Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London. Both his father and mother were entertainers and although not of big names, they were doing very well. While the family was by no means rich, the music hall provided the Chaplins with a comfortable living. Unfortunately happy life didn’t last long. Father’s alcoholism was slowly, but surely destroying his marriage. Finally it ended in divorce. His mother managed to keep Charlie and his brother Syney clean and warm, clothed and fed. She would sit at the window watching the passers-by and guess at their characters from the way they looked and behaved, making up tales to delight Charlie and Syney. Charlie took in her skills and went on using them all his life.

Charlie had always believed, even in the worst times, that he had something special locked away inside him. He took his courage and went to one of the top theater agents. With no experience at all, he was offered a plum part (意外得到的好角色) in a new production of “Sherlock Holmes”, which opened on July 27, 1903 at the famous “Pavilion Theatre”. Charlie seemed to change overnight. It was as if he had found the thing he was meant to do. By 1910, Charlie had become “one of the best pantomime (哑剧) artists ever seen ”.

Cinema was born in the same year as Charlie thought people still believed it was a passing fashion, and would never replace live shows. But after using several weeks to watch and to learn, he was determined to master this new medium. It offered him the chance of money and success—and it would set him free from the unpredictability of live audience.

Charlie’s first film, released in February 1914, was called “Making a living”. After that he made another ten. The public loved him and producers were demanding more and more Chaplin films. In an incredibly short time, Charlie had become a very important man in motion picture.

Which of the following is NOT true about Charlie Chaplin?

A. Mother had much influence on Charlie Chaplin’s career.

B. “Sherlock Holmes” made Charlie rise to fame overnight.

C. Charlie had been famous when the cinema became a fashion.

D. Charlie’s work in both the theater and the cinema was welcomed.

What can you infer from the passage?

A. Charlie Chaplin’s belief in his potential led to his success.

B. Charlie Chaplin got his first role in a film at 14.

C. Cinema was a form of art showing live performance.

D. Motion picture was a passing fashion lasting a short time.

The underlined word “unpredictability” in Paragraph 3 means____________.

A. low spirits                                            B. opposing attitude

C. successful performance                          D. changing state

What is the passage mainly about?

A. Charlie Chaplin made the cinema industry popular.

B. Charlie Chaplin’s early success in his career.

C. Charlie Chaplin was a best pantomime artist.

D. Charlie Chaplin’s determination to do what he liked.

Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch (门廊) will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You’ll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV. An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You’ll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.

    Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don’t need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of traditional newspapers unavoidable.

    Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 to 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry.

1. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of computer newspapers?

A. They are cheaper than traditional newspapers.

B. They are more convenient to read.

C. You can choose the kind of voice you want to hear.

D. You can easily save information for future use.

2. Which of the following is a reason why it will take a long time to complete the changeover?

A. The technology is impossible now.

B. Computer newspapers are too expensive.

C. The popularization of computers needs a long time.

D. Traditional newspapers are easier to read.

3. It can be inferred that journalists are against computer newspapers because _______.

A. they don’t know how to use computers

B. they think computer newspapers take too much time to read

C. they think the new technology is bad

D. they have been trained to write for traditional newspapers

4. We can infer from the passage that _______.

A. all technological changes are good

B. new technologies don’t always replace old ones

C. new technologies will eventually replace old ones

D. traditional newspapers are here to stay for another century

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Computer newspapers are well liked.

B. Newspapers of the future will be on the computer.

C. Newspapers are out of fashion.

D. New communications technology.

Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’ money , he opened a small art gallery in Paris．By 1931, the money had been used up．Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing．His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft（手艺）．

       In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection．He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions．Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design．

       The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust（胸围）, usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt．To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions．

       It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged（投入） into the production of his new style．Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance．A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London．Considered as King of Couture（women’s clothing）for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on．More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then．

       His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior．Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s．

Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

       A．                   B．                   C．           D．

According to the passage．in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________．

       A．make creative fashion designs 

      B．work in a diplomatic service

       C．1earn craft as his first job

       D．open a New Look House

We can infer from the passage that _________．

       A．Dior and his supporter had different interests in business

       B．Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then

       C．Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion

       D．Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first

What is probably the best title for the passage?         ．

       A．The History of the New Look       

       B．The Growth of the Dior Empire

       C．An Expression of Freedom—Dior       

D．The Founder of the New Look—Dior

They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessorise(配饰)。Yet these are ginrls in their teens or twenties but  women in their sixties and seventies.A gengration which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now faouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age.
Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert , said ,“Wimen over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they old when they were young in the 1960s .In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter . It was an expensive item that they would puechase only every three or four years — now you can pick one up at the supernnackrt  whosever you wish to .Fashion is a lot cheaper and peope fet tired of things more quickiy . ”
Fashion designer Angela Barnard ,who runs own fashion business in London ,said older women were much more affected celebrity(名流) style than in previous years .
She said ,“When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties ,they want to follow them . Older women are much more aware of celebrities .There’s also the boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change theiy look,and many of my older customers do roga to stay in shape well in their fifties . When I started my business a fen years ago .my older customers wended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women .My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would caill ordinsry women .My own mother is 61 and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten yeare ago.”
59. Professor Twigg found that ,compared with the 1960s,_______.
A. the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70%
B. the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6%
C. people spend 30% less than they did on cotothes
D. the amount of chothes bought has risen by 5% or 6%
60. What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion？
A.They are often ignored by fashion designers .
B. They are now more easily influenced by stars .
C. They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion .
D. They are more interested in clothes because of their old age .
61. It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because.
A. they get tired of things more quickly
B.TV shows teach them how to change look
C. they are in much better shape now
D. clothes are much cheaper than before
62. Which is the best possible title of the passage ?
A. Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans
B.The More Fashionable ,the Less Expensive
C.Unexpected Changes in Fashion
D.Boom of the British Fashion Industry

Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’ money , he opened a small art gallery in Paris．By 1931, the money had been used up．Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing．His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft（手艺）．

       In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection．He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions．Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design．

       The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust（胸围）, usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt．To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions．

       It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged（投入） into the production of his new style．Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance．A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London．Considered as King of Couture（women’s clothing）for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on．More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then．

       His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior．Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s．

Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

       A．                   B．                   C．           D．

According to the passage．in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________．

       A．make creative fashion designs 

      B．work in a diplomatic service

       C．1earn craft as his first job

       D．open a New Look House

We can infer from the passage that _________．

       A．Dior and his supporter had different interests in business

       B．Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then

       C．Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion

       D．Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first

What is probably the best title for the passage?         ．

       A．The History of the New Look       

       B．The Growth of the Dior Empire

       C．An Expression of Freedom—Dior       

D．The Founder of the New Look—Dior