Geena David knew she wanted to be a movie star when she was very young. She was not sure what gave her the idea, but she wanted to look like a movie star. “I have a lot of pictures from my childhood of me wearing sunglasses,” she says. “I used to wear them to watch TV.”
Early movie actors started wearing sunglasses not because they looked good, but because their eyes hurt. The lights used on movie sets were extremely bright and could cause a painful problem known as “Klieg eyes”. It was named after the Klieg brothers who invented the lights. Actors wore sunglasses to give their eyes a rest. But when movie stars began wearing their sunglasses in public, they quickly became a must.
Eventually actors started wearing sunglasses in their movies as well as on the street. Audrey Hephburn wore ultra-cool Ray-Ban sunglasses in the 1961 movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. As a result, Ray-Ban sunglasses started to appear more and more in the movies. In 1979, Ray-Ban “Wayfarers” were worn by Jake and Elwood in The Blue Brothers. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Ban “Aviator” sunglasses in the 1986 hit, Top Gun. Then in 1997, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones made Ray-Ban “Predator” sunglasses famous in Men in Black.
Of course sunglasses aren’t just a fashion statement. The main reason to wear sunglasses is to protect our eyes against UV radiation. UV radiation can damage our eyes, so people now choose their sunglasses carefully. But you don’t have to give up style for safety. The choice of frames and lenses available these days is huge. So you can protect your eyes and still be the coolest person on the beach.What is mainly discussed in this passage?
A.The use of sunglasses. |
B.The history of sunglasses. |
C.Why movie stars like to wear sunglasses. |
D.The sunglasses wearing. |
Why did Geena David like to wear sunglasses?
A.She wanted to follow a movie star. |
B.She was a movie star. |
C.Wearing sunglasses was good to her eyes. |
D.It was good to wear sunglasses when watching TV. |
Early actors’ eyes hurt because ______.
A.they wore sunglasses |
B.they went out in the sun too much |
C.their scripts were written in very small writing |
D.the lights on movie sets were too bright |
We may know from this passage that ______.
A.Ray-Ban is the name of sunglasses maker |
B.Audrey Hephburn was a famous film star |
C.Sunglasses made Top Gun the hit in 1986 |
D.Men in Black must be an advertisement of sunglasses |
Now people wear sunglasses ______.
A.for fashion and to protect their eyes |
B.just to protect their eyes |
C.because of bright lights |
D.because movie stars wear them |
Until a relatively short time ago, traveling abroad was limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople. Flying abroad was not common for the average person. In time, however, plane travel became safer, more convenient, and less expensive. As a result, people of different backgrounds now fly to distant places for pleasure and businesspeople fly to one country for a breakfast or lunch conference, and then fly to another country for a dinner meeting.
With the world becoming smaller, many young adults make the decision to study in foreign universities. It is an exciting, challenging experience to live in a foreign country. Anyone who can study abroad is fortunate; but, of course, it is not easy to change from one culture to another. One faces many difficulties.
The student who studies in a foreign country leaves behind a familiar, loving, comfortable environment. Back home, he has his family, friends, and acquaintances. He knows the language, politics, money, food, social customs, and so forth. He knows all the unclear aspects of his native culture, such as body language, and bargaining practices, etc. in short, he knows “the system” in his native country. Then one day he leaves all this behind and suddenly finds himself in a place where everyone and everything is strange, perhaps even confusing. All this strangeness is a major surprise to a person’s self-confidence. This sudden change often leads to a reaction called culture shock.
Foreigners experience different degrees of culture shock. The symptoms range from being ill at ease to being seriously depressed. Feeling homesick, unhappy, and very sensitive are other signs of culture shock. It is easy to understand that the endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would produce dissatisfaction, and perhaps even hostility. People are always at ease in a familiar environment. A mature, realistic person experiences mild, temporary symptoms; the insecure newcomer suffers more seriously from a culture shock.
During the inevitable period of adjustment, the international student tends to complain about everything in the new environment. In fact, the student is likely to exaggerate the problems. When the student meets another miserable person from the same country, he will pour out his unhappy feelings. Together they can complain in their native language. Although this complaining provides temporary satisfaction, it certainly does not help him adapt to a new society. Being negative will never get rid of the feelings of frustrations. The mature person understands that a positive attitude, determination, and flexibility are important in making the change successful. A sense of humor is a big help.
76. Nowadays, flying abroad is ___ ____.
A. limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople
B. more convenient but less safe
C. common for the average person
D. not common for the average person
77. “The system” in the third paragraph includes the following except _________.
A. social customs
B. bargaining practices
C. politics
D. foreign culture
78. Culture shock affects foreigners _________.
A. in just the same way
B. in the same degree
C. in quite similar ways
D. in different degrees
79. Endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would create _________.
A. dissatisfaction
B. discomfort
C. hostility
D. all of the above
80. The following are important in fighting culture shock except _________.
A. determination
B. a positive attitude
C. a sense of humor
D. hostility
Wall Street is the banking center of New York City. But how did the street get its unusual name? To find out, we must go back to the early years of exploration in North America.
New York City was first called New Amsterdam by the explorer Henry Hudson. He was working for a Dutch trading company when he entered what is now the lower Hudson River area in the year 1609. There he found an island that was a perfect trading harbor. The Manhattan Indians lived there.
Dutch traders built a town on the end of Manhattan Island. It became a rich trading center. But the British questioned the right of the Dutch to control the area. The two nations went to war in 1652.
The governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, worried that British settlers in New England would attack his town. He ordered that a protective wall be built at the north edge of Manhattan. The wall was more than 2,290 feet long. It extended from the Hudson River to the East River.
The British never attacked New Amsterdam. So the wall was never tested in war. But the path beside it became known as Wall Street. Later, Wall Street became a street of banks and business.
Dealing in stocks and shares in the stock markets began in the 17th Century. An informal market developed around the coffee houses in the City of London gradually. In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became the informal Stock Exchange, and it was formally established till 1802. at that time London was the largest share market, and the growth of the Industrial Revolution helped the establishment of local share markets in other parts of the country --- more than 330 of them when there were most. These markets first began moves towards combination in 1890, when the Council of Associated Stock Exchanges was formed. By 1967 all the “Country” Exchanges had got together themselves into six regional exchanges, and in 1973 all seven exchanges in the British Isles came together to form The Stock Exchanges of Great Britain and Ireland, and its member firms spread from Aberdeen to the Channel Islands and from Lancaster to Limerick.
72. Manhattan was named after __________.
A. a Dutch explorer
B. a British colonist
C. an Indian tribe
D. the Dutch governor
73. The British and the Dutch went to war in 1652 because __________.
A. they both liked the rich island
B. they both wanted to have Wall Street
C. they both wanted to control the rich area
D. they had questions in some aspects unsolved
74. The wall _________.
A. was used in the war
B. was never used in the war
C. was destroyed later
D. was so weak that the British never tested it
75. In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became _________.
A. the place the merchants had their ventures
B. an informal stock exchanges
C. a formal stock exchanges
D. the biggest market in Britain
Active participation in the classroom is not only accepted but also expected of the student in many courses. Some professors base part of the final grade on the student’s oral participation. Although there are formal lectures during which the student has a passive role (I.e., listening and taking notes), many courses are organized around classroom discussions, students questions, and informal lectures.
A professor’s teaching style is another factor that determines the degree and type of student participation. Some professors prefer to control discussion while others prefer to guide the class without controlling it. Many professors encourage students to question and challenge their ideas. Students who make statements that contradict the professor’s point of view should be prepared to prove their positions.
Ideally, the teacher-student relationship at universities is characterized by trust. The “honor system” demands that the student be honest in all areas of school work. Thus, cheating on tests, presenting others’ ideas as original, and turning in homework done by someone else are all forbidden.
Violation of the honor system can result in a student’s failing a course, having a record of the violation placed in the student’s school files, or even being driven out from the university. Students who cheat may lose the respect of other students, particularly those who study for exams and work independently. When leaving the classroom while students are taking an exam, an instructor may or may not say, “I expect you all to obey the honor system.” Even if the words are not stated, the student is expected to work alone and not to share answers.
68. In many courses, teachers__________.
A. allow the students to participate
B. require the students to participate
C. both A and B
D. neither A nor B
69. If a student does not agree with the professor in a lecture, the student is encouraged to __________.
A. remain silent
B. challenge the professor
C. leave the class
D. tell the professor immediately that he is wrong
70. If a professor believes in the “honor system,” it implies his _________.
A. suspicion of the students
B. distrust of the students
C. trust in the students
D. pride in the students
71. Violations of the honor system do not include __________.
A. cheating
B. failing a course
C. sharing answers
D. handing in homework done by another student
Matsushita, the world’s largest provider of consumer electronics, has decided to move in on Hollywood. Last weekend, Matsushita company leaders met with movies VIPs from MCA, Inc., the entertainment community that produced the movies as “Jaws” and “E.T. the Extra-terrestrial”. If the negotiations are successful, Matsushita will pay somewhere between $6 billion and $7.5 billion for MCA, by far the largest U.S. buying by a Japanese company.
The deal is larger than last year’s $5 billion buying of Columbia Pictures by Matsushita’s competitor, Sony Corporation. The movement by the Japanese companies shows Tokyo’s growing interest in the entertainment world. It is surprising for both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Why does a disciplined, no-nonsense nation like Japan want to get into show business? The answer is quite simple: To make money. Japanese corporation leaders feel the global potential of the entertainment business and recognize that there is an increasing market for movies and television in the rapidly industrializing world.
65. The movement of buying American entertainment companies by the Japanese shows that____ _.
A. American movies are better than Japanese
B. Japan has growing interest in the entertainment world
C. Japanese market is larger than American market
D. Japanese people are richer
66. A disciplined nation like Japan wants to get into show business because _____
A. they want to make money
B. they want to learn from American people
C. they want to entertain their people
D. they want to win in the competition
67. Matsushita would pay ______ for MCA.
A.$5 billion
B.$6 billion
C.$7.5 billion
D. Somewhere between $6 billion to $7.5 billion
Breathe, wave and smile.Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement(graduation ceremony).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(美国的爱国誓言).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core(the most important part) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
56. What’s the article mainly about?
A.An American high school’s graduation ceremony.
B.The opening ceremony of a sports meeting.
C.A presentation of college diplomas.
D.A US college’s farewell party.
57. Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?
A. She was one of the graduates.
B. She was a foreign exchange student.
C. She was excited to receive her diploma.
D. She felt it great to be at the ceremony.
58. The right order of the following events is______.
a.Diplomas were presented to graduates. b.Students gave farewell speeches.
c.The US national anthem was played. d.The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e.Seniors went into the stadium.
A. b,c,a,d,e B. c,d,b,e,a C. d,b,e,a,c D. e,d,c,b,a
59.From the text, we can conclude that_______.
A.a diploma ensures a good job
B.a diploma guarantees a bright future
C.the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life
D.everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma
60. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?
A. Hollywood superstars went to attend the commencement.
B. Every single senior became a superstar on the commencement day.
C. All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives.
D. When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were loud cheers.