For the first time in its 100-year history, Walt Disney Animation has cooperated with an outside animation studio on a project. The result is lwájú, an interesting and original six-part series set in a futuristic version of Lagos, Africa. It was created with the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali and premieres (首映) on Disney+ on February 28.
lwájú is a story about Tola, a young girl from a wealthy family, and her best friend, Kole, a self-taught tech expert, and their discovery of the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds. The show explores inequality and the idea of challenging society’s standards. Like the Disney+ series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Marvel’s Black Panther films, and the Netflix animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter, lwájú is part of a genre (体裁) called Afrofuturism. It combines elements of science fiction, the culture and history of Africa and Africans, fantasy, and a vision of a better future.
The series was directed by Adeola, “lwájú was born from my personal inspiration to tell a story about Lagos because one of the unique things I noticed is how the geography actually supports the societal divide in a way that is very obvious,” Adeola told in the interview, “In Lagos, the wealthy people live on the island, and the working class and poor people live on the mainland. So you literally see a body of water separating rich and poor. And so I thought that was a really interesting foundation upon which to build a science-fiction story.”
Adeola called lwájú “a love letter to Lagos” and said every frame praises the city’s diversity and spirit. The characters, he explained, represent typical types of Nigerian people and they wear clothing inspired by traditional African textiles (纺织品).
While the series of films questions the divisions in society, Adeola said it also highlights the bravery required to disrupt them. He added that he hopes lwájú inspires audiences to find strength in unity and the courage to dream of change.
1. What’s the similarity between lwájú and other Disney+ series according to the text?A.They are adventurous stories. |
B.They explore inequality and challenge society’s standards. |
C.They combine African traditional culture and futurism. |
D.They are produced by Walt Disney Animation independently. |
A.The society is rarely divided by geography. |
B.Generally, upper class live on the mainland. |
C.Adeola’s friend inspired him to film lwájú. |
D.The poor and rich are separated quite clearly. |
A.Break. | B.Obtain. | C.Estimate. | D.Distinguish. |
A.Imaginary and humorous. | B.Innovative and realistic. |
C.Attractive and inspiring. | D.Critical and multicultural. |
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【推荐1】We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.
In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.
“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”
Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.
1. What is the problem with the author’s children?A.They often annoy their neighbours. | B.They are tired of doing their homework. |
C.They have no friends to play with | D.They stay in front of screens for too long. |
A.By making a documentary film. | B.By organizing outdoor activities. |
C.By advertising in London media. | D.By creating a network of friends. |
A.records | B.predicts | C.delays | D.confirms |
A.Let Children Have Fun | B.Young Children Need More Free Time |
C.Market Nature to Children | D.David Bond: A Role Model for Children |
【推荐2】Dune
Only big screens can actually match Frank Herbert’s science-fiction works. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune is a sad film about super powered young heroes on a desert planet. It runs for 155 minutes, but still only covers the first half of the book. A large amount of money is spent on the film, and the cast (演员阵容) is packed with big names.
Antlers
The frightening story of this film is from native American tales about Wendigo. The director, Scott Cooper, asked Professor Grace L Dillon, the most famous expert on the subject, “I was told that it may not be an unreal story for native Americans,” Cooper said. “They truly believe in it, and it means greed (贪婪) and cruelty when we robbed all the resources from the locals.”
The French Dispatch
The 10th film by Wes Anderson, a writer-director, brings great joy to his fans. In this film, he takes his careful style to new extreme. Behind all these carefully prepared skills is a collection of three funny short stories, which are set in a French town probably from the magazine New Yorker in the mid-20th century.
Ron’s Gone Wrong
The cartoon is a family comedy (喜剧). Its hero, Barney, is given what seems to be a perfect toy — a shiny robot which is programmed to be his friend. But the problem is that this, robot, hardly works at all. The film’s co-writer and co-director, Sarah Smith, said, “It is completely out of control and doesn’t follow Barney’s directions. So they have to build their relationship from that point.”
1. Who is the author of Dune?A.Wes Anderson. | B.Denis Villeneuve. |
C.Frank Herbert. | D.Sarah Smith. |
A.Antlers. | B.Ron’s Gone Wrong. |
C.Dune. | D.The French Dispatch. |
A.They have the most famous stars. | B.They bring much pleasure to viewers. |
C.They are composed of small stories. | D.They are set in a French town. |
【推荐3】MOVIE GUIDE FRIDAY
Harry Potter Ⅲ 14:00 21:00 Science Fiction Now Harry Potter has been in the wizardry school for three years. He begins a new life. How is everything going? | Mr. Bean 9:00 18:00 Comedy Rowan Atkinson is a great actor. His movie Mr. Bean is coming. It’s very funny. Don’t miss it. |
Hi Mum 11:00 16:00 Comedy Do you like Jia Ling? She is both the actress and director of this movie. It’s so interesting and moving. Come and have fun! | The Monkey King 17:00 22:00 Cartoon It is picked from Journey to the west. This movie describes a brave hero who is fearless to fight against all gods … Children, come and see it! |
A.Comedy. | B.Science fiction. |
C.Cartoon. | D.Action movie. |
A.Harry Potter Ⅲ | B.Mr. Bean |
C.Hi Mum | D.The Monkey King |
A.2:00 a. m | B.4:00 a. m | C.1:00 p. m | D.9:00 p. m |
【推荐1】Traci Ruble, a psychotherapist (心理治疗师), felt worried that people today were experiencing loneliness and a shortage of personal connections. She understood that with busy lives and challenging jobs, people were unable to make these connections.
So on a spring day in 2015, Ruble and a small number of volunteers set up chairs on sidewalks in 12 locations around San Francisco, California and invited people passing by to sit for a few minutes and chat. This was the beginning of Sidewalk Talk, an organization whose mission is to create public spaces of connections where the people are.
Today, the organization has more than 4,000 volunteers in 40 cities. Around 25 percent of the volunteers are licensed therapists (持证治疗师). They come from different backgrounds and are a mixed group. Volunteers receive training from the organization.
Listening activities are held several times a month along with other organizations. In San Francisco, Sidewalk Talk partners with Lava Mae, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that brings mobile showers to homeless people.
Sidewalk Talk gives people a chance to speak and be listened to but it is not therapy, according to Ruble. “I’m not interacting as a therapist out there. I’m not there to solve someone’s problems,” she said. “I’m there to practice being human.”
Ruble stressed that therapy is one-sided and that therapists are taught to avoid self-disclosure(自我表露) but by “being human” she could carry out interactions by sharing her own life and showing empathy (同感) with the people she talks with.
According to a report, 31 percent of all Americans experience serious loneliness including 61 percent of young adults. To fix that, rebuilding community relationships is very important. While listening activities will not solve the loneliness problem, these chats could help someone have a brighter day. Knowing that there are empathetic people who are willing to fully listen and share your feelings could make all the difference to a lonely person.
1. What can we learn about Sidewalk Talk?A.It is largely made up of licensed therapists. |
B.It encourages people to share and reconnect. |
C.It was set up with the help of other organizations. |
D.It aims to improve people’s language expression ability. |
A.It leads to a healthier life. |
B.It helps people solve problems. |
C.It makes chats go more smoothly. |
D.It allows people to receive support. |
A.The power of good community relationships. |
B.The seriousness of the loneliness problem. |
C.The results of being an empathetic person. |
D.The need for Sidewalk Talk’s activities. |
A.Taking listening to the streets |
B.Dealing with loneliness by volunteering |
C.Building powerful connections between people |
D.Enjoying having deep conversations with strangers |
【推荐2】The winners of The Cultural City of East Asia in 2021 have been chosen, with four cities in China, Japan and South Korea winning the title, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Sunday.
Shaoxing of East China’s Zhejiang Province, Dunhuang in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, Suncheon in South Korea and Kitakyushu in Japan were selected through votes held in their respective countries in 2020. Choosing Dunhuang and Shaoxing at the same time marks the first time that one country has selected two cities in the program.
These four cities are major cultural landmarks in their respective countries. Dunhuang was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for its nearby Mogao Grottoes, which contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art from a period extending 1, 000 years. Suncheon is an eco-city in South Korea that is a major agricultural and industrial center and also known for Suncheon Bay. Kitakyushu city was formed in 1963 through a combination of five big cities centered around the ancient city of Kokura. It is also where the already delayed 12th meeting of the three countries’ culture ministers will be held in 2021. Suncheon and Kitakyushu also won The Cultural City of East Asia in 2020.
These four cities are active centers for art and cultural communication. According to the announcement, the four cities will work closely together to promote cultural development and prosperity in East Asia through sustained cultural cooperation and close exchanges, and will jointly support the preparation and hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022.
The “The Cultural City of East Asia” program was created based on an agreement reached at a meeting of ministers of culture from Japan, China, and South Korea in 2013. Every year one or two cities in each country are selected with the aim to develop their ties through culture and arts; those cities host a variety of cultural and artistic events to introduce traditional and modern arts and culture as well as different lifestyles to visitors.
1. What’s special about the selection of The Cultural City of East Asia in 2021?A.All the cities were on the list for the first time. |
B.All the cities are well-known all over the world. |
C.Two cities of one country were selected in a year. |
D.Three countries work together to make the selection. |
A.Shaoxing. | B.Dunhuang. | C.Suncheon. | D.Kitakyushu. |
A.The culture of the four cities. | B.The mission of the four cities. |
C.The history of the four cities. | D.The comparison of the four cities. |
A.To preserve local traditional arts, culture and lifestyles. |
B.To support the preparation and hosting of the Olympics. |
C.To strengthen the city relationship through culture and arts. |
D.To host various cultural and artistic events to attract visitors. |
On Wednesday, news reports came that Beijing transport authorities will take measures to stop the illegal “taxi business” of private cars through the newly rising Internet apps, following the footsteps of Shenyang and Nanjing.
It is not yet clear how the Shenyang city government will handle the issue and whether it will declare the services offered by market leaders such as Didi Dache, a taxi-hiring app provider backed by Tencent Holdings, and Kuaidi Dache illegal. But Shanghai transport regulators(交通管理机构) have set a rule, by banning Didi Zhuanche, or car services offered by Didi Dache in December.
Such regulations (规定) will cause a setback(挫折) to the car-hiring companies and investors that are waiting to cash in on the potentially booming business. Just last month, Didi Dache got $700 million in funding from global investors, including Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings, Russian investment company DST Global and Tencent. Besides, the market is uncertain that Kuaidi Dache is about to finalize its latest round of funding after getting $800 million from global investors.
Regulatory uncertainties, however, could cast a shadow on the future of the Internet-based car-hiring services, which have become popular in most of China’s big cities. To be fair, these companies’ business model is anything but bad. For example, Didi Zhuanche works side by side with established car rental companies to provide high-end car service mainly for business-people through the Internet and mobile phone apps.
Every link in this business model chain has legal companies and services. Hence, it is hard to define it as illegal and ban it.
1. Why did taxi drivers in Shenyang block the streets with their vehicles?
A.Because they wanted the authority to increase their driving allowances. |
B.Because they wanted to be taught how to use the taxi-hiring apps. |
C.Because they wanted to make their main complaints known to the authority. |
D.Because they wanted to appeal to passengers not to hire the private cars. |
A.positive | B.negative |
C.neutral (中立的) | D.unclear |
A.The problem referred to in the passage exists in all cities. |
B.App-based car rental is functional to some degree. |
C.The government should regulate the app-based car rental market. |
D.Didi Dache is a China-foreign joint company. |