350 million yuan in one week puts famous actress Zhao Wei at the top of the list of most profitable female directors. Before her the place belonged to Xue Xiaolu, the director of Finding Mr. Right, which hit Chinese screens early this year. With the box office success of So Young, people are once again turning their nostalgic eyes to youth -- an era of passion and pain, of hope and heartbreak. The reason why youth is such a soft spot for many people is that its intangible nature cannot be truly grasped until it is lost. "It is the period between education and employment, between dependence and independence,"says Zhang Yiwu, professor of Chinese literature at Peking University. But Jiang Chuling, the writer of So Young, says youth shares many similarities with home. When you leave home, you start missing it. "I think youth is meaningless for young people. Only when you look back does it acquire a special meaning," she says. For Zhang Yueran, 31, who is regarded as one of the country's most promising young novelist, "heroism in youth" was a cultural asset of people born in the 1970s, but it was swept away by the materialism that is so common in today's world. Nostalgia for the post-1980s and post-1990s generation, according to Zhang Yiwu, comes from their frustration and anxiety. Born into the most affluent society in 100 years, this generation of single children is not as tough as their predecessors. "They have very high expectations toward life and their disappointment and frustration with reality is huge," says Zhang. "So they turn to the past for comfort, even though they are still young. " So Young tells a love story set in the 80s and 90s. The idea of reflecting about past time has helped the film win a lot of appreciation. One audience member said, "I think the story can really bring back memories for a lot of people. It's got something we've all experienced, but can lead us to different feelings. " "Everyone experiences youth and every generation considers their youth to have been special. But actually,... From the passage, we know that "heroism in youth" was _ . A) the most powerful adolescents' character B) the sympathy to the heroes and society C) removed by our materialistic society D) so common in today's color1ful world
C

These days we hear a lot about how air pollution is changing temperatures on the earth. New evidence from a mountaintop in China now suggests that pollution can also change the amount of rain and snow that falls in some places. Usually, more rain falls in mountainous places than in flat areas upwind from the mountains. That's because air can hold a lot of water. When wind blows wet air up a mountainside, the air gets colder. This temperature change often forces water to fall as rain or snow. In recent years, however, many mountainous areas in the western United States have been getting less rain than normal. Mountains that are downwind from cities have experienced the biggest drops. Some scientists have theorized that pollution drifts from the cities into the mountains, affecting rainfall, but proving this link has been difficult. Searching for answers, a team led by a scientist from the Hebrew University went to s mountain in China called Mount Hua, which is 2,060 meters tall and lies about 120 kilometers east of the Chinese city Xi'an. Since 1954, scientists have been collecting details about rainfall, humidity , and visibility in the area. Using this data, the scientists compared rainfall on Mount Hua to rainfall in the nearest city, Huayin, on days with different levels of visibility. When the air was clear and people could see as far as 20 km, the scientists found that 65% more rain fell on the mountain than in the city. But when the air was smoggy, allowing only 8 km of visibility through the mist, the mountain received just 20% more rain than the city. The new data supports the theory that pollution affects rainfall. Some scientists believe that there are other explanations for the numbers. It's possible, for example, that natural particles in the air, rather than particles produced by pollution, are affecting visibility. Why did the team led by a scientist go to Mount Hua? A) They wanted to pay a visit to Mount Hua. B) They wanted to collect the data for their theory. C) They wanted to measure Mount Hua. D) They wanted to have a good rest on Mount Hua.
B

In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the "moon people" they met. In turn, the "moon people" expressed their surprise. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?" H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it. Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Chunnel", a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete. But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities." The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city. Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells' "moon people" would agree. Would you? What sort of underground systems are already here with us? A) Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas. B) Offices, shopping areas, power stations. C) Gardens, car parks, power stations. D) Tunnels, gardens, offices.
A

Newspapers in Great Britain _ greatly in their ways of carrying the news. There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad. There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment to information. The London newspaper that is best known outside Great Britain is probably the Times. It began in 1785, and is well accepted for believable news and serious opinions on the news. It calls itself an independent paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party. Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper. Letters to the editor are printed in the newspaper. These parts of the Times are always interesting. Most of the letters are serious subjects. But from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion of dress, or the bad manners of the young people, compared with manners of thirty years ago. If you want to get pleasure, please buy yourself _ . A) a serious newspaper B) foreign newspaper C) any independent paper D) a popular newspaper
D