【推荐1】Spielberg was enrolled at California State University in 1965, but dropped out three years later to seek his filmmaking career.

After re-enrolling in 2001, he studied hard in his office or at home, though he didn’t attend general classes. He worked on independent projects and talked with professors to receive his bachelor’s degree in film and electronic arts. He said happily after attending the graduation ceremony in cap and gown, “I wanted to do this for many years as a ‘thank you’ to my parents for giving me the opportunity for an education and a career, and as personal note for my own family, and young people everywhere, about the importance of achieving their college education goals.” And he added, “ But I hope they get there quicker than I did.”

After leaving school, Spielberg worked in television through the early 1970s, and made the great thriller “Jaws”. He quickly became one of the most commercially successful filmmakers in history with such hits as “Jurassic Park” and “Saving Private Ryan”. He founded the company DreamWorks with his friends.

Spielberg has five honorary doctorates (博士学位), but what he really warned was this humble college degree. He posed for pictures with his fellow graduates, and smiles as he was showered with small pieces of colorful paper.

1. Spielberg withdrew from school in his early life to ________.

A．found his own company

B．start his professional career

C．prove his education a failure

D．make his fortune in Hollywood

2. Spielberg received his bachelor’s degree to show the young ________.

A．his appreciation for his own family

B．the significance of college education

C．his determination to achieve his goal

D．the importance of continued education

3. Spielberg has made history in the movie industry with his ________.

A．five honorary doctorates

B．humble college degree

C．widely-known hit movies

D．successful company DreamWorks

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．One is Never Too Old to Learn

B．College Education and Filmmaking Career

C．Realizing One’s Old Dream Needs Sacrifice

D．A Humble College Degree and the Great Filmmaker

【推荐3】A PG-13 rating is a stricter warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the film. A PG-13 film may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity (裸露), language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category.

The theme of the film by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although activities shown in the film related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the film. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in PG-13 rated film generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be violence scene in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.

A single use of one of the rude words in a film, though only as an expletive (感叹语), initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such bad word requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a film PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the film is easily neglected.

1. What is the main goal of this passage?

A．To discuss various movie ratings.

B．To explain various movie ratings.

C．To explain the difference between PG-13 and R movie ratings.

D．To explain the PG-13 movie rating.

2. According to PG-13 rating, the theme of the movie __________.

A．has little impact on its rating

B．has a large impact on its rating

C．should be entertaining

D．should be suitable for children

3. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that drug usage __________.

A．should not be allowed in movies

B．is dangerous

C．makes a PG-13 rating necessary

D．is not appropriate for children under 13

4. What does a movie with two or more uses of bad words require?

A．A PG rating.	B．A PG-13 rating.
C．An R rating.	D．An NC-17 rating.

【推荐1】Bretton Woods revisited

On July 22, 1944, as allied troops were racing across Normandy to liberate Paris, representatives of 44 nations meeting at the Mount Washington resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, created a financial and monetary system for the postwar era, referred to as Bretton Woods system.

John Maynard Keynes, leader of the British delegation, was playing a tricky dual role. He had proposed a new monetary system to free the world from the Great Depression. He hoped that the new monetary system, would be the international pillar for the series of domestic measures that came to be known as Keynesian—the use of public spending to cure depression and the regulation of financial markets to prevent downturns caused by failed private financial investments. Keynes was also hoping to restore Britain's prewar position as a leading industrial and financial power. His two roles overlapped, but far from perfectly The Americans shared the British desire to restore world growth, but not to preserve Britain's empire.

Keynes wrote to his colleague after the conference that in the new International Monetary Fund, “we have in truth got both in substance and in phrasing all that we could reasonably hope for.” The new World Bank, Keynes declared, offered "grand possibilities”. The Americans are virtually committing themselves to quite huge untied loans for reconstruction and development.

Yet in many respects, Bretton Woods was failure for Keynes and the British. America today is often described as the only surviving superpower, but in 1944 U.S. supremacy was towering. Germany and Japan were on the edge of ruin. Britain had gone massively into debt. The Russians had lost tens of millions of soldiers and civilians. America was unharmed, its casualties were modest by comparison, it held most of the world's financial reserves, and its industrial plant was mightier than ever.

Though Keynes inspired Bretton Woods, the Americans won the day. In most matters, a rival design by Keynes's American counterpart, Harry Dexter White, prevailed. White, a left-wing New Dealer serving as No. 2 man at the Department of Treasury, shared Keynes's basic views on money. But the White plan provided a far more modest fund and bank. Instead of the generous extension of wartime lend-lease aid that Keynes was promoting, the British had to settle for an American loan, to be repaid with interest.

The Bretton Woods system was welcomed as a vast improvement over both the rigid gold standard of pre-1914 and the monetary disorder of the interwar period. For a quarter-century, Bretton Woods enhanced a rare period of steady growth, full employment, and financial stability. But in many respects, the boastful role of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Bretton Woods rules specifying fixed exchange rates was a convenient illusion. The system's true pillar was the United States the U.S. dollar as global currency; the U.S. economy as the consumer market for other nations' exports; and U.S. recovery aid in the form of the Marshall Plan, which dwarfed the function of the World Bank.

In the early 1970s, the Bretton Woods system came crashing down when domestic inflation forced the United States to devalue its own currency and cease playing the dominant role. Monetary instability and slower growth followed.

1. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?

A．Keynes was satisfied with the outcome of the conference.

B．Keynes further explained the idea of monetary reform he presented.

C．Keynes emphasized the importance of having a new World Bank.

D．Keynes pointed out the important role America played in postwar era.

2. According to the passage, Keynes and White had different views on_____.

A．the roles of US and Britain in postwar era.	B．the basic principles related to loans.
C．the timing and target of giving fund.	D．the interest rate British banks should offer.

3. According to the passage, which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．The Bretton Woods system improved the rigid gold standard of the interwar period.

B．International Monetary Fund dominated the world market in many fields.

C．The Bretton Woods system largely depended on the US economic success.

D．Many countries received financial aid from the World Bank.

4. The passage is mainly about _____.

A．the role of economy in the postwar era.

B．two types of postwar diplomacy and their results.

C．an individual's contribution to the postwar world.

D．the development of a financial system and its impact.

【推荐3】Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as “the entertainment industry " or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many.
1. The United States is a typical country ________.

A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B．where people's chief concern is how to make money

C．where all businesses are managed scientifically

D．which normally works according to the federal budget

2. The influence of business in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that ________.

A．most newspapers are run by big businesses

B．even public organizations concentrate on working for profits

C．Americans of all professions know how to do business

D．even arts and entertainment are regarded as business

3. According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the U.S., dreaming that ________.

A．they can start profitable businesses there

B．they can be more competitive in business

C．they will make a fortune overnight there

D．they will find better chances of employment

4. Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because ________.

A．working people are discouraged to fight for their fights

B．there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists

C．there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and labor

D．public services are not run by the federal government

5. A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may result in ________.

A．reduction in the number of employees

B．improvement of working conditions

C．fewer disputes between labor and management

D．a rise in workers' wages