In spite of the uncertainty of the economy, the movie industry has been stricken by a box-office outburst. Suddenly it seems as if everyone is going to the movies, with ticket sales this year up 17.5 percent, to $1.7 billion.
And it is not just because ticket prices are higher. Attendance has also jumped, by nearly 16 percent. If that pace continues through the year, it would amount to the biggest box-office increase in at least two decades.
Americans, for the moment, just want to hide in a very dark place. People want to forget their troubles, and they want to be with other people. Helping feed the outburst is the mix of movies, which have been more audience-friendly in recent months as the studios have tried to adjust after the discouraging sales of more serious films.
As she stood in line at the 18-screen Bridge theater complex here on Thursday to buy weekend tickets for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Angel Hernandez was not thinking much about escaping reality. Instead, Ms. Hernandez, a Los Angeles parking lot attendant and mother of four young girls, was focused on one very specific reality: her wallet.
“Spending hundreds of dollars to take them to Disneyland is ridiculous right now,” she said. “For $60 and some candy money I can still be a good mom and give them a little fun.”
A lot of parents may have been thinking the same thing Friday, as “Jonas Brothers” sold out more than 800 theaters, and was expected to sell a powerful $25 million or more in tickets.
The film industry appears to have had a hand in its recent good luck. Over the last year or two, studios have released movies that are happier, scarier or just less depressing than what came before. After poor results for a rush of serious dramas built around the Middle East, Hollywood got back to comedies.Which of the following is not a reason for the improvement of the movie industry?
| A．A growing number of people are going to the cinema. |
| B．People are richer with the development of economy. |
| C．More comedies are made than serious films. |
| D．People have to pay more to watch a movie. |
Ms. Hernandez purchased the movie tickets because ________.
| A．she tried to escape reality |
| B．she was a crazy movie fan |
| C．she was fond of Disneyland |
| D．she wanted to please her kids |
According to the text, which of the following number is not used to describe the shooting up of the movie industry?
| A．17.5% | B．$1.7 billion |
| C．$60 | D．$25 million |
The passage is developed mainly by ________.
| A．presenting the effect and analyzing the causes |
| B．following the order of time |
| C．describing problems and drawing a conclusion |
| D．making comparison of ideas |
Chemical Safety
Procedures for handling chemical spills(泄露) and leaks.
Chemical spills and leaks can be broken down into two basic types: simple spills, which you can clean up yourself and complicated spills, which require outside assistance.
If your spill meets any of the following conditions, it is a complicated spill.
★A person is injured; or
★The identity of the chemical is unknown; or
★Multiple chemicals are involved; or
★The chemical is highly poisonous, flammable (可燃的) or reactive ; or
★The spill/leak occurs in a “public space” such as a corridor; or
★The spill/leak has the potential to spread to other parts of the building such as through the ventilation (通风) system; or
★The clean up procedures are not known or appropriate materials are not readily available; or
★The clean up requires a respirator (呼吸器) (including cartridge respirators) to be worn and no personnel have been trained and fit-tested in accordance(一致) with the campus Respiratory Protection Program; or
★The spill/leak may endanger the environment by reaching waterways or outside ground, or by going down a drain
If none of the above conditions are met, the spill is defined as a simple spill. You may clean up simple spills in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Chemical Safety Guide. For consultative assistance, call Division of Research Safety (DSR) at 333-2755.
| How to report a complicated spill Evacuate(撤退) to a safe location, and alert others to evacuate. Dial 9-911 from a campus phone. Tell the operator you are calling to report a chemical spill at the University of Illinois. Have the following information ready. Name of chemical Quantity spilled Location of spill (Full building name and room number) Number of people injured or slashed If applicable, the occurrence of a fire or explosion Your name and phone number 5. Have someone knowledgeable about the chemical spilled meet the fire department at the main entrance to your building. Take a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the chemical, if it is readily available. |
| A．Some spilled liquid causes a fire in the building. |
| B．Yellow and green gases are leaking from the storage room. |
| C．An unknown red chemical is found on the corridor floor. |
| D．A researcher spills his milk all over the lab floor. |
| A．put on a respirator as soon as possible |
| B．refer to Chapter 6 of the Chemical Safety Guide |
| C．get away from the spill and report it to authorities |
| D．call Division of the Research Safety at 333-2755 |
| A．a mask | B．an explanation about the chemical |
| C．a device | D．another kind of chemical |
| A．Students in the Chemistry Department of a university. |
| B．Researchers working at Chemical Institution of Illinois. |
| C．Members of Division of Research Safety. |
| D．Staff members at a chemical manufacturing company. |
| A．inform people of the dangers of various chemical spills |
| B．introduce complicated spills and necessary measures in response to them |
| C．encourage students to join the campus Respiratory Protection Program |
| D．compare simple spills and complicated spills |
In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are in for trouble social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it’s even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs (免受别人的指责) . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise if they can’t find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.
34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian (独身主义者) but simply a woman who hasn’t come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
“Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will.”
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely.The main idea of the passage is that
| A．marriage is a duty to society |
| B．people should get married before 30 years old |
| C．late marriage should be respected |
| D．women should get married earlier than men |
| A．she doesn’t think he is the right man she wants |
| B．he is either too old or too young |
| C．he is either important or little learned |
| D．he doesn’t have good manners |
| A．interested in | B．satisfied with |
| C．worried about | D．likely to suffer |
| A．In China, one may face social blame and family pressure if one hasn’t got married by 30. |
| B．Miss Kate’s parents are always worried about her marriage. |
| C．Miss Kate won’t compromise if she can’t have her ideal marriage. |
| D．Miss Kate wants to marry a worthy young man. |
| A．everybody will be happy and satisfied |
| B．nobody will pay attention to whether you are happy or not in your family life |
| C．you can easily find an ideal partner |
| D．young people will have nothing to worry about in marriage |
Three Central Texas men were honored with the Texas Department of Public Safety's Director's Award in a Tuesday morning ceremony for their heroism in saving the victims of a fiery two car accident.
The accident occurred on March 25 when a vehicle lost control while traveling on a rain-soaked State Highway 6 near Baylor Camp Road. It ran into an oncoming vehicle, leaving the occupants trapped inside as both vehicles burst into flames.
Bonge was the first on the scene and heard children screaming. He broke through a back window and pulled Mallory Smith, 10, and her sister, Megan Smith,9,from the wreckage.
The girls' mother, Beckie Smith, was not with them at the time of the wreck, as they were traveling with their baby sitter, Lisa Bow bin.
Beckie Smith still remembers the sickening feeling she had up on receiving the call informing her of the wreck and the despair as she drove to the scene.
Bozeman and Clemmons arrived shortly after Bonge and helped rescue the other victims and attempted to put out the fires.
"I was nervous," Bozeman said." I don't feel like I'm a hero. I was just doing what anyone should do in that situation. I hope someone would do the same for me."
Everyone at the accident made it out alive, with the victims suffering from nonlife-threatening injuries. Mallory Smith broke both femurs, and Megan had neck and back injuries. Bowbin is still recovering from a broken pelvis, ankle and foot.
The rescuers also were taken to the hospital and treated for cuts and smoke breathing, Bonge said.
In addition, Bozeman not to meet accident victim Anthony Rus so in the hospital after the accident, where Russo presented him with a glass frame inscribed with" Thank you," Bozeman said. Those involved in that fateful encounter on Highway 6 credited God blessing for bringing them together.
"Whatever the circumstances, Tuesday's ceremony provided a time to be grateful for those who put their lives on the line for the lives of complete strangers," Beckie Smith said," We're calling it The Miracle on Highway 6."Which of the following can be used to describe Bozeman?
| A．Kind. | B．Modest. | C．Excited. | D．Smart. |
Who saved Megan Smith from the damaged car?
| A．Clemmons. | B．Anthony Russo. |
| C．Bozeman. | D．Bonge. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Three persons were awarded for rescuing victims in a car accident. |
| B．Three ordinary people were regarded as great heroes. |
| C．Several victims were carried to safety from the burning cars. |
| D．A car accident occurred on a rain-soaked State Highway 6. |
It can be inferred from what Beckie Smith said that ____.
| A．she regarded the accident as a wonder |
| B．she was frightened by the serious accident |
| C．she thought highly of the rescuers |
| D．she called on others to learn from the rescuers |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Luckily, no one received too serious injuries in the accident. |
| B．All the victims received slight injuries in the accident. |
| C．The rescuers were taken to the hospital to visit the victims. |
| D．The injured will soon recover from their injuries. |
Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed (称赞).
Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas.
First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movement that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art.
Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal.
Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.
She was as exciting and eccentric (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?
| A．Something to conquer. | B．A model for movement. |
| C．A place to find peace. | D．A symbol of disorder. |
Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.
| A．costly | B．colorful |
| C．graceful | D．restrictive |
Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?
| A．The stage set. | B．The music. |
| C．Costumes. | D．Movements. |
We can infer from the passage that the author _________.
| A．appreciates modern dance very much |
| B．dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance |
| C．thinks highly of individuality |
| D．knows a lot about modern arts |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Artists of the Last Century |
| B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century |
| C．Natural Movement in Dance |
| D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance |
One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality conflicted with mine. He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. My hostility toward that clerk increased with each step.
On the outside, standing by the road, was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, dazzling smile covered his face. I gave way immediately. The magnetic power of that smile dissolved all bitterness within me, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” I remarked in passing. Then, I turned back. “I really owe you a debt of gratitude,” I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. “Sir, but he doesn’t speak English,” she volunteered. “You want I should tell him something?”
At that moment I felt transformed. The young man’s smile had made a big person of me.
“Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said ‘Thank you!’ ”
“Thank you?” The woman seeded slightly puzzled. I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. “Just tell him that,” I insisted. “He will understand; I am sure!”
Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.The author left the store angrily because____.
| A．his intended purchases were of poor quality. |
| B．there’s nothing he wanted in the shop |
| C．the clerk didn’t speak English |
| D．the clerk didn’t treat him kindly |
The underlined word “hostility” in the first paragraph probably means ____.
| A．attitude | B．hatred | C．idea | D．opinion |
What does the author mean by saying “I found the muscles in my own face happily responding” in Paragraph 2 ?
| A．He did not want to smile. |
| B．He would thank the young man. |
| C．He smiled back at the young man. |
| D．He was happy to meet the young man. |
The passage tell us that we should____.
| A．help people in trouble |
| B．smile at others |
| C．practice smiling every day |
| D．be generous to strangers |
The author asked the woman to say “Thank you!” to the young man because the young man___.
| A．taught the author a valuable lesson |
| B．taught the author how to smile |
| C．had offered help to the author |
| D．was a friendly employee of the shop |