christmas gift |
| C．He became four years old. | D．He received a doll |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring | C．Difficult | D．Fearful |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. | C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．A sad Christmas day | B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. | D．Memories of a happy family |
With the Tesla Roadster and other plugin (插入式) electric vehicles hitting the road，demand is growing for accessible refueling points to recharge(充电) them. Carbon Day Automotive, a Chicagobased company，has now demonstrated（演示）a solarpowered recharging point, known as the Solar PlugIn Station，which lets motorists easily charge their cars using electricity that has been produced without any environmental damage.
The Solar PlugIn Station has gone on show in Chicago as part of the city’s bid（竞标）to host the 2016 Olympic Games. According to Carbon Day Automotive，the Solar PlugIn Station on show in Chicago is part of the vital infrastructure(基础设施) required for electric vehicles in Chicago and was the focus of a recent visit by the International Olympic Committee.
These solarpowered electricity points will be used daily to fuel the city’s electric vehicles with power from the sun. By producing the electricity from pollutionfree solar cell, the CO2 emissions are reduced to zero.
“Solar energy and electric vehicles are a partnership that is one more step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” says Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies.Coulomb Technologies recently developed the components (部件) required for individual recharging stations，marketed as ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations.Carbon Day Automotive is the Midwest distributor for the ChargePoint stations. The Solar PlugIn Station consists of giant solar panels (电池板) that shade the tiny ChargePoint Networked Charging Station.The solar panel is connected to an underground battery pack，ready for everyday refueling.
“Without these stations it would be like driving around in a traditional car without the availability of gas stations，” says Scott Emalfarb，CEO at Carbon Day.“The day of true plugin electric vehicles will be here sooner than most people realize and the world needs to be ready to accommodate（为……提供场地）them.”The Solar PlugIn Station is used as part of the bid to host the Olympics mainly because ________.
| A．it’s environmentally friendly |
| B．it makes up for the lack of electricity |
| C．it’s a new idea and attracts people’s attention |
| D．it brings convenience to electric vehicle users |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．to recharge the electric vehicles takes a long time |
| B．the Solar PlugIn Station will come into use in 2016 |
| C．the Solar PlugIn Station has gone on show internationally |
| D．Chicago is promoting the use of electric vehicles |
According to the passage，how many of the following statements are TRUE?
a. Tesla Roadster is a kind of plugin electric vehicle.
b. The Solar PlugIn Station uses solar power to charge all of the cars.
c. Chicago is a city，which is rich in oil.
d. The Solar PlugIn Station consists of underground battery packs.
e. Scott Emalfarb is optimistic about the future of plugin electric vehicles.
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
The passage implies that when the Solar PlugIn Station becomes popular，________.
| A．more visitors will come to Chicago |
| B．the citizens of Chicago will be able to go to work faster |
| C．more space for electric vehicles will be needed |
| D．the cost of electric vehicles will be lower than traditional cars |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Chicago Will Soon Be Full of Electric Vehicles |
| B．Chicago Calls on People to Buy Electric Vehicles |
| C．Chicago Fights for Its Bid to Host the 2016 Olympics |
| D．Chicago Shows Its Solarpowered Recharging Stations |
A young executive was traveling down a neighborhood street．He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something．As his car passed，no children appeared．Instead，a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes(make his car stop)．The angry driver then jumped out of the car, caught the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car，shouting，“What was that all about and who are you?”
The young boy was apologetic．“Please，Mister．．．Please，I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else to do．I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”
With tears dripping down his face，the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car．“It’s my brother，”he said．“He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up．”
Now sobbing(crying silently)，the boy asked the executive，“Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me．’’
Moved beyond words，the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat．He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair，then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed(a light touch) at the fresh scrapes and cuts．A quick look told him everything was going to be okay．“Thank you and may God bless you．”the grateful child told the stranger．Shaken up for words，the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair—bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home．
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts．Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen，he has to throw a brick at us．Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!The executive slowed down because______. .
| A．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car |
| B．he saw a boy rush out from between cars |
| C．he was afraid some boys suddenly rushed out |
| D．a brick smashed into his door |
The boy threw the brick to the car in order to_________.
| A．disturb the driver on purpose |
| B．destroy the car of the stranger |
| C．ask someone to drive him home |
| D．stop someone to help him |
Knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel .
| A．sympathized and excited |
| B．regretful and sympathized |
| C．ashamed and regretful |
| D．angry and regretful |
After the boy’s brother fell off his wheelchair, .
| A．the boy threw bricks at several cars |
| B．the boy tried to stop several cars |
| C．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously |
| D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car |
From the last paragraph we can learn that.
| A．you shouldn’t drive so fast that someone throws at you |
| B．it is common to throw a brick at a car running too fast |
| C．you can’t go through your life without a brick throwing at you |
| D．you should pay more attention to others and help them |