Shaped like a man, an Oscar, the Academy Awards, is made of pure gold.
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Oscar Hopefuls
On March 5th, 2006, actors, directors, producers and other filmmakers will gather in Hollywood, the center of the American film industry. They will receive Academy Awards for the best acting, directing, writing, editing, music and other work on movies released last year.
The winners will receive an award called an Oscar. This statue is shaped like a man. It is made of several metals covered with gold. The Oscar is only about 34 centimeters tall. It weighs less than 4 kilograms. But the award can be priceless to the person who receives it.
Winning an Oscar can mean becoming much more famous. It can mean getting offers to work in the best movies. It also can mean earning much more money.
Films Nominated for Best Motion Picture
Five films are nominated(提名)for best motion picture. They are "Brokeback Mountain," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Crash," "Capote" and "Munich." The directors of these movies were also nominated for best director.
These five films are different from the ones that are often nominated for best picture. They are all realistic films for adults that deal with serious political or social issues. Four of the movies were mainly produced outside the major Hollywood movie studio system. They cost far less money to produce than most major Hollywood movies.
"Brokeback Mountain" received 8 nominations, the most of any movie this year. They include best director for Aug Lee and nominations for two actors and one actress in the film. "Brokeback Mountain" is the story of two young cowboys in the western state of Wyoming. They fall in love during the 1960s. They marry young women and have children. But the two men continue their secret relationship for 20 years.
Two of the other films received 6 nominations each. "Good Night, and Good Luck" is about the television newsman Edward R. Murrow in the 1950s. His broadcasts opposed the powerful Senator. Joseph McCarthy. George Clooney directed "Good Night, and Good Luck." He also wrote the screenplay with Grant Heslov. And Clooney acts in the movie. Clooney was also nominated as best actor in a supporting role in another movie, "Syriana." He plays a secret United States government agent in the Middle East.
The film "Crash" also received 6 nominations. Paul Haggis wrote and directed the movie. "Crash" is about racial tensions among a group of people in Los Angeles. These strangers meet during 36 hours and are involved in car crashes and crimes.
Bennett Miller directed "Capote," another nominee for best picture. It is a true story about the writer Truman Capote. It tells about his relationship with two men sentenced to be executed for killing a family in a small town in Kansas. Capote wrote about the killings in his famous book, "In Cold Blood."
The last nominee for best picture is "Munich," directed by Steven Spielberg. It is also based on true events. "Munich" deals with the killing of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches by Palestinian terrorists. That happened at the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, in 1972. The movie is about Israeli agents and their efforts to find and kill the men responsible for the deaths.
Men Nominated for Best Leading Actor
Five men were nominated for the best performance by an actor in a leading role. Three of them play famous American men during the 1950s and 1960s. The three actors changed their appearances and voices to look and sound like the real people.
David Strathairn plays Edward R. Murrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck." Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Truman Capote in "Capote." And Joaquin Phoenix plays the famous country singer Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line."
Heath Ledger was nominated for his role as one of the gay cowboys in "Brokeback Mountain."
And Terrence Howard was nominated for his role in the movie "Hustle and Flo
A. Y
B. N
C. NG
Which of the following best describes the author's attitude towards measuring the standard
Approving.
B. Indifferent.
C. Objective.
D. Humorous.
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Americans used to stand tall as the people with the highest average height in the world. However, since the middle of this century, several Scandinavian (斯堪的那维亚的) countries have moved ahead and now have taller citizens on average than the United States.
"One of the keys to understanding why America is falling behind other countries in terms of stature has to do with access to health care, particularly for children," said Richard Steckel, a professor of economics and anthropology at Ohio state university.
"I suspect there are pockets of poverty in the United States where the lack of medical programs and nutritional programs may be factors in poor health, and the reason some people aren't growing as tall as they might."
"I think the countries that have surpassed the United States have done well in reaching nearly everyone with complete health and nutrition services."said Steckel. "The success of the Scandinavian countries in health care shows up in many measures, not just height, such as mortality rates(死亡率) and life expectancy(寿命)."
Immigration to the United States of people with shorter average heights -- such as Asian -- can' t explain why other countries have moved ahead in average height, according to Steckel. "In the past half century, the change in ethnic (种族的) composition hasn't been enough to make a significant difference in the country's average height."
Steckel said he first began investigating height as an alternative way to measure the standard of living -- a traditional area of research for economists.
Research has shown that average height is significantly associated with a country's per capita (人均) income. But studying height has some advantages, Steckel said. For example, researchers have records of average height that go further back in history than do records of national income. Height also tells a slightly different story about the standard of living because it measures consumption of basic necessities, rather than output. Moreover, because growth occurs mostly in childhood, it allows researchers to look at how resources are allocated within families.
"Studying height captures some things about the standard of living that income leaves out," Steckel said, "Economists need to take a multiple approach to studying the standard of living."
The reason that the average height of Americans is falling behind that of several Scandinavian countries is that______.
Americans generally receive poorer medical care than those people in the Scandinavian countries
B. some Americans have inadequate access to medical care and nutrition
C. the living standards in those Scandinavian countries have greatly improved
D. the living standard in America has declined with shorter average
In recent years, more and more foreigners are involved in the teaching programs of the United States. Both the advantages and the disadvantages【C1】______using foreign faculty(教师总称)【C2】______teaching positions have to be【C3】______, of course. It can be said that the foreign【C4】______that makes the faculty member from abroad an asset also【C5】______problems of adjustment, both for the university and for the individual. The foreign research scholar usually isolates【C6】______in the laboratory as a means of protection;【C7】______, what he needs is to be fitted【C8】______a highly organized university system quite different from【C9】______at home. He is faced in his daily work【C10】______differences in philosophy, arrangements of courses and methods of teaching. Both the visiting professor and his students【C11】______a common ground in each other's cultures, some【C12】______of what is already in the minds of American students is【C13】______for the foreign professor. While helping him to【C14】______himself to his new environment, the university must also【C15】______certain adjustments in order to【C16】______full advantage of what the newcomer can【C17】______It isn't always known how to make【C18】______use of foreign faculty, especially at smaller colleges. This is thought to be a【C19】______where further study is called【C20】______. The findings of such a study will be of value to colleges and universities with foreign faculty.
【C1】
A. with
B. for
C. of
D. at