It’s no surprise why Kung Fu Hustle is the top-grossing^① homegrown movie in Hong Kong. Hustle’s approach to a simple good-against-evil plot is extremely cheerful.

Humor bordering on slapstick combined with exciting choreography^② by Yuen Wo Ping, who masterminded^③ the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix, make Kung Fu Hustle a lively, visual treat.

There is plenty of violence, but it’s largely cartoonish. Stephen Chow wrote, directed, produced and stars in this non-stop action movie, which is in Cantonese with English subtitles^④.

Chow plays Sing, an eager young man who longs to be a member of the powerful and cruel Axe Gang. When gang members appear on the scene, sometimes dancing with their frightening axes in hand, the sky breaks out with fireworks. The sets are shocking, with classic cars lining the neon-lighted streets and gambling casinos^⑤ serving as the backdrop to the underworld activities. All these give off the sensation of Old West shootouts.

One neighborhood is blessedly away from the disorder. Pig Sty Alley is so poverty-stricken it holds no interest for the Axe Gang. Then in wanders the unlucky Sing, who attempts to get money there. But folks are not what they seem: The town is full of kung fu masters.

Sing tries to single out someone he can fight, but it seems as if everyone, elderly and very young alike, has a body like Charles Atlas. During the time, Sing calls upon the Axe Gang, which faces off against the people of Pig Sty Alley, led by the town’ s landlords, the powerful lady in curlers and her husband. Fans of kung fu movies will have a rip-roaring time, but even moviegoers are sure to enjoy spirited action of Kung Fu Hustle.

Notes:

top-grossing  adj. 票房收入最高的

choreography  n. 舞蹈术

mastermind  vt. 策划

subtitle  n. 说明对白的字幕

gambling casino  赌博场

Which of the following characters does the passage mainly describe?

      A. Stephen Chow     B. Yuen Wo Ping      C. Sing      D. Charles Atlas

Kung Fu Hustle becomes the top-grossing homegrown movie in Hong Kong because _______.

      A. it is full of humor and exciting action      B. it is full of cartoonish characters

      B. it is mainly made up of dance            D. it is a non-stop action movie

Which of the following about the Axe Gang is TRUE?

      A. The Axe Gang is popular with fans of kung fu movies.

      B. The Axe Gang is always easy do good things.

      C. The Axe Gang doesn’t know how to use guns.

      D. The Axe Gang often fights against its enemy using the axes.

In which part are you likely to find it if the passage appears in the web site?

      A. Entertainment.       B. Travel.        C. News.        D. Books.

　In his youth, Darwin was an average student.__1__ he was a big reader. He also was an eager __2__， especially of beetles and butterflies. (He once carried two beetles, one in each hand, and then saw a __3__ so interesting that he decided to put it in his mouth.)

__4__ it came time for higher education, Darwin went to Edinburgh in Scotland to study medicine. But he soon found that he couldn't __5__ the sight of blood. So he left and went to school at the University of Cambridge in England __6__. He was preparing to become a minister, a profession in which blood shouldn't be a(n) __7__.

His heart was not in __8__， though. He spent his time at Cambridge collecting __9__ bugs and talking about science with people like the geologist Adam Sedgwick and the botanist John Stevens Henslow. Henslow saw that Darwin could be a __10__， and helped him get the chance to go on a long sea __11__ of exploration on a ship called the Beagle.

__12__ that ship's five－year trip around the world, Darwin observed many __13__ of life and various geological formations and fossils in South America and islands in the Pacific Ocean.__14__ the time the voyage ended, in 1836, Darwin knew more about life than anybody else.

During this trip, Darwin sent __15__ back to England. So he was well known as a scientist when he __16__. But __17__ becoming a professor, Darwin moved to the __18__. For some reason he was almost always __19__ with a stomach disorder. Doctors couldn't help him. (Even today, experts __20__ what disease he might have had.) So he lived an isolated life with his wife and family. He did experiments, studied plants and animals, read books and wrote papers in the comfort of his country home.

1. A. And         B. So             C. Or            D. But

2. A. collector   B. learner        C. instructor    D. farmer

3. A. larger      B. third          C. beetle        D. second

4. A. Before      B. Although       C. When         D. Until

5. A. meet        B. like           C. catch        D. stand

6. A. yet         B. instead        C. too          D. soon

7. A. sight       B. operation      C. problem      D. necessary 

8. A. religion    B. study          C. research     D. science

9. A. fewer       B. more           C. rarer        D. bigger

10. A. scientist    B. minister      C. geologist    D. learner

11. A. discoveries  B. voyage        C. fishing      D. passage 

12. A. Before       B. After         C. Until        D. During

13. A. forms        B. sizes         C. heights      D. years

14. A. In           B. After         C. By           D. During

15. A. reports      B. application   C. news         D. bugs

16. A. started out  B. came back     C. passed away  D. sailed out

17. A. fond of      B. content with  C. rather than  D. sticking to

18. A. city         B. university    C. office       D. countryside

19. A. disturbed    B. content       C. concerned    D. curious

20. A. know about   B. argue about   C. find out     D. care about

任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入1个最恰当的单词。(Reuters) - A U.N. climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen at talks from December 7-18 may fall short of a legally binding(有约束力的) agreement. If Copenhagen fails to live up to hopes of a strong agreement to slow global warming, what are the reasons and who risks blame? The following are some of the candidates:

● Decline in economy distracted(分散) focus from climate change after the world agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007 to work out a new U.N. agreement by December 2009. Rich nations have put billions of dollars into green growth as part of recovery packages but, when unemployment at home is high, find it hard to promise extra money for developing countries. The slowdown in industrial output means a brief fix -- greenhouse gas emissions(排放) are likely to fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

● Many delegates at U.N. talks have given up hope that the United States, the number two emitter after China, will agree legislation(立法, 法律) to limit carbon emissions before Copenhagen. The US is the only industrialized nation outside the Kyoto Protocol(京都协议书) for cutting greenhouse emissions until 2012. Many countries welcomed President Barack Obama's promises of doing more to fight climate change when he took office in January but hoped for swifter action.

● Developing nations accuse the rich of repeatedly failing to keep promises of more aid. Few developed countries live up to a target agreed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1970 to give 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product in development aid. Other plans, such as the Agenda 21 environmental development plan agreed in 1992, have fallen short.

● Most rich nations are promising cuts in greenhouse gas emissions well short of the 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which are needed to avoid the worst of climate change. Overall cuts promised by developed nations total between 11 and 15 percent. Best offers by countries including Japan, the European Union, Australia and Norway would reach the range.

● More than 90 percent of the growth in emissions between now and 2030 is set to come from developing nations -- with almost 50 percent from China alone, U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said this week. "No country holds the fate of the earth more in its hands than China. Not one," he said. China and India say they are slowing the growth of emissions but raising living standards is more important. So burning more energy is unavoidable -- as industrialized nations have done for 200 years.

● 2008 was the 10th warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century. The warmest was 1998, when a strong El Nino event in the eastern Pacific disrupted(使混乱) weather worldwide. That has led some to argue that global warming is slowing even though the U.N.'s WMO(世界气象组织) says a long-term warming trend is unchanged.

● People have been slow in changing lifestyles to use less carbon. Simple choices like taking more public transport, using less heating or air conditioning, even changing light bulbs can help if millions of people act.

Who's to blame if U.N. climate deal falls short?

任务型阅读

(Reuters) - A U.N. climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen at talks from December 7-18 may fall short of a legally binding(有约束力的) agreement. If Copenhagen fails to live up to hopes of a strong agreement to slow global warming, what are the reasons and who risks blame? The following are some of the candidates:

● Decline in economy distracted(分散) focus from climate change after the world agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007 to work out a new U.N. agreement by December 2009. Rich nations have put billions of dollars into green growth as part of recovery packages but, when unemployment at home is high, find it hard to promise extra money for developing countries. The slowdown in industrial output means a brief fix -- greenhouse gas emissions(排放) are likely to fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

● Many delegates at U.N. talks have given up hope that the United States, the number two emitter after China, will agree legislation(立法, 法律) to limit carbon emissions before Copenhagen. The US is the only industrialized nation outside the Kyoto Protocol(京都协议书) for cutting greenhouse emissions until 2012. Many countries welcomed President Barack Obama's promises of doing more to fight climate change when he took office in January but hoped for swifter action.

● Developing nations accuse the rich of repeatedly failing to keep promises of more aid. Few developed countries live up to a target agreed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1970 to give 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product in development aid. Other plans, such as the Agenda 21 environmental development plan agreed in 1992, have fallen short.

● Most rich nations are promising cuts in greenhouse gas emissions well short of the 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which are needed to avoid the worst of climate change. Overall cuts promised by developed nations total between 11 and 15 percent. Best offers by countries including Japan, the European Union, Australia and Norway would reach the range.

● More than 90 percent of the growth in emissions between now and 2030 is set to come from developing nations -- with almost 50 percent from China alone, U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said this week. "No country holds the fate of the earth more in its hands than China. Not one," he said. China and India say they are slowing the growth of emissions but raising living standards is more important. So burning more energy is unavoidable -- as industrialized nations have done for 200 years.

● 2008 was the 10th warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century. The warmest was 1998, when a strong El Nino event in the eastern Pacific disrupted(使混乱) weather worldwide. That has led some to argue that global warming is slowing even though the U.N.'s WMO(世界气象组织) says a long-term warming trend is unchanged.

● People have been slow in changing lifestyles to use less carbon. Simple choices like taking more public transport, using less heating or air conditioning, even changing light bulbs can help if millions of people act.(508)

Who's to blame if U.N. climate deal falls short?

  请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入1个最恰当的单词。(Reuters) - A U.N. climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen at talks from December 7-18 may fall short of a legally binding(有约束力的) agreement. If Copenhagen fails to live up to hopes of a strong agreement to slow global warming, what are the reasons and who risks blame? The following are some of the candidates:

● Decline in economy distracted(分散) focus from climate change after the world agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007 to work out a new U.N. agreement by December 2009. Rich nations have put billions of dollars into green growth as part of recovery packages but, when unemployment at home is high, find it hard to promise extra money for developing countries. The slowdown in industrial output means a brief fix -- greenhouse gas emissions(排放) are likely to fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

● Many delegates at U.N. talks have given up hope that the United States, the number two emitter after China, will agree legislation(立法, 法律) to limit carbon emissions before Copenhagen. The US is the only industrialized nation outside the Kyoto Protocol(京都协议书) for cutting greenhouse emissions until 2012. Many countries welcomed President Barack Obama's promises of doing more to fight climate change when he took office in January but hoped for swifter action.

● Developing nations accuse the rich of repeatedly failing to keep promises of more aid. Few developed countries live up to a target agreed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1970 to give 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product in development aid. Other plans, such as the Agenda 21 environmental development plan agreed in 1992, have fallen short.

● Most rich nations are promising cuts in greenhouse gas emissions well short of the 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which are needed to avoid the worst of climate change. Overall cuts promised by developed nations total between 11 and 15 percent. Best offers by countries including Japan, the European Union, Australia and Norway would reach the range.

● More than 90 percent of the growth in emissions between now and 2030 is set to come from developing nations -- with almost 50 percent from China alone, U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said this week. "No country holds the fate of the earth more in its hands than China. Not one," he said. China and India say they are slowing the growth of emissions but raising living standards is more important. So burning more energy is unavoidable -- as industrialized nations have done for 200 years.

● 2008 was the 10th warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century. The warmest was 1998, when a strong El Nino event in the eastern Pacific disrupted(使混乱) weather worldwide. That has led some to argue that global warming is slowing even though the U.N.'s WMO(世界气象组织) says a long-term warming trend is unchanged.

● People have been slow in changing lifestyles to use less carbon. Simple choices like taking more public transport, using less heating or air conditioning, even changing light bulbs can help if millions of people act.

Who's to blame if U.N. climate deal falls short?