【原创】Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. | C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
During the past Spring Festival, many children may have received red packets from their families. But Xing Pu, a 40-year-old economist, is asking the government to give red packets to every Chinese citizen.
Xing suggested the government give out 1,000 Yuan to each Chinese since the government income has increased rapidly in recent years. He said his suggestion would allow everyone to directly enjoy the fruits of the country's economic success, help the lower-income groups deal with rising prices and increase consumption（消费）around the country.
Recent years have seen the government carry out a series of pro-poor (扶贫) and pro-rural（惠农）policies, including increasing spending on public healthcare and calling off the agricultural tax. But the lower-income group still needs more help while being hit hard by an 11-year high in prices and recent snowstorms.
Xing said while making the draft, he has borrowed many ideas from practices in countries like the United States and Singapore. Earlier this year, the governments of the two nations offered cash handouts（救济）to their citizens as the result of a surplus in government income. As for in China, "We can even encourage the rich to donate their 1,000 Yuan red packet to the poor," said Xing.
Although Xing's suggestion has gained wide support among ordinary Chinese on the Internet, many other economists criticized it as unpractical. Even Xing himself admitted he made the suggestion without any careful calculation. But they agreed with Xing's point that the growing economic pie should be shared among the people.
"To better use the increase of money, handing out money is not a solution that holds good for all time. It could be better to improve the public service or cut the price of energy use in daily life," said Qiao Xinsheng, an economic professor.Xing Pu suggested that the government give out 1,000 Yuan to each Chinese because ____.
| A．the poor should get help from the rich |
| B．the government should help the rich |
| C．the growing economic pie should be shared among the people |
| D．the government doesn’t know how to use the money |
What has the government done to help the lower-income group?
| A．Spending less on public health care. |
| B．Increasing the agricultural tax. |
| C．Handing out money to every Chinese. |
| D．Carrying out pro-poor policies. |
According to some experts, what is better than giving out money?
| A．Supplying food to everyone every day. |
| B．Cutting the price of energy use in daily life. |
| C．Controlling the rising of prices. |
| D．Increasing the government income. |
Xing Pu's ideas of giving red packets to every Chinese citizen mainly came from ______.
| A．children receiving red packets from their families |
| B．the US and Singapore governments offering cash handouts to their citizens |
| C．the government's increasing spending on public health care |
| D．the rising prices in the country |
"The days when the management in Western companies presented gold watches to long-serving employees to thank them for loyal service is now just a memory．" says the Educational and Training Support Agency．
This new development in the shape and movement of the workforce throughout Western businesses is partly a result of the way that layers of middle management are being removed, leaving more workers responsible for their own development．
"Having workers take responsibility for their own development might be dramatic, but it is now the rule," says the Educational and Training Support Agency．
"Today, not only are workers more mobile, they have to run to keep up with changes．" says the Government-founded agency．"It is no longer enough for a worker to gain a set of skills．Workers need the ability to react and get used to changes．" This new system is also being pushed along by the way that industry is looking to its workers to renew their own skills．In the United States, some companies have contracts （合同） which repair their employees to show regularly how they have their skills up to date．
Contrary to this traditions of the past, employers in the West are now looking for autonomous learners as recruits, people who can develop their own continuing education beyond the school and university system．At the same time．businesses are developing the capacity for workers to take up autonomous learning on site in workplace, so that the skills and abilities of all workers in a business continue to improve and increase．"This．of course," says business theory．"will also improve the productivity （生产率） of the workers and therefore the profits of the company．"The management in western companies no longer presents gold watches to their employees because _____．
| A．they are not loyal to companies |
| B．other rewards replace gold watches |
| C．the way prove to be a failure |
| D．serving a company for life is rare now |
The western workforce frequently changes their jobs partly because _____．
| A．hopping from job to job has become a new trend |
| B．employees are expecting to have more experiences in their life |
| C．workers have to take more responsibility for themselves |
| D．it is easy to complete themselves by doing so |
The passage seems to suggest that the present situation in society requires that workers should
| A．show more loyalty to their companies |
| B．try to develop their skills to fit in with changes |
| C．go to college to have their skills up to date |
| D．be quick in changing their careers if there is the possibility |
The phrase "autonomous learner" in the last paragraph means _____．
| A．people who have received higher education |
| B．people who study hard themselves |
| C．people who learn things very quickly |
| D．people who continue their study beyond regular education |
Companies require their employee's development mainly because _____．
| A．it will finally help to bring more profits to the company |
| B．it can attract more workers who pay special attention to self-development |
| C．it is good for the employees to develop their skills |
| D．it will make workers more responsible and loyal to the company |
An old problem is getting new attention in the United States—bullying．Recent cases included the tragic case of a fifteen-year-old girl whose family moved from Ireland．She hanged herself in Massachusetts in January following months of bullying．Her parents criticized her school for failing to protect her．Officials have brought criminal charges against several teenagers．
Judy Kaczynski is president of an anti-bullying group called Bully Police USA．Her daughter Tina was the victim of severe bullying starting in middle school in the state of Minnesota．She said, "Our daughter was a very outgoing child．She was a bubbly personality, very involved in all kinds of things, had lots of friends．And over a period of time her grades fell completely．She started having health issues．She couldn't sleep．She wasn't eating．She had terrible stomach pains．She started clenching（紧握，紧咬） her jaw and grinding her teeth at night．She didn't want to go to school．"
Bullying is defined as negative behavior repeated over time against the same person．It can involve physical violence．Or it can be verbal—for example, insults or threats．Spreading lies about someone or excluding a person from a group is known as social or relational bullying．
And now there is cyberbullying, which uses the Internet, e-mail or text messages．It has easy appeal for the bully because it does not involve face-to-face contact and it can be done at any time．
The first serious research studies into bullying were done in Norway in the late 1970s．The latest government study in the United States was released last year．It found that about one-third of students aged twelve to eighteen were bullied at school．
Susan Sweater is a psychologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network．She says schools should treat bullying as a mental health problem to get bullies and victims the help they need．She says bullying is connected to depression, anxiety and anti-social behavior, and bullies are often victims themselves．From the case of Tina, we can know that _____．
| A．bullying is rare | B．victims suffered a lot |
| C．schools are to blame | D．personalities are related |
Which of the following is NOT bullying?
| A．To beat someone repeatedly． |
| B．To call someone names． |
| C．To isolate someone from friends． |
| D．To refuse to help someone in need． |
Why is cyberbullying appealing to the bully?
| A．Because it can involve more people． |
| B．Because it can create worse effects． |
| C．Because it is more convenient． |
| D．Because it can avoid cheating． |
According to Susan Sweater．_____．
| A．bullies are anti-social |
| B．bullies should give victims help |
| C．students are not equally treated |
| D．bullies themselves also need help |
Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．Bullying—An Irish Girl Committed Suicide |
| B．15-year-old Irish Girl Committed Suicide |
| C．Cyberbullying—Taking Off in Schools |
| D．How to Find Bullying among Teens |
Jerry was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant．The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude．He was a natural motivator．It an employee was having a bad day．Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation．
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time．How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, "Jerry, you have two choices today．You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood．' I choose to be in a good mood．Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it．I choose to learn from it．Every time someone comes to me complaining．I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life．I choose the positive side of life．The bottom line It's your choice how you live life．" I reflected on what Jerry said． Later．I left the restaurant industry to start my own business．We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life．
Several years later．I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers．While trying to open the safe, he forgot the password, nervous．The robbers panicked and shot him．Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital．After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care．Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments（碎片） of the bullets still in his body．
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident．When I asked him how he was．he replied．"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied．"Then, as I lay on the floor．I remembered that I had two choices I could choose to live．or I could choose to die．I chose to live．" " Weren ' t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked．Jerry continued, "The doctors and nurses were great．They kept telling me I was going to be fine．But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared．I knew I needed to take action．"
"What did you do?" I asked．"Well, there was a big．strong nurse shouting questions at me．" said Jerry．"She asked if I was allergic （过敏的） to anything．"Yes．' I replied．The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply．I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them．"I am choosing to live．Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead．'"
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude．I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully．The author left Jerry's restaurant because he_____．
| A．wanted to start business on his own |
| B．was afraid of another robbery later |
| C．was not equal to the job any longer |
| D．didn't get along well with others |
Why was Jerry shot?
| A．Because he left the back door open． |
| B．Because he opened the safe too slowly． |
| C．Because he pretended to forget the password． |
| D．Because he didn't open the safe in time． |
What was Jerry really afraid in the emergency room?
| A．The doctors and nurses refused to save him． |
| B．He decided to take action to live again． |
| C．The doctors and nurses came with expressions of regret at his being shot |
| D．He might not be saved by doctors and nurses． |
From the passage we can learn that Jerry _____．
| A．was no longer positive to his life after the operation |
| B．was optimistic even when things were at their worst |
| C．influenced all his colleagues in many ways |
| D．was badly injured and stayed in hospital for six months |
Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
| A．Where there is life．there is hope． |
| B．Everything comes to him who waits． |
| C．Humor is the best medicine that creates miracle． |
| D．Attitude determines everything． |
Even in a weak job market, the old college try isn’t the answer for everyone. A briefing paper from the Brookings Institution warns that “we may have overdone the message” on college, senior fellow Isabel Sawhill said.
“We’ve been telling students and their families for years that college is the only way to succeed in the economy and of course there’s a lot of truth to that,” Ms. Sawhill said. “On average it does pay off… But if you load up on a whole lot of student debt and then you don’t graduate, that is a very bad situation.”
One comment that people often repeat among the years of slow job growth has been the value of education for landing a job and advancing in a career. April’s national unemployment rate stood at 7.5%, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate for high-school graduates over 25 years old who hadn’t attended college was 7.4%, compared with 3.9% for those with a bachelor’s degree or more education. The difference is even bigger among those aged 16-24. The jobless rate for those with only a high school diploma in that age group is about 20%. At the same time, recent research by Canadian economists warns that a college degree is no guarantee of promising employment.
Ms. Sawhill pointed out that among the aspects that affect the value of a college education is the field of one’s major: students in engineering or other sciences end up earning more than those who major in the arts or education. The cost of tuition and the availability of financial aid are other considerations, with public institutions generally a better financial bargain than private ones.
She suggested two ways of improving the situation: increasing vocational-technical(职业技能) training programs and taking a page from Europe’s focus on early education rather than post-secondary learning. “The European countries put a little more attention to getting people prepared in the primary grades,” she said. “Then they have a higher requirement for whoever goes to college—but once you get into college, you’re more likely to be highly subsidized(资助).”
She also is a supporter of technical training—to teach students how to be workers, such as plumbers, welders and computer programmers—because “employers are desperate” for workers with these skills. People usually think that _____.
| A．the cost of technical schooling is a problem |
| B．one will not succeed without a college degree |
| C．technical skills are most important for landing a job |
| D．there is an increased competition in getting into a college |
What does the underlined part “taking a page from” mean?
| A．hearing from. | B．changing from. |
| C．differing from. | D．learning from. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Public institutions charge more for education. |
| B．European universities are stricter with students. |
| C．Students with certain skills are in great demand. |
| D．Canadian students prefer to major in engineering. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
| A．Is the ‘Go to College’ message overdone? |
| B．The new requirement of Labor Market |
| C．Primary education in European countries |
| D．Is technical training more popular? |