Once you choose to become an actor, many people who you thought were your closest friends will tell you you’re crazy, though some may react quite differently. No two people will give you the same advice. But it is a very personal choice you are making, and only you can take responsibility for yourself and for realising your ambition.
There are no easy ways of getting there — no written examination to pass, and no absolute guarantee that when you have successfully completed your training you will automatically make your way in the profession. It’s a matter of luck plus talent.
I have frequently been asked to define this magical thing called talent, which everyone is looking out for. I believe it is best described as natural skill plus imagination — the latter being the most difficult quality to assess. And it has a lot to do with the person’s courage and their belief in what they are doing and the way they are putting it across.
Where does the desire to act come from? It is often very difficult to put into words your own reasons for wanting to act. Certainly, in the theatre the significant thing is that moment of contact between the actor on the stage and a particular audience. And making this brief contact is central to all acting, wherever it takes place — it is what drives all actors to act.
If you ask actors how they have done well in the profession, the response will most likely be a shrug. They will not know. They will know certain things about themselves and aspects of their own technique and the techniques of others. But they will take nothing for granted, because they know that they are only as good as their current job, and that their fame may not continue.
Disappointment is the greatest enemy of the actor. Last month you may have been out of work, selling clothes or waitressing. Suddenly you are asked to audition (试镜) for a part, but however much you want the job, the truth is that it maybe denied you. So actors tend not to talk about their chances. They come up with ways of protecting themselves against the stress of competing for a part and the possibility of rejection.
1. If you decide to take up acting, you may well receive a lot of _____ from your close friends.| A．encouragement | B．sympathy |
| C．jealousy | D．objection |
| A．Good actors know very well about their secret of success. |
| B．Talented actors are usually those with a vivid imagination. |
| C．There should be training and exams to qualify potential actors. |
| D．Not all actors like the contact with the audience while on the stage. |
| A．It is what actors often talk about. |
| B．Actors should compete to avoid it. |
| C．Actors should get accustomed to it. |
| D．It will surely affect actors’ performance. |
| A．So you want to be an actor |
| B．Wanting to be an actor? Don’t hesitate |
| C．Why acting appeals to young people? |
| D．Acting: riskier than expected |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Choosing a major is vital for not only your college journey but also your whole life.
● Only based on money
Choosing a major with high-paying career options will not actually guarantee you a high-paying job.
●
When you choose to study your hobby, it can lose its appeal, and then it won't be relaxing anymore. While choosing a major based on your passion means seeking after what you love despite all the hard work. You should think how you might feel about the field when you finish college when evaluating your choices.
● By feeling instead of research
Being interested in a major is a start, but a little research in advance will prepare you better for what's in store. Consider the entire journey: the coursework, the school years, and the job future etc. If you've done your investigation and you're still interested, dip your toes in before your finally decide.
● To follow parents' advice blindly
The opinions of your friends and family aren't something to ignore.
| A．Confusing hobbies with passion |
| B．Benefiting from keeping an open heart |
| C．But you're the one doing the work and earning the degree |
| D．Choosing a suitable major can help you do more with less |
| E．You can get valuable experience by doing practice in some offices |
| F．It depends on position openings and your competitors when you graduate |
| G．However, potential college students often fall into traps when making a choice |
【推荐2】Making employees feel happy and healthy at work is good for many businesses. But it isn’t always an easy thing. A study suggests that only 33% of the U. S. employees consider themselves fully engaged （投身于）in work, while 16% are greatly disengaged, and 51% are just showing up.
But there is an exception. When it comes to employee engagement, it seems that employees in small companies are doing better. According to the same research, the largest U. S. companies are at the lowest levels of engagement, while companies with fewer than 25 employees are at the highest. And in one recent report, 75% of small business workers surveyed said they were “very” or “extremely” satisfied with their role as a small company employee.
Unlike big companies, small companies are often short of resources but the employees can get more surprises there. Small companies offer excellent career opportunities to their employees. The bosses often know their staff very well and understand their personal needs. Employees of small companies are more likely to receive free meals, paid leave, and they can even bring their pets to work.
But of course ? there are many other draws in small businesses. One of the top draws is flexible scheduling (弹性工时). Another is being able to really see the fruits of one's labor. Besides, non-cash award is also a big draw. This could be something small that reflects employees’ interests and lifestyles.
While a parental leave might lead to some financial problems, small companies may do something to improve it. “It may be impossible for a five-person team to be reduced to four for six months,” writes Camillia Velasquez, head of HR management platform, Justworks. “But it could be possible to allow new parents to take on reduced hours in a work-from-home environment. ” This kind of method has been realized in some small companies.
1. What can we know about employees in big and small companies?| A．Employees can develop better in small companies. |
| B．Employees can earn more money in small companies. |
| C．Employees in big companies are hard to be satisfied. |
| D．Employees in small companies are more engaged in work. |
| A．Working for small companies has many benefits. |
| B．All the employers in small companies know every staff member very well. |
| C．Staff in small companies may face many challenges. |
| D．Staff in big companies have more material benefits. |
| A．Employers in small companies have more choices. |
| B．Small companies have more attractions to employees. |
| C．Employees of small companies may have higher salaries. |
| D．Employees of small companies have fixed working time. |
| A．Small companies may have more employees with much happiness. |
| B．Big companies should learn from some small companies. |
| C．Employees should have their own hobbies and lifestyles. |
| D．Employers should pay more attention to the staff’s needs. |
【推荐3】Chef Bruno Abate owns one of the best pizzerias in Chicago. His restaurant makes thin pizzas, heated in an oven with a wood-burning fire. They come with fillings like mushrooms, onions, olives, tomatoes and Italian meats. Each pizza sells for between $12 and $18 at Abate’s restaurant, Tocco. But do you know you can get a similar pizza for half the price at the Cook County Jail (监狱) in Chicago?
Abate leads a cooking school at the jail. He shows prisoners how to make pizza, pasta, and Italian ice cream, called gelato. The cooking school is called “Recipe for Change.” There, behind the jail’s barbed wires and security barriers, a number of students, including Shaquille Slater, are making pizzas. “I like everything I do,” he says.
Slater makes pizza dough (面团), and then adds fillings to the dough. He makes sure the pizza and its fillings look just right before they come out of the oven. He says working with food makes him forget about being in jail. “It brings up memories of days when you were free and when you were having a good time,” he says.
Workers at the cooking school make about 200 pizzas every week. The pizzas are sold to other prisoners in the jail for about $7 each.
Abate says he is teaching cooking skills to the prisoners, and how to use good, fresh in-gredients (佐料). When they finish the class, the Students have skills they can use to find jobs when they are released from prison.
Abate says his program teaches more than how to make food. He helps the students learn that they need to have a plan for their future so they do not return to prison once they leave the prison. “Through food, I try to teach, you know, how to change in life,” Abate says.
1. What would Slater think of when making pizzas?| A．More chances to find a job in the future. |
| B．His free time before going to prison. |
| C．His bright life after being set free. |
| D．Pride in his wonderful pizzas. |
| A．They are on sale in the prison. |
| B．They are sold in big supermarkets. |
| C．They are donated to other prisoners. |
| D．They are eaten by the students themselves. |
| A．To help prisoners forget their past. |
| B．To deliver his skill of making food. |
| C．To advertise the food in his restaurant. |
| D．To prepare the prisoners for a new life. |
| A．Where Can You Buy Cheap Pizza? |
| B．Prisoners Can Eat Pizza for Half Price |
| C．Prisoners Learn to Make Pizza in Chicago |
| D．How about Running Pizza Restaurant in Prison? |
【推荐1】English is the international language of science, but most of the world’s scientists speak it as a second language. We shoulder an extra career challenge: Not only must we gain a command of science, but we must also be able to write in a foreign language to communicate that science.
My mother tongue is Hebrew. I’m now a researcher at Monash University. There are six people on my research team, five of whom are non-native English speakers. Writing highly technical English is crucial to our science. Our topics embrace cell biology, materials science and chemistry, so our text must make sense to both non-experts and experts.
To me, English is suitable as an international language in a number of ways. On the surface, it’s easy enough to convey basic meanings when conducting trade, business and tourism, as well as on social media. In most contexts, it doesn’t matter if you misuse “the” or “-ing,” or get the word order wrong. Although the spelling is chaotic, once you get a feel for the typical patterns, it’s not too hard.
But when meanings are complex and technical, precision is a must. Then, English becomes a difficult beast to wrestle with.
The Australian poet Clive James once called English “big and baggy.” I can’t disagree. The vocabulary is large. Furthermore, the grammar is extraordinarily flexible, leaving us often confusing. There lies the problem: Such rich language makes it easy to produce long writings of questionable quality.
Worse still, we outsiders to English are likely to have been taught to use complicated wording and long sentences to show our authority on a topic. However, English is the opposite: The language is at its most elegant when plain and simple. But simplicity is hard in English!
Another shock to me was the importance English speakers place on front-ending their messages. In many languages, you might expect readers to stay with the text throughout. In English, however, I’ve developed healthy fear that my readers will skim-read unless I state the essence at the opening of a paragraph, then walk backwards while explaining it.
My language teacher says that working with me makes him reflect on English in ways he wouldn’t otherwise. Full disclosure: he read this piece, and made a few helpful suggestions.
1. Why does the author think English is suitable as an international language?| A．It can be easily used to get basic meanings across. |
| B．It has relatively simple grammar and spelling rules. |
| C．It is spoken by the majority of the world’s population. |
| D．Its huge vocabulary helps express complex meanings. |
| A．To declare the importance of English |
| B．To illustrate English is easy to learn |
| C．To give opinions about the status of English |
| D．To provide a contrast to technical English |
| A．skimming for the main idea of the text |
| B．expressing ideas at the end of the text |
| C．presenting key messages at the beginning |
| D．having a thorough understanding of the text |
| A．how to convey complex and technical meanings precisely |
| B．how to produce professional writings in simple English |
| C．how to establish their authority in the field of science |
| D．how to make scientific writings accessible to non-experts |
【推荐2】Have you ever heard of the Coral Sea? It is home to an amazing variety of turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins, large fish, birds, corals, plants, and many other species. Many of these species are endangered elsewhere in the world, but still survive in the healthy environment of the Coral Sea.
The Coral Sea is a large series of coral reefs located off the northeast coast of Australia. This area is three times larger than Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef, which the Coral Sea borders.
The Coral Sea is one of the few coral reef environments that have remained largely undamaged by over-fishing, oil and gas exploration and pollution. However, statistics show that coral reefs around the world are disappearing five times faster than rainforests. It is very likely that in the near future the Coral Sea will face the same threats to its existence.
The Australian government is currently looking at options for protecting the Coral Sea but has made no decisions. Environmentalists are pushing for laws to declare the Coral Sea area a marine protected area, which will mean a large “no-take zone” for fishermen, a no-exploration zone for gas and oil companies and a no-dump zone for pollution, possibly making the Coral Sea a marine park larger than any other in the world.
We can write letters to Australian leaders, Australian environmental protection agencies, and Australian friends, to let them know that people worldwide support this protection of the Coral Sea. To lose this last great marine wilderness world would be a loss for the whole world.
1. According to the passage, why should we protect the Coral Sea without any delay?| A．Because the Coral Sea, home to many species, will disappear soon. |
| B．Because the Coral Sea is rich in natural resources like oil and gas. |
| C．Because the Coral Sea is three times larger than Great Barrier Reef. |
| D．Because the Coral Sea will be a marine park larger than any other in the world. |
| A．it will surely become the largest marine park all over the world |
| B．no one will be allowed to there to have a dose look any more |
| C．from time to time people can still dump their rubbish around there |
| D．over-fishing, oil and gas exploration will be banned altogether there |
| A．Objective. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
【推荐3】Getting off the train and stepping into the places will make your trip a more memorable one than simply admiring the scenery from the window. Check out some of the can't-miss destinations along the Chinese section of the China-Laos railway.
Fuxian Lake in Yuxi
What makes the lake attractive is the possibility that a city lived under its quiet and calm surface. In the 1990s, a large number of stone remains were fond in the lake, which led to a series of underwater research. Traces (踪迹) of ancient constructions were discovered, but their origins are still unknown.
Sun-River National Park in Pu'er
The word "Pu'er" may remind many of the famous tea from Yunnan Province. Back in ancient China, this region also served as an important stop along the trade route-Tea Horse Road. This has much to do with its location. The Sun-River National Park here is highly recommended if you are looking for some fresh air and a close encounter with nature. The rainforests in the park provide habitats for over 800 animal species and 2,000 different plants.
Wild Elephant Valley in Xishuangbanna
For those wishing to interact with the giant creatures themselves, the Wild Elephant Valley is a must-visit. It will take three hours to get to Xishuangbanna from Kunming once the China-Laos railway becomes operational, and a new train station has been set up near the nature reserve, offering more accessible journeys. Extra effort has been made by the government to reduce the effect of railway construction on the local environment.
Starlight Night Market in Xishuangbanna
The Starlight Night Market, as the name suggests, offers a colorful nightlife experience. It is the best place to get to know local people's lives. The market features local food, various activities, and creative art of works by the young. This is also an area for hanging out with other travelers for shopping.
1. What mostly made Pu'er an important stop along the Tea Horse Road?| A．The national parks. | B．Its location. |
| C．Its natural resources. | D．The famous tea. |
| A．Fuxian Lake. | B．Wild Elephant Valley. |
| C．Starlight Night Market. | D．Sun-River National Park. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A novel. | C．A journal. | D．A report. |
