Here’s a movie-a sharp, sugar-rush of fun that’s guaranteed to entertain the entire family.
With some terrific computer-generated effects, a great cast and a fun-packed storyline, Robots is the best animated film(动画片) since The Incredibles. Yep, it really is that good.
Set in a world populated by robots, Ewan McGregor plays Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot who leaves his small-town home to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor.
But after arriving in Robot City, his hopes of getting a job at Bigweld Industries are destroyed when he learns the firm has been taken over by the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear).
Egged on by his controlling mum, Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent), Ratchet plans to reduce half on Robot City’s citizens to scrap metal by refusing to sell the spare Pans they need to survive.
Instead, he wants to make a fortune selling expensive upgrades that few can afford. As he says, “Why be you when you can be new?”
Aided by a few misfit robots known as the Rustles-including Robin Williams as the cowardly(胆小的) Fender (“I’m made of a metal called Afraidium”)-Rodney must track down the firm’s founder, Bigweld (Mel Brooks), and convince him to save the city from Ratchet’s plans.
The first thing that’ll strike you about the movie is the thought that’s gone into creating Robot City. It’s a wondrous world full of mechanical marvels including wind-up cars and walking streetlamps.
Also terrific are the special effects. This might be animated movie but at times you’ll catch yourself thinking it’s really a live-action film.
Of course, there have been plenty of animated movies that looked the part but were let down by a weak storyline(see Shark Tale, for example).
But Robots grips(扣人心弦)right from the start thanks to a heart-warming and thoroughly engaging plot that never bores.
My only complaints are with Williams who, as usual, has a one-in-10 success rate with his jokes. Also a letdown is a romantic subplot between Rodney and a shapely robot called Cappy (Halle Berry) that doesn’t go anywhere.
Complains aside, this is a mechanical marvel that’ll have you bolted firmly to your seat.
BEST QUOTE(引述)：Fender：“Even though you had a discouraging day, just remember there’s another one coming tomorrow.
BEST BIT：Check out those amazing images.
WORST BIT：Robin Williams’ character does an unfunny Britney Spears dance routine.
IF YOU LIKED…Ice Age, The Incredibles, Toy Story…YOU’LL LIKE THIS.
1.This piece of writing is a _____.
A. film review B. commercial advertisement
C. movie poster D. 1iterary essay
2.The cast of Robots is made up of all the following actors or actresses EXCEPT ______.
A. Ewan McGregor B. Britney Spears
C. Robin Williams D. Halle Berry
3. What is Shark Tale an example of?
A. A great cast. B. Special effects.
C. A poor plot. D. Clumsy animation.
The writer Margaret Mitchell is best known for writing Gone with the Wind, first published in 1936. Her book and the movie based on it, tell a story of love and survival during the American Civil War. Visitors to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia, can go where she lived when she started composing the story and learn more about her life.
Our first stop at the Margaret Mitchell House is an exhibit area telling about the writer’s life. She was born in Atlanta in 1900. She started writing stories when she was a child. She started working as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal newspaper in 1922. One photograph of Ms. Mitchell, called Peggy, shows her talking to a group of young college boys. She was only about one and a half meters tall. The young men tower over her, but she seems very happy and sure of herself. The tour guide explains: “Now in this picture Peggy is interviewing some boys from Georgia Tech, asking them such questions as “would you really marry a woman who works?” And today it’d be “would you marry one who doesn’t?”
The Margaret Mitchell House is a building that once contained several apartments. Now we enter the first floor apartment where Ms. Mitchell lived with her husband, John Marsh. They made fun of the small apartment by calling it “The Dump”.
Around 1926, Margaret Mitchell had stopped working as a reporter and was at home healing after an injury. Her husband brought her books to read from the library. She read so many books that he brought her typewriter and said it was time for her to write her own book. Our guide says Gone with the Wind became a huge success. Margaret Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for the book. In 1939 the film version was released. It won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
1.The book Gone with the Wind was_______.
A. written in “ The Dump”
B. awarded ten Academy Awards
C. first published on a newspaper
D. adapted from a movie
2.The underlined phrase “tower over” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________?
A. be very pleased with
B. be much taller than
C. show great respect for
D. show little interest in
3.Why did Ms. Mitchell stop working as a reporter according to the passage?
A. Because she was rich enough.
B. Because she was injured then.
C. Because her husband didn’t like it.
D. Because she wanted to write books.
4.We can know about Margaret Mitchell from the passage that________.
A. her height made her marriage unhappy
B. writing stopped her working as a reporter
C. her interest in writing continued as an adult
D. her life was full of hardship and sadness
5.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. An Introduction of the Margaret Mitchell House
B. Gone with the Wind: A Huge Success.
C. A Trip to Know Margaret Mitchell.
D. Margaret Mitchell: A Great Female Writer.
Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you’re doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you’re holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation（感觉）of warmth encourages emotional warmth while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions — those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh.
Psychologists have known that one person’s perception（感知）of another’s “warmth” is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either “warm” or “cold” is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a “cold” person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies’ conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth “mother” rather than one made of wire, even when the wire “mother” carried a food bottle. Harlow’s work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills.
Feelings of “warmth” and “coldness” in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as “warm” or “cold” is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries.
To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant who was unaware of the study’s hypotheses（假设）, handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form. The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of “Person A” based on a particular description. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink.
“We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly,” says Bargh.
1.According to Paragraph 1, a person’s emotion may be affected by ______.
A. the visitors to his office
B. the psychology lessons he has
C. the things he has bought online
D. his physical feeling of coldness
2.The author mentions Harlow’s experiment to show that ____________.
A. adults should develop social skills
B. caregivers should be healthy adults
C. babies need warm physical contact
D. monkeys have social relationships
3.In Bargh’s experiment, the students were asked to _______________.
A. evaluate someone’s personality
B. write down their hypotheses
C. fill out a personal information form
D. hold coffee and cold drink alternatively
4.We can infer from the passage that _____________________.
A. abstract thinking does not come from physical experiences
B. physical temperature affects how we see others
C. feelings of warmth and coldness are studied worldwide
D. capable persons are often cold to others
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Drinking for Better Social Relationships.
B. Experiments of Personality Evaluation.
C. Physical Sensations and Emotions.
D. Developing Better Drinking Habits.
Grandparents are important people in everyone’s life．They are those people who take care of you and love you. They are special persons who can give you wise advice．
My grandparents always teach me to respect others，and they show me that love and feelings are important things in life and that we shouldn't pay much attention to material things or what people look like．
My grandparents show a mixture of cultures and nationalities(国籍)because they come from different countries．For example，my grandfather on my mother's side is from Spain，and my grandmother is also from Spain，but from a different city．On my father's side，my grandfather is from Venezuela，and my grandmother is from Italy．A1though they are from different countries，my grandparents have a very good relationship．
What’s more，my grandparents are people that always keep in touch with the new things in the world. For example，my grandmothers always care about fashion，how they dress and their personal appearance. And my grandfathers always care about the important events in the world．
I think I am very lucky that all of my grandparents are alive because I have learned so much from them，I would like to continue learning from them even though we are living in different countries now．I will always remember my grandparents as role models for me．
1.The author’s grandfathers ________________．
A．care about fashion very much
B．are from the same country
C．care about important events in the world
D．don’t 1ike new things
2.The author’s grandparents would NOT agree that______________．
A. people should show respect for others
B．love is a very important thing in people’s life
C. people shouldn’t judge others by appearance
D. everyone should have lots of money
3.In the writer’s opinion, how should we treat our grandparents?
A. We should treat them as children.
B. We should respect them and learn from them.
C. We should not spend too much time in looking after them because they are old.
D. We should live together with our grandparents.
Here’s this week’s list of four open jobs throughout the local area. Whether you’re unemployed and need a job or you are just sick of the one you have, Roswell Patch wants to help. We know new jobs can be hard to come by these days, which is why we’ll try to post a selection of jobs we’ve found in the area on the site each week. Happy hunting!
Part-time Spanish Instructor-World Language Institute, Inc. – Roswell.
World Language Institute, Inc. in Roswell is currently hiring a part-time, native-speaking Spanish instructor. Applicants must be able to pass a background check and drive a 15-passenger bus to pick up students from several schools, from 2 p. m. – 6 p. m. Monday-Friday. The position pays $ 10 per hour. More information about the job is available online.
Experienced Servers – Chili’s – Alpharetta
Chili’s in Alpharetta is seeking experienced servers to add to its team. Qualifications will include being clean and neat and having great attitude and customer service skills. The pay is $ 2.13, plus tips. Stop by the store to fill out an application. More information about this position is available online.
Registered Nurse-North Fulton Regional Hospital-Roswell
North Fulton Regional Hospital is looking for a RN/Registered Nurse to fill a 12-hour night shift. Applicants must be registered and previous hospital experience is preferred. More information about the position is available online.
Software Engineer-ControlScan-Alpharetta
ControlScan in Alpharetta is hiring a software engineer. Applicants should have five or more years of relevant experience, as well as advanced knowledge of computer technology. Pay is commensurate（相称）with experience. More information about the position can be found online.
1.Where can we most probably read the passage?
A．On a website. B．In a newspaper.
C．In a magazine. D．In a textbook.
2.What does the underlined word "sick" mean?
A．Ill. B．Bored.
C．Absent. D．Unfamiliar
3.World Language Institute, Inc. is looking for____.
A. a school bus driver. B. a full-time teacher.
C. a Spanish teacher. D a Spanish manager.
4.Who will mainly work at night?
A．Robert, hired by ControlScan.
B．John, hired by World Language Institute. Inc.
C．Jane, hired by North Fulton Regional Hospital.
D．Sally, hired by Chili’s.
My class and I visited Chris Care Center in Phoenix, Arizona to comfort the old people who needed a little cheering up during the holiday season.
The first two there were for persons requiring help in taking care of themselves. We sang for them. They loved our sweet songs and the flowers that we left with them.
As we were on the third floor for old people with Alzheimer (老年痴呆症), most of them off at the walls or floor. However, one lady my eye. She was sitting by the door, in a wheelchair, singing songs to herself. They weren’t the songs that we were singing, at least they didn’t like that. As we got with each festive song, she did as well. The louder we got, the louder she got. she was singing, she was also out to us with her hands and body. I knew that I should have gone over to her, but I thought that my were to my students. People who worked at the care center could to her, I thought. Just when I stopped feeling about not giving her the attention she needed, one of my students, Justin, showed me what the holiday season is really about.
Justin also the same lady. The difference between us is that he on her needs, but I didn’t. During the last song, “Silent Night,” Justin walked over to her and held her hand. He looked this aged lady in her and with his actions said, “You are important, and I will take my to let you know that.”
This tired, elderly lady stopped singing and held his hand. Then she touched his cheek with the other hand. Tears began to fall down her face. No can completely describe that touching moment...
It a boy to teach me, a man, about kindness and love. Justin’s example of a complete, selfless attitude toward another was a that I will never forget. He was the teacher that day, and I consider myself to have witnessed his lesson.
1.A. floors B. buildings C. rooms D. groups
2.A. beautifully B. shyly C. madly D. bravely
3.A. singing B. meeting C. gathering D. dancing
4.A. shut B. stared C. paid D. glared
5.A. looked B. hurt C. escaped D. caught
6.A. appear B. hear C. sound D. feel
7.A. faster B. nearer C. louder D. higher
8.A. Because B. Though C. Since D. As
9.A. moving B. reaching C. coming D. spreading
10.A. interests B. abilities C. responsibilities D. feelings
11.A. speak B. object C. attend D. compare
12.A. guilty B. sure C. afraid D. scary
13.A. feared B. noticed C. helped D. avoided
14.A. called B. acted C. insisted D. kept
15.A. tears B. hands C. face D. eyes源:
16.A. body B. flower C. time D. cheek
17.A. songs B. poems C. expressions D. words
18.A. made B. wasted C. caused D. took
19.A. lesson B. message C. activity D. class
20.A. clever B. lucky C. right D. foolish
