Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn't wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside. Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible. Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?”
Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.
1.The writer couldn't see everything clearly through the window because .
A．the woman's window was dirty B．the writer's window was dirty
C．the woman lived nearby D．the writer was near-sighted
2.Finishing the cleaning, the writer was surprised that .
A．the woman was sitting by her window B．the woman's window was clean
C．the woman did cleaning in the afternoon D．the woman's window was still terrible
3.“…it dawned on me” probably means “ ”.
A．I began to understand it B．it cheered me up
C．I knew it grew light D．it began to get dark
4.It’s clear that .
A．the writer had never met the woman before B．the writer often washed the window
C．they both worked as cleaners D．they lived in a small town
5.From the passage, we can learn .
A．one shouldn't criticize others very often
B．one should often make his windows clean
C．one must judge himself before he judges others
D．one must look at others through his dirty windows
Most people think that the capital of the movie world is Hollyhood, in the United States. However, the real movie capital is Mumbai, in India. Mumbai used to be known as Bombay, and so the film industry there is called “Bollywood.” Bollywood makes twice as many movies each year as Hollyhood—more than 800 films a year.
The movies from Bollywood are very different from Hollywood movies. For one thing, Bollywood movies are much longer than most Hollywood movies. Most Bollywood movies are more than three hours long, and contain singing, dancing, action, adventure, mystery, and romance (but usually no kissing). Because Bollywood films contain so many different features, this style of film is sometimes called a “masala” film. (“Masala” is an Indian word for a mixture of spices.)
Another big difference between Bollywood and Hollywood movies is the way movies are made. It takes much longer to make a movie in Hollywood than in Bollywood. In fact, filming may begin on a Bollywood movie before the script even finished. The director and writers can make up the story while the film is being made. Sometimes they will even write the script by hand instead of taking time to type it.
Bollywood actors are very popular and some are in such high demand that they may work on several movies at the same time. They may even shoot scenes for several films on the same day using the same costumes and scenery. Since most Bollywood movies follow the same kind of story, shooting scenes for several films at the same time is not a big problem for actors or directors. This also helps keep the cost of Bollywood movies lower than the cost of Hollywood movies. The average Bollywood film, with a budget of only two million U.S. dollars, seems very cheap compared to the average budget of sixty million U.S. dollars for a Hollywood film—thirty times as much!
1.What is the main topic of the reading?
A. famous stars in Bollywood B. how Hollywood movies are made
C. the differences between two movie industries D. the history of movie-making in India
2.What is NOT true about Mumbai?
A. It is the movie capital of India.
B. The new name is Bombay.
C. More movies are made there than in Hollywood.
D. It is less expensive to make films there than in Hollywood.
3. Why are Bollywood films often called “masala” films?
A. They have spicy stories. B. They show Indian culture.
C. They are much longer than Hollywood films. D. They mix different styles of movies.
4. Bollywood movies are cheap to make because ____________________ .
A. they are shorter than Hollywood films.
B. the scripts are written by hand.
C. the movies do not use any special effects.
D. each movie reuses things from other movies.
5.Which of these statements would the writer probably agree with?
A. Most Bollywood movies are very similar.
B. It takes a lot of money to make a good movie.
C. Only Indian people can understand Bollywood movies.
D. Hollywood movies are too violent.
DJs (disc jockeys) are the people who play and present music on the radio, or in nightclub. A VJ (video jockey) is a person who introduces music videos on television.
VJs were first seen on television in the early 1980s when MTV went on the air. As MTV caught on, and the audience for music videos expanded, a variety of other music video channels started broadcasting. In addition to rock music, there were channels for people who were into alternative kinds of music, such as country music, light rock, and R & B, and all of these channels needed VJs. By the 1990s, international music video channels like Channel V in Asia and VIVA in Europe had started.
The VJs for the new international stations had to be chosen carefully. Although some VJs did shows focused on small audiences and showed mostly local content, other VJs presented shows for international viewers. These VJs, and the material they presented, needed to be popular in several different cultures.
One successful international VJ in Asia is Asha Gill. She is from Malaysia, but parents and grandparents are from India, France, and England. She speaks three languages and has fans across Asia, from Japan to the United Arab Emirates.
Another VJ who has made a big hit in Asia is Lili. She is actually a computer-animated VJ on MTV Asia. An actress wearing special computer equipment makes Lili move like a puppet. The actress also talks for Lili, and her shows can be seen in five languages.
When asked what makes a good video jockey, many successful VJs have given similar answers. To be a good VJ you need to know a lot about music, you need to be funny, and you can’t be shy.
1.What is the reading mainly about?
A. how to become a VJ B. the most popular VJ today
C. the differences between DJs and VJs D. some general information about VJs
2.What kind of music did the first VJ probably introduce?
A. classical B. rhythm and blues C. rock and pop D. country
3.What do Channel V and VIVA have in common?
A. They are both owned by MTV.
B. They are music video channels in Asia.
C. They do not use VJs to introduce the music.
D. They have viewers in more than one country.
4.Which is NOT true about Asha Gill?
A. She speaks more than one language. B. Her family were all born in Malaysia.
C. She’s popular in quite a lot of Asian countries. D. She is a successful VJ.
5. Which of the following does the passage NOT mention as being important for someone who wants to be a VJ?
A. speak many different languages B. listen to a lot of music
C. talk easily with different people D. being able to make people laugh
Can you understand the beginning of this essay?
“My smmr hols wr CWOTT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF.”
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages (also called SMS2) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called texting.
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it’s common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like “r” for “are,” “u” for “you,” and “2” for “to.” Several letters can also represent a phrase, like “lol” for “laughing out loud.” Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling “please” as “pls.”
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.”)
Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always evolve, and this is just another way for English to change. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.
1.What is the writer’s opinion of text messaging?
A. It is fun and easy to do.
B. It is not bad for children.
C. It will make children bad writers.
D. The writer does not give an opinion.
2.Which characteristic of texting is NOT described in the passage?
A. Using phrases to represent essays
B. Using numbers to represent words
C. Using letters to represent phrases
D. Using letters to represent words
3.Which of the following was most probably the title of the student’s essay?
A. My Gr8 Tchr B. CU in LA C. My GF D. My Smmr Hols
4. Why do some people think that texting is bad?
A. It costs too much. B. It’s too difficult to type.
C. Children won’t learn to write correctly. D. It’s not comfortable.
5.Why aren’t some people worried about the effect of texting?
A. Not many people use texting.
B. Spelling in English is too difficult.
C. Children quickly become bored with texting.
D. Texting will disappear because of new technology.
Grey-haired Chang Zhifu stands out from the young volunteers working 1. guides in Xidan Culture Square, one of the capital city’s booming business districts.
“Welcome to Beijing. I am an Olympic volunteer,” Chang said on Tuesday to Carhen Winston, 2._ tourist from Washington D.C.
“It’s 3. (amaze) to meet a 66-year-old Chinese lady 4. speaks good English,” Winston said.
In order to become a volunteer for the Beijing Olympics, Chang began to study English and sign language a year ago.
“As an old Chinese saying 5. (go), ‘It’s never too old 6. (learn),’ and 7. I have to do is to put in more efforts,” said Chang.
Every day she carries two booklets, one for English and the other for sign language. The time she spends _8. the bus is “always good for revising”.
Chang 9. (invite) to teach sign language to young volunteers now and then. “Go, China!” is always the first sign she teaches.
“Granny Chang is quite a celebrity here, because of 10. hard work and Olympic spirit. We just want her to have a short break.” Wang Hao, the leader of the volunteer team said.
Those days life was so hard that I finally wished that I could just be “left alone”.
The thought of going somewhere by myself would give me so much 1 . but then I’d remember when I was alone. Not that 2 _ left me. I was alone by myself in crowded places. It was the 3 that I built around me that would not 4 the outside in or the inside out.
When I was a child, I would play this silly 5 . It was always 6 _ because a place in a corner or under a table would do. My favorite place was simply to pull a blanket over my head. I would lie there and 7 , “Right now no one in the world knows where I am!” That thought was so 8 .
If you knew me well enough this wouldn’t 9 you…I still do it at 60. It drives my dogs crazy, because they find me and start digging at the blanket until they find a way in. All three of them 10 me. That thought is so satisfying, too.
I want you to know that at times we all wish that we could be left _11 . The fact that you can be alone with yourself and enjoy it shows clearly who you are. Imagine for a 12 being locked in a room with someone you 13 . It would be torture. So, if you find peace with being with yourself, that is good. However, if you are trying to build a wall so no one can ever 14 , it can’t happen.
The light of love can find a 15 through the tiniest cracks. You can pull the covers over your head and love will find you.
1.A. trouble B. experience C. pleasure D. worry
2. A. anybody B. everyone C. nobody D. someone
3.A. idea B. place C. house D. wall
4.A. permit B. stop C. find D. turn
5.A. match B. program C. competition D. game
6. A. interesting B. disappointing C. easy D. different
7. A. shout B. think C. cry D. dream
8.A. satisfying B. shocking C. important D. strange
9. A. fear B. meet C. surprise D. excite
10. A. bite B. join C. watch D. excite
11.A. quiet B. calm C. alone D. silent
12. A. change B. moment C. rest D. chance
13. A. respect B. admire C. notice D. dislike
14. A. go out B. come to C. get in D. leave for
15. A. way B. help C. love D. hope
