The yearly Academy Awards ceremony was once a private affair. Now, because of television, it is very much a public affair. Hundreds of people gather in Hollywood to see the Oscars presented to outstanding actors, and others involved in the motion picture industry. Millions more watch on television.
It all began on May 16, 1929, when 270 men and women sat down to dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. There was no secret about the winners. The names of the winners had been known for months．Janet Gaynor, for example, had won as Best Actress．Douglas Fairbanks presented her with the famous gold statue. The little statue was not then called Oscar. Like a new actor, Oscar was unknown. About six years later, it somehow got that renowned name. A number of explanations have been offered for its origin, but nobody knows the true story for certain.
Nowadays the results of the Oscar voting are kept secret. Only two people know the winners before the names are announced at the ceremony. The counting of votes is not done by one group of people but by different groups. Nobody except two members of an accounting company sees the final results.
The information is not kept in open files. Winners' names are placed in closed envelopes．The accountants each carry a complete set of envelopes to the ceremony．One set is simply a spare to be used in case something happens to the other one．
1.As used in Paragraph 2, “renowned” means________.
A. strange B. wonderful C. much-disliked D. famous
2.May 16, 1929 marks ________.
A. Douglas Fairbanks' first winning of an Academy Award
B. The first time Oscar got its name
C. The first time the Awards were kept secret
D. Janet Gaynor's recognition as Best Actress
3.Two sets of envelopes are prepared for the ceremony ________.
A. one for New York, one for Hollywood B. in order to be perfectly safe
C. one for the ceremony, one for the newspapers D. just because that is the custom
Many books have been written about “the art of giving”. And we also know that it’s hard to give people a gift,
______a personal one. If we want to make it better, we should understand who you will give the gift to and their likes and _______.
As is often the case, some little kids think they don’t get enough gifts ______ some old people think they get too many gifts. Different people like different kinds of gifts. Some presents are never too _______. For example, when a little child just gives his or her mother a leaf from a tree, it is enough to make her very__________.
Gift giving is different in different _______. Here are some of their likes. In Japan, people sometimes give special gifts. But they are not opened. Later, the same gift may be given away to someone________, because many people have enough things and don’t want ________ gifts themselves. In Canada, a tree can help remember________. In the USA, some people ask their families and friends to give money to charity rather than buying them gifts. In Sweden, doing something for someone is the best gift. People don’t need to ________ too much money. Instead, making a meal for him or her is enough.
To make things ________, some people would rather just give money. In some cultures, however,____________ money can make people uncomfortable. “When someone gives me money, it just makes me think they’re being lazy,” says John Wilson. “In England, we have a saying: It’s the thought that ______. When someone gives me money, I feel they don’t think it about at all. I prefer to receive a gift________ has some thought behind it.”
Different people have very different thoughts _______this subject! So maybe the art of giving is difficult! What do you think?
1.A. usually B. especially C. commonly D. generally
2.A. dislikes B. unlike C. disadvantages D. disagreements
3.A. whether B. when C. if D. while
4.A. same B. similar C. small D. big
5.A. lonely B. happy C. angry D. good
6.A. cities B. towns C. counties D. countries
7.A. else B. other C. else’s D. another
8.A. many too B. much too C. too many D. too much
9.A. a child B. a person C. a guide D. a teacher
10.A. spend B. take C. cost D. have
11.A. more difficult B. easily C. easier D. more easily
12.A. using B. giving C. receiving D. lending
13.A. counts B. invents C. finds D. knows
14.A. who B. what C. it D. that
15.A. in B. on C. before D. after
–Would you mind if I borrow your digital camera?
--___________. Because I stored plenty of important pictures in it.
A. Yes, I’d be glad to.
B. Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t.
C. No problem.
D. Yes, of course.
It is the school rooftop_______ a group of Shanghai students have grown vegetables.
A. which B. that C. what D. where
Because of too much homework, neither you nor James _______ to the cinema to enjoy the fantastic movie named Ready Player One.
A. goes B. doesn’t go C. don’t go D. go
Richard Gere ________ a super model called Cindy Crawford in 1991, but they ended their marriage in 1995. Actually, they _________ only for four years since they fell in love with each other.
A. was married to; got married B. got married to; have married
C. married; have been married D. got married with; are married
