Japan will hand out its first “Nobel Prize of Manga (国际漫画奖)” for artists in the comic book field abroad. This is another step in Japan’s efforts to show the power of pop culture diplomacy.
The International Manga Award, which was compared by manga lover Foreign Minister Taro Aso to a “Nobel Prize” when he first proposed it, will be given to an artist working abroad whose work best contributes to the spread of the manga form worldwide.
Manga, a name used for Japanese style comic books, often combines stories with drawing styles that differ from the overseas superhero comics and cartoon, particularly in their frequent emphasis on cuteness.
The winner will receive a certificate and a cup at an award ceremony, and will spend 10 days in Japan meeting with local comic book artists and publishers.
“Manga has been spreading overseas and are selling quite well,” Aso said when announcing the award to the public. “I want to further improve the communicative power of these so-called ‘pieces of pop culture’.”
Aso has argued that warm feelings for Japanese comics and cartoon can translate into warm feelings for Japanese foreign policy.
He has proposed sending cartoon artists overseas as cultural ambassadors and the government has named some officials to advise ways to promote Japanese cartoon and culture to foreign audiences.
The award committee, consisting of manga artists and publishers, is expected to make its selections quite soon.
According to a ministry official Nobuyuki Watanabe, the prize carries no money reward. The cup’s design has yet to be finished, but it will be something “appropriate”.
1. The International Manga Award will be presented to ____________.
A. a Japanese who has achieved a lot in creating new methods of drawing
B. an artist who makes contributions to introducing manga to the other foreign countries
C. the person who is expert at comics and cartoon
D. a foreign artist who has contributed to the development of manga
2. Which statement is NOT true about manga?
A. Manga is different from the overseas comic books.
B. Manga is popular not only in Japan but also overseas.
C. Manga refers to international comics and cartoon.
D. There are stories and pictures in manga.
3.What has the Japanese government done to show its support?
A. To propose “Nobel Prize of Manga”.
B. To name officials to advise ways of spreading manga overseas.
C. To hand out its first “Nobel Prize of Manga”.
D. To send cartoon artists overseas as cultural ambassadors.
4.The passage is mainly about ____________.
A. Nobel Prize of Manga B. the characteristics of manga
C. a brief introduction of manga D. the development of manga
Unemployment will certainly be in double-digits next year--and may remain there for some time. And for every person who __1_ as unemployed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey, you can bet there’s another either too __2__ to look for work or working part time who’d rather have a full-time job or else taking home less pay than before. And there’s yet another person who’s more fearful that he or she will be the __3__ to lose a job.
__4__, 10 percent unemployment really means 20 percent underemployment or anxious employment, all of which translates __5__ into late payments on mortgages, credit cards, auto and student loans, and loss of health insurance. It also means sleeplessness for tens of millions of Americans, and, of course, __6__ purchases.
Unemployment of this magnitude and duration also translates into ugly __7__, because fear and anxiety are __8__ grounds for the political resentment against immigrants, blacks, the poor, government leaders, business leaders, Jews and other easy _9__. It’s already started. Next year is a mid-term election. Be prepared for worse.
So why is unemployment and underemployment so high? And why is it _10__ to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs or have no jobs, and who are also trying to _11__ from under a pile of debt, are not going to do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don’t have customers aren’t going to do a lot of new _12__. And foreign nations also suffering high __13__ aren’t going to buy a lot of our goods and services. And without customers, companies won’t __14__. They’ll cut payrolls instead.
This brings us to the obvious question: Who’s going to buy the stuff we make or the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There’s only one __15__ left: The government.
1. A. keeps to B. sticks to C. shows up D. attaches
2. A. discouraged B. timid C. sure D. upset
3. A. first B. next C. last D. only
4. A. On the other hand B. By contrast C. As a whole D. In other words
5. A. enormously B. definitely C. exactly D. directly
6. A. fewer B. more C. better D. worse
7. A. economics B. trades C. politics D. industries
8. A. necessary B. fertile C. scarce D. heated
9. A. opponents B. targets C. victims D. potentials
10. A. due B. able C. equal D. likely
11. A. get out B. get around C. get into D. get off
12. A. programming B. planning C. investing D. advertising
13. A. signature B. unemployment C. crisis D. inefficiency
14. A. rent B. run C. sell D. hire
15. A. manufacturer B. applicant C. buyer D. employer
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A. offers B. influences C. uncovered D. exactly E. big F. found G. campaigns H. involved J. properly I. notion |
What’s in a name? Letters offer clues to one’s future decisions, apparently. Previous studies have suggested that maybe a person’s monogram __1__ his life choices — where he works, whom he marries or where he lives — because of “implied self-esteem (自负),” or the temptation of positive self-associations. For instance, a person named Fred might be attracted to the __2__ of living in Fresno, working for Forever 21 or driving a Ford F-150.
Now a new study by professor Uri takes another look at the so-called name-letter effect and __3__ other explanations for the phenomenon. He analyzed records of political donations in the U.S. during the 2004 campaign — which included donors’ names and employers — and found that the name of a person’s workplace more closely related to the first three letters of a person’s name than with just the first letter. But he suggests that the reason for the association isn’t implied self-esteem, but perhaps something __4__ the opposite.
Duyck, one of the researchers whose previous work __5__ the name-letter effect, isn’t so quick to abandon the implied self-esteem theory. He pointed out that the sample group Uri studied may have biased the results: Uri analyzed the name-letter effect in a sample of people who donated money to political __6__. Still, Duyck notes that Uri’s theories are credible, and that even while some people may __7__ the same name of companies, employees may be tending to those companies because they start with the same letter as their names. In the end, whatever the explanation for the name-letter effect, no one really disputes that self-esteem is __8__ on some level. But the true importance of the effect is up for debate. “I can’t imagine people don’t like their own letter more than other letters,” says Uri, “but the differences it makes in really __9__ decisions are probably slim.”
A spokesman said, “______ it is rainy, Prince William and Kate will appear on the palace balcony at 1:25 pm for their longawaited kiss.”
A. What B. Whether C. However D. No matter how
______ was most shocking about the tornadoes in America was that they threatened six states and killed more than 100 persons.
A. That B. Which C. Why D. What
The disappearance of dinosaurs made _______ the evolution and dominance of mammals on the earth.
A. it was possible B. it possible C. possible to be D. possible
