1 . Two very different movies were released on July 21 this summer in the West, bringing record numbers of people into cinemas as the “Barbenheimer (芭比海默)” trend took over social media.

Barbie and Oppenheimer have been huge hits around the world, with Barbie alone making over 1 billion US dollars just 17 days after release. This makes it Wamer Bros studio’s fastest movie to reach $1 billion and the film’s director, Greta Gerwig, the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar film.

Barbie and Oppenheimer are an interesting pair because of how different they are from one another. Barbie is about a famous toy coming to life and facing issues of sexism and finding her own identity. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer is a serious male-driven historical film about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb. The release of these two huge, wildly different movies on the same day led to the creation of countless memes (表情包) under the Barbenheimer hashtag. Filmgoers have even gone to see both movies one right after the other, with some dressing up in pink for Barbie going on to see Oppenheimer as well.

Meanwhile, people have found some of the “Barbenheimer” memes disturbing. Atomic bombs killed many people and they think the memes made light of a very dark time in history. But the films have brought a healthy boost to cinema ticket sales around the world, helping an industry that has faced many challenges in recent years. The increasing popularity of streaming services and the COVID-19 pandemic have kept people out of cinemas. Now, the strikes from writers and actors over concerns of pay and about the use of artificial intelligence by film studios are also having an impact. Add to that a public tired of yearly big movies about superheroes and fast cars, as declining ticket sales suggest.

Described as a historic moment for the movie industry. “‘Barbenheimer’ will go down as one of the biggest and unexpected milestones in the history of cinema,” Paul Dergarabedian at Comscore told CNN.

4 . Peter worked at a grocery store. Recently, he _______ a second job to help pay for his sick friend Dan and his own son’s _______.

Although the job was boring, there were times Peter especially _______. At that time the supermarket was _______, being full of customers. One day, a young woman named Angela caught Peter’s _______ when she turned to her two children, “Sorry, babies. Mommy can’t _______ to get your sweets and snacks, so please put them back, okay?”

The children began to cry and Angela tried to _______ them. Then Peter quickly swooped (接近) in, _______ to help her to pay for the _______. Peter was glad to see the children happy and Angela a little at ease.

The next day Angela returned to the store and explained to Peter, “Thanks for your kindness. It really ________ a lot. I’m a single mother and lost my job, so things are a bit ________.”

“Well, I am ________ aware of your situation. I need help with my friend’s medical bills and my kid’s college. Nothing comes cheap.”

Angela was grateful for Peter’s help. Peter’s actions and ________ touched Angela, and she thought to herself, “This man had his share of ________, yet he was still kind enough to________ and help me. I should pass this kindness on.”

5 .

2023 Gotham Award Nominee for Breakthrough Figure(Raven Jackson)

One of the most visually striking, profoundly moving American moviemaking debuts(首次亮相) in years, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an eye-catching immersion into a young woman’s inner world, filmed and edited with an extraordinary attention to the tiniest detail. This impressionistic journey skips ahead and back through decades to tell the story of Mack, whose upbringing in rural Mississippi is touched by grace, dotted with heartbreak, and always carried high in the sky by the surrounding natural beauty. As she ages, she loses loved ones and gains others, while making decisions that change the course of her life, and that of her beloved sister. Relying on sounds and images to tell her story, and employing minimal dialogue, Jackson has created something breathtakingly quiet and ultimately transporting a spiritual respect to the moments, feelings, and connections that make a life. An A24 release.

November 7—November 15

12:15 PM            2:15 PM             4:15 PM        6:15 PM          8:15 PM

*Open caption screenings of the film will play on November 8—November 13

12:15 PM             6:15 PM

*Audio description available at all screenings.

8 . The silence of the Reference Library was broken only by the sound of pages being turned over. There were about twenty people in the room, most of them with their__________bent over their books. The assistant librarian sat at a desk in one corner.   She had a look at Phillip as he came in, then went on with her work.

Phillip had not been to this part of the library before. He_________around the room almost on tiptoe, _______of disturbing(打扰)the readers with his heavy shoes. The shelves were filled with thick books: dictionaries in many languages, biography and some others. He found nothing to interest him, _______he came to a small area on photography, which was one of his hobbies. The books in this area were on a high shelf out of his__________, so he had to fetch a small ladder(梯子) in order to get one down. Unluckily, as he was _______down the ladder, the book he had chosen slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a__________crash. Twenty pairs of eyes looked_________ at him together. Phillip felt himself go red as he ________up his book, which did not seem to have been damaged by its________.

He had just sat down when he found the young lady assistant standing alongside him. “You _____be more careful when you are holding these books,” she said seriously. Satisfied that she had done her duty, she turned to go back to her desk. Then a sudden________struck her. “By the way, how old are you?” she asked Phillip. “Thirteen,” he told her. “You’re not________in here under the age of fourteen, you know,” the assistant said. “Didn’t you see the notice on the door?” Phillip shook his head. He _________the assistant to ask him to leave. Instead, in a more _____tone(语气) , she said: “Well, never mind. But make sure that you don’t disturb the other readers again, or I shall have to ask you to leave. ”

9 . My PhD project is to protect a tiny species of fish, whose color is greenish. To ______eggs, Clanwilliam sandfish (沙鱼) swim to ______tributaries (支流) of the Doring river system in South Africa. Local people say it was once a ______event: The water seemed to change ______ as thousands of sandfish migrated to the shallower tributaries. Now, ______those numbers have reduced to dangerous levels.

My PhD project at South Africa’s University of Cape Town is in ______with a nongovernmental organization in saving sandfish. Human activity, climate change, etc, are drying up the rivers. As newly young sandfish try to ______to the upstream (上游), they now get ______in shallow tributaries. The sandfish population has decreased by more than 90% since we began keeping count. They’re now regarded as ______species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.When the river starts to dry up, we ______young sandfish and put them into buckets of water, then move them by truck to prepared fish nurseries (鱼种场) ______ by local people. The support from local people is amazing. Once the sandfish are large enough to be less threatened, we will ______them to the natural ecosystem.

The data so far show the project has been ______. We’ve ______ about 36,000 young sandfish over the past three years. I’m looking forward to ______those numbers next year.

10 . Dallas-based Knit Wits is made up of a group of grandmothers with a strong love for knitting (编织) who tum their love for crafting into a purposeful attempt. Meeting regularly, they pour their collective love into every stitch (针法) they make. The group has been working for over ten years, meeting every Friday, to support organizations that help others, locally and around the world. Over the years, they’ve crafted thousands of items insupport of the important things.

Recently the Knit Wits member Mary Ann Stover was inspired to have the group knit hats for infant (婴儿) patients with heart disease at Children’s Health Hospital. The hats, each a unique work of art, designed with holiday themes, reflect the skill of the Knit Wits. More importantly, the special of Knit Wits is its understanding of the emotional effect these small objects can have on the infants experiencing medical treatments.

Bealle, a certified child life specialist at Children’s Health Hospital, explained how the hats are making a difference to the tiny patients and their families. “Caregivers are able to wear the hats on their body to move their smells before placing the hats back on the infants, encouraging connecting and making the infants less stressful,” he said.

Throughout the infants’ admission, many holidays are celebrated. At times, some infants are seriously ill and unable to dress up for holiday photos the families have planned. Thanks to the donations from Knit Wits, the hospital team is able to prove the family with a suitable themed infant hat the family can use for their photos and holiday celebrations.