In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull.
“I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back,” Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. “It was a very fantastic day.” Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960.
He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub(潜水艇). This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there’s something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot — a sense of aloneness.
“It’s really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place,” the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron’s sub gliding across what he calls “the very soft, almost gelatinous(胶状的) flat plain.”
To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. “There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth. What does that mean?’” Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron’s battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing.
“I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It’s not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”
【小题1】Why did Cameron dive to the deepest place on Earth?

In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored is decorated in color and filled with alien danger. But on his dive to the deepest place on Earth, which took place on a Sunday last month, reality proved far different: white, deserted, and dull.
“I felt like I literally had gone to another planet and come back,” Cameron said after returning from the cold, dark place in the western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles (11km) below the surface. “It was a very fantastic day.” Cameron is the first person to explore the deepest valley in the ocean since two men made a 20-minute trip there in 1960.
He spent about three hours gliding through the icy darkness, brightened only by lights on the one-man sub(潜水艇). This deepest section of the Mariana Trench is so untouched that at first it appeared dull. But there’s something strangely interesting about the first pieces of video that Cameron shot — a sense of aloneness.
“It’s really the sense of isolation, realizing how tiny you are down in this big, black and unexplored place,” the Titanic director said. The wordless minute-long video, released by sponsor National Geographic, shows Cameron’s sub gliding across what he calls “the very soft, almost gelatinous(胶状的) flat plain.”
To Cameron, the main thing was to appreciate being there. “There had to be a moment where I just stopped, and took it in, and said, ‘This is where I am; I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place on Earth. What does that mean?’” Cameron told reporters during a conference call. The trip was only about half as long as planned because Cameron’s battery ran low. He said he would return and film it in 3D for later viewing.
“I see this as the beginning,” Cameron said. “It’s not a one-time deal and then moving on. This is the beginning of opening up this new frontier.”

1. 1.

   Why did Cameron dive to the deepest place on Earth?

   1. A.
      To study ocean creatures in the deepest valley.
   2. B.
      To prove his strong will and perseverance.
   3. C.
      To get support from National Geographic.
   4. D.
      To open up a new frontier.
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Cameron’s fantasy film, Avatar was inspired by his dive to the deepest place on Earth.
   2. B.
      Cameron glided through the icy darkness alone by lights of the one-man sub.
   3. C.
      Cameron didn’t stay at the bottom of the ocean as planned because he was worn out.
   4. D.
      Cameron felt bored when he went to the deepest valley in the ocean.
3. 3.

   The underlined sentence in the passage means that ______.

   1. A.
      he appreciated and took pride in being at the bottom of the ocean
   2. B.
      he was disappointed because the trip was only about half as long as planned
   3. C.
      Cameron wanted to show the public he had been to the deepest place on Earth
   4. D.
      he wouldn’t stop exploring the deepest place in the future
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which of the following words best describes Cameron?

   1. A.
      Generous.
   2. B.
      Diligent.
   3. C.
      Self-centered.
   4. D.
      Adventurous.
5. 5.

   What’s the best title of the passage?

   1. A.
      James Cameron’s Fantasy Films.
   2. B.
      The First to Explore the Deepest Place on Earth.
   3. C.
      A Dive to the Deepest Place on Earth.
   4. D.
      Crazy Cameron.

I've tried to explain compound interest to my eight - year - old daughter. When I have finished it, she summarizes back to me, "So, you are saying if I put $ 100 in the bank, when I turn sixteen the bank will give me $ 200?" She has already grasped more of the concept than I understood at her age, but she couldn't clearly understand that until she sees them in action.

One day I gave her a Ziploc bag with a handful of pennies and told her over the course of a week I wanted her to give me a penny a day. I would deposit the penny in " The Bank of Dad" and compound interest would begin to accumulate the day she deposited the penny. At the end of the week we would check her bank balance.

Each day my daughter handed over one penny at the breakfast table and I deposited it in her bank. I gave her a "receipt" for her deposit and explained that she needed to keep up with the receipts to see how much money she had added to her account. In an effort to make this a little more realistic, I deposited a penny from my own piggy bank every other day to give her an additional four pennies at the end of the week.

On Sunday evening we gathered receipts and confirmed she had deposited seven pennies in "The Bank of Dad. " Then I opened the old film container and counted out its contents—all eleven pennies. "Hey, there are four extra pennies in there!" I explained that her original seven pennies had grown to eleven pennies because every couple days the bank paid her a penny for letting them use her money—that's interest. She paused and asked, "Dad, what would happen if you deposited like a hundred million pennies in the bank?

1．We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ____.

A．the writer' s daughter understood compound interest better than him

B．the writer wanted her daughter to understand compound interest

C．the writer' s daughter understood compound interest very well

D．the writer' s daughter grasped the exact meaning of compound interest

2．Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 2?

A．The writer' s daughter got a handful of pennies from her father.

B．The writer got compound pennies from "The Bank of Dad".

C．The writer placed one penny in "The Bank of Dad" each day.

D．Compound interest would begin to increase at the end of the week.

3．Each day the writer’s daughter ____.

A．got a penny from her father         B．received interest from her father

C．deposited a penny in her piggy bank     D．handed over one penny to her father

4．What can we infer from the passage?

A．"The Bank of Dad" paid the girl a penny each day as interest.

B．The father used a good way to show his daughter about interest.

C．There were eleven pennies in the old film container in total.

D．The writer's daughter was very puzzled with compound interest.

5．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．How to Deposit Pennies in "The Bank of Dad"．

B．Welcome to Deposit Money in the Bank.

C．How to Teach Compound Interest to Kids.

D．A Good Relationship between Father and Kid.