Joey is loyal, encouraging and self-sacrificing, always putting others' interests ahead of his own. He is a hard worker, who also loves to run and play. In short, he's an ideal friend and a heroic character. Here is the thing: Joey is a horse, who appears as the main character in Steven Spielberg's new film War Horse. It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, which also caused the same-titled Tony Awards winning play. The film follows the saga of Joey, a racehorse that's trained for farm work under the loving care of Albert (Jeremy Irvine )after Albert's drunk father Ted(Peter Mullan ) overpays for the animal at auction . Then the World War I tears Albert and Joey apart. Joey is sold into the war effort for the British and starts his episodic adventures in Europe. Splendidly staged, the battle plots in the film are visually and impressive. And with Spielberg's unique, top-notch direction and storytelling skills, War Horse cannot escape its episodic nature, calling to mind another Spielberg film about the horrors of war and its effects upon soldiers and civilians--Saving Private Ryan. While that film shocked with horrific scenes of bleeding, it relied on a company of easily-described characters and a focused storyline to present heroic themes. Like Saving Private Ryan, War Horse clings to a series of characters, not only Albert, but also British officers, French civilians and German soldiers, who display courage in the face of danger. Everyone who comes in contact with Joey is either already in touch with their inner angel or is quickly moved to become more humane. Although none of this covers the fact that we've seen this stuff elsewhere before, the lovely sentiment will steal your heart. And the emotional signature of Spielberg can be felt as he establishes the relationship between the boy and the horse and the mood of the piece - there will be tears. Therefore, calling this beautiful, dramatically incomplete film " Saving Private Joey", is entirely justifiable. In common with " Saving Private Ryan", the film War Horse _ . A) is full of terrifying scenes of bleeding and killing B) received the title of Tony Awards Winning Play C) covers a lot of characters D) tells the story happening in the Second World War
C
(Question)
Our youngest child eagerly entered kindergarten, while our oldest child excitedly went to college--and I felt left behind. After being very happy as a stay-at-home mother of six children, I suddenly felt stuck on a dead-end road and lacked direction. An inner anxiety troubled me that life was passing by. The road, requiring expensive education, appeared too long and difficult. Thanks to supportive friends and family, I eventually discovered the road sign pointing to the ideal program at an excellent college, which offered a lot of student grants . Driving to my first class, I, aged 40, was eager and nervous. School required sacrifices : weekends for class, sleep for study, and life's luxuries for tuition fees. But the rewards greatly outweighed the cost. The narrow and rocky road developed perseverance and patience, while the smooth and open road built low confidence. Along the way, I met fellow travelers of all ages and interests: a 50-year-old woman who learned photography at the community college; a successful 62-year-old businessman who worked toward a nursing degree to serve in developing countries; an 80-year-old woman who enthusiastically started classes to learn how to surf the Internet, so she could keep up with the world. Twelve years after starting the journey as a non-traditional student, I graduated with a doctoral degree in literature. My children have been especially proud, calling me Dr. Mom. When you hear the small, still voice asking you to do something more or different, remember you can trust your heart. How did the author feel after her youngest child entered kindergarten? A) She felt proud of her children. B) She felt eager to go back to work. C) She felt both very anxious and helpless. D) She felt worried about her children's growth.
(Answer)
C
Ques: Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives. This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe, but have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us? Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than common wildlife. Without modem technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen. The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad, but when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough,we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense ,are really part of our own. The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves _ . A) the close connection between man and the fantasy world B) the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature C) the fine taste of moviegoers around the world D) the general existence of the sense of curiosity
Ans: D
Is it true that left-handed people are smarter than right-handed people? Chris McManus, professor of psychology and medical education at University College London, responds; "If by intelligent you mean someone who performs better on IQ tests, the simply answer is no. Studies in the U.K., U. S. and Australia have revealed that left-handed people differ from right-handers by only one IQ point, which is not _ ." Left-handedness is, however, much more common among individuals with severe learning difficulties. A slightly higher proportion of left-handers have a stutter . Other problems, such as a higher rate of accidents reported in left-handers, mostly result from a world designed for the convenience of right-handers, with many tools not made for the left-handed. However, if by smarter you mean more talented in certain areas, left-handers may have an advantage. Left-handers' brains are structured differently from right-handers' in ways that can allow them to process language, relations and emotions in more diverse and creative ways. Also, a slightly larger number of left-handers than right-handers are especially gifted in music and maths. A study of musicians in professional orchestras found a greater proportion of talented left-handers, even among those who played instruments that seem designed for right-handers, such as violins. Similarly, studies of adolescents who took tests to assess mathematical ability found many more left-handers in the population. The fact that mathematicians are often musical may not be a coincidence. For other talents and skills, the benefits of being left-handed are less clear. In one-on-one competitive sports, being in the minority can be an advantage. For example, most right-handed tennis players have little experience of playing left-handers, but left-handers have plenty of experience of playing right-handers. Whatever the advantages are, handedness seems to be genetic. With 10 percent of people preferring their left hand, there must be some selective advantages, or else the... We can learn _ from the passage. A) right-handers have a higher rate of accidents. B) most right-handed tennis players are good at playing left-handers. C) left-handers can sometimes be more gifted in music and maths than right-handers. D) left-handers' brains process language in the same way as right-handers'.
C