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.

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

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 historical record 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 (传记的) film shows 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.

21. Those who like dark comedy would probably be interested in ______.

A. Selma               B. Boyhood               C. Birdman                D. The Theory of Everything

22. What can we learn from the article?

A. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.

B. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.

C. In Boyhood, Mason grow from 6-year-old boy to a graduate in college in two and a half hours.

D. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in Birdman.

23. The author wrote this article in order to_______.

A. give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees

B. introduce some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history

C. analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards

D. prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a wide range of topics

Mark Twain (1835-1910) – we’ve all heard the name, but what makes him “the father of American literature” as classic US author William Faulkner once called him?

Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could have ever imagined.

The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.

More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For instance, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions. “Often, the less there is to justify a traditional custom, the harder it is to get rid of it,” he writes in one chapter.

Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.

For instance, Twain didn’t like US wars abroad. In 1900, after the US invaded(入侵) the Philippines, Twain wrote in a newspaper article: “We do not intend to free, but to rule the people of the Philippines….”

He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.

“Tom was a glittering hero once more — the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.

24. After reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think _______ according to the author.

A. it’s not worth all the praise                                B. it’s even better than you expected

C. it’s as wonderful as you expected                      D. it’s better to read it with teachers

25. In the third paragraph, the author mainly _______.

A. indicates what makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful

B. explains where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from

C. shows how naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is

D. gives a brief description of the novel

26. What does the underlined word “mock” mean?

A. make fun of                B. show respect for              C. give examples of     D. give reasons for

27. Twain is so loved in the US because ______.

A. he showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love

B. he criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly

C. he wrote bad things about US wars abroad

D. he supported women’s right to vote

On a cold winter day in Denver, I waited in line to see my hero, Jack Canfield, the co-author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the author of The Success Principles. What Jack had become was what I wanted to be.

During his talk, Jack took out his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “Who wants this?” Hands shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would choose. But I ran up the stairs to the stage and grabbed the bill from his hand. He turned to me and said, “Yes, that’s it! Instead of waiting around for opportunities, simply be active and create what we want!”

After this week, I asked for his personal e-mail address and sent him e-mail sharing my views and dreams. He kindly e-mailed back simple encouragement such as “Keep thinking and playing bigger; it’s much more fun that way. Love, Jack.” Then I got busy with other things in life and I stopped e-mailing Jack.

A year later, my dream gradually died away. I had this idea if I got back in touch with Jack. I e-mailed him again and again but got no response. As I sat down at my computer to check my e-mail for the fifth time in 15 minutes, an inspiration came like lighting: What was I doing? Was I waiting for the prize of life? I knew I needed to do something about all this waiting. I was going to write a book, which I would call “Waiting for Jack”!

It all sounded good, but then reality hit. Some nights I cried and wanted to give up. I wrote and rewrote. Even though I could feel the fear, I did it anyway. Fortunately, three years later, Waiting for Jack turns out a best-seller on Amazon!

We all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing. Now I would like to ask you: what are you waiting for?

28. From Paragraph1, it can be concluded that the author _______.

A. wanted Jack to become what he was                 B. wanted to make friends with Jack

C. wanted to be as successful as Jack                           D. wanted to get help from Jack

29. We can infer from the passage that Jack Canfield is probably a person who _______.

A. enjoys playing a lot                                     B. likes showing off his wealth

C. welcomes challenges in life                 D. seldom takes risks

30. Why did the author stop emailing Jack?

A. Because she had an argument with Jack.

B. Because Jack was too proud to get along with.

C. Because she was too upset with her broken dream.

D. Because she was too busy to get in touch with Jack.

31. The book Waiting for Jack is mainly about ______.

A. the importance of taking action to achieve a goal

B. the need to keep waiting for the prize of our life

C. the harm of blindly admiring others as heroes

D. the disappointment of waiting for her hero Jack

Milan Has More Than Fashion

FOOD, football, and fashion – Milan has it all. The city is perhaps most famous for its annual (一年一度的) Milan Fashion Week and its world-class soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan. And May will see it host the six-month Milan Expo, the theme of which is food and nutrition.

Milan may not be the first place tourists think of when they think of Italy. Rome is the most famous city in Italian history, Venice draws visitors who want to travel along its canals (运河) and Florence is popular with art lovers. Yet Milan can often be left off tourists’ lists. But although some see Milan as the “ugly sister” of these cities, according to Lonely Planet, in 2015 the city is “suddenly back in fashion in a big way”.

The delicious Milan Expo will look at the future of food, trying to answer the question of how Earth’s fast-growing population can be fed in the future. According to the Lonely Planet website, “144 countries will set up shop northwest of central Milan, forming a mini city-within-a-city”.

Milan’s famous opera house, La Scala, normally closed in the summer, will also host daily performances during the expo, reported Fox News.

Not interested in opera? Don’t worry. Visitors who prefer sports may want to visit the San Siro stadium, home of the soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan. The stadium is one of the most famous in Europe and has seen many important games over the years, both in Serie A and the European Champions League.

So even if all of its fashion and beautiful people can make Milan seem “soulless”, as Lonely Planet said, it still has “a serious sense of history and place”. Many people will be discovering it this year, and eating great food from all over the world to help solve world problems. Will you?

32. The features of Milan are mentioned in the article except_____.

A. economy                     B. fashion                     C. sports                      D. culture

33. The attitude of the editors from Lonely Planet towards the city of Milan was______.

A. uninterested          B. dissatisfied                C. supportive                D. disappointed

34. The author’s purpose in writing this article is to ______.

A. inform readers of the theme and activities of the 2015 Milan Expo

B. explain why Milan will be holding the world Expo in 2015

C. give an objective review of the food culture in Milan

D. show that Milan is a good choice for traveling

35. Where does this passage probably come from?

A. A travel journal             B. A sports report          C. A science fiction        D. A tourist magazine

An American adult had to spend 50 hours in traffic last year.       36      Drivers and passengers in Belgium spent 44 hours in traffic last year. In Germany, the people had to spend 39 hours.

According to a study published Thursday in Environmental Science: pollution levels inside cars at red lights or in traffic jams are up to 40 percent higher than when traffic is moving.       37    _ More than 80 percent of people living in cities are exposed to air quality levels below World Health Organization limits.

Researchers at the University of Surrey in England studied the streets of Guildford, “a typical English town,” to look at the effects of traffic on concentrations of polluting matter.      38______

The scientists took their equipment inside a car as it traveled on a six-kilometer road, passing through ten crossings.        39        In a car stuck in traffic, shutting all the windows and turning off the fan or heat cut down concentration of the smallest, most harmful matter by 76 percent. On the other hand, the exposure was several times greater in cars with open windows than for the people on the sidewalk.        40                _

A. Air pollution is also a problem outside of cars.

B. The concentrations inside of cars changed slightly.

C. Therefore, everyone should no longer drive cars .

D. That’s not much more time than many people in Europe spend in cars.

E. So when you’re stopped at an crossing, roll up the windows, and breathe easier.

F. And then the concentrations of different-size matter of air pollution were measured in detail.

G. Besides, they analyzed how ventilation settings(通风设备) changed those concentrations inside of cars.