Stanley Martin Lieber was born in Manhattan, NY on December 28, 1922.Upon graduating from De Witt Clinton High School, the 16-year-old boy was hired at what was then called Timely Comics. The company was best known for inexpensive fiction, or magazines. In 1941, when given his first chance to author a story—a short text for Captain America, he signed his name as “Stan Lee”. However, the pseudonym stuck, and soon after, became his legal name.
Promoted to the editor of the comic book division at the age of 19, Lee spent the next decade writing a variety of styles. In the late 1950s, knowing his common writing career, Lee was considering leaving when he was asked to create a superhero character to compete with DC Comics’ successful Justice League.
Lee partnered Jack Kirby to launch the Fantastic Four. The comic book was an instant hit, leading to the development of other superhero characters such as Iron Man, and Spider-man. Unlike previous superheroes who were described as perfect, Lee’s creations were provided with human faults, thus making them more related to fans.
In 1972, Lee, by then the publisher of marvel, gave up editorial control to spend time promoting the company. While television shows featuring Marvel characters like Spider-Man and the Hulk did well, achieving success on the big screen proved difficult. It was not until 2000 with the release of The X-man, starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, lan Mekellen, and Halle Berry, that Marvels superheroes became a hit on the big screen. This was also the first time Lee had began the much- -loved tradition of making cameo (客串演出) appearances in the movies. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel and lifted up the superhero world further with summer blockbusters like The Avengers.
Though Lee is no longer with us, his larger-than-life personality, fun-loving wit, and charm will be remembered for generations to come.
1. Which word can replace the underlined word “pseudonym” in Paragraph 1?| A．Pen name. | B．Fiction. |
| C．Text. | D．Company. |
| A．All the superheroes Lee created were perfect. |
| B．Lee was asked to cooperate with Justice league. |
| C．Marvel was bought by Walt Disney Company in 2009. |
| D．The comic book Fantastic Four was a complete failure. |
| A．The success of Stanley Martin s comic books. |
| B．Stanley Martins first appearance in the movies. |
| C．Stanley Martins decision to create his own company. |
| D．Stanley Martin s devotion to moving his company to a higher rank. |
| A．a biography. | B．A diary. |
| C．A guide book. | D．A book review. |
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【推荐1】Katya Echazarreta recently made history as the first Mexican-born American woman and one of the youngest women ever to fly to space—a lifelong dream she was able to accomplish at only 26 years old.
On June 4, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket carried its fifth group of passengers to the edge of space and Katya got an opportunity to apply for one of the six seats through a nonprofit called Space for Humanity. The previous flights had been all filled to capacity.
The organization’s goal is to send passengers to space and allow them to experience the “overview effect”, a phenomenon astronauts have described after looking down at the Earth from the outside. “They recognize that, as humans, our commonalities far outweigh our differences,” Space for Humanity says on its website.
Katya, an electrical engineer originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, was selected for the trip from a pool of 7,000 applicants from more than 100 countries based on her outstanding achievements in the space industry, and this met their requirement—sending “exceptional leaders” to experience. After going through training, she and her five fellow passengers took off from Blue Origin’s launch facility in West Texas. The spacecraft took them 62 miles above the Earth’s surface, giving them a few minutes of weightlessness before a descent (下降) back to a parachute landing.
“The trip up was the most fascinating experience because a lot of us are used to traveling horizontally. But when you’ re in a rocket, you’ re going up vertically (垂直地) and that feels very strange,” Echazarreta said. “Seeing the Earth from the outside, I feel it really puts things into perspective. Everything that we’ve ever experienced—all of your problems, and all of your obstacles—and everything that feels like the end of the world to us sometimes, are all there. It feels so big to us, and yet it’s not, because I just left in a matter of minutes.”
1. What can we know about Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket?| A．It has made history in space exploration. | B．It only provides seats for the young. |
| C．It helps women to realize their dream. | D．It has flown about 30 passengers to space. |
| A．Promote the development of space industry. |
| B．Send technology pioneers to live in space. |
| C．Let the passengers feel the overview effect. |
| D．Describe the phenomenon astronauts experience. |
| A．Being wise. | B．Being young. |
| C．Being brave. | D．Being distinguished. |
| A．Katya’s insight into the space trip. | B．Katya’s trip that goes up vertically. |
| C．All the challenges facing Katya. | D．Katya’s explanation for her motivation. |
【推荐2】My parents and teachers-even some of my friends—think I’m quiet and shy, really smart but not very cool. In fact, that’s who I am when I am with them, but not who I really am. The real me comes out when I’m around guys who are more like me-like Tom Henderson and Graham Barry. I met Tom and Graham at a Young Scientist contest last y car. The three of us were among the five finalists. As soon as we met, we really hit it off.
As we talked about the conference, we discovered that all three of us were interested in space debris mitigation, which is the study of the prevention of space garbage damaging satellites and the new space station. It was great to meet other people my age who actually knew what I was talking about. When I talk about “space garbage,” most of the kids at my school just say, “Oh, you mean like asteroid-type (小行星之类的) things? I played a videogame about that once.”
Luckily, we met each other on the first day of the conference, so we were able to spend a lot of time together for the entire three days. We talked about everything from the best schools to go to, what degrees to get, and even the names of the best people in each field. We want to study with the pioneers. Both Tom and I want to study with Dr. Claude Phipps, the inventor of a project that developed a laser (光) that knocks down space garbage before it does any damage to expensive space vehicles. Graham wants to study under Didier Patrick Queloz, the physics Nobel winner from the University of Cambridge.
Even though the three of us don’t get a chance to see each other very often, we’re still the best of friends. We call each other a couple of times a month. I always feel happy when I talk with Tom and Graham. It’s like the other person in me wakes up. With them, I’m my “real shade.”
1. What does the underlined phrase “hit it off” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Competed seriously. | B．Prepared fully. |
| C．Got on well. | D．Stood out fast. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Confused. | C．Disappointed. | D．Surprised. |
| A．He is a Nobel Prizewinner in physics. |
| B．He finds some asteroid-type things. |
| C．He reduces the price of space vehicles. |
| D．He contributes to dealing with space garbage. |
| A．A friend is a second self. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．A friend to all is a friend to none. |
| D．A friend is easier lost than found. |
【推荐3】Pooja Rai was a young architecture student in 2014 when she went with a friend to give food to a local orphanage. She was surprised at what she saw.
Kids were playing with anything they could get their hands on. One group was rolling around a broken metal pipe. Two boys were trying to play badminton, using old shoes as rackets. “Play shouldn’t just be part of a rich kid’s lifestyle. All kids have a right to enjoy their childhoods.” Rai says.
Over the next few weeks, she talked with friends about collecting money for a playground. And that’s when she thought of old tires. Around 100 million tires are thrown away in India every year. Could they reuse them as playground materials and help the environment, too?
That idea became a reality in 2015, using old tires—all cleaned, carefully looked over to make sure they are safe to use, and painted in bright colors. The following year, she created Anthill Creations, which has built 275 playgrounds across India—celebrating the power of play in public spaces orphanages, and schools.
“Our work always begins with talks with kids about what they want from this space.” says Rai. Sometimes it can take a few hours, or a few visits, until children are ready to open up. She also draws on her experience as an architect. “I found that spaces are powerful in shaping people’s behavior.” she says.
Most of the play spaces Rai designs feature large tire sculptures of cars, buildings, or animals, paired with more classic elements of swings and jungle gyms.
In one girl’s school in Bengaluru, the children wanted their play space to be shaped into a boxing ring, with tires doubling up as punching bags. “Their teacher was unsure about it.” Rai remembers. “But the girls said they didn’t want people to see them as weak. They wanted to practice self-defense and grow stronger.” In December 2019, this playground became a reality.
1. What did Rai find out about the kids in a local orphanage?| A．They behaved badly. | B．They were badly treated. |
| C．They had nothing to do but play. | D．They were short of play equipment. |
| A．She renewed them in a tire shop. |
| B．She turned them into artistic works. |
| C．She used them to design play spaces. |
| D．She sold them to raise money for hungry kids. |
| A．Children’s needs. | B．Children’s experiences. |
| C．Her favourite childhood games. | D．An architect friend’s suggestions. |
| A．They needed to build their confidence. |
| B．They wanted to win their teachers’ trust. |
| C．They finally had their dream playground. |
| D．They often helped with collecting old tires. |
| A．Talented and hard-working. | B．Creative and kind-hearted. |
| C．Realistic and lonely. | D．Poor but caring. |
【推荐1】No one knows exactly when jazz was invented, or by whom. But it is said that it began in the early 1900s. Jazz was a new kind of music, for America and the world, and New Orleans was its birthplace. Here are some information about jazz.
Who were the jazz pioneers? Most were blacks. This music was not written down, and at first only blacks played it. It was hard for white musicians to learn the new style. But soon they, too, were playing jazz. The popularity of this music spread. From New Orleans, it traveled up the Mississippi to Chicago, then to Kansas City and New York. By the 1920s, there were many jazz musicians, both black and white. Many of them were famous. One man was better than the rest. His name was Louis Armstrong.
Louis Armstrong was a born musician. He was not only talented but also hard-working. He also had a good sense of humor and a big, good-natured smile. These personal qualities were valuable in his rise to fame. After he became famous, he traveled around the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to hear Louis play. But life was not always easy, especially at the beginning.
Louis Armstrong was bornin1900 in New Orleans. His father never went to school and his mother could hardly read. When Louis was still a kid, his parents separated, and Louis lived with his mother. How hard their life was can readily be imagined. And yet Louis smiled through everything. He later wrote, “My whole life has been happiness. Life was there for me and I accepted it. Whatever happened has been beautiful to me. I love everybody.”
1. The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 refers to________.| A．new styles | B．jazz pioneers |
| C．black musicians | D．white musicians |
| A．His family background. | B．His big, good-natured smiles. |
| C．His talent and hard work. | D．His good sense of humor. |
| A．The development of jazz and its best musician. |
| B．The development of music. |
| C．The influence of Louis Armstrong. |
| D．The influence of jazz on Americans. |
| A．a science paper | B．a music magazine | C．an art picture | D．a Chinese book |
【推荐2】So far, this year's global music market has definitely been controlled by women: Beyonce Knowles, Taylor Swift, and Iggy Azalea are all making waves. And one hot name that adds more weight to the list is US singer Ariana Grande.
Almost exactly a year ago, Grande released her first album, Yours Truly. And over the past 12 months, the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon (an American TV channel for kids and adolescents) star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to a superstar. She now boasts three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart, an impressive opening performance at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, and millions of followers on social networking sites.
Her second album, My Everything, which was released on Aug, 25th, is the latest sign of her coming dominance (优势). It ranked first on the Billboard 200 album chart this week, making her the only other female singer after Scotland's Susan Boyle to have two No. 1 albums in a row in a single year.
OK, with all the glitter and glory aside, let's talk about Grande's trump card — her powerful voice and wide vocal range (音域). Unlike Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, Grande's star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing. More importantly, Grande knows how to control her voice, which is at once strong and sensitive, and use it to expand her musical territory.
My Everything is the best example. In this album, Grande nearly tries her hand at everything: dance music (Break Free), R&B jams (Be My Baby), hip-hop tunes (Problem), power ballads (Why Try) and even '60s-inflected pop (Bang Bang).
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer, you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music, especially if you have listened to Yours Truly, a more cohesive, '90s R&B-influenced project.
Of course, one suggestion for Grande's future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing off her voice. But not to worry; based on what we've heard thus far, it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own.
1. The underlined word “boasts” in paragraph 2 is similar in meaning to ________.| A．releases | B．adopts | C．advocates | D．possesses |
| A．show her wide vocal range |
| B．show she is a superstar |
| C．show she is very popular with followers |
| D．show she sings better than other singers |
| A．should try her hand in more styles of music |
| B．is satisfied with just showing off her voice talent |
| C．is sure to display more personality in her future performance |
| D．is going to lose her advantage for lack of change in her performance |
【推荐3】Better known by his stage name Kun, Cai Xukun is, without a doubt, one of the most popular stars in China.
On July 26, the 21-year-old dropped his new single Young. Within just 20 seconds, it reached 1 million views and in only 3 days topped the music charts of Tencent’s QQ music.
Cai wrote the song by himself to share his understanding of modern-day youth. The singer has mixed R&B with electronic music to make his new beat cheerful. One reviewer wrote on QQ Music: “When you listen to the song, you just seem to go back to youth again.”
August 2 is Cai’s birthday, and the song was a gift to himself. The singer hopes that he can always have the courage to follow his love of music, ignoring what anyone says. “My works are like my children and I have put my best effort into them. I want every piece of my work to have my own spirit in it. I feel more enjoyment when I am performing my own work.” He told the Global Times.
To find new inspiration, Kun attends different kinds of musical performances－from festivals to opera houses. “I just like to do everything, all for my music, all for my art,” he told i-D.
With talent and dedication(专注) to music, Cai is expected by many to make his mark in the competitive Chinese music industry.
1. What do we know about KUN’s newest single?| A．It has earned two million sales. |
| B．It makes people feel energetic. |
| C．It is a birthday gift to a friend of his. |
| D．It combines jazz and electronic music. |
| A．He gains great satisfaction from creating music. |
| B．He prefers singing songs to writing them. |
| C．He wants his every piece of work liked by everyone. |
| D．He is preparing another new single. |
| A．Courageous and patient | B．Talented and humorous |
| C．Hardworking and creative | D．Optimistic and generous |
