Like any awards ceremony of its age, the Oscars, now in its 85th year, has been trying hard to change.

So how did that go this year? When host Seth MacFarlane noted in his opening speech that it was the first time the Academy Awards had a theme, I thought: “well, that’s a good start.”

But when he revealed that the theme was a tribute to(向…致敬) musicals, I was less sure. After all, it’s not the first time that musicals have featured at the Oscars.

In 2007, the cast of Dream-girls gave a special performance directed by movie director and musical veteran(经验丰富的老手) Bill Condon. Then there was the memorable 2009 show hosted by Hugh Jackman, who screams musicals. With Beyonce Knowles and Anne Hathaway, he performed several hit songs from move musical. And in 2010, how did Neil Patrick Harris introduce the hosts? By performing a musical number.

So I guess the Oscars could have done better this year. But I must admit, there were more music performances in the three-and-a –half-hour show than ever before. This suggests the Oscars has dropped some of its arrogance and wants to offer audiences more entertainment.

It’s a timely move as the Golden Globes, also known as the “big party,” has become a threat to the Oscars, stealing viewers and even its reputation. Just look at the Oscars’ winning list this year.

You can’t blame the academy for wanting to stick it to the Golden Globes. While they hired Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the show—certainly more audience-friendly than MacFarlane— and Bill Clinton was invited as a presenter, who did viewers get at the Oscars? The First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama.

Way to go, Oscar! We know you’re struggling to look fresh and young, but don’t lose the pride and dignity that made you one biggest honor in the movie industry. Don’t ever let that change.

1.Examples are given in Para.4 to show that__________.

A．the Oscars has been trying hard to change

B．the Oscars’ theme is a tribute to musicals

C．it is not the first time that the Oscars has had a theme

D．musicals are not a new feature this year

2.What disappoints the writer is that__________.

A．the Oscars didn’t invite Bill Clinton as a presenter

B．the show took as long as three and a half hours

C．the Oscars has lost some pride and dignity to cater to the audiences

D．the Oscars is no longer fresh and young

3. Which of the following is true of the Golden Globes?

A．It gave an award to the First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama.

B．Its host and hostess had better reputation.

C．It has become highly competitive with the Academy Awards.

D．It is more friendly to the audience.

4.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Nothing new, but well done

B．So old, still young

C．New start, good change

D．Too old to change

Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had ___36____ from just the two of us in a ___37____ into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just ___38___ our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you ___39___? Well, as Apple grew we ___40___ someone who I thought was very talented to ___41___ the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge (分歧) and ___42___ we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors ___43___with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. ___44___ had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating（毁灭性的）.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to ___45___ for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to ___46___ on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been ___47___, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it ___48___ that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the ___49___ of being a ___50____ again, less sure about everything. It freed me to ___51___ one of the most creative periods of my life.

I’m pretty sure _ _52___ of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was ___53___ tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Don’t lose ___54___. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t ___55___. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.                                      

 －By Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer

1.A. grown          B. begun                C. removed          D. kept

2. A. bedroom       B. farm             C. garage               D. kitchen

3.A. announced      B. declared         C. released         D. coped

4.A. managed        B. started              C. installed            D. entitled

5.A. provided       B. sorted               C. promoted         D. hired

6.A. run            B. involve          C. open             D. engage

7.A. instantly      B. constantly           C. eventually           D. frequently

8. A. risked            B. supported            C. pleased          D. sided

9.A. Which          B. What             C. Whichever            D. Whatever

10. A. apologize        B. reveal               C. head             D. stand

11.A. imply         B. put              C. impress          D. dawn

12.A. resisted          B. rejected         C. solved               D. interrupted

13.A. made out      B. come out         C. turned out           D. tried out

14.A. darkness      B. lightness            C. carelessness     D. business

15.A. waiter            B. pioneer          C. beginner         D. visitor

16.A. enter         B. relieve              C. preview          D. expect

17.A. something     B. none             C. everything           D. anything

18. A. careful          B. acceptable           C. hopeful          D. awful

19.A. courage           B. patience         C. imagination          D. faith

20.A. settle            B. recall               C. claim                D. deny

We keep reading that TV is bad for you. If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children.

Perhaps TV does educate you. For example, you learn a useful medical fact: A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies. “The killer was…” (dies)

But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”. Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights. Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas. And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹雳) of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are.

I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows: Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from.

Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security. Consider these truths. If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered. The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all. Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women.

TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger. Watch and learn. (1) If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over. (2) If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you.

Be warned, however. If your name card says “henchman” (帮凶) and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you. But don’t be anxious: TV also delivers useful information for bad guys. All cars are inflammable (易燃的) and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage — except police cars.

TV even teaches us about TV. Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know. They then turn the box off immediately after that news item.

1.By saying “A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence

 before he dies” (Paragraph 2), the writer shows his________.

A. humor                                                            B. sympathy

C. deep concern                                            D. medical knowledge

2.We can infer from Paragraph 3 that in the real world_______.

A. bad things cause people to break down in the rain

B. bad things never happen on dark and stormy nights

C. people with emotional problems like to walk in the rain without umbrellas

D. the crack of lightning and the accompanying flash don’t happen at the same time

3.On TV what usually happens when a person turns it on?

A. The news shown is always about someone the person knows.

B. The person always turns off the TV when it’s time for news.

C. The program shown is always about the importance of TV.

D. TV always shows news about famous people.

4.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. Life skills can be learned from TV.

B. TV plays an important role in society.

C. Watching TV makes people more creative.

D. What happens in TV is very different from reality.

Like any awards ceremony of its age, the Oscars, now in its 85th year, has been trying hard to change.
So how did that go this year? When host Seth MacFarlane noted in his opening speech that it was the first time the Academy Awards had a theme, I thought: “well, that’s a good start.”
But when he revealed that the theme was a tribute to(向…致敬) musicals, I was less sure. After all, it’s not the first time that musicals have featured at the Oscars.
In 2007, the cast of Dream-girls gave a special performance directed by movie director and musical veteran(经验丰富的老手) Bill Condon. Then there was the memorable 2009 show hosted by Hugh Jackman, who screams musicals. With Beyonce Knowles and Anne Hathaway, he performed several hit songs from move musical. And in 2010, how did Neil Patrick Harris introduce the hosts? By performing a musical number.
So I guess the Oscars could have done better this year. But I must admit, there were more music performances in the three-and-a –half-hour show than ever before. This suggests the Oscars has dropped some of its arrogance and wants to offer audiences more entertainment.
It’s a timely move as the Golden Globes, also known as the “big party,” has become a threat to the Oscars, stealing viewers and even its reputation. Just look at the Oscars’ winning list this year.
You can’t blame the academy for wanting to stick it to the Golden Globes. While they hired Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the show—certainly more audience-friendly than MacFarlane— and Bill Clinton was invited as a presenter, who did viewers get at the Oscars? The First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama.
Way to go, Oscar! We know you’re struggling to look fresh and young, but don’t lose the pride and dignity that made you one biggest honor in the movie industry. Don’t ever let that change.
【小题1】Examples are given in Para.4 to show that__________.

Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had ___36____ from just the two of us in a ___37____ into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just ___38___ our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you ___39___? Well, as Apple grew we ___40___ someone who I thought was very talented to ___41___ the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge (分歧) and ___42___ we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors ___43___with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. ___44___ had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating（毁灭性的）.
I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to ___45___ for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to ___46___ on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been ___47___, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it ___48___ that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the ___49___ of being a ___50____ again, less sure about everything. It freed me to ___51___ one of the most creative periods of my life.
I’m pretty sure __52___ of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was ___53___ tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Don’t lose ___54___. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t ___55___. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it.                                     
－By Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer