【推荐1】Hollywood is getting more confident in the recovery of the US film market after Warner Bros’ monster mash Godzilla vs. Kong scored huge box office returns in early April. Meanwhile, Hollywood is also eyeing the Chinese market, with offerings including Universal’s action film Fast and Furious 9. However, they should realize that after the deadly pandemic, Chinese audiences have more interest in movies that tell a good Chinese story.

James Cameron’s documentary The Six and Marvel’s superhero film Black Widow are scheduled to be released on April 16 and July 9 respectively, and DC comics has produced a new superhero, Monkey Prince, based on the Chinese legendary Money King. Obviously, Hollywood is hoping to earn big in the world’s largest film market.

But looking back to the Hollywood blockbusters in 2020, their box office performance in China was a big disappointment. According to China’s ticketing platform Maoyan, Disney’s Mulan, DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 and Warner Bros’ Tenet earned 278 million yuan ($42 million), 167 million yuan and 456 million yuan, respectively.

Meanwhile, homegrown Chinese films are getting more popular, which can be seen from the box office during China’s Lunar New Year holiday in 2021 and the Qingming Festival. Chinese feature film Sister, which deals with sister-brother relationships, quickly defeated Godzilla vs. Kong during China’s Qingming Festival holiday.

Many observers said that Chinese audiences want to watch films that tell a good Chinese story, and the tear-jerking comedy Hi, Mom is a perfect example. The film tells a warm story of a mother-daughter relationship and has grossed 5.397 million yuan as of Thursday, according to Maoyan.

Maybe it is because of the COVID-19 epidemic that Chinese people are turning their eyes more toward their own stories. If Hollywood still cannot really know and respect Chinese culture and just randomly mixes some Chinese elements into their films, it will lose a large amount of its fans in China.

1. What does the underlined expression in the second paragraph refer to?

A．The Maoyan film market	B．The US film market
C．The Hollywood film market	D．The Chinese film market

2. What did Chinese audiences think of the Hollywood blockbusters released in 2020 in China?

A．The films earned big money in the box office.

B．The films failed to meet the Chinese audiences’ expectation.

C．The films defeated these homegrown films in China.

D．The films were criticized for mixing Chinese elements into their films.

3. Why is the film Hi, Mom seen as a good example of successful films nowadays?

A．It is about a story that makes you laugh and cry at the same time.

B．It is about a warm story between a mother and a daughter.

C．It mixes many Chinese family elements into the film successfully.

D．It satisfies many people’s interest in a film to tell a good Chinese story.

4. How can Hollywood make a change to keep its fans in China?

A．Try to base its story on Chinese legendary.

B．Mix many Chinese elements into their films.

C．Make the films to solve the mother-daughter relationships.

D．Know and show respect for Chinese culture.

【推荐2】Saving Mr. Banks (2013) ★★★

BBC One, 10:30 p.m.

John Lee Hancock’s film unapologetically tells the Disney side of the twisted making of Mary Poppins. It presents Walt Disney’s (by Tom Hanks) struggle with PL Travers (by Emma Thompson), who wrote the original books, as a kind of Norman Conquest of charm over a brilliant but unhappy writer. The sugar-to-medicine rate is 15 parts to one, but there’s nothing wrong with true sweetness.

The Dark Mirror (1946, b/w) ★ ★ ★

BBC Two, 8:05 p. m.

Olivia de Havilland, one of the last surviving stars of golden-age Hollywood cinema, died last month, so this film makes for a sad rewatch. It’s an old-fashioned thriller in which psychiatrist (精神病医生) Lew Ayres has to decide which identical twin ( both played by de Havilland) has committed a murder. The entire story is somewhat unrealistic but de Havilland fully shows her acting skills. Robert Siodmak directs.

Jonathan Edwards: One Giant Leap ★ ★ ★ ★

BBC Two, 8:30 p.m.

Twenty-five years ago, medals for British athletes were very rare indeed. The 1995 World Athletics Championships brought just one gold for the UK, for triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards, whose world record leap (跳) of 18. 29 m stood for two decades. This film tells a story of pressure, faith and positive thinking.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★

ITV4, 9:55 p.m.

In the famous college experiment of the title, a psychology professor set up a make-believe prison and randomly assigned students to be either prisoners or guards to study the effects of unearned authority. The frightening results are captured (捕获) in Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s recreation. Ezra Miller plays a prisoner abused by the guards, while Billy Crudup is excellent as the unknowable professor.

1. Who is Olivia de Havilland?

A．A detective.

B．A murder.

C．An actor.

D．A psychiatrist.

2. Which film can inspire the audience?

A．Saving Mr. Banks.	B．The Dark Mirror.
C．The Stanford Prison Experiment.	D．Jonathan Edwards: One Giant Leap.

3. What do the four films have in common?

A．They are night programs.	B．They are all rated 4-star films.
C．They are films by the same director.	D．They are shown on the same channel.

【推荐1】Much of our health depends on what we eat. We all know about the benefits of eating properly for our physical health, but food - and cooking it - is proving to be good for our mental health as well.

Some people are now advocating the healthful value of cooking food. It’s not just about the end result but the experience someone goes through. Dr Mark Salter, a consultant psychiatrist, told the BBC, “Baking and cooking are good ways to help patients develop planning skills, short-term memory and social skills - all of which suffer in mental illness.” TV chef and author Nadiya Hussain also agrees that cooking is great for improving our mind. She says, “Baking is always about healing... It’s never really been only about getting a cake.” And she thinks that baking is an important tool for our socialization and mental health.

Certainly, creating some delicious food has helped some of us get through the recent lockdown. It has given us something to do and helped take our mind off annoying things. People say that kneading dough (揉面团) to make bread, for example, has given them a sense of calm and control. Research has shown that doing creative tasks, like cooking, makes us feel happier. Nicole Farmer, who studies how food impacts our biology, behaviour and mental health, says, “cooking represents the shared human experience of food, and nurturing people through food, so I think that’s an opportunity for immediate positive emotions, which benefit our mental health.”

Of course, cooking can be a very sociable activity and a rewarding experience. Hopefully, as we start to mix with friends and family again, we can enjoy the benefits once more and put us all in the right frame of mind.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To add extra relevant materials.

B．To summarize the whole passage.

C．To set an example of healthy eating.

D．To introduce the topic of the passage.

2. What does Nadiya want to convey by saying the underlined words in Paragraph 2?

A．She bakes something else other than cakes.

B．The process of baking is also healing and mentally beneficial.

C．Sharing a cake is important for our socialization.

D．Baking cakes is not the only way to improve our mind.

3. How does cooking benefit people’s mental health?

A．By sharing various food.	B．By producing positive emotions.
C．By developing long–term memory.	D．By taking away sense of control.

4. What will the author probably agree with?

A．Baking is the best way to develop planning skills.

B．People who suffer mental illness benefit less in cooking.

C．What you cook matters more than the process of how you cook it.

D．Cooking with friends or family can relax our mind.

【推荐3】Exercising regularly not only helps you keep slim, but also improves your overall health and well-being. Different exercises produce different results, as they focus on alternate parts of the body. There are four broad exercise categories: endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Many people often only focus on one exercise type, but including all four in your workout will produce better results and reduce your risk of injury.

Endurance

Endurance exercises increase your breathing and heart rate. By doing endurance exercises, you are working to keep your heart, lungs, and blood-flow system healthy while improving your total fitness. Over time these activities will make everyday activities seem easier.

Strength

If you want to build up your muscles, then strength exercises, which are also known as "resistance training", are right for you. Even the slightest increase in strength can make a huge difference in your ability to carry out daily tasks. Developing strong muscles also reduces your risk of weak bones.

Flexibility

Flexibility exercises help stretch your body's muscles. This allows for more freedom of movement for other exercises and can also improve your range of motion, posture, ability to breathe deeply, and blood flow. Also, it reduces the muscle tension caused by stress.

Balance

Balance exercises help prevent falls and are especially important to older adults, helping them stay independent. Most good balance exercises are ones that keep you constantly moving with your feet on the ground. Heel — to — toe walking and standing on one foot are simple ways to improve balance.

1. What does the writer advise people to benefit from the exercise rules?

A．By concentrating on one training aspect at a time.

B．By combining all the four exercise types together.

C．By having sufficient rest to reduce the risk of injury.

D．By timing the speed and lengthening the training time frequently.

2. Which exercise types are efficient to better a person's blood-flow system?

A．Strength and Balance	B．Flexibility and Balance
C．Endurance and Flexibility	D．Endurance and Strength

3. Which part of the body benefit more from strength and flexibility?

A．Arms.

B．Legs.

C．Bones

D．Muscles

【推荐1】Jose Adolfo is a banker from Peru. He encourages children to save money and offers his customers cash for recycling plastic wastes. But the remarkable thing is that he is still a child himself.

By the age of 7,he decided to create a bank for children. He was motivated by seeing his classmates skipping lunch because they had spent the little money they had on sweets or football cards. What drove him even more was the poverty he saw among children.

With the support of a local company, the 14-year-old founded the Bartselana student bank which now has more than 2,000 customers between the ages of 10 and 18. Children can withdraw(提取) money from several cashpoints of the bank. They can also monitor their balances online. What makes it different from traditional banks is that it sets savings goals for children. They have to reach those goals in order to withdraw their money.

The student bank really caught on when he came up with the “Recycle Plan”, a new way for the children to earn money by collecting recyclable plastic or paper waste. Students can bring recyclable plastic bottles, used school books and old newspapers to the schools and put them into the collecting boxes. The recycling is weighed and the money goes to their bank accounts.

The bank recycles 4.4 tons of material a month and has collecting boxes in seven schools in Arequipa. More are on a waiting list. Increasingly the model is in demand in the rest of Peru and abroad.

His efforts have been noticed by Peru’s environment ministry. “He’s making an amazing change in financial education that perhaps many adults could not come up with,” said the Peru’s environment minister, Lucia Ruiz. “He’s achieving a double goal because he’s not just designing a financial opportunity for children and teenagers but also helping to reduce waste in the country.”

1. What’s the purpose of creating a bank for children for Jose?

A．To recycle the waste.	B．To provide free lunch.
C．To learn to manage money.	D．To help children in poverty.

2. What is special about the student bank?

A．Saving goals are set for children.	B．The balances are monitored online.
C．Customers should obey the bank rules.	D．Money can be withdrawn from some cashpoints.

3. What’s the similar meaning of caught on in paragraph 4 ?

A．Drew on.

B．Took off.

C．Looked forward.

D．Gave rise to.

4. According to Lucia Ruiz, why is Jose’s job meaning?

A．He told children the significance of running a bank.

B．He contributed to financial education and recycling.

C．He let children know how important saving money is.

D．He solved children’s realistic problem—skipping lunch.

【推荐3】Editor Henry Slocum，
I read your May 10th article in the local newspaper Honesdale Times about electronic books，or e-books，with great interest．You made several good points about the disadvantages of e-books．You may have overlooked，however，some of the ways in which they are superior to traditional books．Yes，e-books are expensive，but they are also convenient．In addition，due to their environment-friendly nature, e-books have the potential to change our planet for the better．
E-books, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the term，are about the same size and shape as regular books．They have a large screen in the middle，however．This screen shows the reader a   page of text that has been downloaded from a computer．Once the reader has finished reading the   page on the e-book screen．he or she scrolls down to see a new page．The process continues until the entire book has been read．
As you pointed out．Mr．Slocum，it's great to lie on a warm，sandy beach with a book．You can do that just as easily with an e-book as you can with a traditional paper book．In fact，because e-books are so light, you can carry them anywhere．Say，for example，that you like to read on the bus．Which would you rather carry with you-a heavy 800-page novel，or an e-book that weighs only a few ounces?
Another important advantage is offered by e-books as well．They are more environmentfriendly than traditional books．At present，thousands of trees are cut down each year to meet the publishing industry’s demand for paper．Books that don’t sell are eventually returned to the Dublisher and destroyed．This terrible waste could be avoided if everyone used e-books，which require no paper．
Sincerely，
David Eng
1. What does Editor Henry Slocum think about e-books?

A．Interesting

B．Environment-friendly

C．Convenient

D．Expensive．

2. In David’s letter, he thinks that______

A．E-books will come down in price

B．E-books do little harm to the environment

C．E-books come in various sizes and shapes

D．E-books are no better than traditional books

3. The main purpose of the letter is to______

A．provide evidence that e-books are a good idea

B．honor the person who invented e-books

C．scold publishers for wasting so much paper

D．explain how to read e-books

【推荐1】A Japanese company has created a "smart" mask that aims to improve communication for people wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The use of face masks has become normal in parts of the world still struggling to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. However, it can affect the quality of communication between wearers.

The wearable electronic device is designed to help improve speech communication in such conditions. The Japanese company Donut Robotics calls its invention the "e-mask." The device is meant to fit over other kinds of face masks commonly worn by the public.

Made of soft plastic material, it contains a built-in microphone and has holes in the front to let air in. When turned on, the mask uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a mobile device. An app then helps users perform several actions, including turning speech into text, completing telephone calls and making the user's voice louder. The device can also translate a person's voice from Japanese into eight other languages.

Taisuke, the head of Donut Robotics, told the Reuters, "We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society." He noted that the company raised $265,000 in just the first 37 minutes to develop the smart mask through a campaign on the Japanese crowdfunding service Fundinno. "It would usually take three or four months to get that kind of money," Taisuke said.

The company produced a working model of the mask within a month by using software developed for its other robot products. The mask design was similar to one created years ago by one of the company's engineers that mapped facial muscles to interpret speech.

Taisuke said the company plans to sell its first 5,000 e-masks starting in September, at about $40 per mask, in an effort to enter a global market that appeared a few months ago.

1. What's the purpose of the new "smart" mask?

A．To help protect people from being struck by COVID-19.

B．To help COVID-19 patients communicate with the doctors.

C．To make it convenient to communicate when wearing face masks.

D．To translate human thoughts into words for communication.

2. How did Taisuke feel about the company's fundraising result?

A．Greatly encouraged.	B．Somewhat regretful.
C．A bit dissatisfied.	D．Terribly disappointed.

3. How does the e-mask perform its function?

A．By connecting to an application on the mobile device.

B．By using Bluetooth to make the user's voice clear,

C．By turning the wearer's dialect into standard language.

D．By being fitted into other face masks that people wear.

4. What did Taisuke say about the e-mask?

A．Expensive.	B．Competitive.
C．Profitless.	D．Environmentally friendly.

【推荐2】Last year, a popular restaurant released a live stream of a family dining in it, without asking their permission. After finding out what the restaurant was doing, the family showed their objection, but the restaurant ignored it and insisted that they had the right to do it. Moreover, they tried to silence the family, saying that their behavior was damaging the restaurant's image. This event has caused a debate on the violation of privacy and portrait rights by webcasts.

It doesn't bother some people when their images are unconsciously recorded by cameras and shown through live streams on different online platforms. They may even enjoy appearing on screens and cooperate with some businesses. In that way, the restaurant can have more public exposure and thus attract more customers, which is their purpose of webcasting. However, others including the family mentioned above, are against it. The family thought that their portrait rights were violated, considering no one had asked if it was okay to use the images of them. They found intolerable that their actions captured by the camera were webcast live to millions of viewers, not to mention the fact that some of them were not so decent. Thus they demanded an apology from restaurant.

People may behave in a relaxed way when eating or resting, and they don't want others to see them in this way. Thus, from a legal perspective, if businesses webcast their customers for commercial reasons, they have violated customers portrait rights.

Webcasting someone without his or her consent amounts to a violation of portrait rights, which is getting increasingly common these days as cellphone webcasting is growing in popularity for technical convenience, However, public awareness of privacy protection is still falling behind. More should be done to make sure webcasting is developing sustainably, without violating people's legal rights.

1. What is the major issue argued in the passage?

A．A famous restaurant published a live stream of a family dining in it.

B．The family showed their objection to the famous restaurant's webcast.

C．The restaurant ignored the objection and insisted they had the right to do it.

D．The restaurant claimed that the family was damaging the restaurant's image.

2. What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers enjoy appearing on screens.

B．Customers cooperate with some businesses.

C．Customers are shown through live streams online.

D．Customers are unconsciously recorded by cameras.

3. Which of the following behaviors may violate customers' privacy and portrait rights?

A．Businesses webcast customers live according to their agreement.

B．Businesses webcast customers for commercial reasons and pay them.

C．Businesses webcast customers improper actions with their permission.

D．Businesses webcast customers behaving in a relaxed way without informing them.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Public awareness of privacy protection is increasing

B．A famous restaurant released a live stream of a family

C．How can people behave in a relaxed way when having a rest

D．A debate on whether webcasts violate privacy and portrait rights

5. What is the author's attitude toward webcasts?

A．Objective.

B．Negative.

C．Positive.

D．Subjective.

【推荐3】The latest thing in architecture is green buildings - covering walls and roofs with a carpet of plants to cool the house, absorb rain and provide a home for wildlife. Many such buildings need complex systems for holding and irrigating the soil, but there is a much easier approach: growing some ivy. Ivy is a group of evergreen climbing plants that are happy in shade or full sun and with most kinds of soil. They don’t need supports as they grow aerial roots that latch onto most things.

Many people use ivy to quickly cover an ugly wall or fence. Besides that, in a mild climate such as the UK’s, an ivy covered wall will slightly warm a room in winter. As well as insulating (隔热), ivy cools a room in summer through shading and by water evaporation from its leaves. “It cools the surrounding air. It's like sweating,” says Tijana Blanuša at the University of Reading, UK, who has examined the insulating effects of climbers. She and her colleagues found that Hedera helix ivy created a larger cooling effect than two other climbers, Boston ivy and climbing hydrangea. This is probably because its leaf cover is so dense, says Blanuša.

Ivy has a reputation for damaging buildings, but according to the UK’s Royal Horticultural Society, this doesn’t usually happen unless they already have cracks - the aerial roots can’t go through sound masonry (砖石结构). The other fear is that it can make walls damp, but Blanuša's study found that ivy raised humidity next to the wall by only a small amount. You do need to be careful, though, as once ivy has been in the ground for a few years, it can grow like crazy. In some parts of the US and Australia, certain kinds of ivy are classed as invasive weeds.

Having had a few battles with ivy plants, I let get out of control. If it reaches the roof, it can get under tiles (瓦片) and block gutters. So don’t plan on covering a wall with ivy unless you are willing to get up a ladder twice a year to cut off any shoots that are approaching danger zones. One option is to paint vulnerable structures with anti-graffiti paint that contains a chemical called silane. This reduces attachment of the plant's aerial roots.

1. What does the underlined phrase “latch onto” probably mean?

A．Become attached to.	B．Push aside.
C．Hold up.	D．Fit in with.

2. How does ivy bring down the temperature of a room?

A．By sweating.	B．By sucking water.
C．By blocking light.	D．By covering the wall.

3. What does the author want to tell us in Paragraph 3?

A．Ivy is popular in the US and Australia.

B．It’s believed that ivy can cause buildings to crack.

C．To a large degree, ivy is to blame for the damp of a house.

D．Ivy can find its way into a house through a hole in the wall.

4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude towards planting ivy?

A．Supportive.

B．Objective.

C．Disapproving.

D．Doubtful.