BEIJING, Sep. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The extra-large model baby in the Spain Pavilion(馆) was “conceived”(构思)by a Spanish filmmaker, Shi Yingying reports.
Visitors admiring the 6.5-meter-high giant baby, Miguelin, in the Spain Pavilion may be surprised to realize that it was not the concept of a famous designer or a group of groundbreaking engineers. It came from one filmmaker’s interpretation of the meaning of “Better City, Better Life”.
Spanish director Isabel Coixet developed the idea after being asked to contribute to Expo 2010 Shanghai.
“They asked me to do something to tell the Chinese audience about Spain in the future and the first thing jumping to my mind was a baby,” said Coixet. “If we really fight to have better cars, better cities and better lives, it’s for them - for our children.”
Despite her Spanish heritage, Coixet doesn’t focus on making Spanish films or using Spain as the setting. Fans of her various award-winning films, including My Life Without Me, The Secret Life of Words and Elegy, may not even be aware of Coixet’s Spanish background.
“The borders between countries are just illusion(假象),” said Coixet. “Some directors feel really comfortable telling stories that belong to their territory.”
But Coixt feels the opposite: “I'm more comfortable outside my country. It gives me a strange freedom.”
One of her favorite things about being a director is the freedom. “The thing is that the world is wide and this freedom lets you make films everywhere,” she said.
Coixet’s curiosity took her latest exploration and movie work to Japan. In the movie Map of the Sound of Tokyo, the Catalan actor Sergi Lopez is the owner of a wine shop in Tokyo, and Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi is a young woman who works both as a fishmonger and as a hired killer.
The conflict of the two people's very different worlds and the tango-like relationship they develop is just one representation of what Coixet is able to produce by mixing cultures.
While she doesn’t know if she will shoot a film in Shanghai, two things have caught her attention: Shanghainese women and crickets(蟋蟀).
After just arriving in the city, she was surprised by the mix of old Chinese culture in a booming chief city “Behind the skyscrapers, there is a flower and bird market with heaps of crickets and birdcages in,” she said. “I'm totally amazed with the city.”The huge baby represents the idea that ______________.
A.our children are the new generation full of imagination. |
B.our children will develop the friendship between China and Spain. |
C.our children are our future. |
D.our children will understand the meaning of “better city, better life”. |
We learn from the passage that Coixet’s award-winning films were set ____________.
A.only in Spain. | B.only in Japan. |
C.mainly in the countries outside Spain. | D.mainly in the countries within Europe. |
According to Isabel Coixet, a flower and bird market behind the high rises_______________.
A.shows people in Shanghai are living a rich life spiritually and materially. |
B.reflects prosperity of the market. |
C.indicates the Chinese people are leading a rich life. |
D.represents the traditional culture of China. |
From the passage we can learn that ____________.
A.Isabel Coixet is dissatisfied with the design of the extra-large model baby. |
B.A mix of different cultures is reflected in Isabel Coixet’s films. |
C.Isabel Coixet feels less comfortable while making films all over the world. |
D.Isabel Coixet designed the huge baby according to the requirement of a group of engineers. |
"Get out of the plane!" Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground…
When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the meadow, flames of the fire were shooting more than five meters into the air.
Kathy couldn't believe what she was seeing.One glance told her they needed medical attention immediately.She questioned Victor, "Are you able to find someone nearby for help?"
"There are no farmers, nor villagers nearby," he replied.
"I'm a distance runner, and I'll go for help." Looking at the seriously injured men, Kathy said to Victor, "It may take me several hours to get out." She started out.
When she was 23, Kathy set a women's record in a Marathon of 42 kilometers.But now she was running the race of life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help.
Kathy had been running for two hours.This was far back into the wilderness.The country path was growing vague.She stopped to take a quick compass reading.Yes, she had run almost for more than 20 kilometers.Her heart fell, her muscle aching.And finally she saw her car in the distance.
She jumped into the car and sped away.She reached a holiday house and called the police.
During the wait, she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two hours for a police helicopter to reach her at the trail end.They needed her for one more task.Who actually had the airplane accident?
A.Justin and Teddy | B.Kathy and Victor |
C.Justin himself | D.Kathy herself |
The underlined part "Now, she was running the race of life" means that ____.
A.Kathy would set up a new record |
B.Kathy would run a race alone |
C.Kathy was running for the lives of others |
D.Kathy couldn't rely on Victor this time |
Kathy stopped to have a look at her compass because ____.
A.she wasn't sure of her own memory |
B.she had completely lost her way |
C.the country path was getting vague |
D.there was only the wilderness |
What do you think Kathy's final task would be?
A.Giving the injured food and drinks. | B.Showing the police the crash site. |
C.Going back to put out the big fire. | D.Taking the injured to the hospital. |
For some kids, old photos and baby pictures are embarrassing. For others, they are cherished keepsakes (纪念品). But for thousands of children living in orphanages (孤儿院) worldwide, these records of the past simply don't exist. Either the kids' parents weren't around to snap photos, or the pictures have been lost. Whatever the reason is, the Memory Project is giving orphans a lasting document of their youth.
Over the last two years, the Memory Project has provided hand-painted portraits to more than 4,000 children living in orphanages in poor countries. Ben Schumaker, 24, got the idea when he was visiting an orphanage in Guatemala in Central America. But he's not creating the portraits(肖像) alone. Students in hundreds of high school art classes across the U.S. paint them using photos sent from the orphanages.
Schumaker believes that the artists benefit from the project as much as the orphans do.“There are two purposes of the Memory Project,” he said. “One is to offer a special gift to the child abroad. The other is to help open the eyes of the student who is painting.”Staring into the eyes of another person, Schumaker believes, it creates a real connection. This connection raises awareness in U.S. schools about the needs of the world's poor children.“It's about planting a seed,” he said.
Schumaker is also working on Books of Hope, a project in which students of all ages put together homemade books for children in Uganda and India. He hopes that one day children in Uganda and India. He hopes that one day children in Uganda and India will send books to the U.S. “It's important to me to have it be a two-way exchange,” Schmnaker says.Old photos and baby pictures are clearly unavailable to __ .
A.the kids in rich families | B.the kids in common families |
C.the kids in expanded families | D.the kids without parents |
How can the orphans in Guatemala get a continuing record of their youth?
A.By hand-painted portraits that Ben Schumaker painted. |
B.By the photos the orphanage taken for them. |
C.By the photos taken by the U.S. students in high schools. |
D.By the Memory Project started by Ben Schumaker. |
What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?
A.The special gifts that the world's poor children received. |
B.The benefits that the Memory Project brings. |
C.The need of the US schools. |
D.How to help the orphans. |
According to the passage, Schumaker helps the kids in .
A.two countries | B.three countries |
C.four countries | D.five countries |
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes
Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier(冰川)of ice up to 12 metres thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer(层)
of water between glacier and the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava(岩浆) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what is happening today.
Now airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.What makes Grimsvotn different from other volcanoes?
A.It is under the sea. | B.Its lava affects the airlines. |
C.It is the largest volcano. | D.It is below ice. |
What keeps Grimsvotn still?
A.The slow flow of water.. | B.The thick glacier. |
C.The water pressure. | D.The low water temperature. |
Which of the following is the result of the volcano eruption?
A.It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside. |
B.Famers have lost many of their animals. |
C.Airlines suffer from the loss of planes. |
D.People stop traveling in Europe. |
how many passengers were forced to stay in the airport?
A.thousands of passengers | B.hundreds of passengers |
C.ten thousands of passengers | D.20000 of passengers |
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 in Gary, Indiana. Being the seventh child in his family, Michael was often physically abused (虐待) by his father, beaten up and also orally abused. But Michael also owed his success to his father’s strict discipline.
Michael was always an entertainer. Even when he just started school, he would perform in front of his friends and classmates. He started his professional music career at the age of 11, as a member of The Jackson Five.
He is well-known for increasing the popularity of MTV through his music videos. Before this, music videos were made just to promote the album. But Michael’s videos managed to change that by making them an art and a big business. Some of the music videos that are good examples of this are Beat It, Billie Jean, and thriller。Through these works the world got caught onto the idea of music videos and focused on music video channels.
Michael enthralled his fans and audience with his style of singing, dressing, and his complex dance moves, especially the moonwalks all around the world to show their love for him.
Through his work and various foundations(基金会), Michael raised and donated millions to charity, which is much more than any showman. He supported 39 charities in all. Apart from that, he had a great love for children, especially the poor ones, and he felt that children were the best thing than God.
Michael planned to start a 50-concert tour in July 2009. Sadly on June 25th, 2009, Michael passed away at home. Besides a great performer, showman and entertainer, he was a good and charitable person. Nobody can be another graeter entertainer like Michael Jackson ever again.According to the passage, Michael Jackson _____.
A.had nine brothers and sisters |
B.live a happy life as a child |
C.loved performing at school |
D.fell in love with music at the age of 11 |
The underlined word “enthralled”in Paragraph 4 probably means ____.
A.encouraged | B.puzzled | C.developed | D.attracted |
In the author’s opinion, Michael Jackson ‘s greatest contribution lies in _____.
A.Five making MTV popular | B.creating music video channel |
C.joining the Jackson | D.popularizing the moonwalk |
Five people are at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes.
First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He’s told us a great deal about the city to which they are going.
Then there is “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.
Then there is a man I don’t care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.
The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children’s various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India.What can we know about Mr. Stone?
A. He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit. |
B.He is going to give up his work. |
C.He has been retired for many years. |
D.He is a doctor in the army now |
Who lives in India?
A.Mrs. Hunt | B.Grandmother | C.The doctor | D.Mr. Hunt |
The writer calls the second person “Grandmother”because _____.
A. She looks old. B. he can’t think of her name
C. She has three daughters D he respects herThe underlined phrase“on leave”in Paragragh 4 probably means _____.
A.leaving | B.at home | C.about to leave | D.on vacation |