Making Short Videos
“A picture is worth a thousand words or so”, they say. Well, motion (运动) pictures can contain even more memories. 1.Here are some apps you can use to make your own short videos.
Qupeiyin.cn
Reciting lines from movies is an effective and classic way to learn English. So what if you could dub(配音) recordings accompanied by movie clips(剪辑) and then share them with friends? 2.You name it. By contributing your voice, you can either mimic(模仿) the original soundtrack or create something completely new of your own.
Shorts
3.With the help of the Shorts app, you can make pictures in your album into a slide show. Choose from any of the off-the-shelf themes---“holiday”, “travel”, “friendship” and “party” for example—each matched with its own theme music and slide background. But if you’re not satisfied with the combinations, feel free to do a little change by adding text to the pictures or replacing the music with something in your own playlist.
Viva Video
Video making and editing once seemed awfully hard. 4.But this app will ease you into the field with straight-forward functions and clear direction to help you “create your own video story”. Apart from filter, stickers and text, the coolest part of this app is that you can write the narratives yourself and add your own voice to the video. 5.Viva Video requires a relatively powerful phone to run smoothly.
A. But here is a little reminder.
B. That’s why short videos are becoming popular.
C. These apps have a variety of identifications (识别).
D. This app has movies, cartoons, lectures, TV series.
E. Newbies (网络新手) and amateurs didn’t dare to even give it a try.
F. Videos and pictures aren’t only for separate purposes.
G. Video making and editing is what Apple fans want to try.
Leonardo da Vinci’s mother may have been a Chinese slave according to a new research by an Italian historian and novelist—Angelo Paratico, who has spent the last 20 years living and working in Hong Kong, researching the links between his homeland and China over the past half century.
Mr
Paratico said the documents he has uncovered during two years of research form the basis of his latest book Leonardo Da Vinci, a Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance(文艺复兴)Italy. The book, which is due to be published next year, uncovers evidence that there’s a link between Da Vinci and the Far East.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Mr Paratico said, “I am sure that Leonardo’s mother was from the East, but to make her a Chinese, we need to use a deductive method(演绎法). One wealthy client of Leonardo’s father had a slave called Caterina. After Leonardo’s date of birth, she disappeared from the documents．She was no longer working there.’’
It is believed that his mother was called Caterina, who, according to some reports, was a local peasant. But Mr Paratico’s new work claims it is most likely that Da Vinci’s mother was a slave. Supporting his theory, he said, “During the Renaissance, countries like Italy and Spain were full of slaves from the East.”
He claimed that there were certain aspects of Da Vinci’s life and works which suggest a Chinese link. For instance, he was writing with his left hand from left to right and he was also a vegetarian, which was not common. Mona Lisa is probably a portrait of his mother，as Sigmund Freud said in 1910. On the back of Mona Lisa, there is a Chinese landscape and even her face looks Chinese.
Mr Paratico said he believes the only way to solve the mystery is to dig out some of Da Vinci’s relations in Florence and extract some DNA.
1.What is Mr Paratico’s latest book based on?
A. His research findings． B. His living experience．
C. His final visit to Italy． D. His interest in Renaissance．
2.What may suggest there is a link between Da Vinci and Chinese?
A. His working habit． B. His ways of writing．
C. His birth date． D. His father’s friend．
3.What can we learn about Da Vinci’s mother?
A. She was a slave of Leonardo’s father．
B. She quit working after her marriage．
C. She was buried in Florence after death．
D. She was probably the model of Mona Lisa．
The Netherlands on Monday launched its first-ever “intelligent bicycle”, fitted with a set of electronic devices (设备) to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in this country.
The intelligent bicycle runs on electricity. Its seat shakes when other cyclists approach from behind, while the handlebars do the same when obstacles appear ahead to inform cyclists to pay attention to the danger. It also has a cradle (置物架) in which a computer can be inserted (插入), to wirelessly connect and “talk” to the bicycle through a particular application. The computer also flashes a bright signal if there is an approaching obstacle in the bicycle’s path, like a tree, or if another cyclist comes up from behind intending to pass.
A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1, 700 euros to 3, 200 euros per bicycle. It weighs about 55 pounds but researchers are working on making the on-board systems smaller.
‘‘Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get frightened when they are
passed at high speed,” said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of the scientists involved in the project, “The on-board system technology has already been at work in the automotive (自动的) industry”.
“More and more elderly people are using a bicycle，not only for short distances，but also for longer distances,” Dutch Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen said, “This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue enjoying cycling,” she said．
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The newly-invented bicycle can warn of danger．
B. The intelligent computer runs on electricity．
C. More elderly people enjoy electronic devices．
D. The means of transportation in the Netherlands．
2.When a car appears ahead，the intelligent bicycle will_________．
A. stop by itself B. make a noise
C. warn its cyclist D. change its color
3.What do you know about the intelligent bicycle?
A. It uses gas as the fuel． B. It is widely used now．
C. It will be lighter in weight． D. It will be free for everyone．
4.More and more elderly people in the Netherlands______________．
A. try to invent intelligent bicycles B. enjoy themselves by cycling
C. drive cars for longer distances D. devote themselves to computers
About 1966 or so, a NASA (美国航空航天局) team doing work for the Apollo moon mission (任务) took the astronauts near Tuba City. There the landscape of the Navajo Reservation (保留地) looks very much like the lunar surface. Among all the trucks and large cars were two large figures that were dressed in full lunar space suits.
Nearby a Navajo shepherd (牧羊人) and his son were watching the strange creatures walk about, occasionally being watched over by other NASA workers. The two Navajo people were noticed and approached by the NASA people. Since the shepherd and his son did not know English, they asked the NASA people who the strange creatures were. The NASA people told them that they were just men that were getting ready to go to the moon. The shepherd became very excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts.
The NASA officials thought this was a great idea so they provided a tape recorder. After the man gave them his message, they asked his son to translate. His son would not.
Later, they tried a few more people on the reservation to translate and every person they asked would chuckle (偷偷地笑) and then refuse to translate. Finally, with cash in hand someone translated the message,
“Watch out for these guys, they have come to take your land!”
1.The appearance of the Navajo Reservation is very similar to that of ______．
A. the Tuba City B. the moon
C. the NASA research center D. the Apollo moon mission
2.When the older Navajo heard that the men in front of him were going to the moon, he ______．
A. felt frightened and ran away quickly
B. chatted excitedly with the NASA workers
C. got on the modern trucks and large vehicles for fun
D. tried to say something to the moon creatures
3.The son did not translate the words his father said because ______．
A. he had trouble in understanding his father
B. the words his father used were too difficult to be translated
C. his father was sending a warning against the NASA people
D. he believed that the NASA workers could understand their language
4.According to this passage, we can know that the shepherd was ______．
A. patient and brave B. foolish and impolite
C. humorous and intelligent D. knowledgeable and talkative
Too often in life, we focus on the things we cannot do. Sometimes we cannot do things because of financial limitations, health limitations, family limitations, educational limitations, and so on. Sometimes, we end up limiting ourselves from achieving success in reaching our goals. We end up having a negative attitude which limits our ability to achieve success and happiness in our life.
Through the Internet, I have recently met an individual (个人) whom I found to be very inspiring. He has a positive attitude; he focuses on what he can do. To name a few of his accomplishments: he has set a world record, and is in the Guinness Book of World Records; he is an international poet with over 900 publications; he is an advocate (拥护者) for the disabled; he is the founder of Beyond Limitations Week; he is an ambassador (大使) for the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation; he has created his own website—http://wheelierecord. Tripod. com/ index. html. And the list could go on!
The individual is Robert M．Hensel. You see, Robert was born spina bifida, a disability that affects the sense of balance and also has an influence on the kidneys (肾脏). Robert could have easily used his disability to limit his achievements, yet he has accomplished more than many. His attitude to life is one that, for me, is inspiring! To quote Robert, “I have learned that limitations open doors that have been closed, showing other ways to meet our needs. Now I look beyond what I can’t do and focus on what I can.”
Let Robert be a reminder for changing attitudes. Use his motto of not focusing on what you can’t do, but focus on what you can do！
1.What stops us from achieving success according to the author?
A. Negative attitudes B. Constant changes
C. Too high goals D. Various limitations
2.What does the underlined word “one” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. A disease B. A disability
C. An attitude D. A story
3.Why has Robert M．Hensel made many achievements in his life?
A. He has never changed his attitude to life.
B. He always looks beyond his strengths.
C. He takes advantage of his disability.
D. He concentrates on what he can do.
4.How does the author support his idea in the text?
A. By offering examples B. By comparing attitudes
C. By analyzing limitations D. By telling stories
假设你是李杰，与你同年级读书的堂弟李威正在为写不好英语书面表达而感到苦恼。现在请你写一封信予以安慰和鼓励，并给他提一些提高英语写作能力的建议。建议应包括如下要点：
1. 加强阅读，注意词汇积累。
2. 多练习写作，如坚持写日记。
3. 朗读、背诵美文佳句。
注意：可适当增加内容使文章更加充实、连贯，但最佳词数应控制在80—120之间，文章的开头与结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Li Wei, ____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Sincerely yours,
Li Jie
