Bobby Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen, a tough working-class neighborhood on Manhattan's West Side. But Hell's Kitchen lies right next door to Broadway, and the bright lights attracted Bobby from the time he was a teen. Being stage-struck was hardly what a street kid could admit to his partners. Fearing their ridicule, he told no one, not even his girlfriend, when he started taking acting lessons at age 17. If you were a kid from the neighborhood, you became a cop, construction worker, longshoreman or criminal. Not an actor.
Moresco struggled to make that long walk a few blocks east. He studied acting, turned out for all the cattle calls -- and during the decade of the 1970s made a total of $2,000. "I wasn't a good actor, but I had a driving need to do something different with my life," he says.
He moved to Hollywood, where he drove a cab and worked as a bartender. "My father said, 'Stop this craziness and get a job; you have a wife and daughter.' “But Moresco kept working at his chosen craft.
Then in 1983 his younger brother Thomas was murdered in a mob-linked killing. Moresco moved back to his old neighborhood and started writing as a way to explore the pain and the patrimony of Hell's Kitchen. Half-Deserted Streets, based on his brother's killing, opened at a small Off-Broadway theater in 1988. A Hollywood producer saw it and asked him to work on a screenplay.
His reputation grew, and he got enough assignments to move back to Hollywood. By 2003, he was again out of work and out of cash when he got a call from Paul Haggis, a director who had befriended him. Haggis wanted help writing a film about the country after September 11. The two worked on the writing, but every studio in town turned it down. They kept pitching it. Studio executives, however, thought no one wanted to see a severe, honest vision of race and fear and lives in collision in modern America.
Moresco believed so strongly in the script that he borrowed money, sold his house. He and Haggis kept pushing. At last the writers found an independent film producer who would take a chance, but the upfront money was too little, Moresco delayed his salary.
Crash slipped into the theaters in May 2005, and quietly became both a hit and a critical success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three -- Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Paul Haggis and the kid from Hell's Kitchen.
At age 54, Bobby Moresco became an overnight success. "If you have something you want to do in life, don't think about the problems," he says, "think about other ways to get it done."
1. Rearrange the following statements in terms of time order:
a. His work Half-Deserted Streets drew attention as it opened at a small Off-Broadway theater
b. Unexpectedly Crash became both a hit and a huge success.
c. He moved to Hollywood to be a taxi driver and a waiter.
d. He started learn acting in spite of hardness with the belief of doing something diiferent.
e. His younger brother Thomas was killed in conflict among bullies.
A. d; c; e; a; b B. d; e; c; b; a C. c; d; e; a; b D. c; e; d; b; a
2.Why Bobby Moresco did not tell anyone that he started taking lessons at age 17?
A. He wnted to give his girlfriend a surprise.
B. His girlfriend did not allow him to do this.
C. He was afraid of being laughed at.
D. He had no talent for acting.
3.Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
A. His father did not support his work as a bartender.
B. Before he became an overnight success, his life experienced ups and downs.
C. His brother’s death inspired his writing Half-Deserted Streets.
D. Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen which is a few blocks east of Broadway.
4.The Studio executives turned the script Crash down because ______________.
A. they thought the script would not be popular.
B. the script was not well written.
C. they had no money to make the film based on the script.
D. they thought Moresco was not famous.
5.What’s the best title of the article?
A. The Road to Success B. Try It a Different Way
C. A Talented man—Moresco D. Moresco’s Perseverance
6.Which of the following can best describe Bobby Moresco?
A. initiative (主动) and persistent B. shy but hardworking
C. caring and brave D. aggressive and modest
London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme. It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London.
So how does it work？First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes，which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go，for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London，which runs the scheme，are hoping to have 6，000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion (拥挤) in London and is expected to create up to 40，000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been “filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses”.
However，there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn’t dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few “teething problems” and have said they wouldn’t charge for the first day as a “gesture of goodwill”. Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments，the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things，saying，“My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards.”
1. London Mayor boris Johnston launched the new bike scheme in order to _________.
A. reduce the air pollution of the city
B. encourage the citizens to take exercises
C. deal with the city’s traffic problems
D. increase employment opportunities
2.If you want to hire a bike, in which order will you do？
a. pay for the bike according to the time you use it
b. pay for the key to a bike
c. cycle in and around central London
d. sign up as a member to get a key
A. b-d-c-a B. b-c-a-d C. d-c-b-a D. d-b-c-a
3.All the following are the problems of the scheme EXCEPT ．
A. the high cost to hire a bike B. not registering their usage of the bikes
C. not charging for the first day of the scheme D. docking the bikes properly
4. From the passage we can infer that .
A. the London Mayor is confident in the scheme
B. the scheme will be cancelled because of the problems
C. all the citizens in London support the scheme
D. the cycling revolution is not successful
You wake up in the morning，the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings，you say hello, and the drama starts．The person on the other end has a depressing tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to．You are still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communicating with negative people can wash out your happiness．It may not change what you think，but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time．
Life brings ups and downs，but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer．They only feel glad when they make others feel bad．No wonder they can hardly win others’ pity or respect．
When you communicate with positive people，your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted．When the dagger(匕首) of a negative person is put in you，you feel the heavy feeling that all in all，brings you down．
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people．This could be a co-worker，or a relative．In this case，say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person，but all this does is to lower you to that same negative level and they won’t feel ashamed of themselves about that．
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized．The negative words of another at the start of the day can cling to(附着) you throughout the rest of your day，which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness．Life is too short to feel negative．Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible．
1. The purpose of the first paragraph is to ______.
A. make a comparison B. offer an evidence
C. introduce a topic D. describe a daily scene
2. How can negative people have effect on us?
A. By influencing our emotion． B. By telling us the nature of life．
C. By changing our ways of thinking． D. By comparing their attitudes to life with ours．
3. Some negative people base their happiness on _______.
A. other people’s pity for them B. making other people unhappy
C. building up a positive attitude D. other people’s respect for them
4. According to the passage, to reduce negative people’s influence on us，we are advised to ____.
A. change negative people’s attitudes to life
B. show our dissatisfaction to negative people
C. make negative people feel ashamed of themselves
D. communicate with negative people as little as possible
5.What is the author’s attitude towards negative people?
A. Favorable． B. Critical. C. Indifferent. D. Supportiv
The dyed bun scandal (染色馒头丑闻) deals another blow to shoppers' confidence in buying food products, as well as the reputation of local sellers. Li Zhen reports on shoppers’ reactions in Shanghai.
An investigation by the municipal government revealed that Shanghai Shenglu Food Company produced more than 3,000 steamed buns daily. These were then sold across the city, including large supermarkets such as Hualian, Lianhua and Dia.
Fewer steamed buns were for sale at this Lianhua Supermarket. More than 32,000 buns were taken off store shelves when the scandal emerged.
Mr. Wang, Sales Manager of Lianhua Supermarket, said, “We removed the dyed steamed buns produced by Shenglu as soon as we learned of the incident. We gave customers who had bought the steamed buns from our outlets refunds with their receipts. Despite the scandal, our sales volume has been fine so far.”
However, most customers we met remained concerned about food safety. Steamed buns are a regular breakfast food for Ms. Gao. She used to buy them mostly from supermarkets because she felt it was in a clean and safe environment.
But now, she has second thoughts about buying the popular snack.
Ms. Gao, Shanghai shopper, said, “I can’t believe that even steamed buns from the supermarkets are no longer safe. The only places I trusted to shop at were major supermarkets and specialist shops. But now even there, product quality cannot be guaranteed. I really don't know where to buy my goods from in the future.
Shoppers at supermarkets who still bought steamed buns said they had few options. “I feel like giving up supermarkets. But I really don’t know where to do my food shopping. I can't make these things myself.” said Ms. Tang, Shanghai shopper.
1.The colored buns were sold in some large supermarkets EXCEPT ______.
A. Hualian B. Lianhua C. Shenglu D. Dia
2. What Ms. Gao and Ms. Tang said suggests that ______.
A. they still trust major supermarkets when shopping
B. they will make food by themselves
C. they will never go to supermarkets
D. they feel confused about where to buy safe food
3.The underlined word in the last paragraph can be replaced by ______.
A. choices B. ideas C. hints D. marks
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Major supermarkets removed the dyed steamed buns.
B. Dyed steamed buns brought great loss to major supermarkets.
C. Famous supermarkets are involved in the bun scandal.
D. Dyed bun scandal hurts consumers’ confidence.
5.Where can you most probably read the passage?
A. In a fashion magazine. B. In a newspaper. C. In a guideline book. D. In an official document.
出国游有许多需要注意的事项。而付小费是很多国家的普遍现象。由于文化习俗的差异，不同的国家、不同的地区做法不尽相同。以下A、B、C、D、E和F是对亚洲一些城市给付小费的介绍，选出符合编号描述的选项。选项中有一项是多余选项。
1. Most expensive restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill.
2.Though tipping is not allowed, people who have served you accept tips in a certain way.
3.Culturally, tipping is unnecessary, but customers sometimes pay service charge when checking out.
4. If you want to get loyal service, you should give a tip more than 10%.
5.You ae not expected to pay tips at a low class hotel.
A
Bangkok （曼谷） There are no established rules of tipping in Bangkok, capital of Thailand. Some places expect it; others don’t. In general, the more westernized the place is, the more likely you’ll be expected to leave a tip.
Restaurants: Some expensive restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill. If not, waiters will appr eciate your increasing by 10% yourself. However, if you’re eating at a cheap eatery, a ti is not necessary.
Porters: At Bangkok’s many five-star hotels, you’re expected to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht(铢), depending on how many bags you have.
Taxis: Taxis are now metered in Bangkok, so there’s no bargaining over your fare. The local custom is to round the fare up to the nearest five baht.
B
Jakarta （雅加达） Tipping is not part of the Indonesian culture, but international influences have turned some westernized palms upward in search of a few extra rupiah (卢比).
Restaurants: A 10% service charge is added at most high-end restaurants. At moderately priced restaurants, 5,000 rupiah should do it---if the service is superb, add an extra 1,000 rupiah or so.
Porters: Pay a few hundred rupiah for each bag.
Taxis: Most drivers will automatically round up to the next 500 rupiah. Some will claim they have no change and will bleed you for more. Don’t accept anything more than a 1,000-rupiah increase.
C
Kuala Lumpur （吉隆坡） Like Indonesia, tipping in Malaysia is only common in the expensive westernized joints, which often add a 10% service charge to your meal or hotel bill.
Restaurants: If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10% service charge or add the same amount yourself. But at local stalls, there’s no need to add a tip.
Porters: At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit(林吉特) will be enough. At low-end establishments, you are not forced to tip.
Taxis: Many taxis are now metered, so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit. In unmetered taxis, expect a session of hard bargaining for the ride.
D
Manila （马尼拉） Tipping is common in Manila, the Philippines, and anything above 10% will gain you long-lasting loyalty.
Restaurants: Even if a service charge is included, it is a custom to add another 5%-10% to the bill.
Porters: Service in top hotels is good and should be rewarded with 20% pesos(比索) per bag.
Taxis: Most taxis are metered, and rounding up to the next five pesos is a good rule of taking taxis.
E
Seoul Tipping is not part of the Korean culture, although it has become a rule in international hotels where a 10% service charge is often added.
Restaurants: If you are at a Korean barbecue (烧烤店), there’s no need to add anything extra. But a luxury Italian restaurant may require a 10% service charge.
Porters: If you are at a top-end hotel, international standards apply, so expect to tip 500-1,000 won per bag.
Taxis: Drivers don’t expect a tip, so unless you’re feeling remarkably generous, keep the change for yourself.
F
Singapore City According to government rules in the Lion City, tipping is a no-no. It’s basically outlawed at Changi Airport and officials encourage tourists to neglect the 10% service charge that many high-end hotels add to the bill.
Restaurants: Singaporeans tend not to leave tips, especially at the outdoor eateries. Nicer restaurants do sometimes charge a 10% service fee, but there’s no need to supplement that.
Porters: Hotel staff are the one exception to the no-tipping rule. As a general guide, S$1 would be enough for baggage-lugging service.
Taxis: Drivers don’t expect tips, but they won’t refuse if you want to round up the fare to the next Singaporean dollar.
Mr. Glen is a millionaire. Five years ago, after returning from abroad to his motherland, he 41 his small company. Speaking of success, Glen often tells us a story about his extra expensive “school” fee. He always _42__ his success to it.
At that time, Glen, who already got a Ph.D. degree, 43 to return to the homeland, starting a company. Before leaving, he bought a Rolex watch with the 44 made through years of work after school and the scholarships. At the airport he had to accept the 45 customs check. The watch on his wrist was also demanded to be taken down for 46 . Glen knew that carrying the specific goods out had to pay the tax, and he worried about paying 47 for his watch. So when he was checked, he told a lie that his watch was a 48 fake（假货）. When he was 49 of his “smarts”, immediately, in the presence of Glen, the officers hit the watch, 50 cost nearly 100,000, into pieces 51 hearing Glen’s words. Glen was 52 . Before he understood why, he was taken to the office to be examined 53 . For many times of entry-exit 54 he knew that only those people in the “blacklist” would “enjoy” this special treatment. The officers looked over everything carefully in the box, and 55 him no matter what time of entry and exit he must accept the check and if 56 reusing and carrying fake and shoddy goods, he would be 57 according to law! Suddenly, his face turned red, and he had nothing in mind after boarding the plane for long.
After returning to the homeland, he often told the story to his family, and his employees, too. He said that this made a deep 58 on him, because the additional high “school” fee that he had ever paid made him realize the value of 59 , which he would remember as the 60 of his success forever.
1. A. set up B. took up C. went up D. picked up
2. A. honors B. mentions C. brings D. owes
3.A. decided B. refused C. objected D. asked
4. A. books B. things C. savings D. pounds
5.A. ordinary B. routine C. regular D. common
6.A. look B. inspection C. test D. experiment
7.A. one B. it C. them D. these
8.A priceless B. useful C. worthless D. valuable
9. A. afraid B. proud C. ashamed D. hard
10.A. that B. what C. as D. which
11. A. on B. at C. who D. in
12. A disappointed B. delighted C. amazed D. satisfied
13.A. strictly B. quietly C. quickly D. curiously
14.A. conditions B. experiences C. experiments D. chances
15. A. stopped B. hoped C. warned D. urged
16.A. came out B. found out C. sent out D. set out
17.A. hit B. blamed C. praised D. charged
18.A. expression B. idea C. thought D. impression
19.A. honesty B. lies C. goods D. bravery
20.A. secret B. lesson C. choice D. belief
