|
A. for B. to C. with D. by 12. I didn’t make great progress in my English ____ my teacher had given me some advice on how to learn the language well. A. unless B. before C. until D. when 13. Most of our classmates are talking ____ a trip to the park. A. in honor of B. in favor of C. in search of D. in place of 14. During the rush hour they were ___ in the heavy traffic. A. held up B. held on C. held down D. held off 15. I wonder why you won’t do it as _____ and it’s the third time you have done so. A. told you B. be told C. told to D. you told V. Reading. NONVERBAL HUMOR Do you find it funny to see someone sliding on a banana skin, bumping into someone else round a corner, or falling down a hole in the road? If you do, you are not alone. Some humor can be cruel but some people seem to enjoy seeing other people’s bad luck at times .Perhaps it makes us feel more content with our life because we feel there is someone else worse off than ourselves. However, some actors can astonish us with the deep feelings they can inspire in us for a character they are playing. Charlie Chaplin was just such an actor. He was born in poverty in 1889 and at that time films were silent. He became famous for using a particular form of acting, including mime and farce. His entertaining silent movies are still popular today. His charming character The Little Tramp is well known throughout the world. He played a poor and homeless person, who wore large trousers, worn-out shoes and a small round black hat and carried a walking stick.. This character was social failure but he was loved by all who watched the films for his determination in overcoming difficulties and being kind even when people were unkind to him. So how did he make a sad situation entertaining? Imagine you are hungry and all there is to eat is a boiled shoe. How would you make eating a boiled shoe funny? That was the problem facing Charlie Chaplin in one of his most famous films The Gold Rush. He solved it by using nonverbal humor and this is how it was done. The film is set in California in the middle of the nineteenth century when gold was discovered and thousands of people rushed there in search of it. In the film, Chaplin and his friend are in California, too. Their job is “panning for gold”. They wash sand from the river in a pan of water, and expect to pick up gold , but they have been not fortunate enough to find any. Instead they are caught on the edge of a mountain in a snowstorm in a small wooden house, where they have nothing to eat. They are so hungry that they have to boil a pair of leather shoes in a pan and eat it. Chaplin sits down at the table with his plate and drinking cup. First he picks out the laces and eats them as if they were spaghetti. Then he cuts off the leather top of the shoe, treating it as if it were the finest meat. Finally he tries cutting and eating the bottom of the shoe .You can imagine how difficult it is to chew, but he seems to eat every mouthful with great enjoyment. He makes it seem as if it were one of the best meals he has ever had! How hungry would you have to be to eat a shoe? Chaplin produced, directed, and wrote the movies he starred in. In 1972 he was given a special Oscar for his lifetime outstanding work. He lived the last years of his life in Switzerland, where he was buried in 1977. Reading comprehension: 1.Do some people seem to enjoy seeing other people’s bad luck at times? Why? 2.Why did Charlie Chaplin become famous? 3.How did he make eating a boiled shoe funny? First….then…..finally….. 4.Is the film The Golden Rush set in California in the early of the 19th century when gold was discovered? If not, when? 5.When was he given a special Oscar for his lifetime outstanding work and where did he lived his last years of his life? Language points: 1.Do you find it funny to see someone sliding on a banana skin, bumping into someone else round a corner, or falling down a hole in the road? (责任编辑：admin) |