Betty is not a traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of American’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?

The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.

　　The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.

　　Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA.“ I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者)”，says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.

　　The program is so successful because of the good performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen.

1.Betty is popular because of ____.

A. her clothes 　　　　　B. her charm 　　　   C. her metal braces  　　　D. her appearance

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “it” refers to (指的是) ____.

A. the beginning 　　　　B. the ending 　　  　C. the story 　　　        D. the show

3.Which is the reason for the success of the show?

A. A large number of viewers. 　　　　　　B. Her life as an office worker.

C. The wonderful performance. 　　　　　 D. Two Golden Globes awards.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according of the show?

A. Betty is a girl of wisdom.

B. Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show.

C. Betty is an American favorite TV character.

D. Betty is often looked down on by the people around.

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Beauty from within. 　　　　　  B. A romantic story.

C. An ugly girl. 　　　　　　　　  D. An exciting experience.

 

What do you do if you're stranded（处于困境的）on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.

　　Body signals（信号）

　　Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training. When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend（弯曲）your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.

　　Smoke signals

　　The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it's a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn't hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a fire unless you're sure that it can't spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.

　　Ground-to-air signals

　　It's a good idea to build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols(标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:

　　F "I need food and water."

　　II "I need medicine."

　　I "I am badly hurt."

　　X" I am unable to move from here."

　　Pilots' replies

　　If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means "message received and understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilots flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received but not understood".(At night, the pilot flashes the plane's red lights.)

However, there is no signal which means "message not received". Why not?

 

1. Which picture means "it's not safe land"?

 

 

　

 

2. What can we learn from the passage?

　　A. Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes".

　　B. If the ground is dark, light smoke can't be seen.

　　C. If you need some medicine, make a symbol "II".

　　D. The pilots make replies with a blue light at night.

　　3. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. The explanation of building signals on an island.

　　B. The importance of making signals on an island.

　　C. Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island.

D. Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island

 

Watching Movies for Your Summer

 

Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties ——《加菲双猫记》 Hello, Garfield will meet you again on the screen. This time, America’s favourite cat Garfield travels to London. Garfield gets lost . However, he enjoys his new life in his new home. But danger is near him.

Superman Returns ——《超人归来》     How exciting to see Superman on the screen again. Like before, he is again saving the world. But his enemy, Lex Luther, is still planning to kill him so that he can control the world.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ——《加勒比海盗：聚魂馆》     Captain Jack Sparrow again appears on the screen. This time, he finds himself in a heavy debt(负债) to Davey Jones. The only way to get out of it is to find the Dead Man’s Chest. He asks his old friends for help and they start out to the sea.

（　　）1. The story of Garfield in this movie happens in ______ .

  　　　　 　A. America     B. London      C. the sea       D. the world

（　　）2. Why does Lex Luther plan to kill Superman?

   　　　　　A. Because he tried to save the world.

   　　　　　B. Because he never sees Superman on the screen.

   　　　　　C. Because he finds it hard to like the story.

   　　　　　D. Because he wants to control the world.

（　　）3. What is the trouble for Captain Jack Sparrow this time?

A. He again appears on the screen. B. He turns to his friends for help.

C. He is in a heavy debt to Davey Jones. D. He finds the Dead Man’s Chest.