It's time to remind myself what I love about life here in California,USA, to remember what I desperately miss when I go home.

Real radio

In the USA there are so many radio stations that those iPod tuner things don’t work at all. There is, simply, no dead air. It took me a while to discover the USA's many pub­lic radio stations, which don't broadcast any advertisements. KCRW is my favorites station, for its blend of indie music and current affairs. But I also listen to KJAZZ and KPCC. But before you feel jealous it’s all online. My favorites: American life Snap Judgement and Henry Rollins live every Saturday night. Take listen online for free News? Well, there's not a lot of news from South Africa, and when it is, it's bad and full of fear, so I ignore it. But I care about any place I live in, and that includes the USA. And on public radio, the USA is covered in depth, from the perspective of individual stories rather than statistics.

The festivals

I’m jealously watching tweets and Facebook boasts and reviews from SXSW — seems like half the people I used to work with in South Africa are there,meeting Grumpy Cat and watching bands they’ve always wanted to see live. It’s great to know that these 1000s of festivals are so close, and that one day,if film school schedule ever allows me to leave campus for more than a few days, I can go to one or two of them. I have already ex­changed my much loved Ford Mustang for a bigger, less sexy car — a car spacious enough to sleep in — so that next year I can be there, not just dream of it.

The famous people

When I go back to SA, I'm often asked if I’ve spotted any famous people. It's awkward for me. I feel the the same way about it as I feel when an American asks me if there are lions in the streets. Except yes, I have. No,not lions. I have met some famous people. I chatted to RJ Mitte from Breaking Bad outside a dub in West Hollywood. Many of my professors are famous directors. The problem is, once you meet these famous people, they're just people, FFS. This feels disappointing at first, like you're missing a Jesus mo­ment of some sort. But if you think about it, it's inspiring. What it means, is that I, litlle me (right now, also "just a person") could be a famous just-a-person person one day, and get to make all the films I just dream of now.

1.The underlined sentence "There is,simply, no dead air." probably means____.

A. there is no useless radio programmes in the USA

B. there is no useful radio programmes in the USA

C. there is no polluted air in the USA

D. there is no advertisements from the radio programmes in the USA

2.There are so many festivals that_____.

A. I often leave campus for more than few days

B. I often attend some of them in person

C. I bought a bigger Ford? Mustang

D. I can share many reviews and performances online with my friends in South Africa

3.The author thinks the famous people in the USA _____.

A. are just Like lions????????????? ???????????? B. are well-known but ordinary

C. are disappointing????????????? D. are inspiring

4.The author is most likely to be _____.

A. a director in America????????????? ?????????? B. a professor in South Africa

C. a student in America????????????? ???????? D. an actor in South Africa

 

完形填空。
     I have many hobbies, one of which is watching movies!I'm a big movie fan and watch.    1    from
Bollywood,Hollywood movies to regional ones. Language has never   2  been a barrier and I enjoy all
genres (流派) and storylines (故事情节). That also   3  films that might have not done verywell at the
box office.   4   its not-doing-so-well only makesme want to watch it all the more as I'm  5   to know
what itwas criticized for and what its downfalls were: It makes youlearn   6  to not make the same
mistakes in your own
projects.
     My    7    hobby is reading. I like reading books,although this is a recent hobby and not   8  childhood. I hardly even read the usual children's or teenagers'   9    likeMills and Boons. It was only during
"Kasauti. "where Taraanawho  10  my on-screen daughter "Vishakha", got me into it.She would often 
  11  on her reading during breaks betweenshoots and I started myself too by picking up   12  she
wasdone with. Then onwards I have been into it and I'm  13  it'sa hobby now.
      Reading has helped me in ways.  14  a performance in askit (滑稽短剧) or movie or any video,
enables the character toconvey their emotions and dialogues. The    15  there is good,with live action but
through books, the reader is open to his orher   16  and the understanding of the story, the plot makes
you go  17  into it! That is what I love about reading. It helps understand the story, performance,
emotions, show very well with the  18  and detailed descriptions.
        One book that really got me struck is The Alchemist. And somehow in my  19  life, I've been
reminded of its brief teachings.It amazes me   20   one book can have such an influence on your life!
(     )1. A. everything    
(     )2. A. actually      
(     )3. A. sees          
(     )4. A. In fact      
(     )5. A. doubtful      
(     )6. A. by far        
(     )7. A. other        
(     )8. A. for          
(     )9. A. films        
(     )10. A. acted        
(     )11. A. catch up on  
(     )12. A. whichever    
(     )13. A. thankful    
(     )14. A. Knowing      
(     )15. A. action      
(     )16. A. imagination  
(     )17. A. better      
(     )18. A. clear        
(     )19. A. normal      
(     )20. A. how          
B. something    
B. constantly  
B. watches      
B. As a result  
B. wonderful    
B. as well      
B. another      
B. since        
B. stories      
B. made        
B. catch up with
B. whatever    
B. regretful    
B. Observing    
B. delivery    
B. hobby        
B. deeper      
B. pale        
B. everyday    
B. why          
C. anything    
C. really      
C. owes        
C. What's more
C. curious    
C. as for      
C. others      
C. during      
C. books      
C. had        
C. catch up to
C. whomever    
C. lucky      
C. Watching    
C. emotion    
C. movement    
C. farther    
C. confused    
C. special    
C. what        
D. nothing      
D. finally      
D. includes    
D. As usual    
D. anxious      
D. more than    
D. some        
D. at          
D. tales        
D. played      
D. make up on  
D. whoever      
D. glad        
D. Understanding
D. roles        
D. promise      
D. worse        
D. vivid        
D. every day    
D. where        

For millions of Chinese Internet users, the penguin is more than a flightless bird from the Antarctic. To them it is the symbol of QQ, the instant-messaging service marking its 10th anniversary.

QQ’s creator, Ma Huateng, 38, is a lover of stargazing, and describes himself as a combination of idealist and realist. “ I’m introverted. My friends believed I was too shy to find a girlfriend,” Ma said. He found a girlfriend, now his wife, through chatting online on QQ. Born in Hainan province, Ma loved watching stars and dreamed of becoming an astronomer. He moved to Shenzhen, along with his parents, in southern Guangdong province when he was in his teens. Ma was impressed by the slogan “ Time is money, efficiency is life” found all over the city. It was the most famous slogan born in Shenzhen, representing China’s reform and opening. The pioneering city provided chances for Ma to watch burgeoning reforms. He saw people carry big bags of cash to buy stocks after China launched a capital market in Shenzhen and Shanghai in the late 1980s. When he graduated from Shenzhen University in 1993, Ma designed a stock exchange software system and sold it for 50,000 yuan ($ 7,3000). He then worked as an IT engineer for five years.

It was in 1998 that Ma realized Internet would transform China and the world, and launched his own company, Shenzhen Tencent Inc. A unit of Tencent, Tencent Holdings Ltd, went public on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2004. “ China’s reform and opening provided me with a chance to grow the company,” Ma said. The country had only 3 million Internet users when QQ made its debut in 1999, but now China has around 300 million Internet users, Ma said. Hu Qiheng, chairwomen of the Internet Society of China(ISC), said reform and opening not only improved people’s living standards, but also gave them a chance to explore the outside world and a chance for the Internet to boom in the country.

It was in the late 1990s that China’s major Web portals mushroomed, including Sina, Sohu, 163, Tencent and Alibaba. That boom came to sa sudden halt when the internet bubble burst in 2000. “We were under great pressure when the Internet bubble burst. Things have only recovered since 2005,” Ma said. The IT sector was among the first batch of industries in China to experience zero-tariff treatment, meaning that the nation’s Internet sector had to face challenges from international peers.

QQ, with around 450 million users, provides services such as chatting, music, games and QQ currency-an indispensable currency in china’s virtual community. “ Chinese websites have survived the competition with foreign peers over the past ten years, but it will be the next ten years that decide Chinese Internet enterprises’ fate,” Ma said. Domestic enterprises have to compete with international companies on services, innovation and core technology, he said. One of Ma’s favorite films is March of the Penguins-a French documentary directed by Luc Jacquet. He said: “Penguin is a lovely animal to me. It is a combination of love, courage and adventurism.”

1.Which of the following is true about the founder of QQ?

A.Creating an IT company of his own had always been his dream since childhood.

B.He constantly moved from place to place when he was in his teens.

C.The instant-messaging service he created brought him not only money but also a family.

D.He worked for the Shenzhen Stock Exchange after graduation.

2.China’s reform and opening led to the following results EXCEPT_________.

A.a rise in the living standards of Chinese people

B.an opportunity for IT companies to grow

C.potential industrial competition from other countries

D.a chance for people to invest in overseas stock market

3.Which of the following events did actually take place?

A.QQ suffered from a sudden decrease in  the number of users when the Internet bubble burst in 2000.

B.QQ heped China’s Internet take flight.

C.QQ was equipped with the most advanced technology in the world when it made its debut in 1999.

D.QQ went public on the main board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the late 1980s.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.Sina and Sohu will develop services like chatting, music and games in order to survive the future international competition.

B.For the sake of domestic enterprises, the tariff needs to be adjusted to a higher value.

C.Ma Huateng views penguin as a lovely animal because it processes the characteristics that he does not.

D.The 50,000 yuan Ma earned from selling the stock exchange software system might be a part of his initial investment in Tencent.

阅读理解。
     When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven't
had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don't need one. I have a mobile phone
and I'm always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices (装置) tell the time-which
is why, if you look around, you'll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going
down since 2007.
     But while the wise have realized that they don't need them, others-apparently including some distinguished
men of our time-are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling
command shocking prices, up to £250.000 for a piece.
     This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap
clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with
extra functions-but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your
direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years' school fees for watches
that allow you to do these things?
     If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered
how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid
of millions of pounds' worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those
who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family;
a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
     Watches are now classified as "investments" (投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350, 000,
while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's
a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up-they've been rising for 15 years.
But when fashion moves on, the owner of that? £350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no
more a good investment than my childhood Times.
1. The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they _____.
A. have other devices to tell the time
B. think watches too expensive
C. prefer to wear an iPod
D. have no sense of time
2. It seems ridiculous to the writer that _____.
A. people dive 300 metres into the sea
B. expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones
C. cheap cars don't run as fast as expensive ones
D. expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell
3. What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?
A. It targets rich people as its potential customers.
B. It's hard for the industry to beat its competitors.
C. It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.
D. It's easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage?
A. Timex or Rolex?
B. My Childhood Timex.
C. Watches? Not for Me!
D. Watches-a Valuable Collection.

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