The 87th Academy Award nominations（提名）were an...

The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名) were announced on Jan 15, and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year’s top Hollywood films.

The Imitation Game

This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War II, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码） the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch’s portrayal（扮演）of Turing’s personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.

Birdman

This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson’s, plays the leading role.

Selma

A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King’s (David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.

The Theory of Everything

We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist’s (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.

Boyhood

American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for 12 years to record a boy’s growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college.

1. How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?

A. Five B. Six C. Eight D. Nine

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman.

B. Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game.

C. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.

D. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.

3.What is Boyhood mainly about?

A. How Richard Linklater did his decade-long experiment.

B. The wonderful life of Mason.

C. The growth of a young boy.

D. How Mason spent his college years.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A. To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards.

B. To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees.

C. To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history.

D. To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The 87th Academy Award nominations（提名）were announced on Jan 15,and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year's top Hollywood films.

The Imitation Game

This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War Ⅱ, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码）the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch's portrayal（扮演）of Turing's personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.

Birdman

This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson's, plays the leading role.

Selma

A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King's(David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.

The Theory of Everything

We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist's (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.

Boyhood

American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for l2 years to record a boy's growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college.

1.How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?

A. Five.　　 B. Six.

C. Eight.　　 D. Nine.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A. Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman.

B. Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game.

C. Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.'s fight for voting rights for African-Americans.

D. The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories.

3.What is the main purpose of the text?

A. To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards.

B. To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees.

C. To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards' history.

D. To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It was a cold March day in High Point,North Carolina.The girls on the Wesleyan Academy softball were waiting for their next turns at bat during practice,stamping their feet to say warm.Eighth-grader Taylor Bisbee shivered（发抖）a little as she watched her teammate Paris White play.The two didn’t know each other well—Taylor had just moved to town a month or so before.

Suddenly,Paris fell to the ground,“Paris’s eyes rolled back,”Taylor says.“She stated shaking.I knew it was an emergency.”

It certainly was,Paris had suffered a sudden heart failure.Without immediate medical care,Paris would die.At first,no one moved.The girls were in shock.Then the softball coach shouted out,“Does anyone know CPR?”

CPR is a life-saving technique.To do CPR,you press on the sick person’s chest so that blood moves through the body and takes oxygen to organs.Without oxygen the brain is damaging quickly.

Amazingly,Taylor had just taken a CPR course the day before.Still,she hesitated.She didn’t think she knew it well enough.But when no one else came forward,Taylor ran to Paris and began doing CPR.“It was scary.I knew it was the difference between life and death,”says Taylor.

Taylor’s swift action helped her teammates calm down.One girl called 911.Two more ran to get the school nurse, who brought a defibrillator,an electronic devices（器械）that can shock the heart back into work.Luck stayed with them: Paris’ heartbeat returned.

“I know I was really lucky,”Paris says now.“Most people don’t survive this.My team saved my life.”

Experts say Paris is right: For a sudden heart failure,the single best chance for survival is having someone nearby step in and do CPR quickly.

Today,Paris is back on the softball team.Taylor will apply to college soon.She wants to be a nurse.“I feel more confident in my actions now,”Taylor says.“I know I can act under pressure in a scary situation.”

1.What happened to Paris on a March day?

A. She caught a bad cold.　　 B. She has a sudden heart problem.

C. She was knocked down by a ball.　　 D. She shivered terribly during practice.

2.Why does Paris say she was lucky?

A. She made a worthy friend.　　 B. She recovered from shock.

C. She received immediate CPR.　　 D. She came back on the softball team.

3.Which of the following words can best describe Taylor?

A. Enthusiastic and kind.　　 B. Courageous and calm.

C. Cooperative and generous.　　 D. Ambitious and professional.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Academy Awards  The Academy Awards are the most prominent film award in the United States．The Awards are granted by the Academy of Motin Picture Arts and Sciences．Academy Awards are nicknamed “Oscars”, which is also the nickname of the statuette（小雕像）．The name is said to have been born when Margaret Herrick saw the statuette on a table and said: It looks just like my uncle Oscar!”

Berlin Film Festival  One of the “A” festivals in Europe．The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the “Berlinale”, is held annually in February and started 1951 after an initiative of the American, who occupied part of the city after World WarⅡ．The jury（专家评奖团）always placed special emphasis on representing films from all over the world, from the former Eastern Bloc（集团）Countries as well as from western countries．The awards are called Golden and Silver Bears（as the Bear is the symbol of Berlin）．

Venice Film Festival   The Venice Film Festival takes place every year in late August / early September on the Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, in Venice, Italy, its main award is the “ Leone d’Oro” （Golden Lion）．Recently, a new award has been added, the San Marco Award for the best film．

Cannes Film Festival   The Cannes Film Festival is a famous international film festival．It has been held annually in Cannes, in the south of France, since 1946 with a few exceptions．Given massive media exposure, the Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe．

The most famous award given out at Cannes is the “Palme d’Or” （Golden Palm） for the best film; this is sometimes shared by multiple films in one year．

81. Which Award doesn’t take place in Europe?

A.Golden Lion  B.Golden Palm   C.Academy Awards    D.San Marco Award

82. Which of the following statements about “Oscars” is Not true?

A．It’s the nickname of Academy Awards

B．It’s also the nickname of the statuette．

C．It got its name because Margaret said the statuette looked like his uncle．

D．It’s an award in South America．

83. Which Award has the shortest history?

A．Golden Lion  B．Golden Palm  C．Academy Awards  D．San Marco Award

84. Why is the Award for Berlin Film Festival called “Golden and Silver Bear”?

A．It looks like a bear                      B．It is made up of bear fur

C．The bear is the symbol of Berlin           D．Bear is rare in Berlin

85. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A．An introduction of famous film festivals and film awards

B．An advertisement for films and TV programmes．

C．Funny stories about the nicknames of famous film awards．

D．A guide of how to spend famous film festivals

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Jessica Tandy probably is best known for winning an Academy Award in 1989 for the movie Driving Miss Daisy. She was the oldest person to have won the award. But for many years, she had received praise for her great performances.

Jessica Tandy was born in London in 1909. After her father died, her mother taught and took other jobs at night to make extra money to raise her, three children. Jessica’s older brothers showed an interest in the theater and often put on shows at home. Jessica said later that she was terrible in all of them. But she said taking part in those plays as a child created a desire in her to be someone else.

Jessica loved going to the theater. This love led her to attend an acting school in 1924. She performed in her first play called The Manderson Girls at 18. But few people watched this play. In 1932, she married the famous actor Jack Hawkins. Their wedding pictures were on the front page of many British newspapers. In the same year, critics in London recognized her great acting skill in her performance in the play Children in Uniform.

In 1940, Jessica ended her first marriage and moved to the USA. In New York, she met actor Hume Cronyn. Two years later, they married and moved to Hollywood.

Her turning point came in 1947 when she played the lead part in Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. Tandy won the first of her four Tony awards for best actress in it. After that Hollywood producers began to choose her to be in the movie.

Jessica Tandy said she hated seeing herself in the movies. She was surprised when she won the Academy Award for Driving Miss Daisy. She said that the wonderful part she had made up for her lack of experience in movies.

1.Jessica’s early interest in acting came from __________.

A. her natural gift for acting　　 B. her brothers’ influence

C. her hope of helping raise her family　　 D. her mother’s encouragement

2.What made Jessica first widely known to the public?

A. Attending an acting school.

B. Her first play The Manderson Girls.

C. Her marriage with Jack Hawkins.

D. Her wonderful performance in Driving Miss Daisy.

3.Which is the correct order of the following events?

a. Jessica performed in The Manderson Girls.

b. Jessica married Hume Cronyn

c. Jessica played the lead part in A Streetcar Named Desire.

d. Jessica moved to the USA.

A. a, d, b, c　　 B. a, b, c, d

C. b, d, a, c　　 D. b, c, a, d

4.From the last paragraph, we can learn that __________.

A. Jessica wasn’t interested in acting in movies

B. Jessica would perform better if given a better part

C. Jessica was as confident as commonly considered

D. winning the Academy Award was a surprise to Jessica

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Mo Yan, a Chinese writer has won the 2012 No bel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in Literature in its history. Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared”.

He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the stone year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. It was adapted from his 1986 novel of the same name and filmed in Gaomi, bringing to life a visual landscape of red sorghum fields and a fiery setting sun. His most famous works include Big Breasts and Wide Hips, Sandalwood Penalty and the 1985 novel Red Transparent Radish.

Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan-- a pen name for Guan Moye, grew up in Gaomi in shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory, In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing. Gaomi county is where most of Mo’s stories happen. It’s a place that has inspired him throughout his 31-year writing career.

“I grew up in an environment full of folk culture, which comes into my novels when I pick up a pen to write. This has definitely affected, even decided, my works’ artistic style, ”Mo told a group of reporters in his hometown of Gaomi, Shandong, shortly after he won the award.

“I really didn’t see this coming, ” Lu Jiande, director　 of the Institute of Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told 21st Century. “I know Mo Yan pretty well and one thing a lot of people don’t know is how good he is with words. His writing is surprisingly beautiful. In his writing, he can make words live and breathe. ”Lu said. “He is far ahead of other Chinese in the sense that he takes the critical perspective inside first, starting from criticizing himself instead of the outside world. ”

Some critics point out that Mo’s works have a tendency toward vulgarity(粗俗).

In an interview with South China Morning Post, Professor Xiao Ying of Tsinghua University said “the award was outside of my expectation, as Mo Yan’s works are still short on the idealism of pursuing humanity, which marks previous N obel literature prize winners”. (346W)

1.How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A. Excited and proud.　　 B. Worried and cautious.

C. Uncertain and shocked　　 D. Happy and surprised..

2.Which of the following statements about Mo Yan is RIGHT?

A. He was the first Chinese to win the Nobel Prize.

B. He grew up in a poor family.

C. Red Sorghum was his first work.

D. Gaomi is famous for its beautiful scenery.

3.What has inspired Mo Yan when he is writing?

A. His experience in the army.

B. His living environment in Gaomi County.

C. Modern urban life.

D. Other writers’ works.

4.Professor Xiao Ying of Tsinghua University thinks that Mo Yan　　.

A. can match previous Nobel literature prize winners

B. focuses on the idealism of pursuing humanity in his works

C. is worth admiring

D. doesn’t deserve to be given the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．

Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye，grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．

He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by a famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多产的）writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．

The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l million．

1.How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A．Excited and proud．                     B． Happy and surprised

C．Worried and cautious                    D． Uncertain and shocked

2.Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was ________．

A．on a farm         B．in a factory        C．in a school         D．in the army

3.One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he ________.

A．writes about topics he is familiar with

B．focuses on social problems in the country

C．describes his characters in a unique way

D．explains difficult matters in simple words

4.Which of the statements is true?

A．Mo Yan published his first book when he was 20 years old.

B．The movie Hong Gaoliang was made in 1987.

C．Mo Yan only writes novels.

D．Mo Yan’s works are mostly about city life.

5.What's the best title for this passage?

A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize              B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize

C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature        D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced Sara Danius, Swedish Academy’s permanent secretary, on Thursday in Stockholm.

The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2016 is awarded to Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” Danius said at the Swedish Academy.

“As an artist, he is versatile; he has been active as painter, actor and scriptwriter,” said the official statement.

Apart from his large production of albums, Dylan has published experimental work. He has written the autobiography Chronicles (2004), which describes memories from the early years in New York and his life at the center of popular culture, it added.

Born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States, the 75-year-old rock singer is the first songwriter to win the glorious award and the first American to win since novelist Toni Morrison in 1993.

Barack Obama said the honour was well-deserved. “Congratulations to one of my favourite poets,” he wrote on Twitter.

Dylan, who took his stage name from the poet Dylan Thomas, had long been regarded as a potential prize winner.

Former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion is among those who have ever praised Dylan’s lyrics, saying they are often the best words in the best order.

Dylan began his musical career in Minnesota before heading for New York. Many of his best-known works date from the 1960s, when he became an informal historian of America’s troubles. His songs Blowing in the Wind and The Times They are A-Changing were popular in the anti-war and civil rights movements.

Few experts, though, expected the academy to extend the award to a folk music songwriter. In 112 years, no songwriter has ever won before. What makes a man who has only ever written three books a suitable winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature?

1.What does the underlined word in Para 3 mean?

A.able to do things in different fields

B.able to understand others’ feelings

C.able to produce a lot

D.able to succeed at an old age

2.Many of Bob Dylan’s best-known songs _______________.

A.were written before he arrived in New York.

B.date back to the middle 1970s.

C.were often sung in the political movements.

D.show America’s troubled history.

3.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.Dylan’s winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.

B.Dylan’s life experiences as an artist.

C.Dylan’s contribution to the American literature.

D.Dylan’s musical career in America.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Taiwan­­­­­—born film-- maker Ang Lee won the Oscar for best Director at the 78^th Academy Awards, _______ the highest honour in American movie fields.

A. considering   B. considered   C. being considered    D. consider

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Without sleeves, the scars on his arms were clearly ____________. We all pretended I couldn’t see them.

A.convinced B.transparent C.exposed D.occupied

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析