【推荐1】Actress known as “The Queen of Technicolor”

Rhonda Fleming, who has died aged 97, appeared in several black and white classics, but it was in the 1950s, when the movies used beautiful colour, that she became a star. Along with fellow redhead Maureen O’Hara, she became known as “the Queen of Technicolor”.     1     “Suddenly my green eyes were green green. My red hair was flaming red. My skin was porcelain white,” she said in 1991. “There was all this attention on how I looked, rather than the roles I was playing.”

She was born Marilyn Louis in 1923, and brought up in Los Angeles, the daughter of an insurance salesman and an actress.    2     However, when she was 16, a man stopped her in the street and told her: “You ought to be in pictures.” He turned out to be the Hollywood agent Henry Willson, who later “discovered” Rock Hudson. Willson introduced her to David O. Selznick, and before long, she had signed a seven-year contract, changed her name –and been offered a supporting role in Spellbound.

    3    Then, in 1948, she was cast opposite Bing Crosby in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – her first film in Technicolor, and the one that launched her as a leading lady.

She largely retired from screen acting in 1966, but made some appearances on Broadway in the 1970s.     4     And she began what she referred to as her greatest career : the founding of The Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic for Women’s Comprehensive Care, and – three years later – the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Centre for Women with Cancer, both in Los Angeles.

A．But she didn’t welcome this.

B．She was put into trouble in her life.

C．Then, in 1990, her sister died of ovarian cancer.

D．As a girl she took singing lessons, and hoped to become a singer.

E．She starred alongside Robert Mitchum in 1947’s Out of the Past.

【推荐2】From classic films like The Lion King to new Marvel and Star Wars series, the service has a lengthy list of worthy content. Look through the list of movies you can watch on Disney.

Home Alone(1990)

As the McCallister family take off for Paris for the holiday season, they accidentally leave their eight-year-old son Kevin at home alone at Christmas. While he’s left behind, the house is targeted by 2 robbers, Harry Lyme and Marv Merchants, who have just come out of prison. Kevin is left to take care of himself and defend his house.

Beauty and the Beast(1997)

Following the original Disney classic, the film follows everybody in the castle as they prepared for Christmas back when they were still under the spell(魔咒). Told by Mrs.Potts, we see what happened after Beast saved Belle from the wolves and they celebrated Christmas.

Good Luck Charlie(2011)

The Charlies are ready for a great Christmas in Palm Springs. However, Teddy and Amy are separated from the rest of the family and madly try to find a way to Palm Springs in time for Christmas. In the end, the family are reunited and learn a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure(2017)

One of Frozen’s breakout characters Olaf, the snowman, has his very own adventure as he sets out on a mission to create Christmas traditions for Elsa and Anna.

1. What do we know about Kevin in the film Home Alone?

A．He knows the robbery in advance.

B．He is left home alone unexpectedly.

C．He doesn’t like spending holiday in Paris.

D．He is willing to fight against the robbers.

2. What do the four movies have in common?

A．They’re all comedies.

B．They’re all intended for kids only.

C．They’re all related to Christmas.

D．They’re all adventurous films.

3. In which section of a website can we probably see the text?

A．Entertainment.

B．Advertisement.

C．News report.

D．Economy.

【推荐3】The new film from the director of Up and Inside Out has the beauty of adventure, but its themes are very raw.

If Disney's animated-movie(动画电影) relies on tales of heroes and princesses, of villains(坏人) destroyed and personal freedom achieved,then Pixar's movie is far more ordinary. For decades; the computer-animation studio has made movies that present remarkable feelings and experiences as the products of ordinary jobs, performed diligently by strange little beings behind the scenes. Monsters, Inc., in 2001, showed that our fears were created by blue-collar creatures. Inside Out in 2015, presented our feelings as brightly colored sprites(精灵). Now, Soul imagines how our personalities are created at a cartoon summer camp, where smiley blobs(小球) and squiggles(涂鸦) create human souls.

All these movies were directed by Pete Docter, the man who is also behind Up. The filmmaker is fond of using animation to create worlds rooted in abstract metaphor(隐喻). Soul is largely set in a world known as "the Great Before". And the smaller,human story he tries to tell— about a jazz pianist who finds himself stuck in the Great Before after a near-death experience—is sweet and attractive.

Docter has wrestled with"grown-up" themes before and managed to put them into an easy-to-understand story. Up began with the emotional hammer blow of an aging character losing his wife before he started a new adventure. Soul sets an even tougher challenge for itself by apparently telling the audience that Joe finds himself in to teach valuable lessons about finding joy in life even as it disappoints us.

We are all born with dreams. Docter seems to be saying with ideas and personalities that are created even before we come into the world. Compared to Pixar's recent sequels(续集) to past hits, Soul is a nobler project —a messy but expansive story worthy of its director's great ambitions.

1. How many Docter's works does the passage mention?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

2. How does Docter create his films?

A．Using common cartoon characters.

B．Counting on heroes' stories.

C．Based on the characters' true stories.

D．Following sequels to the past hits.

3. What does the author think of Soul?

A．Ordinary.

B．Disappointing.

C．Perfect.

D．Noble.

4. What is the passage?

A．A film review.	B．A name story.
C．A personal anecdote.	D．A description of a film.

【推荐1】I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to complain as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease. Only through experiences of suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents and difficulties. Some are of our making but many are no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity, we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident．He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aviators in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans．He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at everything. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies (传记) of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
1. Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?

A．Going to a gym is greatly beneficial to people’s health.

B．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.

C．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.

D．People’s attitude to adversity is the only factor of their success.

2. By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “.”

A．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.

B．A bad workman quarrels with his tools.

C．If you risk nothing, you will have nothing.

D．Failure is the mother of success．

3. Following this passage, the author will further talk about .

A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced

B．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity

C．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face

D．what great people have in common

4. Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?

A．Life is full of adversity

B．Different attitudes towards adversity

C．Nothing is impossible

D．Face adversity with a smile

【推荐3】I’d like to share a little with you about something that happened when I was four. I remember it clearly. Our loving family dog was nearing the end of his life. My father picked him up and put him in a little bed we had made for him. Our dog, my companion, whom we had cared for, bit my father when he attempted to help him. How could he? Why? I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t like him anymore.

I hadn’t thought that story for a long time but something that happened last brought it back to me. I went to speak with a friend. When I knocked on the door, I met in an instant an angry look and a few harsh (尖刻的) words. When the door was slammed (砰地关上) in my face, I stood there shocked, and in rush, I was reminded of my dog bit my father 20 years ago or so. What brought that story back was that same feeling of betrayal.

Both stories taught me something the next day. You see, when I got up in the morning and was told my dog had died, it became clear to me that he must have been in great pain. For him to have bitten a family member, he could not have been himself. Much the same for the other story when I learned that my friend’s wife had just left him.

We are all begins of our environments, our opinions and feelings. And all of those things can cause you to say and do things that can’t be understood by those who are not in the same situation with you.

If you meet someone either behaving out of character or acting in a way that doesn’t seem to fit the situation, put our your hand and be patient when you think it is least possible for him to do so. You may turn around a story that has a sad ending simply by your actions.

1. What is the influence of the incident mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．It hurt his father’s feeling deeply.	B．It has puzzled the author ever since.
C．It left a deep impression on the author.	D．It made the author dislike dogs.

2. Why did the author’s friend say harsh words to the author?

A．He was ill-tempered.

B．He was suffering the pain of losing his wife.

C．He was bothered by an unexpected visit.

D．They once quarreled and he couldn’t forgive the author.

3. What’s the author’s advice to us?

A．Help those in need.	B．Look before you leap.
C．Respect of others is a kind of virtue.	D．Learn to put yourself in others’ shoes.

【推荐1】Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 with progressive parents, who frequently communicated with the country’s leading thinkers and scholars. This enlightened family environment provided Montessori with many advantages over other young girls of the time.

Her mother’s support was vital for some important decisions, such as her further study in a technical school after her elementary education. Her parents’ support also proved to be essential for her decision to study medicine, a field that was dominated by men.

Soon after graduating, in 1896, Montessori began work as a voluntary assistant in a clinic at the University of Rome, where she cared for children with learning difficulties. The rooms were empty, with just a few pieces of furniture. One day, she found that the children were enthusiastically playing with breadcrumbs (面包屑) that had dropped on the floor. It then occurred to her that the origin of some intellectual disabilities could be related with poverty. With the right learning materials, these and other young minds could be trained, Montessori concluded.

The observation would lead Montessori to develop a new method of education that focused on providing better stimulation during the sensitive periods of childhood.

At its centre was the principle (原则) that all the learning materials should be child-sized and designed to appeal to all the senses. In addition, each child should be allowed to move and act freely, and use their creativity and problem-solving skills. Teachers took the role of guides, supporting the children without press or control.

Montessori opened her first Children’s House in 1907. When the Fascists (法西斯主义者) first came into power in Italy in 1922, they welcomed her movement at the beginning. But they soon came to oppose the emphasis on the children’s freedom of expression. Montessori's values had always been about human respect and the rights of children and women, but the Fascists wanted to use her work and her fame.

Things reached a breaking point when the Fascist tried to influence the schools’ educational content, and in 1934 Montessori and her son decided to leave Italy. She didn’t return to her homeland until 1947, and she continued to write about and develop her method until her death in 1952, at the age of 81.

1. What was the main reason for Montessori to develop a new educational method?

A．Her experience as a voluntary assistant in a clinic.

B．Her family’s supportive influence on her education.

C．Her decision to study medicine, a field dominated by men.

D．Her observation of children playing with breadcrumbs happily.

2. What was a central principle of Montessori’s educational method?

A．Focusing on group competition.	B．Taking control of children’s action.
C．Providing one-size-fits-all learning materials.	D．Creating a free and child-centered environment.

3. Why did Montessori decide to leave Italy in 1934?

A．She was offered a better job in a different country.

B．She was forced to give up her work and her fame.

C．She wanted to avoid the influence from the Fascist.

D．She wanted to explore other countries and cultures.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Montessori in this passage?

A．Enthusiastic and kind.	B．Observant and innovative.
C．Cooperative and generous.	D．Traditional and emotional.