Most of us have read Cinderella, which is a story about a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams. Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone’s heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity (默默无闻).
Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too. Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.
Mary is shy but loves to dance. Compared with other girls, she is invisible. However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears.
Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable. Mary and Joey’s paths cross at a ball. They meet and fall in love with each other. But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams. Of course, there is a wicked stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies. Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn’t get into the top dance school. Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale. Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful. There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
“The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point,” writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson. “Yet the focus is firmly on following your dream.”
1.The first paragraph is mainly to _________.
A. inform us of the importance to marry a prince
B. remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years
C. build interest and lead us to Mary’s secret dream
D. tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is
2.What does Amber Wilkinson mean by his words?
A. The movie is exactly another copy of the Cinderella fairytale.
B. The movie is as good as the story Cinderella.
C. The movie and Cinderella both focus on following your dream.
D. The movie is based on the story Cinderella while a little different from it.
3.The passage is _________.
A. an introduction to Mary Santiago
B. an advertisement of a film
C. a story about following a dream
D. a film review
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Joey is just like other boys in Mary’s class.
B. The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary.
C. Not many people have a dream to be realized.
D. Mary’s mother influences her a lot in singing.
When I was growing up, my father and I always had totally different ideas. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was of importance to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado bank to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart.
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I' m 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips.
1.The author and his father became further apart because_______.
A. they lived very far from each other
B. they seldom went to see each other
C. they had different views on things
D. they only communicated by phone
2.For the author, fishing with his old father_____.
A. helps cure his father’s disease
B. makes him realize the importance of relaxation
C. is a good way to get close to nature
D. provides a chance for them to communicate
3.What can be the title for the text?
A. Fishing Brings Us Together
B. Forgiving Is Difficult
C. Memories of Old Days
D. My Beloved Father
Soon Marc found that abstract painting _____ its connection with life.
A. had lost B. has lost
C. has been lost D. had been lost
Kobe Bryant probably could have achieved more if he and Shaquille O'Neal never ______.
A. broke down B. split up
C. took off D. put off
Frightened, Lucy looked back over her shoulder _____ what was coming towards her.
A. seeing B. saw C. to see D. seen
Car drivers can take a subway into the city center ______ cars always get stuck in the traffic jams.
A. which B. what C. where D. when
