Putting Movies on Mobiles

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm — the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length — ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.

New Platforms

The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.

　　It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!

New Technology Advances

MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.

　　In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.

Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere.

At the first MoFilm, ________.    

A. movies in the theater got their recognition

B. more than 100 countries took part in the competition

C. ideal films were five minutes or less in length

D. the winner was chosen by experts’ voting

They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. The underlined word means “________”.  

A. disappointed   B. surprised        C. frightened      D. encouraged

Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of _______.

A. online services                             B. the screen size  

C. technology advances                     D. the mobile phone

B

For a song to become popular, people need to bear it.  In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?

In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.

One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).

Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.

60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to       .

A. national businesses                      B. program directors   

C. pop entertainers                         D. record companies

61. “Payola” is the practice of        .

A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs

B. record companies buying air time for certain music

C. radio station paying record company for new songs

D. program directors deciding what music gets played

62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?

A. Disc Jockeys.                               B. The given artists.

C.  Business executives.                        D. Program directors.

63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author        .

A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”

B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry

C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule

D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.

My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.

　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.

Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s         young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.

1. The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

2. In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.

3.The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.

4.It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

5.In the passage the author argues that ______.

It was my first year teaching in a special class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly Special Olympics sports meeting. My         had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy (脑瘫).

Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a      , he had to fight his spasms (抽搐) just to control his movements.     , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile. His classmates       him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at   ­­       . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, unrestricted by the limitation of his      , and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with      .

When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas placed well in their sports events, and gave the calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines,         them on. The final event of the day was the 400-meter race.       was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the       length of the track.

When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they       and turned to look behind them. At the       of the crowd on the track, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had      him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to        . Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent       passed between them. Slowly, they jogged       towards their friend, cheering him on       he had done for them moments before.

The progress was      , but in the end the three star runners and Mark       the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face and hands upraised, I came to understand what       the Special Olympics.

       Years later, I’m still cheering them on.

1.A. students     B. friends             C. partners       D. classmates

2.A. bed             B. machine               C. desk      D. wheelchair

3.A. Thus          B. However     C. Otherwise  D. Besides

4.A. protected      B. satisfied      C. loved      D. cared

5.A. expression            B. practice       C. studies    D. sports

6.A. interests              B. habits         C. body      D. mind

7.A. trust         B. admiration     C. fear D. worry

8.A. bringing      B. cheering       C. holding   D. moving

9.A. Someone      B. Everyone      C. Anybody   D. Nobody

10.A. average      B. different       C. entire     D. extra

11.A. fell         B. rested          C . hurried   D. paused

12.A. end       B. front          C. center     D. top

13.A. left        B. ignored        C. passed     D. helped

14.A. run        B. jog            C. cover     D. walk

15.A. demand          B. relief          C. action     D. thought

16.A. back     B. along         C. again      D. on

17.A. while            B. although       C. since      D. as

18.A. slow               B. great          C. boring      D. relaxing

19.A. crossed    B. arrived         C. rushed     D. got

20.A. left  　　 B. made  C. kept      D. found

If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different.       
If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses.
Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a story which works well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St. Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. "Who is that?" the new arrival asked St. Peter. "Oh, that's God." came the reply, "but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor."
If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious bad taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the Post Office or the telephone system.
If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff(即兴的)remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark.
Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a familiar quote "If at first you don't succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor.
【小题1】To make your humor work, you should ________.