The film starts out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school shouting and killing people. This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives. Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival. The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999. The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house. The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone - - fun and friendly, or hard and lonely. In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano. But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens. "I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director . The film is named Elephantbecause _ . A) an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools B) an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble C) the two boys liked elephants when alive D) elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem
D
(Question)
The BBC was founded in 1922, including radio and television services. It is based at Broadcasting House in London. The BBC is controlled by some governors chosen by the government, but these people have freedom and the government can't interfere . That is, the BBC is supposed not to be the mouthpiece of the government. It has to be as fair as possible in giving radio and television time to, for example, political parties and religious groups. There is a kind of interesting service in British-rental services. Many people prefer to rent their television sets instead of buying them. The rent for a black and white set is about 80 pence a week. The rent of a color set is more than twice that of a black and white set. If the sets go wrong, people can have them repaired free of charge or replaced immediately. Everyone has to buy a yearly license, since there is no advertising on BBC radio or television. It is from the sale of licenses that the BBC gets most of its money. A license for a black and white set costs 8 pounds, and for a colour set 18 pounds a year. There are four specialized radio channels, which broadcast different kinds of programmes. Radio I is mainly pop music.Radio 2 deals with light music, sports and other programmes. Radio 3 broadcasts serious music, talks on serious subjects etc.News broadcasts are mainly given by Radio 4. There are special programmes for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and certain parts of England.It also broadcasts programmes about Britain--in many different languages as well as in English to all parts of the world. The officials in charge of the BBC _ . A) must say what the government wants to say B) should give more time to political parties than to religious groups C) are elected by the citizens from all over the country D) can decide things without the permission of the government
(Answer)
D
Ques: I had arrived at the airport to catch an early flight home.It had been a very busy three days for me on an interstate trip with lots of meetings,business to do and new customers to meet.Then came the announcement that the flight had been delayed due to a technical problem.I could see a group of technicians and ground staff rushing about,obviously trying hard to fix the problem.I watched and listened as many of the passengers sitting near me shared their frustration about the inconvenience. As I sat waiting,I reflected on my last meeting for the day.It was not a business meeting but rather a very enjoyable and brief lunch with an old business associate and friend I had not seen for over 12 years,and who I had worked with for nearly 15 years before we lost in touch.I had been given his phone number by a customer I had visited on the first day of my trip,so I called him out of the blue and made a time for us to meet. Our lunch was spent recollecting times gone by and as well filling each other in on what had happened in our lives over the last 12 years.Our conversation was frequently interrupted with statements such as 'remember when we did...','whatever happened to...' and of course the one we all liked to hear...'you know you haven't changed one bit,except for a few more grey hairs.' We both laughed and smiled as we recalled the good times and the great experiences we had shared over the 15 years we had worked together. Each event we discussed caused another recollection and everything we talked about centered on the good times.Almost at the same time,right at the end of our time together,we both said how much we both enjoyed it and that we must do it again.We agreed to catch up when I was next in town,then said our goodbyes and I was off to the airport. So with this extra time on my hands as I waited for my flight,it was great to revisit and replay in my mind all that we had talked about over lunch.I realized at that moment just how important it is to have regular reminders of the good times in your life and... The detail that their conversation was frequently interrupted is mentioned in order to show _ . A) they were eager to make the conversation go smoothly B) they had been very good and close friends C) they were both interested in each other's present life D) they had a good time recollecting their old times
Ans: D
Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house. There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house."Look!In comes one,"she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside,"She found me when I was just in." But the thief outside didn't believe him,so he said,"Let us two try to crawl into the house together."At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house,too. The woman saw the mice and shouted,"In come two,catch them!" The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said,"You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight."The two thieves started running away at once. The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the womanwere ploughing in their fields. The rein broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoesand wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn't wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said,"How they look like the two of last night."The man said,"I asked you to fetch a rope,why don't you hurry for it?"The two thieves ran away quickly without their sweet potatoes. Which of the following statements is FALSE? A) The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. B) Whenever they found mice,the people in the house would try to catch them. C) The two thieves ran away at once,because they thought the woman had seen them. D) The man let the woman go home for a rope,which would be used for catching the thieves.
D