1 . Disneyland's opening day, July 17, 1955, was a terrible experience. Rides broke down. Restaurants ran out of food and drink and drinking fountains were in short supply... All in front of a national audience of 90 million, then the largest live broadcast in television history on a day that would be known in Disney history as Black Sunday.
But Disney's story actually started two decades earlier with what Walt Disney called “Daddy's Day”. On Saturdays in the 1930s and 1940s, Disney would take his two daughters to ride the Griffth Park merry-go-round, which they'd enjoy while he sat on a bench dreaming of ways for families to have fun together. Disney disliked the amusement parks they often visited, seeing them as dirty, unimaginative places run by rude employees.
He thought he could do better. In 1939 he asked two animators (动画片制作者) at his movie studio to work on a plan for an amusement park. By 1952 the idea had expanded into a $1.5 million amusement park proposal that he presented to Burbank. The City Council, which feared such a project would create a carnival (嘉年华) atmosphere, rejected the proposal. Disney counted the rejection as a fortunate setback. By now, his dream for a theme park had gone beyond the space available in Burbank. He searched locations throughout Southern California. A 160- acre orange garden, 22 miles south of Los Angeles, was soon selected.
The ABC television network offered $5 million in loans(贷款) and investments if Disney agreed to produce and host a one-hour weekly show called “Disneyland”. The deal amounted to months of free advertising for the park and allowed Disney to introduce TV audiences, particularly kids, to the park.
Disneyland opened then. The 5,000 expected guests increased to 28,154, thanks to fake (冒充的) tickets. After the madness of opening day, Disney and his new park were criticized in the press. The media predicted a quick and early end. But the public didn't listen. Visitors arrived in large groups, and within weeks Disneyland was a success.
Over sixty years later, Disneyland's popularity continues to grow, with total overall attendance topping 700 million and showing no signs of slowing down.
1. What mainly led to Walt Disney's plan to build his own amusement park?| A．His ambition to expand beyond the movie industry. |
| B．His animators' suggestion on an entertainment plan. |
| C．His wish to create a better place for family recreation. |
| D．His daughters' unpleasant experience in the Griffith Park. |
| A．brought good luck to Disney and his park |
| B．contributed to the difficulty of opening the park |
| C．was viewed as a financial obstacle to the design of the park |
| D．presented Disney with a favorable opportunity to rethink his plan |
| A．Everything went on smoothly before it opened. |
| B．It spent $5 million on advertising for its opening. |
| C．People's enthusiasm for it increased despite criticism. |
| D．Only invited guests could get into it on its opening day. |
| A．Disneyland: How It All Began |
| B．Disneyland: How It Developed |
| C．Disneyland: A Park with a Long History |
| D．Disneyland: A Great Success |
2 . At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up as Elsa from “Frozen”, playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping. But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she’s also a university student.
Esther, from Walsall, an industrial town in the UK’s West Midlands region, is one of the country’s youngest college freshmen. The talented 10-year-old enrolled at the Open University in January and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in an exam.
“It’s so interesting and super easy,” she laughs. “My mum taught me in a nice way.” She adds: “I want to finish the course in two years. Then I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I’m 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.”
And in case people think her parents have pushed her into starting university early, Esther disagrees. “I actually wanted to start when I was seven. But my mum didn’t agree.” After three years of begging, Mother Efe finally agreed to explore the idea.
Esther has always jumped ahead of her peers. Her mother noticed her daughter’s gift for figures shortly after she began homeschooling her at the age of three. Initially, Esther’s parents had enrolled her in a private school but after a few short weeks, the usually-energetic youngster refused to go back to that school because the teachers didn’t let her talk in class. In the UK, education is not compulsory until five, so Efe started to do little things at home by teaching basic number skills but Esther was miles ahead. By four, her natural talent for maths had seen the eager student move on to algebra (代数学) and quadratic equations (二次方程式).
And Esther isn’t the only maths miracle in the family. Her younger brother Isaiah, 6, will soon be sitting his first A-level exam in June.
1. Which of the following makes Esther Okade different from her normal peers?| A．She is the youngest college student in the UK. |
| B．She goes to university at a much earlier age. |
| C．She often gets full marks in maths exams. |
| D．She loves acting as a university student. |
| A．Esther thinks her parents expect too much of her |
| B．Esther cannot adapt herself well to college life |
| C．Esther asked to go to university even earlier |
| D．Esther dislikes being taught at home |
| A．The gene from her family. | B．Her course in the university. |
| C．The criticism from her teachers. | D．Her mother’s homeschooling. |
| A．is ambitious and has a clear goal | B．is creative and loves exploring the unknown |
| C．is rebellious but ready to help others | D．is energetic but reluctant to challenge herself |
