—You wouldn't be interested in two tickets for tonight's concert, would you??

—_______, I wouldn't.

A. Not much   B. very much  C. too much    D. that much?

Bobby Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen, a tough working-class neighborhood on Manhattan's West Side. But Hell's Kitchen lies right next door to Broadway, and the bright lights attracted Bobby from the time he was a teen. Being stage-struck was hardly what a street kid could admit to his partners. Fearing their ridicule, he told no one, not even his girlfriend, when he started taking acting lessons at age 17. If you were a kid from the neighborhood, you became a cop, construction worker, longshoreman or criminal. Not an actor.

   Moresco struggled to make that long walk a few blocks east. He studied acting, turned out for all the cattle calls -- and during the decade of the 1970s made a total of $2,000. "I wasn't a good actor, but I had a driving need to do something different with my life," he says.

He moved to Hollywood, where he drove a cab and worked as a bartender. "My father said, 'Stop this craziness and get a job; you have a wife and daughter.' “But Moresco kept working at his chosen craft.

   Then in 1983 his younger brother Thomas was murdered in a mob-linked killing. Moresco moved back to his old neighborhood and started writing as a way to explore the pain and the patrimony of Hell's Kitchen. Half-Deserted Streets, based on his brother's killing, opened at a small Off-Broadway theater in 1988. A Hollywood producer saw it and asked him to work on a screenplay.

    His reputation grew, and he got enough assignments to move back to Hollywood. By 2003, he was again out of work and out of cash when he got a call from Paul Haggis, a director who had befriended him. Haggis wanted help writing a film about the country after September 11. The two worked on the writing, but every studio in town turned it down. They kept pitching it. Studio executives, however, thought no one wanted to see a severe, honest vision of race and fear and lives in collision in modern America.

Moresco believed so strongly in the script that he borrowed money, sold his house. He and Haggis kept pushing. At last the writers found an independent film producer who would take a chance, but the upfront money was too little, Moresco delayed his salary.

Crash slipped into the theaters in May 2005, and quietly became both a hit and a critical success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards and won three -- Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Paul Haggis and the kid from Hell's Kitchen.

   At age 54, Bobby Moresco became an overnight success. "If you have something you want to do in life, don't think about the problems," he says, "think about other ways to get it done."

1. Rearrange the following statements in term of time order:

a. His work Half-Deserted Streets drew attention as it opened at a small Off-Broadway theater

b. Unexpectedly Crash became both a hit and a huge success.

c. He moved to Hollywood to be a taxi driver and a waiter.

d. He started learn acting in spite of hardness with the belief of doing something diiferent.

e. His younger brother Thomas was killed in conflict among bullies.

A. d; c; e; a; b      B. d; e; c; b; a    C. c; d; e; a; b    D. c; e; d; b; a 

2. Why Bobby Moresco did not tell anyone that he started taking lessons at age 17?

A. He wnted to give his girlfriend a surprise.

B. His girlfriend did not allow him to do this.

C. He was afraid of being laughed at.

D. He had no talent for acting.

3. Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

A. His father did not support his work as a bartender.

B. Before he became an overnight success, his life experienced ups and downs.

C. His brother’s death inspired his writing Half-Deserted Streets.

D. Moresco grew up in New York's Hell's Kitchen which is a few blocks east of Broadway.

4.The Studio executives turned the script Crash down because ______________.

A. they thought the script would not be popular.

B. the script was not well written.

C. they had no money to make the film based on the script.

D. they thought Moresco was not famous.

5.What’s the best title of the article?

A. The Road to Success              B. Try It a Different Way

C. A Talented man—Moresco          D. Moresco’s Perseverance

6. Which of the following can best describe Bobby Moresco?

A. initiative and persistent             B. shy but hardworking  

C. caring and brave                  D. aggressive and modest

 

 

The reason why I gave in is ____ if I didn’t.

    A. because she would be disappointed 

     B. that she would be disappointed

    C. because she would have a disappointment

    D. for she would be disappointed

— You must obey every word of mine!

— _____ I don’t?

A. How if             B. What if  C. Such as            D. Only if

 Mom, Dad, I’m going to college! Can you believe it? I never thought it could happen.  16  middle school and part of high school, I  17  to keep up. I was not a bad student，but I just didn’t understand  18  they were teaching because I have a learning  19 . I wanted to show everyone I could graduate and go to  20  . I wanted to make something of myself, and  21  I wasn’t a failure.

22  the time came to choose a college, I wasn’t sure which would be the best for me. I knew I didn’t  23  to go to a big school, which narrowed (缩小) my  24  to a small college which could be    25 for me with a learning disability. I looked in Florida and found three schools. I  26  two, but they just didn’t  27  . Then I visited Beacon College. Beacon is mainly for students who have learning disabilities and it has small classes.

The day when I was  28  by Beacon College was the happiest day of my life. I received the call from the school  29  me I was accepted just as I was sitting down for dinner. My family was so  30 , and I was ready to pack that night and move to Florida. The expectation of going to college  31  the rest of my senior year.

The closer the time came, the more nervous I became about being in a(n)  32 place. Finally my parents and I packed the car and  33  Florida. After a two-day drive, we arrived. “Welcome to Beacon College! It is so nice to see you!” I heard  34  from the teachers and students, as we were introduced. I felt so 35 to hear those cheerful voices. I knew I had found a perfect（理想的）school. I had found my home for the next four years.

1.A.During       B. Through     C. Until            D. Under   

2.A. struggled      B. started      C. forgot      D. turned

3.A. how            B. that         C. why          D. what

4. A. experience        B. advantage        C. disability       D. habit

5. A. work          B. college      C. hospital     D. home

6. A. believe       B. prove            C. feel         D.imagine

7. A. Because       B. After            C. When     D. Before

8. A. want          B. manage       C. decide       D. refuse

9.A. plans          B. decisions        C. choices      D. purposes

10. A. honorable        B. imaginable   C. suitable D. comfortable

11. A. expected     B. left         C. visited      D. dreamed

12. A. work         B. fit          C. match        D. satisfy

13.A. asked         B. invited      C. admitted     D. attracted

14. A. telling          B. warning      C. advising D. reminding

15. A. worried      B. surprised        C. frightened   D. excited

16.A. stopped       B. lasted           C. saw          D. held

17. A. old          B. famous       C. familiar     D. new

18. A. cared for        B. looked for   C. headed for   D. asked for

19.A. day and night                   B. over and over  C. more or less        D. up and down

20.A. warm          B. cold             C. sad          D. sorry