The sun is shining when I get on No. 151 bus. We passengers sit jammed together in heavy clothes. No one speaks. That’s one of the unwritten rules of Chicago commuting. Although we see the same faces every day, we prefer to hide behind our newspapers. The phenomenon is striking: people who sit so close together are using those thin sheets of newsprint to keep their distance.

As the bus approaches the Magnificent Mile, a voice suddenly rings out: “Attention! Attention!” Papers rattle (发出细小声). Necks crane (伸长). “This is your driver speaking.”

We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice has authority.

“All of you put your papers down.”

The papers come down, an inch at a time. The driver waits. The papers are folded and placed on our laps.

“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.”

Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles.

I face an older woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly every day. Our eyes meet. We wait, unblinking, for the next order from the driver.

“Now, repeat after me…” It is a command, delivered in the tones of a drill sergeant (操练军士). “Good morning, neighbor!”

Our voices are weak and timid. For many of us, these are the first words we have spoken today. But we say them at the same time, like schoolchildren, to the strangers beside us.

We smile and can’t help it. We have said it; the barrier has been broken. Good morning, neighbor. It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh.

The bus driver says nothing more. He doesn’t need to. Not a single newspaper goes back up. I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on bus No. 151. This day is starting off better than most.

1.On hearing the sudden utterance of “Attention!”, the passengers ___________.

A. stopped reading and put down their newspapers immediately

B. looked up from the newspapers to see who was speaking

C. sat still without response

D. were frightened

2.The underlined word “commuting” in Paragraph 1 most probably means ___________.

A. daily traveling between home and work B. long-distance ride

C. communication technology D. behavior patterns

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The passengers on the crowded bus are so absorbed in reading their newspapers that no one speaks.

B. The passengers are physically close together but mentally they keep each other at a terrible distance.

C. The passengers don’t follow the driver’s instruction at first.

D. When the bus driver says nothing more, the passengers pick up and read their newspapers again.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. The Warmth of Communication B. The Exchange of Information

C. The Power of Observation D. The Attitude to Loneliness

Making Short Videos

“A picture is worth a thousand words or so”, they say. Well, motion (运动) pictures can contain even more memories. 1.Here are some apps you can use to make your own short videos.

Qupeiyin.cn

Reciting lines from movies is an effective and classic way to learn English. So what if you could dub(配音) recordings accompanied by movie clips(剪辑) and then share them with friends? 2.You name it. By contributing your voice, you can either mimic(模仿) the original soundtrack or create something completely new of your own.

Shorts

3.With the help of the Shorts app, you can make pictures in your album into a slide show. Choose from any of the off-the-shelf themes---“holiday”, “travel”, “friendship” and “party” for example—each matched with its own theme music and slide background. But if you’re not satisfied with the combinations, feel free to do a little change by adding text to the pictures or replacing the music with something in your own playlist.

Viva Video

Video making and editing once seemed awfully hard. 4.But this app will ease you into the field with straight-forward functions and clear direction to help you “create your own video story”. Apart from filter, stickers and text, the coolest part of this app is that you can write the narratives yourself and add your own voice to the video. 5.Viva Video requires a relatively powerful phone to run smoothly.

A. But here is a little reminder.

B. That’s why short videos are becoming popular.

C. These apps have a variety of identifications (识别).

D. This app has movies, cartoons, lectures, TV series.

E. Newbies (网络新手) and amateurs didn’t dare to even give it a try.

F. Videos and pictures aren’t only for separate purposes.

G. Video making and editing is what Apple fans want to try.

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