Chaplin, one of the greatest and funniest actors, was born in London in 1889. When a poor boy, he was often seen waiting outside the London theatres, hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn’t get work and therefore wandered about the city streets.
Charlie Chaplin first acted when he was five. He broke into show business because his mother, a music-hall performer, lost her voice during the performance and had to leave the stage, and Charlie went on and sang a well-known song. Halfway through the song, a shower of money poured onto the stage. Charlie stopped singing and told audiences he would pick the money first and then finish the song. The audiences laughed. This was the first of millions of laughs in Charlie Chaplin’s fabulous(神话) career.
Twenty years later the same Chaplin became the greatest and best loved comedian in the world. His dream came true in the world. His dream came true in the end. Chaplin became world-famous and almost a king in the world of the film.
Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy Chaplin’s films because they are mostly silent. The equipment for adding sound to films had not yet been developed. The development of films with sound became a problem for Chaplin, as he was uncertain about making films with dialogues. Instead, he coninued to make films without dialogue, but he added music, which he wrote himself. It isn’t what he says that makes us laugh. His comedy doesn’t depend on words. It depends on little actions which mean the same thing to people the world over.
Chaplin lived most of his life in America and the last years in Switzerland, where he was buried at Christmas 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.
In his book, Chaplin tells us how to succeed in life. He says, “You have to believe in yourself. That’s the secret.”
【小题1】Chaplin is regarded as king of comedy mainly because______.

Chaplin, one of the greatest and funniest actors, was born in London in 1889. When a poor boy, he was often seen waiting outside the London theatres, hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn’t get work and therefore wandered about the city streets.

   Charlie Chaplin first acted when he was five. He broke into show business because his mother, a music-hall performer, lost her voice during the performance and had to leave the stage, and Charlie went on and sang a well-known song. Halfway through the song, a shower of money poured onto the stage. Charlie stopped singing and told audiences he would pick the money first and then finish the song. The audiences laughed. This was the first of millions of laughs in Charlie Chaplin’s fabulous(神话) career.

    Twenty years later the same Chaplin became the greatest and best loved comedian in the world. His dream came true in the world. His dream came true in the end. Chaplin became world-famous and almost a king in the world of the film.

    Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy Chaplin’s films because they are mostly silent. The equipment for adding sound to films had not yet been developed. The development of films with sound became a problem for Chaplin, as he was uncertain about making films with dialogues. Instead, he coninued to make films without dialogue, but he added music, which he wrote himself. It isn’t what he says that makes us laugh. His comedy doesn’t depend on words. It depends on little actions which mean the same thing to people the world over.

    Chaplin lived most of his life in America and the last years in Switzerland, where he was buried at Christmas 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.

    In his book, Chaplin tells us how to succeed in life. He says, “You have to believe in yourself. That’s the secret.”

1.Chaplin is regarded as king of comedy mainly because______.

A. lots of people have seen his films

B. he could sing and dance well

C. he knew how to make people laugh

D. he acted out the common human situations best in his comedy

2.What makes people laugh in Chaplin’s films?

A. It isn’t his words but his actions.               B. Neither his words nor actions.

C. Either his words or his actions.                D. Not only his words but also his actions.

3.The only secret of Charles Chaplin’s huge success is that______.

A. he can make all people, men and women, old and young laugh

B. he has full trust in himself

C. he is always active and hard-working all his life

D. though he is always in trouble, he never loses heart

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. He was too shy to meet the managers of the theatres.

B. People won’t stop laughing until tears run down Chaplin’s face.

C. People all over the world can enjoy Chaplin’s films without translation because most of them are silent.

D. He wouldn’t like to work at the theatre.    

Charles Chaplin, who died in 1977, is considered one of the greatest and funniest actors in the history of the cinema. During his lifetime, he acted in 13 films, and he wrote, directed and acted in 69 other films.

Chaplin was born in London in 1889.When a poor boy, he was often seen waiting outside the London theatres, hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn't get work and therefore wandered about the city streets. Sometimes he was sent away to a home for children who had not parents.

Charlie Chaplin first acted when he was five. He broke into show business because his mother, a music-hall performer, lost her voice during the performance and had to leave the stage, and Charlie went on and sang a well-known song. Halfway through the song a shower of money poured onto the stage. Charlie stopped singing and told audiences he would pick the money first and then finish the song. The audiences laughed. This was the first of millions of laughs in Charlie Chaplin's fabulous career（神话般的生涯）.

Twenty years later the same Chaplin became the greatest and best loved comedian in the world. His dream came true in the end. Chaplin became world-famous and almost a king in the world of the film.

Even people who don't understand English can enjoy Chaplin's films because they are mostly silent. The equipment for adding sound to films had not yet been developed. The development of films with sound became a problem for Chaplin, as he was uncertain about making films with dialogues. Instead, he continued to make films without dialogue, but he added music, which he wrote himself. It isn't what he says that makes us laugh. His comedy doesn't depend on words. It depends on little actions which mean the same thing to people the world over.

Chaplin's later films, however, were not well received. Chaplin lived most of his life in America and the last years in Switzerland, where he was buried at Christmas 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.

In his book, Chaplin tells us how to succeed in life. He says, “You have to believe in yourself. That's the secret.”

72. Chaplin is regarded as king of comedy mainly because _______.

A. he acted out the common human situations best in his comedy

B. he could sing and dance well

C. he knew how to make people laugh

D. lots of people have seen his films

73. What makes people laugh in Chaplin's films?

A. It isn't his words but his actions    B. Neither his words nor actions

C. Either his words or his actions      D. Not only his words but also his actions

74. The only secret of Charles Chaplin's huge success is that _______.

A. he can make all people, men and women, old and young laugh

B. he has full trust in himself

C. he is always active and hard-working all his life

D. though he is always in trouble, he never loses heart

75. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. He was too shy to meet the managers of the theatres.

B. People won't stop laughing until tears run down Chaplin's face.

C. People all over the world can enjoy Chaplin's films without translation because most of them are silent.

D. He wouldn't like to work at the theatre.

Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs. Be it hunger, shelter or search for a mate, he has always controlled the situations to his advantage. Probably this might be the reason why we humans are the most developed of all living species on the earth. As we climbed the steps of development, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking -- we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time.
If you are hungry, what do you do? Get a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet. Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such things. So it silently began to care about your needs and never let itself grow. When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?" "Why am I always given the difficult problems?" Well, this is the result of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through reading. Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to turn to reading. You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your "How to?" questions. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed, if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would have never thought in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. More the number of books you read, your mind will open up like never before.
【小题1】What is the function of the first paragraph?