When people discover that I work as a film and TV extra (临时演员), they always ask me the same questions: Emily, is it easy to get work? Isn't it boring? Do you get to meet famous actors? Does it pay well? My answers are pretty standard as well: Yes, sometimes, once in a while, and… kind of. The life of an extra is both more interesting and more boring than you might imagine.
Extras, who play the people in crowds, on streets, or in the background of indoors scenes, can come from all walks of life. Unlike many extras, I'm a trained actor. I do get real speaking roles, but work can be hard to come by if you're not a popular star. I'm registered (注册) with an agency that deals only with extras, so I get calls all the time. The agency explains who I'll be someone in a crowd, a member of a jury, a clerk and tells me where to go. Call time is usually bright and early, so I try to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Sometimes being an extra is a "hurry up and wait" job. In my first extra role, I was one of a group of office workers who come out of a building just as a car explodes (爆炸) in the street. We waited for hours for the scene to be shot, and then went in and out of the building about fifty times, trying to act terrified by an explosion which was not real. Then we had lunch, changed clothes, and spent the afternoons as customers in a department store.
It may sound like I don’t enjoy the work, but I do. Being part of the background in a convincing (令人信服的) way is challenging, and being on a film or TV set is always fascinating. A lot of famous actors don't even notice the extras, but the ones who do make the job a lot of fun for everyone. As for the money, it's nothing compared to what the big actors make, but it pretty much pays the bills. And, as a bonus, I've beaten my high scores on all my phone games, thanks to all the time I spend sitting around, waiting for something to happen.
1.Emily gives standard answers because ______.
A.she is proud of her job B.she wants to hide her feelings
C.she thinks it's unnecessary to explain D.they are the exact answers to the questions
2.What does Emily think of her job?
A.Busy. B.Enjoyable. C.Fashionable. D.Easy.
3.In line 21, another way to say as a bonus would be ______.
A.above expectation B.as a result C.in general D.after all
4.According to the passage, _____.
A.the famous actors look down upon the extras
B.being an extra is always a "hurry up and wait" job
C.Emily tells the truth about being a film and TV extra
D.those who want to be film or TV extras must be trained
5.We can infer that Emily ______.
A.often pays the bills for others
B.sometimes has to get up very early
C.has beaten all the phone game players
D.was in face of danger in her first extra role
Hope Matters
Reyes Guana, 42, grew up in a poor Mexican family. He has seven brothers and sisters. His parents always had two jobs to make ends meet.
As a boy, Guana had a good relationship with the school cleaner. He called her "Nike" because she wore Nike shoes. The boy liked how Nike made everything clean. He told her he wanted to be a cleaner, too. "Well, it's good if you want to be a cleaner," Nike told little Guana. "But make sure you go to college."
Guana also looked up to the principal (校长) of his school. The school leader told the boy that his job was to help students and teachers. "Wow, when I grow up, I want to do what you're doing," Guana told him. "Well, if you stick to your dream, you will," the principal replied.
And Guana really got there. But it was quite a long journey for him. Twenty-three years ago, he followed in Nike's footsteps and was cleaning schools. He worked at three schools to pay for his college education. He held that job for four years and then worked his way up to being a school safety monitor. After that, he worked as a teacher for a few years.
Now, as a principal, Guana never forgets where he came from. He helps students from poor families and shows respect (尊重) for every school staff member. He always invites everyone to school parties, including those who clean the floors and those who drive the school buses.
1.Guana hoped to be a cleaner because he ______.
A.was good at cleaning B.admired the cleaner "Nike" a lot
C.needed to support his poor family D.had to pay for his college education
2.Guana became a school safety monitor ______.
A.when he was nineteen B.after he worked as a teacher
C.as soon as he got enough money D.before he was named principal
3.The underlined phrase got there is closest in meaning to _____.
A.went back to "Nike" B.entered a college
C.realized one's dream D.became well-known
4.According to the writer, _____.
A.Guana should have been named principal earlier
B.a boy from a poor family can have a bright future
C.a cleaner is more important than a college student
D.the cleaners and the drivers should get more respect
5.What would be another title for this passage?
A.From Cleaner to Leader B.Different Jobs
C.From Failure to Success D.Relationship Works
July 21 2020 ABC English
EDUCATION
Students taught to love parents
A middle school in Wuhan has stood out among other schools in students' love and care for their parents. The students are asked to spend at least one hour doing housework for their parents or giving some help in the neighborhood every Sunday, Mother's Day and parents' birthdays.
The school aims (旨在) at turning the students into well-mannered children. The students, mostly from one-child families, were taught to be a good child under strict rules. For example, they are now used to saying good-bye to parents in the morning before they go to school. And no one forgets to say hello to the parents when they return from school. The parents are pleased to find their children can help them with some housework such as making beds, washing and cooking.
From Wuhan Post
1.The news "Students taught to love parents" was first reported in _______.
A.ABC English B.Wuhan Post C.Parent Daily D.School News
2.In which part of the newspaper can we read the news?
A.CULTURE. B.FAMILY. C.EDUCATION. D.HISTORY.
3.Who started the project?
A.The parents. B.The newspapers. C.The neighborhood. D.The school.
4.What can we know from the news?
A.The school aims at winning a good fame.
B.The students were not well-behaved at home.
C.The parents are happy to change their children.
D.The students are guided on how to love their parents.
5.The news mainly tells us ______.
A.children from one-child families need strict rules
B.Mother's Day and parents' birthdays are important
C.a project of good manners education has been well carried out
D.the school means to turn the students into their parents' helpers
Have you ever been near an animal you were afraid of? How close have you been to a dangerous snake? Well, Tony Kepler raises killer snakes for a living and he loves his ______ . He has been working with them since he was a little boy and he’s not ______at all.
Tony’s father has been a snake handler（驯蛇师） for twenty years and he has taught his son a lot about them. Now Tony is ______ to make money from snakes. In order to ______ the venom （毒液）, he has to find rattlesnakes in the western part of the United States. He sends the venom to a ______ where they make it into something called “anti-venin”. Anti-venin is what they give people ______ they have been bitten（咬） by a poisonous（有毒的） snake. This anti-venin is really helpful in ______ the person who has been bitten. He has been making his living this way for five years and feels ______ .
Tony’s dad has handled nearly 1,000 snakes in his lifetime. And hundreds of people go to him to ______ how to deal with snakes. Tony's dad has been willing to ______ everything about how to hold, how to feed and how to get venom from snakes. But not everyone ______ get used to the idea of picking up a snake. Many people heard ______ stories about snakes when they were children and have been afraid of them ever since. Tony has been trying to educate people about the positive things snakes do. For one thing, they help ______ the rat and mouse population. Snakes are also very clean and ______ and they seldom trouble humans.
Tony’s job is very different from any other job I’ve heard of, but it is a really ______ one. Without venom collectors, many people would be in real danger and some would die.
1.A.family B.job C.hobby D.pay
2.A.afraid B.lonely C.brave D.patient
3.A.honest B.lucky C.able D.careful
4.A.discover B.collect C.produce D.taste
5.A.library B.museum C.hospital D.laboratory
6.A.before B.though C.after D.unless
7.A.calming B.testing C.saving D.protecting
8.A.free B.tired C.safe D.great
9.A.learn B.show C.discuss D.explain
10.A.exchange B.overcome C.retell D.share
11.A.may B.can C.has to D.need
12.A.folk B.humorous C.moving D.scary
13.A.count B.control C.double D.stop
14.A.noisy B.slow C.quiet D.active
15.A.important B.dangerous C.popular D.cruel
I wondered ______________.
A.which way was the wind blowing B.which one is the most convenient
C.which of the houses did you live in D.which school it was you went to
—You have plenty of homework, don’t you?
—Yeah, it______________ the little time I have outside of school.
A.makes up B.takes up C.turns down D.breaks down
