China has become an increasingly appealing market for Hollywood films, so it was inevitable that Academy Award-winning director James Cameron would touch down in Beijing Wednesday to promote his latest big-budget movie, Avatar. During his 20-hour stay in the city, he shared with local media and some lucky fans details of his new film and shared his insights on China's growing film industry. Having toured numerous countries for the promotion of Avatar since the film globally premiered on December 10, Cameron said he _ the visit to China for some time and apologized for his hoarse and tired voice. "It is so sad for a director not being able to shout," he joked at the beginning of the press conference Wednesday afternoon, announcing that the 3D science fiction film will open in China on January 4. Cameron collected 360 million yuan (US$52.7 million) at the box office in China with his blockbuster Titanic in 1998, a record that held for ten years until it was broken by Transformers in 2008. Considering that another computer-generated, live action flick, 2012, has sold more movie tickets in China than in the US, the director said he is positive about Avatar's performance in China. "Our partner here, the China Film Group, has given us great confidence," he explained, saying that the number of 3D screens has grown from 500 to 600 in the past month, a never-seen-before growth in Chinese mainland. China is second only to the US as the country with the most 3D screens. Cameron said the screening of Avatar in China has specific importance as a test of future 3D film development. "I'm very interested in the 3D film market in China. I cannot predict the box office results here, but I look forward to the test results." Cameron is hopeful about Avatar's performance in China because _ . A) Avatar is a newly-released 3D movie B) Transformer held the record of box office in China C) Avatar is directed by him alone D) 2012 had a higher box office in China than in the US
D
(Question)
The character "duang" is so new that it does not even exist in the Chinese dictionary. But it has already spread like wildfire online in China, appearing more than 8 million times on China's micro-blogging site Weibo, where it spawned a top-trending hashtag that drew 312,000 discussions among 15,000 users. On China's biggest online search engine Baidu, it has been looked up almost 600,000 times. It's been noticed in the West too, with Foreign Policy seeing it as a "break the internet" viral meme - like a certain Kirn Kardashian image, or a certain multicoloured dress. But what does it mean? "Everyone's duang-ing and I still don't know what it means! As if it's back to school for me," said Weibo user Weileiweito. Another user asked: "Have you duang-ed today? My mind is full of duang duang duang." "To duang or not to duang, that is the question," wrote user BaiKut automan. "Duang" seems to be an example of onomatopoeia , a word that phonetically imitates a sound. It all seems to have started with Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, who in 2004 was featured in a shampoo commercial where he said famously defended his sleek, black hair using the rhythmical-sounding "duang". The word resurfaced again recently after Chan posted it on his Weibo page. Thousands of users then began to flood Chan's Weibo page with comments, coining the word in reference to his infamous shampoo appearance. The word appears to have many different meanings, and there's no perfect translation, but you could use it as an adjective to give emphasis to the word that follows it. A kitten might be "duang cute", for example. Or you might be "very duang confused" by this blog. For readers of Chinese characters, the Jackie Chan theme is also apparent from the quirky way in which the word is written: a combination of Chan's Mandarin names. How does the writer try to prove that Duang has already spread like wildfire online in China? A) giving examples B) listing numbers C) making comparisons D) offering quotations
(Answer)
B
Read a lot, I mean a lot! You have to increase your ability for reading. Many students are in the habit of reading only when their exams are approaching while some others read only what they are taught or things that must be read because it is in their curriculum. But listen to me now, I am telling you from my own experience that it is a very bad habit and it is not enough to improve your intelligence. You have to learn and get ready to become _ in your reading. The fact that you are studying medicine in school does not mean that you should not know one or two things on politics. Many people have complained to me that they find it hard to read stuffs like novels but I just shake my head in pity for them because it is obvious they have failed to realize the truth in that wise saying by Margaret Fuller that "today a READER, tomorrow a LEADER!" When you read, you get to "see" so many places and it will be as if you have visited those places in real life. This is because reading will improve your imagination and creativity and understanding. You also get experience from learning about how people dealt with their various problems thereby saving you from going through the pains and difficulties they must have gone through! Reading will also help you in improving your vocabulary because you will certainly start coming across so many new words which you will try as much as possible to get accustomed to with the help of the dictionary! The good thing about increasing your vocabulary is that it will also improve your thinking ability. After all, we think in words and the more words you know, the easier it will become for you to express yourself or your thoughts. And when you read, make sure you read so wide because the more you read, the more you know and the more you know the more intelligent you can become. What is the benefit of knowing more words? A) You will get used to referring to the dictionary when meeting with new words. B) You will have less difficulty expressing your opinions. C) Vocabulary will improve your creativity. D) You can pass your exams with ease.
B