D
For 23 years, Barbara Bentree had been making Los Angeles her home, thriving on the bustle of city life.
She said, “As a singer who studied music education in college, I moved to California in my early 20s with stars in my eyes.” She found work — teaching in private schools, and in her spare time she performed in one-woman shows, sang for various studio recordings and even appeared as a singer in several episodes of TV shows, including Ally McBeal, Days of Our Lives and Wings. Through teaching, she began to make connections with people in the production world and was soon being referred to work with children in the entertainment industry.
“I was young and single and really excited about being in a big city,” Bentree said about those early years in Los Angeles. “To participate in movies and television was very, very exciting.”
Eventually, Bentree was recruited to work on The Mickey Mouse Club TV show as a music producer, helping to train Mouseketeers, including famous alumnae Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. She worked in various production and music director roles for big networks like Disney, and eventually met and fell in love with her husband, John Rangel, a pianist and composer, who moved to Los Angeles from Florida in the early 1990s to be closer to her. They married two years ago, after decades together.
The couple lived along the city’s striking coastline, in beachfront areas such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu. “They were wonderful and beautiful,” Bentree said, “but very expensive.” To keep up with the cost of their rented apartment, Bentree worked on several projects that were lucrative but not artistically satisfying.
At one point she looked at her life and realized she was spending 10 hours a week in the car, commuting (通勤) back and forth to work on a particular project.
“It was a little crazy, and there was a lot of running around,” Bentree said. “When I turned 50, I started to have the feeling that Los Angeles is not the place for me to grow old. The things that were important to me when I was young — all that excitement, the sense of accomplishment and ambition — have changed,” she continued. “Now, what I find interesting is time, and being close to nature and my community. I am less interested in feeling like I’m living in the center of the universe.”
Around 2004, the couple decided not to renew the lease on their apartment. Towards the end of the year, Bentree visited a friend who had a guest house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and after two weeks, she told her husband she knew she was not going back to Los Angeles. In 2005, she made the move to Santa Fe permanently. It took a bit longer for Rangel to come round to the idea, commuting back and forth to Los Angeles weekly via two-hour-long plane rides for the first year, but eventually, he settled in as well.
As it happened, leaving the center of the entertainment world was the spark the couple needed to really get in touch with their own creativity.
The couple bought a home together there, which, according to Bentree, cost her probably twice as much as in Los Angeles, and began saving on major expenses, including car insurance and taxes. The lower cost of living also allowed Bentree to fundamentally restructure her days. Now she generally teaches two days a week and spends the remaining five working on creative pursuits, including a screenplay, a book of poetry and children’s books. “There is something comforting about being a medium or small fish in a relatively small pond as opposed to a microscopic fish in a huge pond,” she said.
Perhaps the biggest change for Bentree has been the connection to nature she feels day in and day out in her new home. Nature, according to her, is her “healing place”, her “inspiration place” and her “church”. Though the landscape around Los Angeles is lovely, in her current home she can be up in the mountains, walking through a forest by a stream, within five minutes. She recently released a new nature-inspired CD, Green, which explores various environmental issues, and is donating 100 percent of the profits to support the related causes.
“I used to say I was a ‘jazz artist’ but now I say I’m a ‘jazz activist’,” Bentree said. “I’m using music to promote my political causes and points of view.”
At no point, however, has Bentree regretted waiting so long to leave Los Angeles and her past life. Her wants and needs have changed gradually over time.
“I loved every part of living in Los Angeles for the first 10 years. The next five years were great, too. It was really only during the last few years that I started to consider leaving,” she said. “Now, I’m in a new chapter. It was scary to make that big change, but life is an adventure.”
What can we conclude from Paragraph 2?
| A．Bentree disliked teaching in the schools. |
| B．Bentree did a lot to pursue her dreams. |
| C．Bentree found it hard to live in the new city. |
| D．Bentree intended to contact famous people. |
When Bentree met her husband for the first time, .
| A．she was the director of The Mickey Mouse Club |
| B．he had lived in Los Angeles for so many years |
| C．she was seeking a job in the music industry |
| D．he worked somewhere far away from Los Angeles |
What does the underlined word “lucrative” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．Profitable. | B．Voluntary. |
| C．Terrible. | D．Legal. |
Which of the following is typical of Bentree’s life in Los Angeles?
| A．Living a comfortable life full of free time and artistic creativity. |
| B．Most of the time being on the way to hunt for a new teaching job. |
| C．Leading a very costly life lacking in artistical satisfaction. |
| D．Always being ready to move from one apartment to another. |
By the underlined part, Bentree means .
| A．a small pond is the equal of a big one as far as comfort is concerned |
| B．she actually prefers living in a relatively big city as an ordinary person |
| C．a relatively small pond is a good place for a fish to live comfortably |
| D．she prefers to live in a relatively small city rather than in a big one |
How does Bentree feel about living in the new home?
| A．She feels busy and exhausted. |
| B．It is colorful and meaningful. |
| C．She feels relaxed but lonely. |
| D．It is hopeful but stressful. |
“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.
The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her streng
th in surviving the war and its hardships.
Love story
In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that h
as kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant(不相关的) to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.
With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."(毫不在乎)
Great epic (史诗)
The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.
When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression(侵略), people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.
Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.
Biggest of all time
The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the novel Gone with the Wind | B．"tomorrow is another day" |
| C．the movie Gone with the Wind | D．the Academy Award |
The text is written mainly to _______.
| A．celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell |
| B．introduce how the film was directed and filmed |
| C．throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind" |
| D．inspire people to struggle the economic downturn |
It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.
| A．optimistic and lucky | B．childish and realistic |
| C．caring and stubborn (固执的) | D．strong-minded and persistent (坚毅的) |
The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.
| A．prove that the background of the movie touched viewers |
| B．describe how popular the movie was at that time |
| C．point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment |
| D．tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then |
A number of scientific studies have suggested that repeatedly heading a football could increase the risk of developing dementia (痴呆症) in later life.
In 2002, former England international footballer Jeff Astle died aged 59. A coroner (验尸官) said that Astle died from a brain disease likely to have been caused by “repeated small damages to the brain” related to heading a heavy leather football.
Dr. Scott Delaney, research director of emergency medicine at McGill University Health Center in Montreal, Canada, has also researched soccer-related head injury and agrees that head-to-head or elbow-to-head blows are the real risk.
In 2007, Delaney carried out a study on footballers aged between 12 and 17 that showed they were half as likely to be concussed (使脑部受到震荡) wearing headgear (帽) than without.
He said youngsters have a higher risk of head injury than adults because their heads are thinner and less able to absorb shock. To make matters worse, their neck muscles aren’t as well developed and they often lack the correct heading technique that can help throw away the force of the ball.
Delaney recommends that children wear headgear when playing football and says his two eldest children wear head protection playing the sport. But he admits that children can be unwilling to be the first to wear head protection—especially when their football heroes play without it.
While headgear can protect footballers from being concussed during a match, no one knows the long-term effects of repeated “sub-concussive” blows to the head.
Delaney says that while there is indirect evidence that a career in soccer can lead to dementia, no one has yet found a sure link between the two. He says proving a link would mean monitoring hundreds of footballers for three or four decades—and that would take a lot of funding.Which might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Playing football may lead to brain damage. |
| B．Repeated small damages to the brain. |
| C．Footballers should wear headgear when playing. . |
| D．Evidence to dementia. |
According to Delaney’s research, what is the most risky injuries to head?
| A．Long-term effects of blows. |
| B．Wearing head protection. |
| C．Underdeveloped neck muscles. |
| D．Head-to-head or elbow-to-head blows. |
Children are unwilling to wear headgear because they think _____ .
| A．headgear is harmful to their heads | B．headgear influences their skills |
| C．they should follow their idols | D．they mustn’t lead the fashion |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _____ .
| A．Delaney has studied dementia for three or four decades |
| B．few footballers would like to be studied in the research |
| C．funding is important in order to carry out the research. |
| D．no one can find the link between playing football and dementia |
It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don’t have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a “winter wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It’s cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn’t surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it’s warm and pretty—like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song “California Dreaming”.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope and possibilities.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called “Winter”. She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child.
Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it. The underlined sentence “For some areas, that means snow.” probably means
_____ .
| A．In some areas, when it’s winter, it must snow |
| B．In some areas, it often snows in winter |
| C．In some areas, it’s important to snow |
| D．In some areas, people like snow in winter |
According to the second paragraph, winter is _____ .
| A．beautiful and happy | B．happy and warm |
| C．lovely and hopeful | D．cold and sad |
Which of the songs can bring us hope of life?
| A．Winter Wonderland. | B．California Dreaming. |
| C．A Hazy Shade of Winter. | D．Sometimes in Winter. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Winter in different areas. | B．Different ideas about winter. |
| C．Songs about winter. | D．Winter is cold but happy. |
Off the Beaten Path
Cover price: $30.00
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The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over 1,000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.
Container Gardens by Number
Cover price: $15.95
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A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.
Best Weekend Projects
Cover price: $17.95
Our price: $13.96
Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.
1801 Home Remedies
Cover price: $40.00
Our price: $29.96
Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.You can most probably read the passage in a _____ .
| A．newspaper | B．travel guide | C．reference book | D．textbook |
How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?
| A．$6.46 | B．$10.20 | C．$13.96 | D．$19.8 |
Which of the following could help you deal with common diseases without a doctor?
| A．Off the Beaten Path. | B．Container Gardens by Number. |
| C．1801 Home Remedies. | D．Best Weekend Projects. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To share opinions about the books with readers. |
| B．To advise readers to read more in spare time. |
| C．To share the pleasure of reading with readers. |
| D．To advise readers to buy their books. |
“Hurry, Mommy! Let’s go trick-or-treating!” My daughter waited by the door in her pink princess skirt while I prayed in the living room. Usually I liked taking her out on Halloween, but this year I was sad. I was worried about my mother, who was in China on vacation. I got a call that afternoon that she had slipped and fallen on the hard floor of her hotel and broken her leg. She was taken to a hospital in Beijing. Mom was nervous because she couldn’t understand any of the doctors. If only I could do something to help her!
I knew I couldn’t let my worries spoil my daughter’s fun. There was nothing I could do for Mom except pray, I thought. We left the house and went down the block. I was so upset that I hardly took notice of the kids around me. There came the man to whose son I’d once given piano lessons. “Hello there,” I said, greeting him and the boy at his side.
“Hello,” the father answered. “Having fun?”“I’m trying,” I said. “Why, what’s wrong?” he asked. I told him the whole story. “My mother, in China, broke her leg and didn’t understand any of the doctors. And I’m too far away to do anything!” I said.
He raised his eyebrows. “Beijing, you said?” he asked. I nodded. He smiled. “Believe it or not, my sister is a doctor at an English-speaking hospital there. If you want, I’ll make a call right away and we’ll try and get your mom transferred (转移).”
A few days later I sat in the living room with my daughter as she finished the last of the candy. “Mommy, how far away is China?” she asked. “Not as far as I thought,” I said.What did the author’s daughter want to do?
| A．Pray with the author. | B．Enjoy herself outside. |
| C．Play a trick on her mom. | D．Go to the theatre to see a play. |
What was the author’s mother worried about most?
| A．She couldn’t get used to the life in Beijing. |
| B．She was hurt in the leg badly while travelling. |
| C．She was too old and weak to pray for her daughter. |
| D．She couldn’t make herself understood by the doctor. |
The author hardly took notice of the kids around because _____ .
| A．she was calling her mother | B．she felt very sad at that time |
| C．she was about to give a lesson | D．she couldn’t find her daughter |
We can infer from the text that _____ .
| A．the man’s sister would help the author’s mother |
| B．the author would come to China to see her mother |
| C．the author was a famous music teacher in the town |
| D．the author’s daughter wanted to travel in China |