题目内容
In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull.
“I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back,” Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. “It was a very fantastic day.” Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960.
He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub(潜水艇). This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there’s something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot — a sense of aloneness.
“It’s really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place,” the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron’s sub gliding across what he calls “the very soft, almost gelatinous(胶状的) flat plain.”
To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. “There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth. What does that mean?’” Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron’s battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing.
“I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It’s not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”
【小题1】Why did Cameron dive to the deepest place on Earth?
A.To study ocean creatures in the deepest valley. |
B.To prove his strong will and perseverance. |
C.To get support from National Geographic. |
D.To open up a new frontier. |
A.Cameron’s fantasy film, Avatar was inspired by his dive to the deepest place on Earth. |
B.Cameron glided through the icy darkness alone by lights of the one-man sub. |
C.Cameron didn’t stay at the bottom of the ocean as planned because he was worn out. |
D.Cameron felt bored when he went to the deepest valley in the ocean. |
A.he appreciated and took pride in being at the bottom of the ocean |
B.he was disappointed because the trip was only about half as long as planned |
C.Cameron wanted to show the public he had been to the deepest place on Earth |
D.he wouldn’t stop exploring the deepest place in the future |
A.Generous. | B.Diligent. |
C.Self-centered. | D.Adventurous. |
A.James Cameron’s Fantasy Films. |
B.The First to Explore the Deepest Place on Earth. |
C.A Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth. |
D.Crazy Cameron. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
【小题5】C
解析
Is it wrong to use someone else’s wireless (Wi-Fi) connection? Just recently, a man was arrested for doing just that. At that time, he was sitting in the street with a laptop(便携式电脑) and using an unsecured(无安全保护措施) wireless connection to surf the Net. What do you think about this topic? Listen to the following different views on it.
For a start, if someone is using your Internet service or downloading, this will affect your speed of access or download limit. Also, it’s bad for Internet service providers. They will suffer in the long run because fewer people will pay for an Internet service if they know they can get it for free. And finally, just imagine this: what if the person who is stealing your Internet connection is involved in an illegal activity? I think the police are totally right to arrest these criminals.
— by Sandra Wilkins
Basically, if the person who paid for the service still has everything they paid for, what’s the problem? It’s just like using the light from streetlamps to read your book, or watching someone else’s firework display. It’s not stealing.
Also, if you leave your wireless connection unsecured, then it is your own fault(过错) if someone else uses it. Just as you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, or your car door open, neither should you leave your wireless connection open. By leaving your wireless connection open, you are inviting people to use it. Securing your wireless connection is as easy as clicking a few settings on your router(路由器). And finally, haven’t the police got more important crimes to solve? They’re always saying how they haven’t got the manpower to solve real issues. But this is just ridiculous(荒谬的).
— by James Hoarley
【小题1】 Why was the man mentioned in the first paragraph arrested?
A.For stealing someone’s laptop. |
B.For surfing the Net in the street. |
C.For destroying others’ wireless connection. |
D.For using an Internet service without permission. |
A.He thinks it is unacceptable. |
B.He thinks it is necessary sometimes. |
C.He thinks it requires good computer skills. |
D.He thinks it is good for Internet service providers. |
A.Internet service should be improved. |
B.it is hard to secure one’s wireless connection. |
C.using others’ Internet service is not stealing at all. |
D.people should leave their wireless connection open. |
A.Wireless connection | B.Wireless worries |
C.Internet service | D.Internet users |
Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection.
For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR(适合大众口味的音乐) musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now".
What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult.
It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians – Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence – while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex.
In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star.
For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.
【小题1】Adele’s achievement seems unbelievable for the reason that ____________.
A.the sales of her second album achieved an incredible success last week in the UK |
B.her second album ranked first in a row with the incredible average sales per week |
C.Madonna was the last female singer in the UK to stay at No. 1 as long as she did |
D.she is such an ordinary singer with so fascinating a voice in the music industry |
A.to a large extent depends on her apparent talent for music |
B.is because of her extraordinariness and the wonderful voice |
C.lies in gift, timing and something beyond sex, age and trust |
D.is largely due to the state of the music industry currently |
A.She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce. |
B.She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music. |
C.Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK. |
D.Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves. |
A.Her musical talent. |
B.The joint work of musicians in the album. |
C.Her incredible voice. |
D.Her universality and broad appeal. |
A.satisfying | B.disappointing | C.dangerous | D.desperate |