You’ve probably never seen a movie quite like this one. Loving Vincent is the world’s first hand-painted animated movie. It is made fully with paintings. Every scene was created using oil paint on canvas(画布). Twelve paintings were needed just to show one second of the movie. If a character turns their head, the head and shoulders will be taken off the main painting and redrawn to show movement. It took more than 100 artists seven years to complete it.
The movie has gotten good reviews since it came out on the Chinese mainland on Dec. 8. Its box office (票房) has reached over $20 million(132.43 million yuan) worldwide, according to Variety.
The film tells the story of the final months of famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890). The story is told through his paintings and the characters in them. It shows his death as being part of a murder mystery, as Hollywood Reporter said.
A young man named Armand Roulin serves as both detective and storyteller. A year after the death of Vincent van Gogh, Armand is instructed by his father, Postman Joseph Roulin, to personally send a letter to Vincent’s brother, Theo. Armed isn’t fond of Van Gogh, but to satisfy his father he agrees to give the letter, traveling across Europe to the town where Vincent spent his final months. When he finds that Theo has died of a disease shortly after his brother, he visits several important people in Van Gogh’s life to find out the truth behind his death. He talks with Van Gogh’s friend, a doctor, and the owner of the hotel he lived in. But each person tells a different story.
There are many examples of the artist’s work in the movie. It shows over 120 of his paintings, such as The Night Café, Wheat field With Crows, and The Starry Night. It’s no wonder Empire Magazine called it “ one of the most beautiful films of 2017”.
The real-life letters that Van Gogh wrote to his brother are shown as well. The movie lets you see the real Vincent van Gogh in a different way.
1._______ frames(画面) were painted for the 90-minute movie.
A.12 B.120 C.About 20,000 D.About 65,000
2.The story is told from _______ point of view.
A.Vincent’s B.Armand’s C.Theo’s D.Joseph’s
3.Which of the following shows the correct order of the events?
a. Armed was asked to send a letter to Thero
b. Vincent van Gogh died in a small town
c. Theo died of a disease
d. Armand interviewed several important people
e. Armand travelled across Europe
A.b-e-a-c-d B.e-c-b-d-a C.e-a-d-b-c D.b-c-a-e-d
4.Which of the following might be the review of the film?
A.The film explores what it is to follow your dreams, respect your family and that seeing is not always believing
B.Should I go out to a movie tonight, or visit the art museum? The film is the closest you can get to doing both .
C.I’m rather surprised at the number of people saying it’s too violent or scary. Even if some scenes are a bit scary, the humour of it gives it a balance.
D.It is funny , well acted and stays true to the original comic strip . This is such a great kids movie that I am sure adults who watch this as a kid will love it too.
I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare (兔子) and the tortoise (乌龟). At the end I said. “Son, remember: Slow and steady (稳固的) wins the race. Don’t you think there’s something to learn from the tortoise?”
Sonny opened his eyes wide, “Do you mean next time when I’m taking part in the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy and Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?”
I was shocked, “But the tortoise didn’t wish that the hare would fall asleep on the way!”
“He must have wished that,” Sonny said. “Otherwise how could he be so stupid as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did.”
“He didn’t have such a wish,” I insisted, “He won the race by perseverance（坚持）, by pushing on steadily.”
Sonny thought a while. “That’s a lie,” he said. “He won it because he was lucky. If the hare hadn’t happened to fall asleep, the tortoise would never have won the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he’d never have won the race. That’s for sure.”
I gave up. Today’s children are not like what we used to be. They’re just hopeless.
1.The writer disagreed with his son because _______.
A.They disagreed about whether the tortoise was stupid
B.He liked tortoises while his son liked hares
C.He liked the story of the hare and the tortoise while his son didn’t
D.He tried to teach his son the moral(道德的) lesson of the story but the son refused it
2.Sonny believed that the tortoise _______.
A.was not given a fair chance in the race B.in fact couldn’t win the race
C.took a risk by agreeing to race D.won the race by his own effort
3.When the writer says“I gave up” at the end, he means _______.
A.he gave up Sonny as a hopeless child
B.he gave up arguing with Sonny
C.he gave up trying to keep up with the new generation
D.he gave up his belief in the moral ideal of the hare and tortoise story
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, around by people who are, like us, deeply look at their smartphones or, worse, fighting with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s challenging, or we think it’s unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big advantages.
Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to look for an interaction (互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their waiter reported higher positive (积极的) feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband.” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a greater sense of belonging (归属感), a relationship with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners.” he says.
1.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A.Interest in smartphones. B.Unsuitable behaviours in public places.
C.Absence of communication between strangers. D.Impatience with slow service.
2.What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A.It improves family relationships. B.It raises people’s confidence.
C.It matters as much as a formal talk. D.It makes people feel good.
3.What is the best title for the text?
A.Conversation Counts B.Advantages of Small Talk
C.Uncomfortable Silence D.Ways of Making Small Talk
How to clean the keyboard
Turn off your laptop before you do any cleaning. Even though you won’t be putting water directly onto your laptop, you should turn off the power to make sure nothing gets damaged if a little moisture does get inside.
Turn the laptop upside down and gently tap or shake it. This will remove big pieces of dirt, crumps (碎屑) or other debris (碎片) that’s hiding in your keyboard.
Tip: It may help to spread a towel under the laptop before you shake it, to make cleanup easier.
Spay between the keys with compressed air to remove dust. The air of the force will blow the dust that’s trapped between and under the keys.
Remove dirt with a cotton ball and alcohol (酒精). Alcohol evaporates (蒸发)quickly, making it a safe alternative to using water on your laptop. Alcohol is especially good at removing the dirt left by your fingers. In addition, alcohol is good at removing germs (细菌).
1.To remove big pieces of dust in our keyboard, we can ________.
A.put the keyboard under the tap and wash it
B.shake the laptop hard until the dirt falls out
C.turn the laptop upside down and gently shake it
D.remove the dirt with a cotton ball and alcohol
2.Using alcohol is safer than using water on keyboard because ________.
A.alcohol can remove germs B.alcohol can disappear faster when it is used
C.alcohol can protect our fingers D.alcohol is good for cleaning oil
3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the steps?
A.What should we do before cleaning.
B.How to remove big pieces of dirt.
C.How to remove the dust between the keys.
D.How should we clean the screen.
I argued with my grandfather again because he was drinking beer, which his doctor told him not to do.
I knew I _______ too far, but I could not bring myself to apologize at the time. I tried for hours to sleep. Finally, about an hour before dawn, I found a piece of paper and wrote:
Pappy,
I’m sorry about last night. It’s just that I don’t want you to leave me yet. What am I _______ to do without my Pappy?
Love,
Terra
Then I went outside and spent the whole day wandering around the countryside. My sleepless night caught up with me as I lay under the trees. I _______ mostly of Pappy. I was never sure what he was doing or saying, _______ I was sure that he kept disappearing. That worried me. I awoke to a cool wetness on my face.
I hurried home before sunset. I called out Pappy’s name. There was no _______ but a noise came from his bedroom. He was shuffling (胡乱收拾) papers into an old shoebox as quickly as he could.
“What are you doing, Pappy?” I asked quietly. He looked up, _______ to have been caught.
“Sorting through your literary (文字的) junk.”
He said it as he quietly laughed, but _______ laughing with him I wanted to cry. Here in the golden light of the setting sun was my sweet, loving Pappy, sitting on the edge (边缘) of his bed sorting through my letters.
“Come here and look at this. You were four. Your handwriting was _______ readable. Your mum had to help you with most of it.”
In his hands he held a piece of paper. On it were the _______ , “I am sorry Pappy, Terra.”
“Why did you save that?”
“I’ve saved every apology letter you’ve left me. For that matter, I’ve saved every letter you’ve written me, in the shoebox.”
I knew what he said was true. I gave Pappy a hug (拥抱) and told him I was still ________
1.A.had walked B.had left C.had gone D.had become
2.A.imagined B.thought C.guessed D.supposed
3.A.thought B.reminded C.happened D.dreamt
4.A.but B.therefore C.however D.so
5.A.voice B.answer C.return D.sign
6.A.surprised B.afraid C.excited D.frightened
7.A.without B.instead of C.not D.out of
8.A.hardly B.nearly C.mostly D.almost
9.A.topic B.saying C.word D.words
10.A.happy B.sad C.pleased D.sorry
—Would you please come to our picnic next Sunday morning?
—_______! But I have to join in another one that day. Thank you all the same.
A.With pleasure B.What a pity C.My pleasure D.Go ahead
