Some of those who oppose smoking in movies have just seen the future, and they are not happy about it.
Having caught up with James Cameron’s3-D science fiction thriller, “Avatar,” over the holidays, Stanton A. Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, said his Smoke Free Movies initiative(倡议) would soon come out swinging with an informational campaign aimed at what he saw as the movie’s pro-smoking message.
“This is like someone just put a bunch of plutonium(钚) in the water supply,” Mr. Glantz said in a telephone interview last week. He was referring to scenes in which an environmental scientist played by Sigourney Weaverdrags lovingly on a cigarette as she works to save the moon Pandora sometime in the 22nd century.
Scenesmoking.org, which monitors tobacco mentions in films, gave “Avatar” a rating: A “black lung.” Still, this movie is not the only holiday picture to earn that distinction, which indicates unacceptable depictions(描绘) of tobacco.
“Sherlock Holmes” and “The Blind Side,” which were distributed by Warner Brothers; “Nine,” from the Weinstein Company; “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”from Sony Pictures; and “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” also from Fox, were similarly rated with a “black lung” for tobacco use.
In a statement sent by e-mail over the weekend, Mr. Cameron said he had never intended Ms. Weaver’s character, Grace Augustine, to be “a role model” for teenagers. “She’s rude, she swears, she drinks, she smokes,” wrote Mr. Cameron. “Also, from a character perspective, we were showing that Grace doesn’t care about her human body, only her avatar body, which again is a negative comment about people in our real world living too much in their avatars, meaning online and in video games.”
Speaking as an artist, Mr. Cameron said: “I don’t believe in the dogmatic(教条的) idea that no one in a movie should smoke. Movies should reflect reality…I do agree that young role-model characters should not smoke in movies, especially in a way which suggests that it makes them cooler or more accepted by their peers.”
For the record, apart from the 3-D tobacco use, Mr. Glantz said he found “Avatar” to be “a great movie.”
1.What would be the best title for the text?
A. “Avatar” Made by James Cameron Becomes the Latest Hit Again
B. A discussion about the Role-model for Young People
C. ‘Avatar’ Joins Holiday Movies That Fail an Antismoking Test
D. A Campaign against Smoking
2.What is Warner Brothers?
A. A rating administration. B. A research center.
C. A film. D. A film company.
3.What is the tone of the text?
A. Doubtful. B. Objective C. Subjective. D. Sensitive.
Recently,an American doctor in Liberia has been tested positive for the Ebola virus.Dr.Rick Sacra,a Christian missionary(传教士)wasn’t treating people with Ebola,but he’s in the country that’s been hardest hit by the latest Ebola outbreak.And that’s one of five things to know about this virus.It’s killed thousands in West Africa.Second point,it`s a fever.Other symptoms are muscle pain,vomiting and bleeding.It`s spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids.
There’s no cure for this disease.About half of those who’ve gotten it have died.Quick treatment with fluids,vitamins and medicines seems to help in some cases.Now,there’s an experimental drug being used on some victims.Quantities are extremely limited,and its effectiveness isn’t proven.Some who’ve gotten it have survived,while some have died.
This outbreak,the worst so far has been largely limited to West Africa.You`re about to see how Ebola has turned parts of Liberia in the ghost towns.Half the population here have either died or fled.Many didn’t even stop to carry their belongings.A lot of houses were abandoned.Gazali Johnson told us he lost his eight months pregnant sister,his brother,niece and many others.Too many to name.
From Zango we go further into the jungle.Through a quarantine(隔离)gate into nearby Bakuda.Some 8,000 people live here,but no one has been allowed to leave.This community has been completely isolated.Of the over 1,000 death from Ebola in Liberia,20 percent have died right here,in this town.The town chief tells us that they worried if the virus doesn’t kill them,hunger and disease
will.This is what it`s like across Lofa,locked in,afraid and alone.
1.What symptom will a person with Ebola have?
A. Headache. B. Bone pain. C. Bleeding. D. Heart attack.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. The new drug has no effect on this disease.
B. Once people get Ebola,they will finally die.
C. A new drug has been widely used in hospitals.
D. Some quick treatment may save people’s lives.
3.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
A. The damage caused by Ebola.
B. The town abandoned by people.
C. The reason for people’s leaving.
D. The story told by Gazali Johnson.
4.According to Paragraph 4,what can we know about the community?
A. It is the largest community in Liberia.
B. It is greatly hit by the outbreak of Ebola.
C. The town chief is confident about their future.
D. People in the community can help each other.
People always feel headache about academic writing.Jennifer Ahern-Dodson provides some suggestions with some students and teachers.She asks about their earlier writing experiences.Were they negative or positive?She advises that you are not alone if you have had problems with your writing.She says everyone struggles with writing.
“Writing is hard.All writers struggle at some point.And even if writing has come easily for you,at some point in your work as a student,that eventually you’re going to hit a roadblock.So it’s really important to take a moment to think about their past writing experiences.And when the writing was going well,what was happening?When the writing wasn’t going well,what was happening?”
She says most people’s negative writing experiences happened because a very specific formula is required for a paper including an exact length.”And so they primarily focus on,and worry about,what the final product has to look like,like how many pages for a research essay?Or if it is in the second or third language,you know,punctuation and grammar,like whether it gets communicated in the right language.
Another problem can arise when the need to do well on a paper is extremely important.“...like a timed essay exam,or a college application essay,or a research paper that is at the end of the semester,and it’s tied to the entire grade for the class.So worrying about what will happen if they don’t do well–get bad grades,don’t get into college–creates,of course,significant anxiety.And that can make it harder to get the writing done.”
Then she and the people she’s helping move to more positive projects.She says usually when writing comes easily,the writers feel they have something important to say.The teacher advises thinking about who your audience is,and what it is that you really want to say to them.
1.What does Jennifer Ahern-Dodson think of academic writing?
A. It is made up of past experiences. B. It has positive effects.
C. It is hard for everyone. D. It makes people think.
2.Which can best explain the underlined words“hit a roadblock”in Paragraph 2?
A. Have an accident. B. Meet into trouble.
C. Break some record. D. Graduate from school.
3.What can be the problem with academic writing?
A. Research subjects. B. Required styles.
C. A certain formula. D. Lack of patience.
4.According to Jennifer,how can we improve writing?
A. By stopping worrying. B. By thinking positively.
C. By focusing on the subject. D. By thinking about audience.
This year marks 45 years since Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon,taking“one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.”Overall,12 American astronauts have walked on the lunar landscape,the last doing so in 1972.
Enthusiasm for space travel has always increased and decreased.In 2010,President Barack Obama cut funds for a NASA mission that would haveput humans back on the moonby 2020.“I understand that some believe that we should attempt a return to the surface of the Moon first,as previously planned.But I just have to say here:We’ve been there before,”said Obama.NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has alsothrown cold wateron the idea of a return mission to the moon.
But others believe there are benefits to going back to the moon.“It’s the closest future body to us,making it the least challenging to explore all the planets,moons and asteroids(小行星)in our solar system,”wrote Gene R.Grushfrom NASA Johnson Space Center.Richard Vondrak,deputy(代理的)director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center,said,“Astronauts can accomplish scientific exploration that is beyond the capability of robotic explorers.”
And then there’s the private sector.In the last few years,several private companies have launched rockets of their own,ending the public sector’s monopoly(垄断)on space flight.Meanwhile,Buzz Aldrin,the second person to walk on the moon,believes that there’s amuch better goalfor exploration:Mars.“We’ve walked on the moon,so we understand it better than anything else,”Aldrinsaid.“We’ve got to start thinking of long-term investments.”
1.What can we know about Neil Armstrong’s walking on the moon?
A. He stepped on the moon in 1972. B. It is highly thought of in the world.
C. It took astronauts 45 years to do that. D. He did it together with 11 astronauts.
2.What can we learn about Gene R.Grush?
A. He hopes to use robots to explore the moon.
B. He thinks the moon is the easiest to explore.
C. He thinks we should explore all the stars.
D. He’s the deputy director of NASA.
3.Who supports exploring the Mars?
A. Charles Bolden. B. Richard Vondrak. C. Buzz Aldrin. D. President Obama
4.What can be the best title of the text?
A. Should we go back to the moon? B. How can we return to the moon?
C. What can we find in the universe? D. Should we do a research on space?
假定你是李华。在你生日到来之际你收到了美国朋友彼得寄来的礼物——一本畅销的英文小说。请给他回信，要点如下：
1.小说收到；2.回赠一份小礼物；3.小礼物的意义；4.邀请来华。
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When I was a little girl, my family were very poor. My parents were workers but couldn't afford to buy toys for me. As a result, my dolls looked a lot differently from that bought from toy stores. My dolls were home-made. The first doll I owned was made of a glass Coca-Cola bottle. I was so excited to make a doll by my own. Soon I became a collector of empty Coca-Cola bottles although I saw each bottle as possible baby doll at that time. People who worked in the store sell Coca-Cola could see me pick up empty bottles almost every day. Those home-made toys had brought me a lot of happy.
