The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名) were announced on Jan 15, and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year’s top Hollywood films.
The Imitation Game
This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War II, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码） the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch’s portrayal（扮演）of Turing’s personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.
Birdman
This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson’s, plays the leading role.
Selma
A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King’s (David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.
The Theory of Everything
We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist’s (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.
Boyhood
American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for 12 years to record a boy’s growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college.
1. How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?
A. Five B. Six C. Eight D. Nine
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman.
B. Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game.
C. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.
D. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.
3.What is Boyhood mainly about?
A. How Richard Linklater did his decade-long experiment.
B. The wonderful life of Mason.
C. The growth of a young boy.
D. How Mason spent his college years.
4. What is the main purpose of the text?
A. To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards.
B. To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees.
C. To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history.
D. To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics.
Because I will be away for a few days after Spring Break, I am writing this during the actual holiday, when I can use time to catch up on a number of purely administrative (管理的) items.
First of all, you should have received the letter I sent out on April 2 advising of the transition (过渡) arrangements to new leadership at ISM (International School of Moscow). In that letter I pointed out that Dr. Paul Malone will be arriving in Moscow on Monday, May 4th, and that I will work with him during that week to ensure smooth transition. My last day at ISM will be Friday, May 8th.
Several people have asked me why I required Dr. Malone to come early. There are many problems facing ISM at the moment which have major implications (影响) for the future, and it makes sense for the new director to come aboard before the end of the school year. This will give him the chance to play a major role in the planning process for 2014—2015 and beyond. The fact that Paul Malone is able to arrive in early May is good for the school. I have been working closely with him, and will do everything possible to see that he can move in easily when I leave. From here I will go to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks to spend time in my new situation, and then I will return to the United States for a few weeks’ vacation.
In the most recent edition of the Compass(a kind of paper of ISM), I wrote briefly what I consider to be the major challenge for ISM in the future. I am sure that the new leadership of the school will be able to face those challenges in an active manner, which will ensure a strong future for the school. I shall certainly watch the progress of the school with interest. The results of the school for the past few years have been quite outstanding, and I fully expect that level of performance to continue.
1. We can infer from the text that the writer was the ________ of ISM.
A. director B. employee
C. teacher D. student
2. Why should Dr. Malone come to ISM early?
A. To work closely with the author.
B. To do everything possible for the school.
C. To move in easily when the author returns.
D. To work with the author for a few days and make a future plan.
3. From the text, we learn that ________.
A. Paul Malone is a capable man
B. the writer is a best friend of Paul Malone’s
C. Paul Malone will work with the writer for several years
D. the writer will do his best to help Paul Malone to work well at ISM
It is the superior intelligence and the use of language that distinguish man______ the other animals.
A. with B. among C. between D. from
Nowhere else, as Tim’s sister said, ______ except the small garden in the backyard after school.
A. would he go B. he did go
C. had he gone D. he has gone
—What you’ve said sounds___, but can we really solve the problem in that way?
—It is worth a try.
A. absurd B. awful C. reasonable D. passive
Her parents objected to _______ that farmer, though he was very rich.
A. her marrying B. her to marry
C. she marrying D. she married
