3D cinema has been around since the early 20th century, but Hollywood brought the technology back in 2007. Many thought it was just a trick to make more money. But then came Avatar, the first must-see movie in 3D.
But since Avatar, 3D cinema has struggled. In 2010, several 3D movies bombed at the box office. And by late 2010, some people said the technology was dead. Of course, this isn’t the first time Hollywood has struggled technology. Although sound was added to movies in the late 1920s, it took audience time to get used to the new technology. But in the end, sound and color became the standard. James Cameron, director of Avatar, thinks we’re going through the same process with 3D.
Some day cinemas are charging too much for 3D movies. In the Us, seeing a 3D movie can cost up to $7.5 more than seeing it in 2D. Also, a recent study at California State University has found audience don’t actually enjoy movies in 3D any more than in 2D. Walter Murch, a famous movie editor, wrote in 2011 that human beings have no ability to process 3D images. Watching a 3D movie confuses our brain and this is why some people get headaches.
But James Cameron disagrees. In fact, he recently predicted that in five years all movies will be in 3D. And there are signs that 3D is fighting back. More 3D movies were put on the market in 2012 than ever before. The Lion King 3D recently made over $150 million at the box office, and Cameron’s Titanic 3D made even more.
Who knows what the future holds for 3D? Steven Spielberg recently said, “ I’m hoping 3D gets to a point where people don’t notice it because then it just becomes another tool and helps tell a story.”The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably means that in 2010, 3D movies ________.
| A．were not successful | B．became popular |
| C．developed quickly | D．were of poor quality |
The example of sound and color is used mainly to show that ______.
| A．Hollywood tends to absorb what is new |
| B．3D technology takes time to be accepted |
| C．Hollywood struggles with new technology |
| D．high technology helps to make better movies |
In Walter March’s opinion, 3D movies_______.
| A．bring movie makers great profits. |
| B．are more expensive than 2D movies. |
| C．do great harm to people’s health. |
| D．are unsuitable for people to watch. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Avatar was the first 3D movies. |
| B．3D cinema has existed for years. |
| C．Titanic 3D has made the most money. |
| D．2012 witnessed the coming of 3D’s time. |
New York — Wednesday, October fifteenth, is the first Global Hand Washing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.
Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called critical moments. These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.
Global Hand Washing Day is the idea of the Public-Private Partnership for Hand Washing with Soap. The goal, they say, is to create a culture of hand washing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs (病菌). They say the correct way to wash hands is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails. Then, rinse well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.
The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs. And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the likelihood that people will wash again.
It also says washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea (痢疾), which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.The Partnership creates Global Hand Washing Day to _____.
| A．call on people to wash hands |
| B．help the developing countries |
| C．make a culture of hand washing in the third world |
| D．promote the importance of soap in hand washing |
The following facts can explain why soap is important EXCEPT that _____.
| A．soap gets people into the habit of washing hands |
| B．soap helps to get rid of more germs off hands |
| C．soap attracts people to do more hand washing |
| D．soap gives people a longer hand washing time |
According to the last paragraph, diarrhea is a disease that _____.
| A．kills half of the kids in developing countries |
| B．can be prevented by washing hands with soap |
| C．causes the greatest number of child deaths |
| D．makes soap stand out in hand washing |
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn’t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus. “We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day. And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we could donate it. And they were on board.” he said.
So 18 months ago, the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network. Each night, volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks. So far, they have donated more than 23,000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide, $165 billion worth of food is wasted each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country’s entire food production. “If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15%, we can feed 25 million hungry Americans. That is a huge benefit. That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing. ” he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries of the students’ efforts. Ben Slye, the senior pastor（牧师）, said, “It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time, their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this. Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people.”
The University of Maryland’s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country. “I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years. And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America, we want to expand to restaurants and farms.” Said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.The dining services in University of Maryland _______.
| A．wasted large amounts of fresh food on the campus |
| B．directly donated the leftovers to the poor |
| C．delivered the leftovers to area shelters and food banks |
| D．enjoyed the talk with the students and gave support |
Volunteers from the Food Recovery of Maryland _______.
| A．started to set up the organization two years ago |
| B．just donated their own leftovers to avoid waste |
| C．collected the leftovers and then delivered them |
| D．managed to solve the hunger issues in America |
Ben Slye’s attitude toward the volunteers’ effort was that of _______.
| A．unconcern | B．appreciation |
| C．doubt | D．opposition |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
| B．altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
| C．every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
| D．over 40% of the country’s entire food is wasted each year |
What can be the best title of the article?
| A．Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
| B．College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
| C．How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campus |
| D．Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
Blue is the most attractive eye colour according to a new research.
Blue eyes like those belonging to sexy star Angelina Jolie are the most appealing colour according to a pool of 3,000 18－24yearolds by Fresh Look One Day Colour. Angelina，her partner Brad Pitt and his exwife Jennifer Aniston all have blue eyes and all been named in a top twenty of the world's most desirable eyes.
The survey found that young folk with blue eyes is generally seen as being more flirtatious，sexy and kind.
And when asked if they would change the colour of their eyes if they could，only one in ten blueeyed people wanted to，significantly less than people with other colour eyes.
One in three people who didn't have blue eyes wanted a change.
One quarter of respondents have considered wearing coloured contact lenses to change their eye colour temporarily—and blue is the most wanted colour.
Green was the second most popular colour for those wanting a new look，with respondents saying greeneyed people were usually mysterious and creative.
People with brown or hazel eyes were perceived to be more trustworthy than people with other eye colours.
People with grey eyes were generally thought to be more intelligent than other people，and they were also described as usually being shy.
Blue was the most common eye colour among respondents，with 41 percent of those who answered the survey having baby blue peepers and 39 percent having brown or hazel eyes.
The survey also found that 18 percent of people don't know what colour eyes their partner has.According to the new research，when considering changing their eye colour，the number of the people who will choose ________ ranks the second.
| A．brown | B．green | C．grey | D．hazel |
According to the study result，if you were a manager and you wanted to find a most reliable person，you'd better hire one who has ________ eyes.
| A．green | B．blue | C．brown | D．grey |
The underlined word “peepers” in the passage could be replaced by________.
| A．babies | B．colours |
| C．eyes | D．respondents |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Who have the most charming eyes in the world? |
| B．Different eye colours in the world. |
| C．A survey result on eye colours. |
| D．Blue—the most attractive eye colour. |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement（广告）for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(around￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
| A．￡800 | B．￡4500 | C．￡500 | D．5000 |
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
| A．sign an agreement with the government |
| B．keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years |
| C．sell the roof to some energy companies |
| D．pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment |
For whom the text most probably written?
| A．Lodgers. | B．Advertisers. |
| C．Online companies | D．House owners. |
The brothers Grimm(格林兄弟), Jacob and Wihelm are synonymous with（同义的）fairytales. The stories they gathered have been read by millions of children in all countries over the last two hundred years. It’s difficult to think that any children could not be attracted by a tale like Red Riding Hood(小红帽)，which never seems to grow old.
This year, Dec20 marked the 200th anniversary of publication of the tales. The Brimms collected the stories and gave them to the world because they wanted to show what German culture was about. In their time, Germany was not yet a nation; it was a collection of little states. Like many patriotic intellectuals(爱国知识分子),they thought they could help people in German territories(领土) to understand their own traditions.
Quite a few adult were shocked by brothers Grimm’s work. They wrote about a wolf who eats a little girl’s grandmother and an awful old woman who wants to put Hansel and Gretel in a stove. In fact, the original Grimm fairy tales are often far more unpleasant, and more adult in theme(主题).There is a lot of cruelty too. In the wedding scene of Snow White ,the stepmother dances in red-hot iron shoes that kills her.
However, other people came along and made these stories more “suitable” for children. The modern children’s writer Philip Pullman recently published a book of his versions of some Grimm tales. He points out that the Grimms themselves changed the stories, but for the better. They knew how to hold the attention of readers. “A Grimm tale,” he says, “moves with a dreamlike speed from event to event, pausing only to say as much as is needed and no more.” So, when we read a story from Grimms’ collection, we’re getting something from old Germany, but our enjoyment is also thanks to the brothers’ great storytelling skills.According to Paragrah1, Red Riding Hood____.
| A．is popular with children all the time. |
| B．is too old for children to read |
| C．is a poorly organized story |
| D．is too stupid to be believed. |
What is the Brimms’ purpose in publishing the fairy tales?
| A．To improved children’s reading skills. |
| B．To develop educational system. |
| C．To introduce their country’s culture. |
| D．To make a living by selling books. |
By mentioning Philip Pullman, the author intends to____.
| A．describes the achievement of the Brothers Grimm |
| B．present a different side of Grimm fairy tales |
| C．prove the excellence of the Grimm fairy tales |
| D．compare the difference between the two versions |
In which section of a paper is the passage taken from?
| A．Fun Times | B．Comment |
| C．Life and Style | D．Culture. |