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microscopicmess35阅读理解： 第三十六篇Life as a Movie Extra（2014年新文章） Ordinary people have always been attracted to the world of movies and movie stars. One way to get closer to this world is to become a movie extra. Although you have seen movie extras, you may not have paid attention to them. Extras are the people seated at tables in a restaurant while the two main actors are in conversation. They are the guests at the wedding of the main characters. They are the people crossing the street while the bad guy is being chased by the police. Extras dont normally speak any lines, but they help make the scenes look real1. Being a movie extra might seem like a lot of fun. You get to see what life is like behind the scenes. But dont forget that being an extra is really a job, and its mostly about doing nothing. First-time extras are often shocked to learn how slow the process of movie making is. In a finished movie, the action may move quickly. But it can sometimes take a whole day to shoot a scene that appears for just a few minutes on the screen. The main requirement for being an extra is the ability to wait. You may report to work at 5 or 6 a. m. , and then you wait until the director is ready for your scene. This could take several hours. Then there may be technical problems, and you have to wait some more. After the director says action and you do the first take, you may have to do it again if he or she is not satisfied with the scene. In fact, you may have to do the same scene over and over again. You could be on the set for hours, sometimes waiting outdoors in very hot or cold weather2. You may not be finished until 11 p. m. or midnight. The pay isnt good, either- often only a little bit above minimum wage. And you must pay the agent who gets you the job a commission of about 10 percent. So who would want to be a movie extra? In spite of the long hours and low pay, many people still apply for the job. Some people truly enjoy the work. They like being on a movie set, and they enjoy the companionship of their fellow extras. Most of them have flexible schedules, which allow them to be available, 3They may be students, waiters, homemakers, retired people, or unemployed actors. Some unemployed actors hope the work will help them get real acting jobs, but it doesnt happen often. Most people in the movie industry make a sharp distinction between extras and actors, so extras are not usually considered for large parts. The next time you see a movie, dont just watch the stars. Take a closer look at the people in the background, and ask yourself: Who are they? Why are they there? What else do they do in life? Maybe there is someone in the crowd who is just like you.练习：1. What is true about movie extras? A) Only agents get them jobs in movies.B) They often have to wait around on movie sets and do nothing.C) Its a good way to get a real acting job.D) They can have drinks in a restaurant.2. What might surprise movie extras the first time they do the job? A) It can take hours to do a scene that is only a few minutes long in the movie.B) They always do the same scene many times.C) The actors are interested in talking to them.D) The action moves very quickly.3. Why do most people work as movie extras? A) They like meeting famous movie stars.B) They think they will become famous.C) They want to be on a movie set.D) They will get real acting jobs.4. What are the job requirements for being a movie extra? A) You have to have a part-time job.B) You must be attractive.C) You must be willing to repeat a scene many times.D) You must start working very early.5. It can be inferred from the passage that_. A) being a movie extra can be boringB) movie extras need acting experienceC) movie extras can play larger partsD) movie actors are quite different from actors答案与题解：1B本文的第三段详细叙述了群众演员的主要工作要求是在拍摄现场等，不用做事，所以答案为B；第一段中描述了群众演员的工作；他们是演员的陪衬，不用讲话。虽然提到他们是在餐馆里，但并没有提是否可以喝饮料，所以D可以排除；A中的only 词太笼统，所以A不对；从第四段可以看出，从群众演员到演员的转型是相当困难的，所以C也不对。2A第二段中说明了令初做群众演员感到吃惊的是：拍一个场景需要一整天，而播放时只有几分钟。虽然B、D都有所提及，但不是令他们吃惊的事情。3C虽然做群众演员耗时长而薪酬低，但他们为什么还选择这一工作呢？答案在第四段：他们喜欢这份工作，愿意与别的群众演员交流，他们自己的工作时间有弹性。A没有提到，B、D不太可能。4C做群众演员的条件是什么？在第三段和第四段，我们可知：要有耐心（长时间等待，一个场景有时要拍好多次），要肯吃苦（在恶劣的户外环境中拍戏），报酬低，工作时间有弹性。A、B没有提到；在第三段的第二句提到：You may report towork at 5 or 6 a. m.，表明只是有时会很早开始工作，不是每日必须的，所以D不对。5A从本文对群众演员的工作描述我们可以看出，群众演员只是演员的道具，所以是乏味的。B没有提到；据第四段的最后一句，C不对；第四段的最后一句清楚表明，群众演员和真正的演员差别很大，所以不是得出的推论，推论是通过字里行间推出来的，不是给出的陈述。第三十四篇To Have and Have NotIt had been boring hanging about the hotel all afternoon. The road crew were playing a game with dollar notes. Folding them into small planes to see whose would fly the furthest.1 Having nothing better to do，I joined in and won five，and then took the opportunity to escape with my profit. Despite the evil-looking clouds，I had to get out for a while. I headed for a shop on the other side of the street. Unlike the others，it didnt have a sign shouting its name and business，and instead of the usual impersonal modern lighting，there was an appealing glow inside. Strangely nothing was displayed in the window. Not put off by this，I went inside. It took my breath away. I didnt know where to look, where to start. On one wall there hung three hand-stitched American quilts that were in such wonderful condition they might have been newly-made. I came across tin toys and antique furniture, and on the wall in front of me, a 1957 Stratocaster guitar , also in excellent condition. A card pushed between the strings said $50. I ran my hand along a long shelf of records, reading their titles. And there was more. “Can I help you？” She startled me. I hadnt even seen the woman behind the counter come in. The way she looked at me, so directly and with such power. It was a look of such intensity that for a moment I felt as if I were wrapped in some kind of magnetic or electrical field. I found it hard to take and almost turned away. But though it was uncomfortable. I was fascinated by the experience of her looking straight into me, and by the feeling that I was neither a stranger, nor strange, to her. Besides amusement her expression showed sympathy. It was impossible to tell her age；she reminded me faintly of my grandmother because, although her eyes were friendly, I could see that she was not a woman to fall out with. I spoke at last. I was just looking really, I said, though secretly wondering how much of the stuff I could cram into the bus. The woman turned away and went at once towards a back room, indicating that I should follow her. But it in no way lived up to the first room. The light made me feel peculiar, too. It came from an oil lamp that was hung from the centre of the ceiling and created huge shadows over everything. There were no rare electric guitars, no old necklaces, no hand-painted boxes with delicate flowers. It was also obvious that it must have taken years, decades, to collect so much rubbish, so many old documents arid papers. I noticed some old books, whose gold lettering had faded, making their titles impossible to read. They look interesting, I said, with some hesitation. To be able to understand that kind of writing you must first have had a similar experience, she said clearly. She noted the confused look on my face, but didnt add anything. She reached up for a small book which she handed to me. This is the best book I can give you at the moment, she laughed. “If you use it.” I opened the book to find it full. or rather empty, with blank white pages, but paid her the few dollars she asked for it, becoming embarrassed when I realised the notes were still folded into little paper planes. I put the book in my pocket, thanked her and left.词汇：impersonal /imp:snl/ adj. 客观的；非个人的；没有人情味的；语 非人称的 n.语非人称动词；不具人格的事物antique /nti:k/ adj. 古老的，年代久远的 n. 古董，古玩startle /st:tl/ vt. vi. 使吓一跳，使惊奇 n.惊愕，惊恐arid / rid/ adj. 干旱的，枯萎的。毫无生气的magnetic /mgnetik/ adj. 有吸引力的，磁极的 注释：1. The road crew were playing a game with dollar notes. Folding them into small planes to see whose would for the furthest.巡回乐团道具管理组的成员在用美元玩儿游戏，把纸币折成纸飞机的形状然后看谁飞得最远。2. I was fascinated by the experience of her looking straight into me, and by the feeling that I was neither a stranger , nor strange, to her. 我还是觉得那种被直视的感觉很美妙，那种感觉是我既不是陌生人而且对她来说并不陌生。3. The light made me feel peculiar, too. It came from an oil lamp that was hung the centre of the ceiling and created huge shadows over everything.房间的灯光也让我感觉和特别，灯光来自天花板上的油灯，使一切都笼罩在巨大的阴影之下。练习：1、Why did the writer want to leave the hotel? A To enjoy the good weather.B To have a change of scene.C To spend all his winnings.D To get away from the crew.2、What attracted the writer to the shop? A The lack of a sign or name.B The fact that it was nearby.C The empty window display.D The light coming from inside.3、The writer found the stock in the front of the shop_. A of top qualityB of good valueC difficult to get atD badly displayed4、What was unusual about the way the woman looked at him? A It made him feel self-conscious.B She was happy to stare at him.C She seemed to know him well.D It made him want to look away.5、The writer disliked the back room because_. A there was hardly anything in itB she had ordered him to go thereC he saw nothing he really likedD it was too dark to look around答案与题解：1. B 本题的问题是：为什么作者想要离开宾馆？由本文第一段第一句可以得出答案。在宾馆是十分无聊的，最后一句也写出作者不顾天气不好而想要出去走走，A，C选项错误，D选项未提及。2. D 本题的问题是：是什么吸引作者到那个商店？由第二段中间“there was an appealing glow inside.” 可以得出答案。A，C选项不切题。D选项未提及。3. A 本题的问题是：作者发现在小店前面存放的物品是怎样的？从第三段对于物品的详细描述可以得出答案。“ On one wall there hung three hand-stitched American quilts that were in such wonderful condition they might have been newly-made. I came across tin toys and antique furniture, and on the wall in front of me, a 1957 Stratocaster guitar , also in excellent condition.”4. C 本题的问题是：那个女人看他的方式有什么不同？由第四段最后一句“I was fascinated by the experience of her looking straight into me, and by the feeling that I was neither a stranger, nor strange, to her.”有一种似曾相识的感觉。5.C 本体的问题是：作者不喜欢后屋的原因？从文中的第六段和第七段可以得出结论，他认为没有什么他真正喜欢的东西。“It was also obvious that it must have taken years, decades, to collect so much rubbish, so many old documents arid papers.”“I noticed some old books, whose gold lettering had faded, making their titles impossible to read. They look interesting, I said, with some hesitation.”译文：逃亡在宾馆里闲待一个下午是很无聊的。巡回乐团道具管理组的成员在用美元玩儿游戏，把纸 币折成纸飞机的形状然后看谁飞得最远。因为没有什么事情可以做，我加入了他们并且贏了五 局，之后我找了个机会带着我贏的钱退出了游戏。尽管天色看起来不是很好，我还是决定出去 走一走o我向前走到了街道另一边的一个小店里。与其他的小店不同，它没有吸引眼球的名字和主要 经营的项目，取而代之的是普通的霓虹灯，里面则是吸引人的强光。奇怪的是并没有什么影子映 射在窗户上。我并没有因为这个而停住脚步，我走了进去。我屏住呼吸，不知道看哪里也不知道从哪里开始看。一面墙上挂着三个手工缝制的美国壁毯， 十分美丽，可能是新做的。我穿过易拉罐和散落的小玩意儿还有古董家具，在我面前的一面墙上 挂着一个崭新的1957年的Straocaster吉他。一张五十美元的卡插在琴弦上。我的手抚摸着放唱片 的架子，读着标题。这里还有很多的“我可以帮助你吗？”她吓了我一跳。我没有看见在柜台后面的女人。她看我的方式如此居 高临下，这一时让我很紧张像是被一种磁场或是电场紧紧包裹住。很难避开那个眼神。但是尽 管很不舒服，我还是觉得那种被直视的感觉很美妙，那种感觉对我来说不陌生，对她来说也不陌生。除了愉悦以外她的神情还流露出慈爱和怜悯。我猜不出她的年龄。尽管她的眼神充满了友善， 她使我想起了我的祖母。我能感觉到她是一个不喜欢与人争吵的人。最后我开口说话，“我真的只是看看”，私下里却在好奇有多少东西能够塞进汽车。她转身离开到后面的屋子，示意我应该跟随其后，但这并非是第一个房间，房间的灯光也让 我感觉很特别，灯光来自天花板上的油饤，使一切都笼罩在巨大的阴影之下。这里没有罕见的电 吉他，没有古老的项链，没有鲜花装饰的手绘盒子。很明显它是陈旧的用来存放垃圾和那些平淡无奇的旧文献的。我发现了一些旧书，那些金字巳经退去使题目很难辨认。“它们看起来很有趣。”我迟疑地 说。“要想了解上面所写你必须有相似的经历/她清楚地说。她察觉到我的脸上充满了疑惑可是却没有再说什么。她伸出手拿了一本小书然后递给了我。“这是目前我能够给你的最好的书”，她笑着说道， 320 “如果你要用它”。我打开书发现全部是一片空白，但依然给了她向我要的几美元，当我察觉到美 元依然是纸飞机的形状时不免有些尴尬。我把书放到包里，谢过她并离开了。第三十七篇Pop Music in Africa Young musicians in African countries are creating a new kind of pop music. The tunes and the rhythms of their music combine African traditions with various forms of music popular today, such as hip-hop, rap, rock, jazz, or reggae. The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world, but at the same time is distinctly African. It is different also in another way: Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today. Eric Wainaina is one of these African musicians. He grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, in a family of musicians. As a teenager, he listened to pop music from the United States, and later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Now he has produced a CD in Kenya. Erics most popular song, Land of A Little Something” is about Kenyas problem of bribery, or paying others for illegal favors. He wants people to listen to his songs and think about how to make Kenya a better place to live. Another musician who writes serious songs is Witness Mwaijaga from Tanzania. Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women. At the age of fifteen she lost her home, but she was luckier than other homeless young people. She could make a living by writing songs and singing on the street. By the time she was eighteen years old, she had become a star. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women. Baaba Maal, from Senegal, also feels that pop music must go beyond entertainment. He says that in Senegal, storytellers have always been important people. In the past, they were the ones who kept the history of their people alive. Baaba believes that songwriters now have a similar responsibility. They must write about the world around them and help people understand how it could be better. The words of his songs are important, in fact. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one s family, and saving the environment. One of South Africas most popular musicians is Brenda Fassie. She is sometimes compared to Madonna, the American pop star, because she likes to shock people in her shows. But she also likes to make people think. She became famous in the 1980s for her simple pop songs against apartheid. Now that apartheid has ended, her songs are about other issues in South African culture and life. To sing about these, she uses local African languages and a new pop style called kwaito.In recent years, people outside of Africa have also begun to listen to these young musicians. Through music, the younger generation of Africans are connecting with the rest of the world and, at the same time, influencing the rest of the world.词汇：reggae /regei/ n. 瑞格舞（西印度群岛的舞曲） bribery /braib?ri/ n. 行贿，贿赂apartheid / ? P a:theit / n. 种族隔离注释：1. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women. 她用嘻哈和说唱的风格写歌，歌曲的内容是 坦桑尼亚的各种问题，特别是艾滋和女性权利的缺失。2. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for ones family, and saving the environment. 他倡导在非洲要和平与协作，同时也包括妇女权利、热爱家庭和保护环境。练习：1. This passage is about how African pop music is_. A) usually about love and romanceB) more serious than most pop musicC) popular with young people in AfricaD) mostly written just for entertainment2. For people outside of Africa, African pop music is _. A) the same as other pop musicB) not usually very interestingC) entirely strange to themD) both familiar and different3. The musicians mentioned in this passage all_. A) write about serious problemsB) studied in the United StatesC) lost their homes at a young ageD) write songs in a new pop style4. Eric Wainaina_. A) prefers to sing in EnglishB) listened to traditional musicC) studied music in BostonD) performs only in the United States5. Witness Mwaijaga writes about the problem of women partly because_. A) she was had a difficult life herselfB) there are many problems in TanzaniaC) she has had an easy life herselfD) there are no other women singers答案与题解：1. B 本题的问题是：非洲流行音乐的不同之处是什么？由第一段倒数第一句可以得出答案。“It is different also in another way : Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today.” A,D项错误，C项未提及。2.D 本题的问题是：对于非洲以外的人来说，非洲流行音乐给他们的感觉是什么？从第一段可以得出答案。“The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world , but at the same time is distinctly Afican.”故正确选项为D。3. A 本题的问题是：全文所提到的音乐家的共同的特点是什么？总览全文可以得出结论。全文通篇在讲有关社会和政治等严肃主题的音乐，故正确答案为A。B,C,D都有明显的错误。4. C 本题的问题是：Eric Wainaina的成长细节。由第二段可以得出答案。“and later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music.” 其余选项均有错误。5. A 本题的问题是：Witness Mwaijaga 写有关女人的问题的原因是什么？答案在第三段第二句“Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women.”明显可见是她有切身经历。所以正确答案为A。5. A 本题的问题是：Witness Mwaijaga 写有关女人的问题的原因是什么？答案在第三段第二句“Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women.”明显可见是她有切身经历。所以正确答案为A。译文：非洲国家的年轻音乐家们创造了一种流行音乐的新形式。音调与旋律不仅有传统的非洲因素 也有当下十分流行的各种形式，比如嘻哈、说唱打击乐、摇滚、爵士或者是瑞格舞。这样就使这 种音乐让世界各地的听者都觉得很熟悉，而它又是典型的非洲音乐。这种音乐在另一方面也有所 不同：很多音乐有着严肃的主题，与当今非洲重要的社会问题和政治问题相关。Eric Wainaina是这些非洲音乐家的其中之一。他成长于肯尼亚内罗毕的一个音乐世家。少年 时期他就昕美国的流行音乐，之后就读于波士顿Berklee College学习音乐。现在他在肯尼亚发了 一张CD。他最红的歌曲是Land of A Little Something ”，这首歌是有关肯尼亚行贿受贿问题的。 他希望人们听他的歌曲然后思考如何让肯尼亚变成更好的居住地。另一个写有关严肃主题音乐的音乐家是来自坦桑尼亚的Witness Mwaijaga。她的个人经历让 她能够切身体会非洲妇女所受的苦难。她15岁的时候失去了家，但是比起和她一样无家可归 的年轻人来说她很幸运。她可以靠写歌和在街头卖唱维持生计。在她18岁的时候，她成为一个明星。她用嘻哈和说唱的风格写歌，歌曲的内容是坦桑尼亚的各种问题，特别是艾滋病和女 性权利的缺失。来自塞内加尔的BaabaMaal也认为流行音乐不仅仅是为了娱乐。他在塞内加尔说过，故事的 讲述者往往是重要的人物。在去，他们是人民历史的书写者。他认为写歌者也拥有同样的责任。 他们必须写他们周围的世界，帮助人民明白如何使它变得更好。事实上，歌词的内容十分重要。 他倡导在非洲要和平与协作，同时也包括妇女权利、热爱家庭和保护环境。南美最流行的音乐家之一是Brenda Fassie。她可以与美国流行巨星麦当娜媲美，因为她的舞 台表现力震撼人心。但是她也喜欢让人深思。20世纪80年代她因为一首有关反对种族隔离的单 曲而一炮走红。现在种族隔离巳经终止了，她的歌曲有关于南美政治和文化的其他方面。她使用 传统的非洲语言与一种新的流行形式库威多来歌唱。近些年，非洲以外的人们都开始听这些年轻音乐家的歌曲。通过音乐，年青一代的音乐家使 非洲与世界其他的地方相连接，同时也影响着世界的其他地方第四十一篇The Operation of International Airlines International airlines have rediscovered the business traveler, the man or woman who regularly jets from country to country as part of the job. This does not necessarily mean that airlines ever abandoned their business travelers. Instead, companies like Lufthansa and Swissair1 would right argue that they have always catered best for the executive class passengers. But many airlines could be accused of concentrating too heavily in the recent past on attracting passengers by volume, often at the expense of the regular traveler. Too often, they have seemed geared for quantity rather than quality. Operating a major airline is essentially a matter of finding the right mix of passengers. The airlines need to fill up the back end of their wide-bodied jets with low fare passengers, without forgetting that the front end should be filled with people who pay substantially more for their tickets. It is no coincidence that the two major airline bankruptcies were among the companies specializing in cheap flights. But low fares require consistently full aircraft to make flights economically viable, and in the recent recession the volume of traffic has not grown. Equally the large number of airlines jostling for the available passengers has created a huge excess of capacity. The net result of excess capacity and cut-throat competition driving down fares had been to push some airlines into collapse and leave many others hovering on the brink2. Against this grim background, it is no surprise that airlines are turning increasingly towards the business travelers to improve their rates of return, They have invested much time and effort to establish exactly what the executive demands for sitting apart from the tourists. High on the list of priorities is punctuality; an executives time is money. In-flight service is another area where the airlines are jostling for the executives attention. The free drinks and headsets and better food are all part of the lure. Another devel
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