1 . The comedy genre has drawn laughs from audiences since the early 1900s and the birth of moving pictures. Comedy films lighten moods and allow audiences to escape from reality and lose themselves in humor. The format of the comedy genre is either comedian-led or a humorous description. A variety of subgenres exists within the comedy genre, all of which make people laugh, but each includes different characteristics slightly changing the overall tone of the film.
Slapstick’s (打闹剧) origins are firmly rooted in the silent movies of the early 20th century. This type of comedy relies heavily on overplayed visual action and uses harmless violence to raise laughter. Timing and polished performance skills are vital to effective slapstick. The name slapstick comes from the wooden sticks that clowns slapped together to draw laughter. Laure l and Hardy, Abbot and Costello and Harold Lloyd are famous actors of slapstick comedy.
The mid-1930s saw the coming of screwball comedies (怪诞剧). This subgenre typically features satirical (讽刺的) views of society combined with crazy, energetic action accurately timed. Screwball comedies make fun of society and use satirical ways to explore romantic conflicts whereby the usually upper class male suffers disorder and chaos in his life at the hands of a socially mismatched female. The film involves a happy settlement of differences between the male and female characters. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn play their screwball comedy roles to perfection in Bringing Up Baby.
Romantic comedy (RomCom) remains ever popular at the box office. The American Film Institute describes romantic comedies as “a genre in which the development of romance leads to funny situations”. Romantic comedy tells of the problematic, joyful relationships between a man and a woman in love, and shows the audience in the most pleasant and humorous way that love can defeat all. There’s Something About Mary and Meet the Parents are the best examples of the RomCom.
Black comedy takes a dark subject such as death or war and presents it in a humorous way. Black comedies tell satirical stories about issues that usually make people feel uncomfortable. MASH and Kind Hearts and Coronets belong to dark humor.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?| A．The origin and development of comedy films. |
| B．The characteristics and impact of comedy films. |
| C．The subgenres of comedy films and their characteristics. |
| D．The comparison of different subgenres of comedy films. |
| A．They both involve love stories. | B．They both make fun of society. |
| C．They both have crazy performance. | D．They both reflect differences between men and women. |
| A．Slapstick and screwball comedies. | B．Screwball comedies and RomCom. |
| C．RomCom and black comedies. | D．Screwball comedies and black comedies. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
2 . States will be able to force more people to pay sales tax when they make online purchases under a Supreme Court decision Thursday that will leave shoppers with lighter wallets but is a big financial win for states.
The Supreme Court’s opinion Thursday overruled a pair of decades-old decisions that states said cost them billions of dollars in lost revenue annually. The decisions made it more difficult for states to collect sales tax on certain online purchases.
The cases the court overturned said that if a business was shipping a customer’s purchase to a state where the business didn’t have a physical presence such as a warehouse or office, the business didn’t have to collect sales tax for the state. Customers were generally responsible for paying the sales tax to the state themselves if they weren’t charged it, but most didn’t realize they owed it and few paid.
Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the previous decisions were flawed. “Each year the physical presence rule becomes further removed from economic reality and results in significant revenue losses to the States,” he wrote in an opinion joined by four other justices. Kennedy wrote that the rule “limited States’ ability to seek long-term prosperity and has prevented market participants from competing on an even playing field.”
The ruling is a victory for big chains with a presence in many states, since they usually collect sales tax on online purchases already. Now, rivals will be charging sales tax where they hadn’t before. Big chains have been collecting sales tax nationwide because they typically have physical stores in whatever state a purchase is being shipped to. Amazon.com, with its network of warehouses, also collects sales tax in every state that charges it, though third-party sellers who use the site don’t have to.
Until now, many sellers that have a physical presence in only a single state or a few states have been able to avoid charging sales taxes when they ship to addresses outside those states. Sellers that use eBay and Etsy, which provide platforms for smaller sellers, also haven’t been collecting sales tax nationwide. Under the ruling Thursday, states can pass laws requiring out-of-state sellers to collect the state’s sales tax from customers and send it to the state.
Retail trade groups praised the ruling, saying it levels the playing field for local and online businesses. The losers, said retail analyst Neil Saunders, are online-only retailers, especially smaller ones. Those retailers may face headaches complying with various state sales tax laws. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council advocacy group said in a statement, “Small businesses and internet entrepreneurs are not well served at all by this decision.”
1. The Supreme Court decision Thursday will ______.| A．better businesses’ relations with states |
| B．put most online businesses in a dilemma |
| C．make more online shoppers pay sales tax |
| D．force some states to cut sales tax |
| A．have led to the dominance of e-commerce |
| B．have cost consumers a lot over the years |
| C．were widely criticized by online purchasers |
| D．were considered unfavorable by states |
| A．hindered economic development | B．brought prosperity to the country |
| C．harmed fair market competition | D．boosted growth in states revenue |
| A．gives a factual account of it and discusses its consequences |
| B．describes the long and complicated process of its making |
| C．presents its main points with conflicting views on them |
| D．cites some cases related to it and analyzes their implications |
3 . Living near bars and fast-food restaurants could be harmful to heart health, according to a new research. These kinds of ready-to-eat food environments typically provide unhealthy foods and drinks, and have been related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, said Lu Qi, a head researcher at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t get enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This study is likely the first to evaluate (评估) the connection between food environment and heart failure with long-term observation. “Most previous researches on the relation between nutrition (营养) and human health have been focused on food quality, neglecting the impact of food environment,” Qi said. “Our present study highlights the importance of accounting for food environment in nutrition researches.”
Researchers evaluated the connection using data from more than 500,000 adults in the United Kingdom. They measured participants’ exposure (接触 ) to three types of food environments — bars, restaurants and fast-food restaurants. Exposure was determined ‘ by proximity (living within 1 kilometer) and density (the number of ready-to-eat food stores within 1 kilometer).
The study documented nearly 13,000 heart failure cases during a 12-year follow-up period and the results showed that participants with 10 or more ready-to-eat stores near their homes had a 16% greater risk of heart failure than those with no ready-to-eat food environments. Those closest to the bars(less than 500 meters) had a 14% higher risk than those who lived the farthest away (more than 3,000 meters).
The researchers noted the findings suggested that creating healthier food environments and improving physical fitness facilities, along with helping more people receive higher levels of education, could reduce the increased risk of heart failure linked to quick-meal options.
Overall, the study stresses the importance of improving food environments to prevent heart failure, and the researchers note that more studies are needed, particularly evaluating nutrition unsafety, to make sure of the applicability of this study’s results.
1. What does the underlined word “neglecting” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Questioning. | B．Identifying. | C．Considering. | D．Ignoring. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By explaining a theory. |
| C．By showing an argument. | D．By describing a process. |
| A．Possible causes. | B．Solving strategies. |
| C．Research results. | D．People’s reactions. |
| A．Ways Food Is Cooked Really Count |
| B．Single Food Choices Lead to Nutritional Imbalance |
| C．Ready-to-eat Food Surroundings Could Harm Heart Health |
| D．Fast Food Is Increasingly Entering the Consumption Market |
4 . Originally from the southeastern U. S., the red swamp crayfish have become an unwelcomed world traveler. They have dried wetlands in Europe and destroyed rice crops in Asia. These invasive (入侵的) crayfish are mobile and end anger native species. In the U. S., they are spread by private owners or lab researchers releasing unwanted ones into ponds and rivers. For their damaging nature, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will by no means give up fighting against them.
In 2017, the red swamp crayfish found its first Michigan home in a hotel pond. Over the years, researchers and workers have caught and removed more than 150,000 crayfish from the ponds but still see no end to completely removing them. They lay so many eggs, dig holes and can live anywhere. They outcompete native species for food and space. They have even spread across the city areas to the countryside waters. Their natural behavior and habits of digging holes make them a danger to native species and construction structures along the waterways. If left uncontrolled, they could damage water quality, wetlands, riverbanks and wild rice beds completely.
Present methods of controlling the population include daily catching, hole filling and others. All of these approaches take a significant amount of time, money and scientific expert knowledge and skills. With the species continuing to enter waterways, the need to control its populations and protect native species is pressing for protecting the environment and the ecosystem. The team of researchers badly needs to develop new techniques. “We hope to find effective methods of management. The important thing is that we need a rapid combination of lab findings with field application,” said Kathleen, a crayfish biologist.
“People are paying attention because the problems caused by the crayfish exist (存在) not just in Michigan, but in the entire Great Lakes basin,” said Kathleen. “This species can be really harmful to our natural resources in Michigan. If you like to get outdoors and see clean water, then you should care about this. We need further and continuous efforts to prevent similar situations from happening.”
1. Why are the red swamp crayfish unpopular with people?| A．They attack local fishermen at times. |
| B．They have eaten up all the species in water. |
| C．They are used to living in fixed water areas. |
| D．They greatly damage the ecological environment. |
| A．Their rapid speed of escape. | B．Their strong reproducing ability. |
| C．Their lack of natural enemies. | D．Their particular feeding habits. |
| A．Convenient and creative. | B．Practical and effective. |
| C．Complex and dangerous. | D．Time-consuming and costly. |
| A．Living in harmony with nature is far from achievable. |
| B．The crayfish have almost died out in the United States. |
| C．There is still a long way to go in managing the crayfish. |
| D．People have lost confidence in controlling invasive species. |
5 . Many of us have memories of spending weeks at camps learning new things, making new friends and exploring new possibilities. Camp No Limits (CNL), a non-profit (非营利的) organization in America, provides the camp experience for the kids whose differences can feel like a barrier in average camp settings. CNL proves that there is no reason that limb (肢) differences should take away the fun!
Built in 2004, CNL provides sleep-away camps for children with limb differences at 11 locations in America. “When I was in school, we really had very limited time that was spent discussing individuals with limb differences,” said the founder Mary.
CNL has now reached over 1,400 children in 1,200 families. The families are an important part of the camp. Kids are often accompanied (陪伴) by family members who stay at the camp. These members of support systems are able to form relationships with other families. One of the greatest impacts of the camp is that the families are closely connected and can depend on one another.
“There are other kids out there, you just can’t see them that often,” says Rosanne, who accompanied her 12-year-old daughter to camp. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for her to meet some kids, and talk about what they’re going through. It’s good for her mental health.” With the assistance of passionate instructors, campers often leave CNL, with new skills. 8-year-old Anya, for example, left the camp being able to ride a bike again, which she hadn’t done since losing her left leg because of cancer.
CNL is making a great impact on every individual that it hosts. From the instructors who are developing skills to the campers who are feeling inspiration, the camp achieves its mission to connect individuals affected by limb differences.
1. What do we know about Camp No Limits?| A．Its founder is disabled herself. |
| B．It focuses on campers’ independence in activities. |
| C．It was established to compete with average camps. |
| D．It’s mainly targeted at children with limb problems. |
| A．Bringing the families alike closer. |
| B．Giving poor families fund support. |
| C．Providing the children with free medical treatment. |
| D．Instructing parents to communicate properly with their kids. |
| A．It’s challenging for campers. |
| B．It’s beneficial to her kid’s mind. |
| C．It’s short of experienced coaches. |
| D．It improves campers’ school grades. |
| A．To introduce a public organization. | B．To tell an adventurous story. |
| C．To show ways of aiding the disabled. | D．To warn of the risks of camping. |
6 . Cannes, a coastal city in France, is famous for hosting the Cannes Film Festival every year. It’s also a beautiful place to visit any time of the year. Here are 4 things to do in Cannes.
Stroll (漫步) along the famous La CroisetteEnjoy a stroll down La Croisette — a famous 2-mile waterfront road. It’s the place where the Cannes Film Festival takes place. Take a seat for people-watching or enjoy the beautiful scenery. Discover recreational (娱乐的) places for kids or go to summer music concerts at a low price.
Explore the historic Le SuquetLose yourself in the attractive streets of Le Suquet, the historic old town of Cannes. An impressive 5th century theater will take your breath away. Visit the World Explorations Museum, and enjoy wonderful views from the tower. Walk through narrow streets and discover cafes and wine bars.
Take a tour of Cannes with a screenwriterYou can set foot on a small-group tour, led by a screenwriter and historical researcher. Get fully immersed (沉浸) in the city’s rich film history, and see how it transforms itself into an international film center. Remember to book your tour on the Internet in advance.
Leave for Sainte-MargueriteTake a ship to Sainte-Marguerite, the largest of the Lerins Islands just off the coast of Cannes. Enjoy walks on coastal paths, or relax on the beaches, which are perfect for swimming and picnics. Enjoy local seafood, or go deep into the island’s past with a visit to the 7th century Fort Royal.
1. What can we know about La Croisette?| A．It holds free summer concerts. |
| B．It offers play areas for children. |
| C．It becomes well known for top-class service. |
| D．It allows visitors to take photos with film stars. |
| A．Stroll along the famous La Croisette. | B．Explore the historic Le Suquet. |
| C．Take a tour of Cannes with a screenwriter. | D．Leave for Sainte-Marguerite. |
| A．By water. | B．By car. | C．On foot. | D．By air. |
7 . Art Contest — Technology &You!
Technology is everywhere these days. Automation has pioneered innovation. Your phone is probably in your pocket or your hands at all times, and now it’s easier than ever to communicate with anyone in the world. What are your thoughts on technology, social media or your phone? Do you feel excitement every time you get a notification message, or do you feel tied down by these digital “chains”?
However you feel, we want you to put that into artwork-paintings, digital art or photography. One winner and several honorable mentions will be featured in the December 2024 magazine, and the winner will receive a $25 gift card! You may even see your art work in future issues of Teen Ink magazine.
Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024
Details and requirements:
Entrants must have a Teen Ink account and be aged 13～19.
Inappropriate content will not be accepted.
Submissions must relate to the topic (technology).
Entries must be a piece of artwork created by the entrants themselves.
Entrants can submit as many pieces of art as they wish.
How to submit:
Entries can be submitted through the Teen Ink website. All entries submitted will be reviewed and considered for the contest. See our submission guidelines for more information.
Make sure to submit your art work to the appropriate art category(technology) on Teen Ink. You can do this by using the “additional tags (标签)” field in your submission form.
1. What is the main theme of the art contest?| A．The development of technology. | B．The application of technology. |
| C．Innovations of technology. | D．Viewpoints on technology. |
| A．Submit original artwork. | B．Submit artwork with a unique tag. |
| C．Submit different types of artwork. | D．Submit only one piece of artwork. |
| A．A library. | B．A magazine. | C．An art school. | D．An art museum. |
8 . I was an environmental educator, tasked with instilling nature consciousness in young minds. My boss gave me standards for my nature hikes: “Educate students about river pollution”,“Inform students of regional endangered species”, or “Equip students to understand recycling.” While I did my best to engage with my tag-alongs, and give them an outdoor adventure, I noticed a disturbing tend — when the kids talked about their own relationships with nature, they were full of guilt and fear.
Through the continuous stream of information now available in the modern age, the kids’ young minds were filled with the knowledge of deforestation, forest fires, extinct species, polluted waterways, and celebrities telling them to “do better”. Well-meaning but heavy-handed programs laid these big, scary problems at their feet, and then offered little help for tiny hands. After participating in classes like this for years, I can confidently report that the result of such teaching was often little more than helplessness, and continued disconnection from nature .
Rather than scaring kids, we need to use fun, adventure, discovery, and locally connected efforts to truly educate children about their world. I’ d like to advocate different approaches: Making creative art projects with things that can be found in nature or in daily life to show them the importance of conserving resources, creating a model ocean to teach them about ocean oil spills (泄漏) and pollution: gardening with them and teaching them about how plants grow so as to give them experience with taking care of nature, taking them to a zoo, farm, beach, or forest to see different types of animals.
While it’s important that we all collectively help raise today’s children to be tomorrow’s environimental advocates, it deserves more attention to how to raise an environmentally conscious child to care about the environment without guilt or fear.
1. What does the underlined word “tag-alongs” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Hikes | B．Surveys. | C．Colleagues. | D．Students. |
| A．They lacked knowledge of climate change. |
| B．Regional species were endangered or dangerous. |
| C．Real information on the environment was inaccessible. |
| D．They were burdened with enormous negative eco issues. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Critical. | C．Favorable. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Making crafts out of empty tissue boxes. |
| B．Reading the books about resource recycling. |
| C．Lecturing students on ocean spills and pollution. |
| D．Watching videos about plant growing in the classroom. |
9 . The Academy Awards are fast approaching and we’ve got you covered. Before you head off to an Oscars party, check below for details and coverage of four films nominated (提名).
Past LivesCeline Song’s film about a woman, played by Greta Lee, who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart and tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn’t.
Nominations: Best picture, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Amazon
Review: Past Lives is the most affecting love story in ages.
Poor ThingsDirector Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark comedy about a young woman in Victorian London, who is found and experimented upon by a twisted scientist.
Nominations: Best picture, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling
Where: In theaters
Review: Poor Things built its weird, unforgettable world from scratch.
The Color PurpleBlitz Bazawule’s adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on the Alice Walker novel. It tells the story of Celie, who survives the abuse by the men in her life and longs to be reunited with the sister who was taken from her.
Nominations: Supporting actress
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on Google Play
Review: The new Color Purple exudes (散发) joy, but dances past some deeper complexities.
Anatomy of a FallDirected by Justine Triet, this French drama follows a wife who becomes the chief suspect (嫌疑人) when her husband is found dead, and rifts (关系不和) in their marriage are exposed.
Nominations: Best picture, director, actress, original screenplay
Where: In theaters. Rent or buy it on YouTube
Review: If you love courtroom dramas, this is not to be missed.
1. Which film gets the most nominations?| A．Past Lives. | B．Poor Things. | C．The Color Purple. | D．Anatomy of a Fall. |
| A．They are tragedies. | B．They are nominated for best picture. |
| C．They are all lady-related. | D．They can be viewed both in theaters and on media. |
| A．Critics who will comment on the films. | B．Movie-goers who are hunting for films. |
| C．Celebrities who will attend the Oscars. | D．Audience who have watched the films. |
10 . Scientists are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) — from developing “self-driving” laboratories to replacing human participants in social-science experiments with robots. Many disadvantages of AI systems have been discussed. In an article published in Nature this week, social scientists say that AI systems carry a further risk: that researchers perceive such tools as possessed of superhuman abilities when it comes to objectivity, productivity and understanding complex concepts.
Scientists planning to use AI “must evaluate these risks now”, write co-authors Lisa Messeri and Molly Crockett. The article is a warning about what could be lost if scientists embrace AI systems without thoroughly considering such risks.
Messeri and Crockett examined around 100 papers and books, published mainly over the past five years. From these,they put together a picture of the ways in which scientists see AI systems as enhancing human capabilities.
In one “vision”, which they call AI as Oracle, researchers see AI tools as able to tirelessly read and digest scientific papers. In another vision, called AI as Arbiter, systems are perceived as evaluating scientific findings more objectively than do people. In a third vision, AI as Quant, AI tools seem to perform better than the human mind in analyzing data sets.
Messeri and Crockett also predict risks that arise from these visions. One is the illusion (幻觉) of explanatory depth, in which people relying on another person-or，in this case，an algorithm (算法) — for knowledge are likely to mistake that knowledge for their own. Another risk is that research becomes skewed (偏颇的) towards studying the kinds of things that AI systems can test.
If you’re a scientist planning to use AI, you can reduce these dangers through a number of strategies.All members of the scientific community must view AI use not as unavoidable for any particular task, but rather as a choice with risks and benefits that must be carefully weighed.
1. What is a further risk that AI systems carry according to paragraph 1?| A．They perform better than humans. |
| B．Researchers overestimate their capabilities. |
| C．They are able to understand complex concepts. |
| D．Researchers use them in self-driving laboratories. |
| A．Its benefits in analyzing scientific data. |
| B．Its roles in helping doing scientific research. |
| C．Its strengths in digesting scientific papers. |
| D．Its advantages in evaluating scientific findings. |
| A．Finding the accuracy in algorithmic. |
| B．Denying the mistake of algorithmic. |
| C．Accepting the complexity of algorithmic. |
| D．Considering algorithmic insights as personal understanding. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Approving. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Intolerant. |
