“Free Solo” is a documentary beautifully calculated to literally take your breath away. And it does. The film’s subject, Alex Honnold, is the top-ranking climber of free soloing, the art of climbing dizzyingly steep rock faces with no ropes, no harnesses (安全带), just bare hands and dazzling determination and skill. “There’s no margin for error; you have to do it perfectly,” one climber explains, comparing the endeavor to an Olympic sport where “if you don’t get the gold medal you are going to die.”
“Free Solo” opens with a striking overhead shot, almost too exciting to watch, of Honnold at work, his hands finding narrow gaps that don’t seem to exist, pulling off seeing — is — not — believing moves that are more astonishing than the most ambitious special effect.
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, “Free Solo” lets us in on how much went into the climb on a physical, psychological and emotional level, showing us how meticulously (细致地) even the tiniest move is planned. Vasarhelyi and Chin are the ideal people to tell this story, and not only because they’ve already done another superb mountaineering film, 2015’s “Meru”, which was short-listed for the best documentary Oscar. Chin has been an accomplished climber as well as a photographer and filmmaker, so he’s known Honnold for years and has the kind of friendship with the climber that makes the film possible.
Chin insisted his entire crew, including fellow cinematographers Clair Popkin and Mikey Schaefer, be experienced climbers, and one of the film’s most dramatic aspects is how nervous these extremely knowledgeable folks were about Honnold’s safety. The directors and crew worried that their presence might put too much pressure on Honnold or might lead to acts of what Chin characterizes as “Kodak courage”. More than that, no one wanted to be there shooting film if he made a mistake and died.
A perfectionist since Honnold was a boy, he found his gift for free solo early. One possible reason why Honnold is so good at it, which doctors hypothesized after giving him an MRI, is that his amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates fear, doesn’t react the way it does in most people. Though we inevitably worry about Honnold’ future safety, we’ve come to understand why his mother, Dierdre Wolownick, says that “climbing is when he feels the most alive. How can you take that away from somebody?” Seeing him at the peak of his skill on the biggest screen possible is an experience for everybody to savor (尽情享受).
1.What does it take to free solo?
A.Gift and good fortune.
B.Knowledge and experience.
C.Strength, determination and skill.
D.Ropes, harnesses, a photographer and a filmmaker.
2.Why are Vasarhelyi and Chin the ideal people to tell this story?
A.They’ve ever shot a superb mountaineering documentary.
B.They have rich experience and companionship with Honnold.
C.They were accomplished climbers, photographers and filmmakers.
D.They are physically, psychologically and emotionally well prepared.
3.Which of the following best describes Honnold as a climber?
A.Wild and daring.
B.Gifted and vain.
C.Demanding and particular.
D.Talented and perfectionistic.
4.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A.“Kodak courage” is highly expected.
B.Too much pressure was put on Honnold.
C.Chin and his crew cared much about Honnold’s safety.
D.Chin took on knowledgeable folks to shoot the documentary.
There’s a blue house in central Florida that’s hard to miss. It’s somewhat famous among people who live nearby — it’s painted to look like Starry Night”, the iconic painting by Vincent van Gogh — but not everyone is a fan of the larger-than-life artwork.
“We had not originally intended to paint the house like this,” Nancy Nemhauser, who lives there with her husband, Lubomir Jastrzebski, and their adult son, told TODAY. They started by painting the wall that runs outside of their home, because it was “in disrepair” and they wanted it to look nice. The couple said they even asked permission from the city to paint the wall, and were told it was OK.
“So we went ahead and started having the wall painted by an artist who has his work shown throughout South America,” Nemhauser said. They chose Van Gogh because their son, who has autism (自闭症), is a fan — and they hoped that the mural would come in handy if he ever wandered far from home.
“God forbid he were to be in a situation where he did not have the ability to tell people his address clearly. We’re hoping that he would have the ability to at least say that he belongs at the Van Gogh house,” Nemhauser said. The couple added that their son loves the look of the house. “There’s some magical connection I think between Van Gogh and autistic kids, because Van Gogh was possibly also autistic,” Jastrzebski said.
After the couple painted the wall, they got a citation (传票) from the city stating that the wall painting was considered graffiti (涂鸦), and that the wall must match the house. That’s when they decided to paint the entire house to look like “Starry Night” — knowing that’s not quite what the city had in mind, but confident that they weren’t breaking any law.
Since then, they’ve been fined $10,600. In February, they filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming the city is violating their right to freedom of expression.
Neither Mount Dora city officials nor their lawyer would comment on the issue. But in February, they did say in a statement that they were trying to preserve the residential character of our neighborhoods, and that the house “may present a distraction to safe vehicle operation along the street which fronts the home”.
Nemhauser and Jastrzebski add that many neighbors love the house, and thousands of people have signed an online petition (请愿) in support of keeping the painting. While both sides are in settlement talks, the fate of the mural is still up in the air. The family said they were ready to battle for what they believe in.
1.What was the couple’s initial intention to paint the wall?
A.To beautify the damaged wall.
B.To respond to the call of the city.
C.To assist an artist to show his work.
D.To express their son’s admiration to Van Gogh.
2.What does the underlined phrase “God forbid” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.May God forgive us.
B.It’s forbidden by God.
C.Even God can’t help it.
D.We hope it does not happen.
3.What’s Mount Dora city officials’ attitude towards the unique house?
A.Supportive. B.Disapproving.
C.Ambiguous. D.Understanding.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.“Starry Night” house in Florida arouses a heated debate.
B.Neighbors sign an online petition in support of “Starry Night” house.
C.The magical connection between Van Gogh and autistic kids.
D.Homeowners battle for their “Starry Night” house in Florida.
Red Adair became “the man to call” if you wanted a fire in an oil well put out, a task that was extremely dangerous and difficult.
One of Red Adair’s most dangerous jobs was in 1962. He and his men put out a natural gas fire in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. The fire had been burning for six months. The fire was so fierce that American astronaut John Glenn could see it from space as he orbited Earth and the sand around the fire had melted into glass from the extreme heat. This famous fire was called the “Devil’s Cigarette Lighter”.
Adair’s success with the big fire and earlier well fires captured the imagination of the American film industry. In 1968, Hollywood made an action film called “Hellfighters” which was roughly based on events in Red Adair’s life. Adair said one of the best honors in the world was to have John Wayne play him in a movie.
In 1988, Adair troubleshot what was possibly the world’s worst ocean accident at the Piper Alpha oil platform in the North Sea. Not only did Red Adair and his team have to put out the fires but they also had to deal with winds blowing at more than one hundred and twenty kilometers an hour, as well as the sea which was at least twenty meters high.
In March of 1991, Red Adair went to Kuwait to put out about seven hundred Kuwaiti fires following the Persian Gulf War. His efforts saved millions of liters of oil. Some experts say the operation also helped prevent an environmental tragedy.
Red Adair died at 89. Many Americans remember him as a very brave man. He lived his life troubleshooting danger. He was known for risking his own life to save others.
1.Why was John Glenn mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A.To explain how the sand melted.
B.To confirm it was a natural gas fire.
C.To prove the fire was really big.
D.To show Adair’s job was important.
2.What can be learned about Hellfighters?
A.It was a big hit in Hollywood.
B.It was directed by John Wayne.
C.It is a documentary on firefighters.
D.It is mainly based on Adair’s life.
3.What happened in 1988?
A.Adair was asked to put out a big ocean fire.
B.Many people died in a big ocean fire accident.
C.Adair helped prevent an environmental tragedy.
D.Strong winds caused a big ocean fire.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A.The danger of fires B.Red Adair’s life story
C.A great firefighter D.Some unforgettable fires in the world
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Punta Senca Resort
Punta Senca Resort features one of the finest Caribbean beaches. The facilities include garden areas with quiet relaxation spaces and over two miles of paths for walking and jogging. The beauty of the garden spaces is improved by thousands of tropical flowers, native sculpture, and three spectacular fountains.
Punta Senca is one of our most family-friendly resorts (度假胜地). One option any family should consider is our Family Package, in which up to two children under ten years old stay and eat free. We know you love your family, but we also know that sometimes different family members prefer different activities. While Mom and Dad are cared for in our Spa and Wellness Center, our friendly staff can help the kids explore the island through a variety of activities, including horseback riding, sailing lessons, and bike trips.
Punta Senca also features a variety of restaurants offering exciting dining experiences. We have a steakhouse, a bakery and coffee shop, a home-style Italian restaurant, a seafood restaurant serving fresh-caught fish from local fishermen, and a casual bar and grill for dining on the beach.
Guest review
Sara P. 06/23/2019
My family and I went to Punta Senca for a week and it was fine. But just that — fine. I really was expecting something a little more special. For example, I was shocked to find the different restaurant options weren’t all open every night of the week. Most nights, only two or three of the restaurants were open. And I really was unimpressed by the food.
1.What is the main benefit of the SunBridge Advantage?
A.A relatively low total price. B.A small hotel charge.
C.A discount on food. D.A low airfare.
2.How does Punta Senca Resort help families have fun?
A.It provides special food for children.
B.It has different recreation options.
C.It has playground equipment.
D.It offers group transportation.
3.How would Sara P. likely describe her experience?
A.Unremarkable. B.Unpleasant.
C.Rewarding. D.Indescribable.
假定你是李华，你学校下个月将举办“Approach to China”为主题的英语演讲比赛，目前正在招募比赛选手。请你用英语写封申请信。信件内容包括：
1.写信目的。2.个人优势。
注意：1.词数100字左右。
2.增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（八），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
This year I joined in the Chinese poetry club in our school. The member of our club meet once a week. We have difference activities, that I enjoy very much. We've invited some famous poets to a club to talk about the history of Chinese poetry but teach us the basic techniques of writing poems. At the weekend, in order to enriching our knowledge, we often go to visit poetry exhibitions, where we studied the masterpieces of well-known poets. I am very glad that our club is getting more popular and firmly believe that more poems will created. And I am sure that our schoolmates will get to love our great traditionally culture.
