Most people who enjoy movies do not really care how they are made. They want to enjoy a good story. Movie producer and director George Lucas wants people to see the best-made movie possible. So, his latest Star Wars movie was made without using film.
“Star Wars: Attack of the Clones” was made using digital cameras. A digital camera does not use traditional film. It captures an image on videotape. The images recorded on videotape are then placed in a computer.
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George Lueas says that using digital cameras permits him to have much more control over the final product. For example, the image can be changed after it is placed in a computer. An expert can change color, add or take out objects, add people or beings who are not real.
Much of what is seen in the new “Star Wars” movie is not real. HugeBenjamin Franklin only studied in school for two years. But he liked to read and write very much. Once he discussed a question with his friend in letters. His father found the letters and read them. He felt Ben did not express himself well. Nor did Ben make his meaning clear. He agreed that his father was right, From then on, he paid more attention to the style of his writing so that he could write better
.
About that time he bought a copy of the British periodical(周刊) called The Spectator (《观察家》). He read it over and over. He thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to write in the same style.
With this in mind, he studied some of the stories and made a note of the thought in each sentence. Then, a few days later, without looking at the magazine, he tried to write the stories. He tried to express each thought as fully as it had been expressed before. Then he compared his writing with the magazine. He found some of his faults in the compositions.
In this way he discovered he needed to know many more words. He felt that writing poetry would help him since that needed to use many different words which had the same meaning. So he turned some of the stories into poems; and after a time, he wrote them as stories again. He insisted on doing this for a long time.
He learned much from his efforts and went on to practise his writing. Then he became the first famous writer in American history.Benjamin liked ______ very much when he was ______ .
| A．languages; young | B．writing; young | C．writing; old enough | D．languages; old enough |
What did his father do to him?
| A．He found his son’s letters written very well |
| B．He felt his son expressed himself very well |
| C．He told his son what he wrote wasn’t so good |
| D．He bought a copy of The Spectator for him |
How did Benjamin practise writing?
(1) He studied
the stories in the magazine and made notes.
(2) He rewrote some of the stories and tried to express their thought fully.
(3) He turned some stories into poems, and then turned them back again.
(4) He tried hard to publish his poems in the periodical The Spectator.
| A．(1)(2)(3) | B．(2)(3)(4) | C．(1)(3)(4) | D．(1)(2)(4) |
Coolest Hotels in the World
Ariau Amazon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan suit which is large enough for a big family. You’ll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices, starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to$3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information,visite the website:http://www.ariautowers.
com
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden kind of hotel called the Ice Hotel is built. Each year,world
-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You’ll have your choice between hot or cold rooms,but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one.
For more information, visit the website:http://www.icehotel.com
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German tist. Each room provides you with the promibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furmiture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You’ll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices:starting at just $91 a night,and an additional person for only 20 extra dollars.
For more information,visit the website:http://www.propeller island. com
For information about other cool hotels in the world ,visit the website: http://www.bahamabeachclub. comWhat is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?
| A．You can sleep in tree houses. |
| B．You can choose any of the towers. |
| C．It is designed for big families. |
| D．Every room has a walkway. |
For two persons spending a night in one of these hotels,they have to pay at least______.
| A．$111 | B．$182 | C．$600 | D．$636 |
Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel the sea?
| A．http://www.icehotel.com |
| B．http://www.ariautowers.com |
C．http://www .propeller-island. com |
| D．http://www.bahamabeachclub. com |
Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?
| A．Propeller Island City Lodge | B．Ariau Amazon Towers |
| C．The Ice Hotel | D．Bahama Beach Club |
Old age may not sound exciting.But recent findings offer good news for older pepole and for people worried about getting older.
Researches found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty.In fact,they say by the age of eigh
ty—five,people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States.The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008.At that time,the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty—five.The searches asked questions about emotions like happiness,sadness and worry.They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study.His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty—two and twenty—five.The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies.The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grew older.Hower,women at all ages reported more sadness,stress and worry than men.Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older.One theory is that,as people grow older,they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotion .They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The researchers also considered pos
sible influences like having young children,being unemployed or being single.But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well—being related to age. How did the researchers find older people happier?
| A．They did a series of experiments. |
| B．They made a written survey about the old people. |
| C．They interviewed people of different ages face to face. |
| D．They telephoned people between the ages of 18 and 85. |
When do people feel happier according to the passage?
| A．In their twenties | B．In their fifties |
| C．After their seventies | D．When they were born |
Which one is NOT related to the happiness of old people?
| A．Less stress | B．Away from working |
| C．Controlling of emotions | D．More thankfulness |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．No Worrying about Getting Older |
| B．Older Men are Happier than Older Women |
| C．The Factors Affecting the Happiness of Old people |
| D．For Lots of people,Getting Older Means Getting Happy |
Ask just about any college student you know,and he is likely to tell you that he is a member of facebook.com.Many students say they check their e-mail.It’s so popular “facelooking”has become a verb“Everywhere everyone is doing it,”college student Katie Silverman 
said,“It’s like everyone’s center of life.”
Facebook is an online social meeting place where students create profiles (简介)，share personal information, and meet other members. It is password protected and targeted to high school and college students;members must have an edu.email address to join.
Many students say it has changed their social lives, giving them an easy way to find and chat with classmates who share their interests.“Some people might be too shy to go t
o talk to someone they like in one of their classes,but on facebook it’s a lot easier to strike
up a conversation,”said Rahul Vanjani.
The website was founded by two Harward University students who wanted to meet more of their classmates.It became so popular that the website is at 2,200 colleges and at 22,000 high schools.It says that it has 6 million active users,two—thirds of whom are on it every day.Many of the facebook members said their parents had 
no idea they were on it .“No way.My parents certainly don’t know about it,” said a college senior who asked us not to use his name.
To keep it popular,Facebook says it stops students posting improper information.Some students have paid the price.At Fisher College in Boston,two students were kicked out for using facebook.com to do something th
at is against the law.At North Carolina State University,four students were punished for posting photos about drinking.The passage is mainly about____.
| A．student’s idea about Facebook |
| B．the development of Facebook |
| C．the popularity of Facebook with students |
| D．the rules of Facebook |
To become a member of Facebook,you must_____.
| A．have an edu,e—mail dress |
| B．have your own profile |
| C．be a high school student |
| D．offer main personal information |
By saying “
Some students have paid the price”in the last paragraph,the author means more students_____.
| A．will have to pay money for being on Facebook |
| B．always use Facebook to do something against the law |
| C．have been punished for doing some improper things on Facebook |
| D．often stop others from posting improper information on Facebook |
We can learn about Facebook from the passage that______.
| A．the information that students offer to Facebook is secret to others |
| B．Facebook is at more colleges that at high schools |
| C．6 million active users of Facebook are on it every day |
| D．many students don’t want their parents to know they are facebooking |
You can't esc
ape the message that smoking is bad for you.But what if one or both of your parents smoke?You might be worried about their health,sick of smelling the smoke,or even a little embarrassed(尴尬的) by it.You can't order your mom or dad to stop smoking ,but you can encourage them to quit.There are lots of good reasons.Here are some you can mention:
*Smoking will hurt their health.
*Smoking creates secondhand smoke,which you don't like .
*Smoking will make it hard for them to keep up with you be
cause they might run out of breath easily.
If you think it will help,you could print out articles like this one to give it to your mom or dad. But what if your parent gets angry with you for bringing up the topic of smoking?People don't like to be reminded that they are doing something unhealthy,so it's possible that your parents will be insulted or angry,especially if they're worried they won't be able to quit.Maybe they have tried before and failed.
Remember to be kind and respectful when you discuss smoking with your mom or dad. Also rememeber that it is difficult to quit.Some people try several times before they're able to quit for good. Instead of yelling at the them,tell them that you love them and want them to enjoy many healthy years ahead. In time,your mom or dad may realize you are right about smoking .And if they do agree to stop smoking,be their biggest supporter.Ask if there's anything you can do to help them when they feel the urge to smoke.Maybe you could go for a walk,do a puzzle,or listen to music together.As they reach milestones,such as a month without smoking,be sure to celebrate the achievement.Way to go,mom!Way to go,dad! In the first paragraph,the author intended to tell us______.
| A．the reasons you have for your parents' giving up smoking |
| B．the great damage smoking can cause to secondhand smokers |
| C．most smokers are includable and stubborn |
| D．smoking does harm to smoker's health |
If you bring up the topic of smoking directly,_________.
| A．the smokers will accept your advice willingly |
| B．the smokers may become very annoyed at once |
| C．the smokers will take your words into account |
| D．the smokers will put you in an embarrassing situation |
The underlined word "milestones" in the first paragraph means________.
| A．stones which are miles away |
| B．agreements signed by both sides |
| C．practical tools for stopping smoking |
| D．achievements gained with great efforts |
The author wrote the text for_______.
| A．school teachers | B．health experts |
| C．sons and daughters | D．medical scientists |
