It’s no surprise why Kung Fu Hustle is the top-grossing^① homegrown movie in Hong Kong. Hustle’s approach to a simple good-against-evil plot is extremely cheerful.

Humor bordering on slapstick combined with exciting choreography^② by Yuen Wo Ping, who masterminded^③ the fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix, make Kung Fu Hustle a lively, visual treat.

There is plenty of violence, but it’s largely cartoonish. Stephen Chow wrote, directed, produced and stars in this non-stop action movie, which is in Cantonese with English subtitles^④.

Chow plays Sing, an eager young man who longs to be a member of the powerful and cruel Axe Gang. When gang members appear on the scene, sometimes dancing with their frightening axes in hand, the sky breaks out with fireworks. The sets are shocking, with classic cars lining the neon-lighted streets and gambling casinos^⑤ serving as the backdrop to the underworld activities. All these give off the sensation of Old West shootouts.

One neighborhood is blessedly away from the disorder. Pig Sty Alley is so poverty-stricken it holds no interest for the Axe Gang. Then in wanders the unlucky Sing, who attempts to get money there. But folks are not what they seem: The town is full of kung fu masters.

Sing tries to single out someone he can fight, but it seems as if everyone, elderly and very young alike, has a body like Charles Atlas. During the time, Sing calls upon the Axe Gang, which faces off against the people of Pig Sty Alley, led by the town’ s landlords, the powerful lady in curlers and her husband. Fans of kung fu movies will have a rip-roaring time, but even moviegoers are sure to enjoy spirited action of Kung Fu Hustle.

Notes:

top-grossing  adj. 票房收入最高的

choreography  n. 舞蹈术

mastermind  vt. 策划

subtitle  n. 说明对白的字幕

gambling casino  赌博场

Which of the following characters does the passage mainly describe?

      A. Stephen Chow     B. Yuen Wo Ping      C. Sing      D. Charles Atlas

Kung Fu Hustle becomes the top-grossing homegrown movie in Hong Kong because _______.

      A. it is full of humor and exciting action      B. it is full of cartoonish characters

      B. it is mainly made up of dance            D. it is a non-stop action movie

Which of the following about the Axe Gang is TRUE?

      A. The Axe Gang is popular with fans of kung fu movies.

      B. The Axe Gang is always easy do good things.

      C. The Axe Gang doesn’t know how to use guns.

      D. The Axe Gang often fights against its enemy using the axes.

In which part are you likely to find it if the passage appears in the web site?

      A. Entertainment.       B. Travel.        C. News.        D. Books.

Information from the pioneer spacecraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) obviously proves the theory that the burning 900-degree Fahrenheit surface temperature of Venus (金星) is due to an atmospheric greenhouse effect caused mainly by a blanket of carbon dioxide. Such a greenhouse effect is created when energy in the form of sunlight easily passes through a planet’s atmosphere, warms is surface, and becomes heat radiation that is then held in by the atmosphere. The orbiting spacecraft has collected Venus’s atmosphere from top to bottom so that NASA’s scientists are able to prove the exact amount of sunlight received at various places in the planet’s atmosphere and on its surface. Measurements of atmosphere, temperature, and radiative heating foresee Venus’s surface temperature very exactly. The planet is closer to the Sun than it is to the Earth, and it has a thin atmosphere like the Earth’s but Venus atmosphere is made up of more than ninety percent carbon dioxide, compared to less than four percent in that of the Earth. Because of its higher percentage of carbon dioxide, Venus’s atmosphere receives much more heat radiation than the Earth’s does. Thus the Venus studies are believed to be important to the understanding of possible bad effects on Earth’s agriculture and sea levels that could result from the long-term use of fuels, which add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere．

Notes

1. atmospheric adj．大气(中)的

2. carbon dioxide 二氧化碳

3．orbit vt.使(人造卫星、宇宙飞船等)进入空间轨道；绕轨道运行

4．amount n．总数，总额

5．compare vt．把……比作(to)

1．Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．A New Theory

B．Measuring Planetary Temperatures

C．The Journey of Pioneer Spacecraft

D．The Greenhouse Effect on Venus

2．According to the passage, what happens to heat radiation on Venus?

A．It disappears at the planet’s surface．

B．It is received by the atmosphere．

C．It creates energy．

D．It is changed into other kind of energy．

 (丢失三道题)

Read first and then discuss the questions.

　　Where did jazz originate? What musical, social, and cultural ingredients (n. 成分, 因素) combined to form jazz? These questions, and their respective answers, are important for the student of jazz history to investigate.

　　Jazz is the only indigenous American art form and it is truly a cultural product of the United States. Western and African musical culture were the seeds of jazz, but America was the soil where jazz grew and prospered (V．成功, 兴隆, 昌盛). Jazz is neither a music of Blacks nor the music of Whites, but jazz is actually a blending of a variety of traditions, heritages, and philosophies (n. 哲学, 哲学体系) .

　　During the early history of America, slavery was a standard social practice. Slaves were forcibly brought from Africa to America. While in America, the displaced African’s (including African musicians who brought their musical traditions and talents with them) would learn from already established Western musical theories and performance practices. At the same time, Western musicians would learn African (Eastern) musical theories and performance practices from the African musicians.

　　Primitive (原始的) African culture places a great emphasis on music, much more so than Western societies. Music is an important aspect (n. 方面) of many of the day-today activities of the primitive African societies. As a primitive musical expression, early African music placed a great emphasis on rhythmic (adj. 节奏的, 合拍的) activity with a more simple use of melody (n. 悦耳的音调) and harmony (n. 协调, 融洽). African rhythms are quite complex and very advanced, yet the melodies and harmonies are simple. This strong emphasis on musical tradition and usage was brought with the African populations during their forced exile of slavery to America.

　　While in America, these new Black Americans still expressed themselves through their musical traditions. Since they were in America, their old musical traditions could not be reproduced exactly for many reasons, including not being allowed to use traditional African instruments. To understand a comparable situation, let us assume (vt. 假定, 设想) that we have a fictional American rock band who are forcibly taken to a foreign country. While in slavery, the rock musicians still desire to create their music. Unfortunately, their new “owners” give them permission to perform their rock music, but the rock band is not allowed to use any electric guitars, an electric bass, a drum set, keyboards, or any type of electronic instruments. This would cause quite a problem for the rock band, but if they have a strong enough desire to create their music, they would have to find a way to do so with the resources (instruments etc. ) that were available to them. This imaginary (adj. 假想的, 想象的) scenario (剧情概要, 或是某一特定情节) was exactly what the African musicians faced as slaves in America.

　　Along with finding new instruments, the African musicians were being exposed to the Western musical culture. This exposure was a vital essence to the evolution of jazz. These new Western melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and aural traditions affected the African musicians tremendously. Of course, White musicians were also being affected by what they head from the African musicians. As time passes, the give and take between the African and Western musical traditions would blossom into what would be called Jazz.

　　To this day, elements that started with the African slaves can still be heard in jazz and rock. One example still in use is the African “call and response” method of early African songs. In a call and response, the soloist sings a portion of a melody while the group responds afterwards (much like a musical question and answer) .

　　Another example is “pitch-bending”. During the advent of jazz, the musicians would bend pitches for expressive purposes. This bent pitch catches our ears because the ear does not know where the pitch will actually end up, thus creating a musical surprise. Countless jazz and rock musicians use this technique today. Listen to a rock lead-guitar solo and count all the pitch-bends utilized. Most of today's synthesizers even have a pitch-bend device built in.

　　The roots of jazz are from African and Western musical traditions blended together. Over a period of many years, these traditions exchanged musical qualities and slowly evolved into jazz. The African emphasis on rhythm combined with Western theoretical musical thought created a new music for all musicians and audiences to enjoy. As the jazz musical tree grew, other sub-styles of music grew from the trunk of jazz. Music styles such as Rhythm and Blues (n. 节奏和布鲁斯) Soul, Funk, Rap, and Rock and Roll are all descendants (n. 子孙, 后裔, 后代) of jazz and the jazz heritage.

Questions For Discussion:

1．Does Jazz come from Africa?

2．Does Jazz come from Blues?