Barry Jenkins: ‘When you climb the ladder, you send it back down’
“So, you saw the film?” Barry Jenkins is eager to ask the minute we are introduced. He gives good eye contact through those stylish thick-rimmed glasses – not the big-time, Oscar-winning writer-director speaking, but a nervous artist, anxious
Adapted from James Baldwin’s 1974 novel, Beale Street tells the story in which the personal experiences of a young black couple
Baldwin has been dead for 30 years, but his depiction of the fight against a country’s powerful prejudice is a sad reminder
Beale Street
2 . For years, studies have found that first-generation college students — those who do not have a parent with a college degree — lag behind other students on a range of education achievement factors. Their grades are lower and their dropout rates are higher. But since such students are most likely to advance economically if they succeed in higher education, colleges and universities have pushed for decades to recruit more of them. This has created a ‘paradox’ in that recruiting first-generation students, but then watching many of them fail, means that higher education has ‘continued to reproduce and widen, rather than close’ the achievement gap based on social class, according to the depressing beginning of a paper set to be published in the journal Psychological Science.
But the article is actually quite optimistic, as it outlines a potential solution to this problem, suggesting that an approach (which involves a one-hour, next-to-no-cost program) can close 63 percent of the achievement gap (measured by such factors as grades) between first-generation and other students.
The authors of the paper are from different universities, and their findings are based on a study involving 147 students (who completed the project) at an unnamed private university. First generation was defined as not having a parent with a four-year college degree. Most of the first-generation students (59.1 percent) were recipients of Pell Grants, a federal grant for undergraduates with financial needs, while this was true only for 8.6 percent of the students with at least one parent with a four-year degree.
Their thesis — that a relatively modest intervention could have a big impact — was based on the view that first-generation students may be most lacking not in potential but in practical knowledge about how to deal with the issues that face most college students. They cite past research by several authors to show that this is the gap that must be narrowed to close the achievement gap.
Many first-generation students “struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education, learn the rules of the game, and take advantage of college resources,” they write. And this becomes more of a problem when colleges don’t talk about the class advantage and disadvantages of different groups of students. Because U.S. colleges and universities seldom acknowledge how social class can affect students’ educational experience, many first-generation students lack sight about why they are struggling and do not understand how students like them can improve.
1. The authors of the research article are optimistic because _____________.| A．the problem is solvable |
| B．their approach is costless |
| C．the recruiting rate has increased |
| D．their findings appeal to students |
| A．study at private universities |
| B．are from single-parent families |
| C．are in need of financial support |
| D．have failed their college education |
| A．are actually indifferent to the achievement gap |
| B．are inexperienced in handling their issues at college |
| C．may lack opportunities to apply for research projects |
| D．can have a potential influence on other students |
| A．universities often reject the culture of the middle-class |
| B．students are usually to blame for their lack of resources |
| C．social class greatly helps enrich one’s educational experience |
| D．colleges are partly responsible for the problem in question |
3 . Irish dance: The Irish International Dance Company, one of the most dynamic dance troupes in the world, will tour China with its classic production “Spirit of the Dance-the New Millennium.”
The dancers include such famous names as Patricia Murray, one of the Irish dancing champions, and first-rate ballerina Claire Holding.
Sponsored by China National Culture and Art Company Ltd., the dancing troupe will give three performances at the Century Theatre.
Time: 7:30 pm, June 23-25
Place: Century Theatre, 40 Liangmaqiaolu, Chaoyang District Telephone: 6551-8888
Piano solos: Twenty Chinese and foreign piano music works will be played by three young, promising pianists from the China Central Conservatory of Music.
Programmes includes: “Consolation No 3 in D-flat major” by Liszt, “For Elise” by Beethoven, “Turkish March” by Mozart, “Waltz in C-sharp minor” and “A Minute Waltz” by Chopin, and “Hungarian Dance” by Brahms.
Time: 7:30 pm, June 16
Place: Beijing Concert Hall, I Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District
Telephone: 6605-5812
1. How many performances will the Irish dancing troupe give between June 23 and 25?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Chopin. | B．Schumann | C．Beethoven | D．Liszt |
| A．the Irish International Dance Company |
| B．the Century Theater |
| C．China National Culture and Art Company Ltd. |
| D．Art Company Ltd. |
4 . It was a long way up the humble zipper (拉链) to become the mechanical wonder that has kept our lives “together” in many ways. The zipper had passed through the hands of several gifted inventors, though none
The story began when Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine, received a patent (专利) in 1851 for an “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.” However, it didn’t go much further beyond that simple
Perhaps it was the success of the sewing machine, that stopped Elias from
Forty-four years later, inventor Whitcomb Judson marketed a “Clasp Locker” device
It was an electrical engineer named Gideon Sundback who helped make the zipper the hit it is today.
In the 1930s, a sales campaign began for children’s clothing featuring zippers. The campaign advertised zippers as a way to promote
Today the zipper is everywhere and is used in clothing, luggage, leather goods and
| A．convinced | B．advised | C．permitted | D．invited |
| A．manufacturer | B．function | C．price | D．material |
| A．imagining | B．delaying | C．pursuing | D．rewarding |
| A．recognized | B．upgraded | C．interpreted | D．pretended |
| A．agreeable | B．familiar | C．similar | D．inferior |
| A．edition | B．credit | C．method | D．wealth |
| A．commercial | B．private | C．domestic | D．potential |
| A．Purposefully | B．Generally | C．Originally | D．Decidedly |
| A．brand | B．assessment | C．packing | D．improvement |
| A．profitable | B．scarce | C．modern | D．noticeable |
| A．Moreover | B．For example | C．However | D．On the contrary |
| A．self-awareness | B．self-reliance | C．self-defense | D．self-guidance |
| A．avoid | B．worsen | C．balance | D．personalize |
| A．mechanical | B．countless | C．reliable | D．portable |
| A．in name of | B．thanks to | C．in addition to | D．in case of |
| A. spread B. predicted C. boomed D. redefined E. agricultural F. trade G. accelerated H. continued I. exchanging J. seeking K. continents |
Globalization is term used to describe how
When did globalization begin? Many scholars say it started with Columbus’s voyage 10 the New World in 1492. People traveled to nearby and faraway places well before Columbus’s voyage,
Unquestionably, these types of exchanges were
The web of globalization
With the Information Age, globalization went into overdrive. Advances in computer and communications technology launched a new global era and
Sue and Johnsy are friends and they live in one studio.
But Johnsy kept her bed. The doctor thought there was uncertain hope and he couldn’t see any confidence in Johnsy.
At the same time, Johnsy lay on the bed, looking through the small window and counted “10、9” and “8、7......” She said feebly. When the last leaf fell she must go.
Sue heard that and felt sad. She went to invite old Behrman, who was a painter with no achievement. And he always talked of his coming masterpiece.
Behrman heard the story of Johnsy from Sue.
After the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured through the night, there was still one leaf. And another terrible night, it was still here. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it. Then she saw the life’s energy and wanted to live.
With the help of doctor and Sue, Johnsy was out of danger. But the bad news was that the old Behrman died of pneumonia. And they knew the secret that the last leaf was just a painting, drew by Behramn in that terrible night.
This is really a beautiful and sorrowful story. We can give other people energy, hope and love. You can see something glittering in our heart.
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7 . Dr charlotte Uhlenbroek recently returned to London after filming her second series, Jungle. It was difficult, 19-week trip, during which she explored the rainforests of Borneo, the Amazon and Congo, travelling around using variety of means of transport, including hot-air balloons and canoes. “I’m interested in the way animals communicate with each other. It was sometimes dangerous making the program -- I even went swimming with piranha(水虎鱼)fish. But the worst thing was insects. On one occasion I had 70 sand-fly bites on my arm. Luckily I didn’t get sick. I prefer not to take tablets every day, but if I get a fever, take some medicine immediately.”
Filming the series was exciting, but also frightening at times. Her most challenging experience was climbing a 100-meter tree in Borneo, as she has a great fear of heights. “I had to keep pulling myself further and further upwards. All I wanted to do was get down again. Suddenly the safety equipment didn’t look very strong and I thought that my ropes would break and I would crash to the ground.”
What did she enjoy most about returning to London? “When I’ve been away in hot uncomfortable conditions for a long time I dream about an ice-cold drink and my bed at home! But the thing I look forward to the most is nice long showers. There wasn’t much water in some of the places we visited and I worried that I was using it all up and not leaving any for my colleagues on the camera team! ”
1. Charlotte found climbing the tree in Borneo so frightening because________.| A．she hates being in high places | B．she was unable to get down |
| C．her equipment suddenly broke | D．she slipped and fell to the ground |
| A．Air-conditioning. | B．An unlimited water supply. |
| C．A comfortable bed. | D．Iced drinks. |
| A．The forest floor has hundreds of different insects-let Charlotte be your guide to these fascinating creatures. |
| B．Making her first television appearance, Charlotte explores some of the wildest places on earth. |
| C．Charlotte looks at ways in which the animals of the rainforest manage to live beside their human neighbors. |
| D．Insects, piranha fish, hot-air balloons--it’s all in one day’s work for Charlotte in her latest series. |
8 . Gone are the days when a mother’s place was in the home: in Britain women with children are now as likely to be in paid work as their unburdened sisters. Many put their little darlings in day care long before they start school. Mindful that a poor start can spoil a person’s chances of success later in life, the state has intervened ever more closely in how babies and toddlers are looked after. Inspectors call not only at nurseries but also at homes where youngsters are minded; three-year-olds follow the national curriculum. Child care has increasingly become a profession.
For years after the government first began in 2001 to twist the arms of anyone who looked after an unrelated child to register with the schools, the numbers so doing fell. Kind but clueless neighbours stopped looking after little ones, who were instead herded into formal nurseries or handed over to one of the ever-fewer registered child-minders. The decline in the number of people taking in children now appears to have halted. According to data released by the Office for Standards in Education on October 27th, the number of registered child-minders reached its lowest point in September 2010 and has since recovered slightly.
The new lot are certainly better qualified. In 2010 fully 82% of nursery workers held diplomas notionally equivalent to A-levels, the university-entrance exams taken mostly by 18-year-olds, up from 56% seven years earlier, says Anand Shukla of the Daycare Trust, a charity. Nurseries staffed by university graduates tend to be rated highest by inspectors, increasing their appeal to the pickiest parents. As a result, more graduates are being recruited.
But professionalization has also pushed up the price of child care, defying even the economic depression. A survey by the Daycare Trust finds that a full-time nursery place in England for a child aged under two, who must be intensively supervised, costs £194 ($310) per week, on average. Prices in London and the south-east are far higher. Parents in Britain spend more on child care than anywhere else in the world, according to the OECD, a think-tank. Some 68% of a typical second earner's net income is spent on freeing her to work, compared with an OECD average of 52%.
The price of child care is not only eye-watering, but has also become a barrier to work. Soon after it took power the coalition government pledged to ensure that people are better off in work than on benefits, but a recent survey by Save the Children, a charity, found that the high cost of day care prevented a quarter of low-paid workers from returning to their jobs once they had started a family. The government pays for free part-time nursery places for three-and four-year-olds, and contributes towards day-care costs for younger children from poor areas. Alas, extending such an aid during stressful economic times would appear to be anything but child’s play.
1. Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?| A．Nursery education plays a leading role in one’s personal growth. |
| B．Pregnant women have to work to lighten families’ economic burden. |
| C．Children in nursery have to take uniform nation courses. |
| D．The supervision of the state makes child care professional. |
| A．the registered child-minders are required to take the university-entrance exams |
| B．the number of registered child-minders has been declining since 2001 |
| C．anyone who looks after children at home must register with the schools |
| D．the growing recognition encourages more graduates to work as child-minders |
| A．prevents mothers from getting employed |
| B．may further depress the national economy |
| C．makes many families live on benefits |
| D．is far more than parents can afford |
| A．Objective. | B．Skeptical. | C．Supportive. | D．Biased. |
| A．The professionalization of child care has pushed up its price. |
| B．The high cost of child nursing makes many mothers give up their jobs. |
| C．The employment of more graduates makes nurseries more popular. |
| D．Parents in Britain pay most for child nursing throughout the world. |
| A. advocates B. inevitable C. invest D. movement E. placed F. pointless G. present H. pressure I. progress J. recruiting K. through |
Bright Future for Girls
Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school. At the United Nations two years ago, leaders promised to ensure every girl receives 12 years of education by 2030, but contributions from donor countries have declined. Some days are hard—but I refuse to believe the world will always be as it is;
At the Malala Fund, we are investing in educators in developing countries. These
I believe in girls like Najlaa, who are leading the fight for themselves and their sisters. I believe in the millions of people who support our
10 . An interesting question in humankind’s development is, when did we begin to think critically? In other words, when did we turn from animals focused only on the daily struggle to avoid starvation to humans who could think symbolically about the word around us? However, answering this question is not easy as thinking leaves no fossils to discover.
A commonsense assumption is that higher levels of thought go hand-in-hand with verbal language, because higher thinking, such as creative thought, would naturally seek a means of expression. So tracing the development of language could give an approximate idea of when humans began to think critically.
Interestingly, we do have some fossil evidence related to speech. Animals whose larynx (voice box) is placed high in their throats are unable to produce the variety of sounds necessary for speech. Fossil bones tell us that in early humans, the larynx was originally high in the throat. However, by about 200,000 years ago, it had moved lower in the throat. This lowering provided a larger sound chamber (the space in the throat and the mouth) in which passing air could be controlled by the tongue, making a wide range of sounds and rhythms possible.
So humans were physically able to speak around 200,000 years ago, but when did they actually start doing so? Estimates range from 35,000 to 100,000 years ago. But with no physical evidence of ancient language use, we need another approach to determine more precisely when humans began to speak - and to think critically.
Professor Richard Klein of Stanford University suggests that art may be the key. After all, ability to create or appreciate art is a uniquely human train. If ancient humans had the imagination to create a work of art (which in itself is a means of communication), then it seems highly likely that they would possess the primary means of communication: language. This suggests that the first works of art can be considered indicators of when language and critical though began.
Until recently the earliest art was believed to be cave paintings, carved figures, and jewelry found in southwestern Europe and thought to data from about 40,000 years ago. This suggested that humans first became capable of critical thought about 40,000 years ago. However, this time frame was recently overturned by an exciting discovery in South Africa. Anthropologist Christ Henshilwood spent more than ten years exploring a cave there. He found many well-made tools, but more intriguing were the 8,000 pieces of ochre, a soft stone that can be turned into paint. Hensilwood’s breakthrough came in 1999 when he found an ochre piece with lines cut in a careful pattern. In other words, it was deliberate artistic design. Henshilwood had found the oldest piece of art yet, its date of origin set at 70,000 years — nearly 30,000 years before the art in Europe.
Based on Henshilwood’s discovery, it seems that humans began to speak and think critically at least 70,000 years ago.
1. ______ made humans physically able to speak.| A．The evolution of the tongue |
| B．The lowering of the larynx |
| C．The appearance of various sounds |
| D．The higher thinking |
| A．No other animals than humans can enjoy art. |
| B．Before 1999, Africa was thought to be the origin of art. |
| C．Without creative though, humans would be unable to speak. |
| D．Evidence of ancient language use was once found in Europe. |
| A．30,000 |
| B．40,000 |
| C．70,000 |
| D．200,000 |
| A．How did humans stop struggling for starvation? |
| B．When did humans become able to create art? |
| C．How did humans communicate more freely? |
| D．When did humans begin to think? |
