With the US as a new destination for Chinese group tours, American tourism companies are   41   “cautious optimism” （谨慎的乐观） on their future prospects.  While most in the tourist industry look forward to growth in the number of Chinese tourists, they are also   42  about the high cost of holidays.  Compared with visits to Europe, travel to the US   43   a longer trip and results in higher costs---   44  with oil prices continuing to rise rapidly.  Many tourism insiders believe different tours should be  45  for different types of Chinese tourists.

       On June17 more than 200 Chinese tourists took off from airports in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the first group tour of the US.  Yang Wei, a Beijing girl  46  from college, said she expects to see famous landmarks such as the US Capitol, the White House, the Pentagon and the Statue of Liberty.  “The group tour to the US has brought much convenience to the  47  Chinese people,” she said. “Otherwise I cannot imagine a young girl like me can get a visa to America so easily.”  The US  48  only student and business visas to Chinese in the past.  Shao Qiwei, director of China’s National Tourism Administration, said tourism promotes friendship and mutual understanding between the Chinese and American people.  “Not many Chinese people have been to the United States and vice versa,” he said. “Group tours connect the two nations to bring about mutual benefits,” Shao said.

       China’s first group received a warm welcome from the US government and tourism industry.  The Capitol in Washington, D.C．opened a special  49  for Chinese guests.  The US Department of Commerce invited them to visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which prints US currency.  Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez gave a dinner in their honor on a passenger ship.

The hijackers were arrested and didn’t know where they _________.

   A. were being taken   B. are taken       C. will be taken     D. would take

由于公众的要求，电视台又把这部电视连续剧重播了一遍。（demand）

Since my retirement from teaching music in 2001, I _____ plenty of time painting as an artist.

A. have spent                B. spent                 C. had spent                 D. am spending

The Academy Awards, affectionately known as the Oscars, are the oldest, best known, most influential and famous of film awards. The awards have been presented   41   (the first awards ceremony was held in May of 1929) by a non-profit professional organization ― the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS),   42   in Beverly Hills, California, and founded in 1927. Ever since 1941, when the now-famous confidential (机密的) envelope system was   43  , marking the first year of complete secrecy, “the Envelope Please” has become a familiar   44that calls up the thought of the Academy Awards ceremony.

Except for the early years of the institution, the awards honored films made during the previous 12-month   45   year. Until 1954, the Oscars were presented mostly on a Thursday evening. From 1955 to 1958, they were presented on a Wednesday. From 1959 until 1998 the Oscars were, with a few exceptions, presented on a Monday night. Only since 1999 has the Awards ceremony taken place on a Sunday (  46   in March). In 2004, the ceremony was moved even earlier to improve ratings and to be more   47   to the awards “season”.

The establishment of the Academy (and its awards system) has had a major effect and influence upon the film industry. The Academy has, with limited success, tried to   48   the influences of promotion, box office gross receipts, and studio public relations and   49   on voting results.