A Beautiful Mind
A mathematician who goes mad is not a subject most directors consider commercially attractive, but then Ron Howard isn't among most directors. Despite an impressive list of credits, A Beautiful Mind is his most successful work to date, combining a psychological drama with a moving love story to produce a film that is as interesting as it is entertaining.
The Oscar winning Russell Crowe has put himself in line for further honours with his acting John Nash, the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician troubled by schizophrenia (精神分裂症). A Beautiful Mind pictures Nash as an unusual hero, not just because of his academic achievements but also because of the courage he displays while battling his illness.
In 1947, Nash was one of many great young minds at Princeton. “To find a truly original idea is the only way to distinguish myself,” the proud and determined student declared. His exploration of' such an idea afforded him little time for the normal socialising. His shyness and straightforward approach brought him few friends.
After finally hitting on a revolutionary new idea, Nash's career took off and his reputation was secured. He balanced research work with teaching, which is where he met the bright and beautiful student Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). Things in his life were going well when his talent for code breaking brought him to the attention of the military who employed him during the early stages of the cold war with Russia. However, the stress of his work made Nash's illness develop.
Crowe's performance is perfect. He and Connelly ignite (make something exciting) the film's passionate love story and Connelly's wonderful performance makes the audience moved by Alicia, whose courage, strength and faith in her husband are the primary reasons for his recovery.This passage is most probably __________.
| A．a book review | B．a movie review |
| C．a movie poster | D．an advertisement |
Which can replace the underlined phrase hitting on in the fourth paragraph?
| A．come up with | B．come on |
| C．put on | D．put up with |
The following statements are true EXCEPT that ______.
| A．John Nash did not go mad totally |
| B．Ron Howard is an outstanding director |
| C．the stress of the academic work caused Nash's illness |
| D．Nash's concentration on his work and his shyness brought him few friends |
We can infer from the text that_________.
| A．without Alicia, John Nash would not have recovered from schizophrenia |
| B．John Nash gave up his career when troubled by schizophrenia |
| C．Russell Crowe won another Oscar Award after this movie |
| D．John Nash volunteered to serve in the army |
In recent years advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are being developed every day to extend life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of (不赞成) these life extending measures, and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want. They say that the quality (质量) of life is as important as life itself and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become unbearable. They saw that people should be allowed to die with dignity (尊严) and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better than death and the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the battle goes on and on without a definite (明确) answer.The best title for this passage is ___________.
| A．The Right to Live | B．The Right to Die |
| C．The Doctor’s Duty | D．Life Is Better Than Death |
In recent years, people can live longer than in the past. It’s because of ___________.
| A．the development of medical technology | B．big hospitals |
| C．good doctors | D．good living conditions |
According to some people, whether a dying patient has the right to die or not is up to (该由) _____.
| A．the doctors | B．the surroundings |
| C．his or her family | D．the patient himself or herself |
In the writer’s opinion ______________.
| A．death is better than life | B．life is better than death |
| C．neither death nor life is good | D．None of the above |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Most of the medical workers join in the argument. |
| B．The argument has ended in favor of the patient. |
| C．The argument hasn’t ended yet. |
| D．The quality of life is not as important as life itself. |
There are popular programmes about the work of the police on TV. People like them because they are interesting and useful.
In London there is a TV programme called “Police Five”. It takes five minutes a week.A TV reporter talks about crimes(犯罪) in London. He asks people for help, because the police station needs their help.
The TV reporter shows picture of lost painting, lost cars and other lost things during the week. Sometimes he shows the picture of the car that the thieves(贼) drove away. When people see the picture of such things on TV, they may remember something so that they may tell the police where or when they saw them. With their help the police may catch more thieves.
Sometimes the police find a car or something expensive that has ever been lost, the TV reporter shows them on TV. Then the owners may see them and they can get them back.“Police Five” is _______.
| A．name of a TV reporter. | B．time of a TV programme |
| C．the name of a TV programme | D．a police station. |
“Police Five” is shown _________.
| A．every week | B．once a week | C．five minutes a day | D．five times a week |
This programme is about ___________.
| A．a TV reporter | B．painting | C．cars | D．crimes |
The police _______by this programme.
| A．let people understand them | B．ask for people’s help |
| C．let people know what was lost | D．let people feel interesting |
When Steve Jobs was born on Febuary24, 1955, in San Francisco , California, his unmarried mother decided to put him for adoption because she wanted a girl. So in the middle of the night, his mother called a lawyer named Paul Jobs and said, “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” But his mother told his future parents to promise that they would send Jobs to college. After Steve Jobs graduated from high school, he went to college but decided to drop out because it was so expensive that he had to sleep on the floor in his friends’ rooms.
At 20, he and a friend(Steve Wozniak) started a company in a garage on April 1, 1976. Jobs named their company ----Apple in memory of a happy summer he had spent as an orchard (果园) in Oregon.
After 10 years of hard time and failures, starting from two kids working in a garage, Apple computer eventually grew into a big company with over 4000 employees.
At 30, Jobs , however, was fired from the company he co-founded. But after he had to leave the company, Apple was under heavy pressure from rival (对手) Microsoft and in 1996 posted billions of dollars in losses. Apple needed Steve Jobs and he was appointed as Apple’ CEO in1997. Under his leadership, Apple returned to profitability and introduced new products such as tthe iPhone and the iPad.
Steve Jobs once said, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick, Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.Which of the following is right according to paragraph 1?
| A．Jobs’ unmarried mother adopted him. |
| B．Paul Jobs was a college teacher. |
| C．Jobs’ finished his education. |
| D．Jobs’ unmarried mother wanted a girl. |
Steve Jobs didn’t finish his college education because he ______.
| A．wanted to start a company. |
| B．had financial problems. |
| C．took no interest in his major. |
| D．hated to share rooms with his friends. |
It can be inferred that Apple____.
| A．was founded in Oregon |
| B．developed from a garage |
| C．had a difficult beginning |
| D．had a successful beginning |
What can we learn from what Steve Jobs said?
| A．Interest is key to success. |
| B．Hope helps us succeed. |
| C．Attitude is everything. |
| D．Courage goes with confidence. |
The earth is the only planet that scientists think has life. Why does the earth have life while the other planets (行星) don't? For one thing, the earth is just the right temperature. As the_third_planet from the sun, the earth seems to be just the right distance away. The planets which are closer to the sun are hot that their surfaces bake (烘烤) in the sun. The farthest planets are cold balls.
When the earth developed — which scientists believe may have happened about 4 billion years ago — many gases covered the earth. The gases caused the earth to be hot. But something wonderful happened. The temperature was just right for thick clouds to form. It rained very hard for a very long time. This gave the earth its oceans. Water made it possible for plants to grow. The plants created oxygen in the atmosphere. Oxygen is the gas that humans and animals breathe.
Only one other planet in the solar system seems to be something like the earth. That planet is Mars (火星). Mars is smaller than the earth, and it is quite a bit cooler. But it is not too cold for humans. On some days, the temperatures are as low as a winter day in the northern United States. If you wore a special space suit, you could walk around on Mars. You would have to bring your own air to breathe, the air on Mars is too thin to breathe.
Mars has the largest volcano (火山) in the solar system. It is sixteen miles high. The highest volcano on the earth is five miles high. The most unexpected (未预测到的) sight on Mars is dried up river beds. Scientists believe that Mars was once much better than it is now. Does this mean there could have been living things on Mars? Scientists are not sure, but there has been no sign so far.Which of the following is NOT the reason that the earth has life?
| A．The earth is just the right temperature. |
| B．The volcanos on earth are lower than those on Mars. |
| C．There is oxygen in the atmosphere of the earth. |
| D．The earth seems to be just the right distance away from the sun. |
The underlined phrase “the third planet” in the first paragraph refers to ________.
| A．the Sun | B．the Moon |
| C．the Earth | D．the Mars |
Which of the following about the Mars is NOT true?
| A．There could have been living things on Mars. |
| B．Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system. |
| C．There is almost no oxygen in the air on Mars. |
| D．Mars is smaller than the earth, and it is quite a bit cooler. |
There are a number of different ways to study a language, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. You may find a combination of these is a best choice for you.
If you can find a course in the language you want to learn in your country, this is quite a good way to study. A variety of courses are usually available, including part-time and full-time courses. If you look around, you can probably find a course that suits your needs.
The main advantage of such courses is that you’ll have a teacher to provide you with instructions, support and with whom to practice your language. You will also be studying with others who are at more or less the same level and you can exchange ideas with them and help one another.
One choice is to study a language in a country where it’s spoken. There are many schools teaching English, French, Spanish, Italian and German, but far fewer teaching other languages. The main advantage of studying abroad is that you are totally in the language, not just in class, but the rest of the time as well. As a result, you can make rapid progress.
The main disadvantage of studying abroad is the cost, not just of your course, but also of your food and travel. However, if you’re a native speaker of English, you could get a job teaching English in a country where the language you want to learn is spoken.
Studying online is also a good choice. There are plenty to choose from a lot of languages. Many are free but there are some you have to pay for. Some of the paid ones provide support from teachers via email, chat programs, video conferencing, telephone or even face to face.Studying in your country has many advantages except that _____.
| A．there are many courses to choose from |
| B．you can study with others of the same level |
| C．all the courses are free of charge |
| D．the teacher can offer you instructions and practice |
Compared with two other ways, the obvious disadvantage of studying abroad lies in its _____.
| A．various courses | B．high cost | C．studying time | D．job chances |
The online courses ________.
| A．are all free of charge |
| B．can’t be found everywhere |
| C．can be easily taken on the Internet |
| D．are all supported by teachers |
What can we learn from this passage? ________
| A．Studying abroad is the only good way to study English. |
| B．All the online courses are very easy to study. |
| C．If you study a language in your own country, you can study with more partners of the same level. |
| D．You can get any job you like after studying abroad. |