Where in the world can you take an hour’s train ride, and pass a forest, a London street, a scene from the Wild West, and a burning building that never burns down? There’s only one place, and that’s Hollywood, in California. The scenes you see from the tourist train are film sets（布景） in the Universal Studios, one of the oldest and largest movie companies(公司) in the USA.
A visit to Universal Studios brings back memories of great days of Hollywood, the films and the stars. But they are only memories. Hollywood isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Costs have gone up and confidence has gone down. Movie-makers are afraid to spend their money on expensive new ideas. Instead, they repeat old ones.
The film industry is changing fast. Teenagers still go out to the movies. The theatre is a good place to meet friends away from home. But older people mostly stay home to watch series, like Dynasty have become as important to Hollywood as expensive movies. These “soap opera”, as they are called, show rich, powerful families living in beautiful homes and wearing beautiful clothes. But the actors and actresses are nearly all middle-aged, like many of the people who watch them.
Though it is soap operas that are keeping the film-makers of Hollywood in Business, big films are still being made in America. But more and more of them are made outside Hollywood. New York is the most important new center, but there are many others as well. Movie-makers have realized that they don’t need Hollywood any more. Modern cameras and real houses instead of expensively made copies in a studio. Other states, especially Florida and Texas, are working hard to take the film business away from California. They are offering better working conditions and lower cost.
But Hollywood is fighting back. The state of California is trying hard to keep its best-known industry.
【小題1】From the passage, we know Universal Studios is ______.

A．a(chǎn) very large park	B．a(chǎn) busy London street
C．a(chǎn) famous movie company	D．a(chǎn)n old Hollywood movie

【小題2】The movie industry in California isn’t as successful as before because ______.

A．young people don’t go to movie theatres any more

B．there is strong competition from other states

C．its movie companies are in neeed of young stars

D．the state hasn’t put a development plan into action

【小題3】Which of the following seems to be a threat（威脅）to Hollywood？

A．The use of modern cameras and other equipment

B．The interest of middle-aged film stars

C．The making of TV series like Dynasty

D．The expensively made copies of scenes

Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as "the world's best."

　　SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA The city has comfortable weather all year round (15℃ to 26℃). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city's older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés. Beautiful mountains are around the city. Lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.

　　HONG KONG, CHINA This lively city-once a small fishing village-is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (廟宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There's also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population of nearly seven million! That's why housing is very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.

1.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about San Jose?

A．The weather.	B．The mountains.
C．The air.	D．The traffic.

2.What makes Hong Kong the world's best according to this passage?

A．The lively city and the wonderful dishes.

B．The large population and the traffic.

C．The expensive housing.

D．The beautiful temples.

3.The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because 　　

A．it is a small fishing village

B．it is a mix of East and West

C．it is a beautiful city

D．there are too many people in the city

4.What do the two cities have in common?

A．They both have beautiful mountains.

B．They both have a large population.

C．Air pollution is a problem in both.

D．They are both crowded.

5.From the passage, we can know that 　　

A．San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world's best

B．San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does

C．the weather in both cities is fine

D．San Jose used to be a small fishing village

 

Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA  The city has comfortable weather all year round (15℃ to 26℃). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés. Beautiful mountains are around the city. Lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.
HONG KONG, CHINA   This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (廟宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population of nearly seven million! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT mentioned about San Jose?

A．The weather.	B．The mountains.
C．The air.	D．The traffic.

【小題2】What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?

A．The lively city and the wonderful dishes.

B．The large population and the traffic.

C．The expensive housing.

D．The beautiful temples.

【小題3】The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because ______.

A．it is a small fishing village	B．it is a mix of East and West
C．it is a beautiful city	D．there are too many people in the city

【小題4】What do the two cities have in common?

A．They both have beautiful mountains.	B．They both have a large population.
C．Air pollution is a problem in both.	D．They are both crowded.

【小題5】From the passage, we can know that ______.

A．San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best

B．San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does

C．the weather in both cities is fine

D．San Jose used to be a small fishing village

Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA  The city has comfortable weather all year round (15℃ to 26℃). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés.Beautiful mountains are around the city. Lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.
HONG KONG, CHINA   This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (廟宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population of nearly seven million! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT mentioned about San Jose?

A．The weather.

B．The mountains.

C．The air.

D．The traffic.

【小題2】What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?

A．The lively city and the wonderful dishes.
B．The large population and the traffic.
C．The expensive housing.	D．The beautiful temples.

【小題3】The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because ________.

A．it is a small fishing village	B．it is a mix of East and West
C．it is a beautiful city	D．there are too many people in the city

【小題4】What do the two cities have in common?

A．They both have beautiful mountains.	B．They both have a large population.
C．Air pollution is a problem in both.	D．They are both crowded.

【小題5】From the passage, we can know that       .

A．San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best

B．San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does

C．the weather in both cities is fine

D．San Jose used to be small fishing village

Fifty-three years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys.
Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her,has become the most successful toy doll in history. Her parent,the Mattel Company,said that 90% of all Ame”rican girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.
However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present (現(xiàn)在). There are many similar dolls on the market in competiotion with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, come to life thirteen years ago. She looked more like today’s pop stars with heavy makeup(濃妝) and miniskirts. And her company offers more kind of clothes too.
It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. “ For younger girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern,” says Vera Shepherd, a shop assitant in a New York toy store.
It is good news that on the international market. Barbie is still No. 1. although Mttel is selling ferwer Barbies int the United States three years, sales in other countries are still going up.in January 2009, Mattel openee its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat, drink or even become fashion designers for their own Barbies.
Mattel is planning big celebration for Barbie’s 53^rd birthday. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new dresses for Barbie. How long will Barbie stay popuplar in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 【小題1】is surely not the age to retire(退休)。
61. Barbie’s family name is______.

A．Roberts

B．millicent

C．Shepherd

D．Bratz

【小題2】Barbie’s trouble is that__________.

A．it wears heavy makeup and miniskirts.

B．other dolls are more popular with little girls.

C．other dolls are trying to beat her in the market.

D．it has become less popular in the international market.

【小題3】Girls can do the following in the first Barbie shop in Shanghai except_______.

A．going shopping

B．having food

C．drinking juice

D．taking photos

【小題4】What’s the meaning of the underline words “fashion designers” in the passage?

A．珠寶設(shè)計(jì)師

B．發(fā)型設(shè)計(jì)師

C．舞臺(tái)設(shè)計(jì)師

D．服裝設(shè)計(jì)師

【小題5】What is the best title of the passage?

A．First Barbie Shop in Shanghai

B．Barbie’s Past and present

C．Barbie’s 53rd Birthday Party

D．Barbie Lost Her Magic