3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form   of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
A New Hero is Here to Save the Day

It’s thought that when a hero like Batman is blessed with great power, he or she must endure loneliness and suffering as a result. The Flash(闪电侠), however, makes a fun, lightning-quick and optimistic superhero. After the wild success of TV series Arrow, a TV network launched The Flash,     1     (show) the image of this Superhero, who was only a supporting character in Arrow.

Like Spiderman, who gained the ability to make webs and climb walls after he     2     (bite)     by     a     spider, Barry Allen in The Flash was shocked into superhero-status by accident. A strike from a lightning put Allen into a nine-month unconscious state, and when he emerged, he found himself     3     (equip) with super speed.

Naturally,   Allen   slips   on   a colorful   suit   and   becomes   the   Flash,   a hero     4     extreme speed to fight super-powered bad guys. But the Flash also has other purposes, namely finding out the truth behind his mother’s death and his father’s unjust imprisonment.

In line with superhero series standards, The Flash features action and eye-popping special effects. There’s nothing terribly innovative here, but     5     we do get is a unique superhero   with   a   more   unusual personality.     6     Allen has gone through unpleasant childhood experience, in this show he grows into a superhero     7     powers include optimism. He’s got a group of scientists that not only save his life, but also provide him with emotional support and the tools necessary     8     (fight) crime.

A big surprise for me was that The Flash cast Prison Break star Wentworth Miller as a bad character, who uses a gun that     9     turn anything into ice. US shows began their entrance into the Chinese market with Friends, but Prison Break pushed interest in US TV series to a new height largely thanks to Miller’s wonderful acting. Now Miller’s back to act in The Flash.     10     is a nice surprise that this new show serves as a platform for Prison Break fans to revisit their old favorite, although this time around he’s an antagonist(反派角色).

4 . Once again DC Comics and Warner Bros. have divided fans and critics over their latest superhero film.

There had been worrying news about Justice League in the months before its release, with a lot of reshoots of scenes, a new director being brought in to finish the film after original director Zack Snyder’s tragic loss of his daughter and, of course, a lot of talk about Ben Affleck’s future in the role of Batman.

Some people are saying that Justice League is another big disappointment, that it could have been incredible and instead fails to really entertain. Others say that Warner Bros. have finally got it right and that the future for the League looks bright.

My opinion lies somewhere in the middle. The film was by no means a disappointment: it was exciting, funny and a lot of fun to watch. There’s something special about watching the heroes from your childhood brought to life on the big screen and maybe that is affecting my opinion.

However, I will say that a lot of work needs to be done if the producer wants to make a great success. Although the film was good, it was obvious which scenes had been reshot and how the characters had been changed. I also have to mention the several scenes in which the special effects were very badly done; these are the kinds of problems that you don’t expect to see in a film with such a big budget.

Another point to add is that it is good to see the producer making Superman slightly a brighter character and adding some jokes to the plot to keep things fun. But the producer must be careful not to make the mistake that another film producer—here, not mentioning the name—is coming very close to doing: turning all of the films into bright and colorful shows and losing a lot of seriously good stories.

In the end, Justice League is not a perfect film but it is definitely not a terrible one. A lot of work is still to be done but I hope that DC does not completely lose its darker side.

1. Before the release of Justice League, many people showed their ______.

A．pity for the director, Zack Snyder	B．concern about the film’s quality
C．higher expectation of the new director	D．support for the actor, Ben Affleck

2. According to the author, what’s special about Justice League?

A．It advocates social justice.	B．It brings lots of fun to the audience.
C．It has some brave heroes.	D．It brings back childhood memories.

3. In Paragraph 5 the author mainly wants to express his ______.

A．views on the film’s weakness	B．advice to the film’s director
C．love for the film	D．expectation of the film’s sequels

4. The author mentioned another film producer to ______.

A．stress the importance of fun in a film

B．show Justice League’s lack of a serious plot

C．serve as a warning to the producer of Justice League

D．set an example for the producer of Justice League

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Aunt Jane is now well over seventy, but she is still a great cinema-goer. The cinema in our town closed down years ago and sometimes she has to travel twenty miles or more to see a good film. And once a month at least she goes up to London to see     1     (late) foreign films. Of course she could see most of these films on television, but the idea does not attract her. "It isn't the same," she says. "For one thing, the screen's too small. Besides, I like going to the cinema!"

However, one thing which has always puzzled us is that     2     Aunt Jane has lots of friends and enjoys company, she always goes to the cinema alone. We discovered the reason for this only recently-from Mother. "It may surprise you to lean that Aunt Jane wanted to be an actress when she was young, "she told us. "She used to wait outside film studios all day, just     3     (appear)in crowd scenes. Your aunt has probably appeared in dozens of films. Sometimes she did not even know the name of the film they     4     (make). Therefore, she couldn't go to see     5     in the film at the cinema!

"All the time, of course, she was looking for a small part in a film. Her big chance came     6     they started to make a film in our town. Jane managed to meet the director at a party and he offered her     7     role as a shopkeeper. It really was a very small part, but it was an important moment for Jane. Before the great event, she rehearsed for days. In fact, she turned the sitting-room into a shop! We all had to help, going to and out of the shop     8     she could remember her words perfectly And     9     the actual day she was marvelous. Jane thought that this was the beginning of her film career!

"Unfortunately, in the end, they did not include the shop scene in the film. But nobody told Jane! When the film first appeared in London, she took all her friends to see it. And of course she wasn't in it! It was a terrible blow! She stopped     10     (go)to film studios and gave up the idea of becoming an actress. She still loves the cinema, as you all know, but from that day she has always gone alone!"

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

There's a widely-accepted line of thinking, especially in 2019 that says the people and things we love will eventually let us down.

It's never an if, always a when. So our heroes will inevitably to be trash monsters. Our favorite bands will in enter an experimental phase, even though no one asked them to. And our favorite TV shows will     1    fail to reach greater heights, but they won't even come close to the same level of success they once had.

It was with this cynical mentality     2     I approached the second season of 2018’s breakout hit Killing Eve. How could a series that was so well written, so well acted, and so fiercely addictive in freshman season possibly    3     (maintain) the same level of quality in Season 2, especially since Phoebe Waller-Bridge,    4    developed the series for TV and wrote four of the first season’s eight episodes, wasn't involved in the writing of the second? It seemed like an impossible task.

But then a strange thing happened: Killing Eve’s second season, at least the two episodes     5     (screen) in advance for critics, didn't let me down. The new episodes generated the same amount of joy I experienced     6     I watched Eve (sandra Oh) and Villanelle( Jodie Comer) dance around each other during the first go-around, only this time the stakes were considerably     7     (high).

As Phoebe Waller-Bridged, noted “Killing Eve is a character study on two lives, two women and their circumstances, their homes, their wants, their fears and     8     keeps them from ending it all. It's just that     9    happens to be an assasin (暗杀者) and the other a spy. If I've done my job right, the audience     10     feel equally chilled as they are excited by the determination of these women, their journeys and how drawn they are to one another.

7 . Although it is difficult to make direct year-to-year comparisons because of increase in viewing on digital devices, the trend over the past decade is clear in numerous studies, including the Nielsen ratings. The average age of those who watch nationally televised Major League Baseball games has been _____ these years. Asked in a survey whether they _____ baseball, nearly two-thirds of those ages 18 to 36 said no.

Michael Haupert, a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin ----la Crosse who studies baseball as a business, explains why many young people might be _____ by what to an older and more knowledgeable fan is one of the most exciting experiences in sports: a no-hitter. ” Failure is more ______ than success,” he says. ”If my students get a third of the answers right on their test, they fail. However, if a ballplayer gets a hit a third of the time, he’s often one of the _____ .” But watch an NBA game for 15 seconds, and you will likely see one team score.

It is not surprising that ______ the length of games----about three hours in recent years-----and increasing the pace of action has become a subject of discussion among those who love baseball. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is strongly ______ of both. For the 2018 season, the league issued a set of new rules designed to do just that. Mound visits are limited. A timer countdown is designed to shorten the break between innings(局).

No one knows if any of these changes will significantly shorten games. According to MLB, the average length of a nine-inning outing this season has been three hours---about five minutes shorter than the 2017 average, itself the longest mean on record.

All of those proposed changes seem to ______ the point. I interviewed at least 100 semi-fans in their late teens and early 20s for my recent book. All considered themselves fans to some degree, though they ______   watched more than snatches—on iPads or smartphones. They told me it made no difference whether a game lasted two or three hours: they would not pay attention for _____ amount of time.

The historic May 14 Supreme Court decision allowing all states to legalize sports betting could have an impact on all this. More people will soon be able to gamble on sports while watching a game on their couch. But whether ______ gambling will attract more young people to baseball is a huge unknown. Many already gamble, both legally and illegally, on fantasy sports, but legalization will provide yet another ______ during games in real time. Will some states allow betting reports in broadcasts? Will it make the young more likely to bet on baseball than on other sports? Stay tuned.

I don’t know what will hook young people on baseball. But abandoning the game’s unique selling proposition---the timelessness that provides both suspense and great conversationhe educated fan -----is not the ______ . Baseball, Clark told me, is like a game of chess---and too many ______ - changes might turn it into something “more similar to a game of checkers.” Baseball may survive in spite of its challenges, precisely because it stands out and stands up against the short ______ spans that negatively affect every aspect of our culture, including politics and education. As Casey Stengel is reported to have said,” Never make predictions, especially about the future. ”

1.

A．arising

B．declining

C．varying

D．rising

2.

A．followed

B．abandoned

C．secured

D．played

3.

A．Held up

B．taken up

C．picked up

D．fed up

4.

A．honorable

B．common

C．acceptable

D．worthwhile

5.

A．stars

B．losers

C．hitters

D．winners

6.

A．decreasing

B．extending

C．increasing

D．balancing

7.

A．disapproving

B．capable

C．supportive

D．independent

8.

A．miss

B．reach

C．deny

D．clarify

9.

A．frequently

B．sometimes

C．rarely

D．typically

10.

A．excessive

B．specific

C．either

D．total

11.

A．risky

B．organized

C．addictive

D．easy

12.

A．distraction

B．appeal

C．pastime

D．channel

13.

A．inspiration

B．answer

C．achievement

D．recreation

14.

A．overwhelming

B．simplifying

C．sweeping

D．underlying

15.

A．information

B．time

C．memory

D．attention

8 .

	Something Different with Franklin Cox, What’s On Around the City Looking for something a bit “different” this week, visit Phyllis Radelifme’s new exhibit - My Environment - at the Century Arts Center. Ms. Radcliffe has a unique way of viewing the things around her! I must admit that I didn’t really understand some of her works. For example, “Flowers” didn’t really seem to have any flowers in it, and I didn’t see any cars in her “Traffic Jam.” But her use of color is truly amazing. If you’re looking for a way to expand your horzons, go take a look.
	Weekend Hopping with Gillian Madsen, Northeastern News Last Sunday I went to see a new modem art exhibit by a young woman named Phyllis Radcliffe at the Century Arts Center. The whole gallery was filled with bizarre paintings and sculptures with names like “Flowers” and “Houses”, but I didn’t see anything that resembled any of those objects at all Instead. I saw a bunch of things that looked like my 8-year-old granddaughter brings home from art class at school! I don’t know anything about modern art, but I do know that staying at home and watching an old movie on video would have been a lot easier on my brain.
	New Discoveries with Sylvia Whitcombe, Modern Art Lowers’ Digest I am delighted to recommend Phyllis Radcliffe’s new exhibit My Environment, now showing at the Century Arts Center. Ms. Radcliffe has evolved as an artist since her first show three years ago. Her use of color and form is breathtaking and her style shows a real passion for everyday thing in her life. While this exhibit may not be for everyone, I’m certain that many of you will find it both interesting and inspiring.

1. The word “bizarre” probably means ________.

A．ancient	B．strange
C．remarkable	D．patriotic

2. According to Sylvia Whitcombe, the exhibit is ________.

A．Phyllis Radcliffe’s first art show	B．beyond our understanding
C．well worth seeing	D．somewhat childish

3. What can NOT be concluded about Phyllis Radcliffe from the three articles?

A．She has a unique interpretation of things around her.

B．She is quite talented in using colors and forms.

C．She is one of the greatest modern artists of the day.

D．Her works are disagreeable to the taste of some people.