1 . The short film Piper, released by Pixar in 2016, won the 89th Academy Award for Best Animated Short film. Piper was written and directed by Alan Barillaro, previously working in the animation department. It’s a wonder that he had the fortune to win Oscar for his first film.
The short film follows a baby bird named Piper, as she learns and overcomes her fears of finding food at the seafront. Piper is encouraged to peck（啄）at the sand beach but gets wet through with water from a wave. Discouraged by the terrible wave, she hopes to get food from her mother but fails. After gathering up the courage again, she meets a hermit crab（寄居蟹）who shows her not to be scared of the ocean but to embrace it. Finally, she discovers the secret of the ocean and feeds herself even her family. It’s a story about facing challenges and not being discouraged by failure. Like Piper, we can always find solutions and come out stronger than ever before.
Somehow Pixar manages to fit all of these into a five-minute-long short film, without using any spoken language and entirely by animation. Movements and personified facial expressions are what drive this story in this film. Much like the nature documentary, the continuous pulling of the shallow focus adds the sense of realism. The clean and clear animation allows for even the slightest micro-expressions to be picked up by the audience. And the music is consistent with Piper’s emotions, making the audience feel the same way.
This film and lots of others by Pixar make us laugh and cry all the time. By fitting a simple story with simple characters, we are led through challenges to a satisfying conclusion for our characters. It’s one of the best short films in a long time.
1. What is the storyline of the short film?| A．A mother instructs her child to find food. |
| B．A bird overcomes fears and grows independent。 |
| C．A bird family tries to adapt to life at the seafront. |
| D．A sand beach offers food to the birds living nearby. |
| A．Animation and music. | B．Sound and virtual scenes. |
| C．Movements and speeches. | D．Clear pictures and vivid lines. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Critical. | C．Favorable. | D．Negative. |
| A．A documentary. | B．A review. | C．A story. | D．An essay. |
2 . “The Last Dance”, the documentary (纪录片), told the story of Michael Jordan and his success with the Chicago Bulls .We learned a lot about Michael Jordan.We took behind - the - scenes glimpses (一瞥) at what it’s like to compete in the NBA .We were given a glimpse into the 90s basketball era (时代) at a time when almost no sports are being played .But it also meant something for our culture, experts say.
Dr.Josh Shuart, the director of sport management at the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology at Sacred Heart University (Connecticut), told the Deseret News that the documentary showed something important for our modern society.Watching “The Last Dance” gave us something to look forward to during a time when there’s nothing else going on, he said.“Why is it important and why did people watch it? The latter is simple: with the absence of live sports of any kind, it was probably the single most interesting thing on TV,” Shuart said in an email to the Deseret News.
Michael Jordan matters for sports culture, too.Jordan set the standard when it came to connecting sportsmen to brands (品牌) and brands to sportsmen .Sportsmen can take care of their brand during their careers (职业生涯) and even after they stop doing sports .Shaquille O ' Neal is an example, Shuart said.The Los Angeles Lakers star - though highly celebrated for his basketball career一has built post-basketball success through business chances .
There might not have been too much new content in “The Last Dance” for sports fans who grew up in the Jordan era.But storytelling still provides a way for us to find happiness, Shuart said.
“Above all, even though we know the beginning, middle, and end, the storytelling provides wonderful insight and results in a very interesting story,” he said.
1. What is “The Last Dance” mainly about?| A．The history of the Chicago Bulls. |
| B．Michael Jordan’s growing-up experience. |
| C．The development of basketball in the 1990s. |
| D．Michael Jordan’ s success with the Chicago Bulls. |
| A．To prove that it takes sportsmen much hard work to be successful. |
| B．To show Michael Jordan’s great influence on other sportsmen. |
| C．To discuss why basketball means a lot to most people. |
| D．To compare Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’ Neal. |
| A．It shows Michael Jordan’s unknown life. | B．It can’t attract Michael Jordan’s fans. |
| C．It is encouraging and successful. | D．It is boring for most people. |
| A．ATV guide. | B．A business report. |
| C．An official notice. | D．A documentary review. |
3 . Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the second child of the family. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Wiesbaden, Germany, where her father John Witherspoon served in the US Army Reserves. Shortly after, John moved the family back to the United States, settling in Nashville, Tennessee.
Reese was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very early age at age 7, she began modeling. This led to appearances on several local television commercials. At age 11, she was placed first in a Ten-State Talent Fair.
In 1990, she landed her first major acting role in The Man in the Moon(1991). Her role as a 14-year old tomboy earned her good reviews. Roles in bigger films such as Jack the Bear (1993) and A Far Off Place (1993) followed shortly after.
Following high school graduation in 1994, Reese decided to have a pause in her acting career and attend Stanford University where she would major in English literature. However, her plans were shortly stopped when she accepted roles to star in two major motion pictures. Although neither film was a huge box-office success, they did help to make Reese a rising star in Hollywood and open the door for bigger and better film roles.
Her breakthrough role came as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde In box office terms, the movie was a great success and made Reese one of the top female stars in Holywood. In the year 2014, she produced both Gone Girl and Wild, for which she got nominated (提名) for a best actress Oscar again for her role.
Reese is actively involved in children's and women’=s advocacy organizations. She is a longtime supporter of Save the Children, an organization that helps provide children around the world with education, health care and emergency aid.
1. Why did Reese stop her studies at Stanford University?| A．Because she starred in two successful films. |
| B．Because she couldn’t balance studies and acting. |
| C．Because she didn’t want to get higher education. |
| D．Because she was more famous in Hollywood. |
| A．The Man in the Moon. | B．Jack the Bear |
| C．A Far Off Place. | D．Legally Blonde. |
| A．Caring. | B．Defensive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Admiring. |
| A．Following the order of time. | B．Using figures. |
| C．Giving examples. | D．Making comparison. |
4 . George Nakashima always insisted that he was a simple woodworker, not an artist. Even though major museums exhibited his works and the director of the American Craft Museum called him a national treasure, Mr Nakashima rejected the label of artist. For almost fifty years he simply went on shaping wood into beautiful chairs, tables, and cabinets.
Nakashima had a clear goal. He intended each piece of furniture he made to be as perfect as possible. Even making a box was an act of creation, because it produced an object that had never existed before. Initially Nakashima used local wood, sometimes from his own property. Later, he traveled to seek out English oak, Persian walnut, African zebra wood and Indian teak. He especially liked to find giant roots that had been dug out of the ground after a tree was taken down. Nakashima felt that making this wood into furniture was a way of allowing the tree to live again.
Most furniture makers prefer perfect boards, but Nakashima took pleasure in using wood with interesting knots (节疤)and cracks. These irregularities gave the wood personality and showed that the tree had lived a happy life.
He never failed to create an object that was both useful and beautiful. One early piece Nakashima designed was a three-legged chair for his small daughter, Mira, to use when she sat at the table for meals. The Mira chair became so popular that Nakashima later made both low and high versions. Another famous piece, the Conoid chair, has two legs supported by bladelike feet. Always, Nakashima's designs were precise and graceful, marked by a simplicity that revealed his love for the wood.
As the years passed, Nakashima's reputation grew and his work received many awards. His children Mira and Kevin, now adults, joined the team of crafts - people in their father's studio. Nakashima's dream of integrating work and family had come true.
1. Which of the following best describes Nakashima?| A．Generous and outgoing. | B．Honest and simple. |
| C．Capable and friendly. | D．Creative and modest. |
| A．His art work made trees live again. |
| B．He used precious wood materials. |
| C．His chairs were beautifully designed. |
| D．He was devoted to making furniture. |
| A．He loved his work and family. |
| B．He made chairs of the same style. |
| C．He sought for a simple life and art. |
| D．He was lost in researching the wood. |
| A．They had an art studio of their own. |
| B．They still lacked the ability to create art works. |
| C．They had a common interest with their father. |
| D．They enjoyed the same reputation with their father. |
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer．
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters（过滤） out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．
1. In Misbah’s childhood, ．
| A．he was free from worry |
| B．he liked living in the countryside |
| C．he was fond of getting close to nature |
| D．he often spent holidays with his family |
| A．Peace and freedom | B．A beautiful house． |
| C．A colorful life． | D．Money for his family． |
| A．By chatting on the Internet． | B．By calling them sometimes． |
| C．By paying weekly visits． | D．By writing them letters． |
| A．What was your childhood dream? | B．What is your biggest achievement? |
| C．What is your parents’ view of you? | D．What was your hardest experience in the war? |
