With its budget of $80 million , John Woo as director, and an all-star cast(明星云集的演员阵容), Red Cliff is the most expensive and ambitious Asian-financed film ever. Last week I saw the release of the second part, and boy oh boy does it shows.
But watching the film as a foreigner I felt I was missing out on something. Not knowing my Cao Cao’s from my Zhou Yu’s, I was not even sure whom I wanted to win. Certainly after the opening scene, in which Cao Cao is seen watching a game of Cuju, an ancient Chinese variation of football, I knew who had my support. After all, any man who enjoys his football is someone after my own heart. But after Cao Cao resorted to some evil strategies against his enemies in the south, I wasn’t so sure he was the man I should be rooting for.
And there is a lot more to Red Cliff 2 than just extravagant battle scenes. The film does not take itself too seriously. Conversations between leaders are littered with one-liners, many of which had the audience in laughter. There is even enough to keep fans of more romantic entertainment happy too. This includes a charming relationship between a southern spy(侦探)and an innocent northern soldier. The characters’ interaction provides some genuinely heart-warming moments in the middle of the battle.
Clocking in at(结束于)around two hours, the film certainly does justice to the history story. When I walked out the cinema, I felt as drained(精疲力竭) as Cao Cao’s soldiers must have 1,800 years ago.By expressing “boy oh boy” in the first paragraph, the author seems to show that _______.
A.the film characters are like boys who are childish. |
B.the film provides amazing and surprising scenes for audience. |
C.the film is suitable for younger boys to watch. |
D.the film scene is so bloody that boys shouldn’t watch it. |
When did the author change his attitude toward Cao Cao?
A.When he read the history story about Cao Cao. |
B.When he saw Cao Cao was watching a game of Cuju, |
C.When he realized that Cao Cao took some bad measures to beat his enemies. |
D.When he saw the romantic love story of Cao Cao and a southern spy. |
The following factors of the film are all mentioned in the passage except_______.
A.high budget | B.leading roles | C.actors and actress | D.conversations |
From the passage we can infer that_______.
A.the author is a football fan in a foreign country. |
B.Cuju is the name of an ancient Chinese variation of football. |
C.the film Red Cliff 2 lasts about two hours. |
D.the author was very tired after about two hours’ battle. |
California Condor's Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America's largest birds, with wing-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. "As they go in to rest for the night, they just don't see the power lines," says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed condors died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout's team thinks that the California condors' average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. "Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now," he says. "They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. "
63.California condors attract researchers' interest because they ______.
A. |
are active at night |
B. |
had to be bred in the wild |
C. |
are found on in California |
D. |
almost died out in the 1980s |
64.Researchers have found electrical lines are______.
A. |
blocking condors' journey home |
B. |
big killers of Califorbnia condoras |
C. |
rest places for condors at night |
D. |
used to keep condors away |
65.According to Paraghaph 5,lead poisoning______.
A. |
makes condors too nervous to fly |
B. |
has little effect on condors' kidneys |
C. |
can hardly be gotten rid of form condors' blood |
D. |
makes it different for condors to produce baby birds |
66.The passage shows that______ .
A. |
the average survival time of condors is satisfactory |
B. |
Rideout's research interest lies in electric engineering |
C. |
the efforts to protect condors have brought good results |
D. |
researchers have found the final answers to the problem |
Surviving Hurricane Sandy(飓风桑迪 )
Natalie Doan,14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the wave from her house. "It's the ocean that makes Rockaway so special," she says.
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned fierce. That night, Hurricane Sandy attacked the East Coast, and Rockaway was hit especially hard. Fortunately, Natalie's family escaped to Brooklyn shortly before the city's bridge closed.
When they returned to Rockaway the next day, they found their neighborhood in ruins. Many of Natalie's friends had lost their homes and were living far away. All around her, people were suffering, especially the elderly. Natalie's school was so damaged that she had to temporarily attend a school in Brooklyn.
In the following few days, the men and women helping Rockaway recover inspired Natalie. Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others rebuild. Teenagers climbed dozens of flights of stairs to deliver water and food to elderly people trapped in powerless high-rise buildings.
"My mom tells me that I can't control what happens to me," Natalie says. "but I can always choose how I deal with it."
Natalie's choice was to help.
She created a website page matching survivors in need with donors who wanted to help. Natalie posted introduction about a boy named Patrick, who lost his baseball card collecting when his house burned down. Within days, Patrick's collection was replaced.
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids: Christopher, who received a new basketball; Charlie, who got a new keyboard. Natalie also worked with other organizations to bring much-need supplies to Rockaway. Her efforts made her a famous person. Last April, she was invited to the White House and honored as a Hurricane Sandy Champion of Change.
Today, the scars(创痕)of destruction are still seen in Rockaway, but hope is in the air. The streets are clear, and many homes have been rebuilt. "I can't imagine living anywhere but Rockaway," Natalie declares. "My neighborhood will be back, even stronger than before."
59.When Natalie returned to Rockaway after the hurricane,she found______.
A. |
some friends had lost their lives |
B. |
her neighborhood was destroyed |
C. |
her school had moved to Brooklyn |
D. |
the elderly were free from suffering |
60.According to paragraph4,who inspired Natalie most?
A. |
The people helping Rockaway rebuild |
B. |
The people trapped in high_rise building |
C. |
The volunteers donating money to survivors |
D. |
Local teenagers bringing clothing to elderly people |
61.How did Natalie help the survivors?
A. |
She gave her toys to the kids |
B. |
She took care of younger children |
C. |
She called on the White House to help |
D. |
She built an information sharing platform |
62.What does the story intend to tell us?
A. |
Little people can make a big difference |
B. |
A friend in need is a friend indeed |
C. |
East or West,home is best |
D. |
Technology is power |
Dear Alfred,
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, I'm anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADIID(注意力缺陷多动障碍). Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn't . So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I'm learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job-Data Analyst-this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. You've given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I'm doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why you're saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis
56.why did't Tanis go to college after high school?
A. |
She had learned enough about computer science |
B. |
She had more difficulty keeping foucesed |
C. |
She preferred taking online courses |
D. |
She was too slow to learn |
57.AS for the working environment,Tains prefers____.
A. |
A .working by herself |
B. |
dealing with the public |
C. |
competing against others |
D. |
staying with ADHD students |
58.Tanis wrote this letter in order to_____.
A. |
explain why she was interested in the computer |
B. |
share the ideas she had for her profession |
C. |
C .show how grateful she was to the center |
D. |
describe the courses she had taken so far |
Popularization has in some cases changed the original meaning of emotional (情感的) intelligence. Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person's makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test, such as character, motivation, confidence, mental stability, optimism and "people skills." Research has shown that emotional skills may contribute to some of these qualities, but most of them move far beyond skill-based emotional intelligence.
We prefer to describe emotional intelligence as a specific set of skills that can be used for either good or bad purposes. The ability to accurately understand how others are feeling may be used by a doctor to find how best to help her patients, while a cheater might use it to control potential victims. Being emotionally intelligent does not necessarily make one a moral person.
Although popular beliefs regarding emotional intelligence run far ahead of what research can reasonably support, the overall effects of the publicity have been more beneficial than harmful. The most positive aspect of this popularization is a new and much needed emphasis (重视) on emotion by employers, educators and others interested in promoting social well-being. The popularization of emotional intelligence has helped both the public and researchers re-evaluate the functionality of emotions and how they serve people adaptively in everyday life.
Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
32 What is a common misunderstanding of emotional intelligence?
A. |
It can be measured by an IQ test. |
B. |
It helps to exercise a person's mind. |
C. |
It includes a set of emotional skills. |
D. |
It refers to a person's positive qualities. |
33. Why does the author mention "doctor" and "cheater" in paragraph 2?
A. |
To explain a rule. |
B. |
To clarify a concept. |
C. |
To present a fact. |
D. |
To make a prediction. |
34. What is the author's attitude to the popularization of emotional intelligence?
A. |
Favorable. |
B. |
Intolerant. |
C. |
Doubtful. |
D. |
Unclear. |
35. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about concerning emotional intelligence?
A. |
Its appeal to the public. |
B. |
Expectations for future studies. |
C. |
Its practical application. |
D. |
Scientists with new perspectives. |
When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimatea large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl ( 水禽 ) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory ( 迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. "Ding" Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System - a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
28. What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?
A. |
Loss of wetlands. |
B. |
Popularity of water sports. |
C. |
Pollution of rivers. |
D. |
Arrival of other wild animals. |
29. What does the underlined word "decimate" mean in the first paragraph?
A. |
Acquire. |
B. |
Export. |
C. |
Destroy. |
D. |
Distribute. |
30 What is a direct result of the Act passed in 1934?
A. |
The stamp price has gone down. |
B. |
The migratory birds have flown away. |
C. |
The hunters have stopped hunting. |
D. |
The government has collected money. |
31. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A. |
The Federal Duck Stamp Story |
B. |
The National Wildlife Refuge System |
C. |
The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl |
D. |
The History of Migratory Bird Hunting |