The recent high-profile movie Crazy Rich Asians shows a side of Singapore that most people -not even Singaporeans - don’t get to see. While the story is largely set in Singapore, filming took place both in the city state and neighbouring Malaysia. Attractions such as Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands and Malaysia’s heritage Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion appeal to people.
Crazy Rich Asians is by no means the only movie to be filmed in these areas. Here are five international films that you may not have known were set or filmed in Singapore or Malaysia.
1. EQUALS (2015)
In this sci-fi romance, Singapore serves as the location of an apocalyptic (世界末日的) society. Viewers can catch glimpses of the Marina Barrage, Singapore Botanic Gardens, and the spectacular Henderson Waves at Southern Ridges bridge.
2. ROGUE TRADER (1999)
Based on the true story of British investment broker Nick Leeson, it is about how he lost $2.2 billion through risky trades in Singapore and brought down Barings, Britain’s oldest merchant bank. Leeson wrote the book that the film is based on while serving a prison sentence. The movie has scenes of Rales Hotel and the Central Business District.
3.SAINT JACK (1979)
This controversial adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel was groundbreaking in that it was the first Hollywood movie to be filmed entirely on location in Singapore — without government approval, though.
4. LUST, CAUTION(2001)
Directed by Oscar-winner Ang Lee, this spy thriller, set in Hong Kong and Shanghai during the 1930s and 1940s, is about a group of students who plan to assassinate (刺殺)an intelligence chief. Locations in Ipoh and Penang in Malaysia were used for this time period due to their prewar architecture.
5. ENTRAPMENT (1999)
This thriller shows Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers several times. However, the then Malaysian Prime Minister was reportedly displeased that the film showed the great landmark next to small dirty houses - in reality, they are surrounded by large, luxurious gardens.
21. What can be learned about Nick Leeson?
A. He acted in the movie ROGUE TRADER.
B. He was put into prison after his risky trade.
C. He was asked to write a book for a movie.
D. He was one of Britain’s oldest businessmen.
22. The movie LUST, CAUTION was shot in Malaysia because of_.
A. the complex plot of the story
B. some thrilling scenes in the movie
C. some particular buildings in the country
D. the director’s preference for the country
23. What do the five international films mentioned above have in common?
A. They showed a dark side of Singapore.
B. They became Oscar winners in the end.
C. They were shot in Singapore or Malaysia.
D. They were directed by world-famous directors.
Alvin Irby wears many hats. He is a stand-up comedian, a children’s book author, a former kindergarten teacher and, above all, the founder of the nonprofit Barbershop Books.
Barbershop Books tries to solve this problem: How to get black children excited about reading? Its solution: 15 books. Barbershop Books puts 15 books - all picked by kids - in each of the dozens of barbershops, mostly in black neighborhoods, across the country.
Irby, who just turned 33, says he’s hoping to help black children identify themselves as readers. That means, first and foremost, that reading should be fun. It also means kids need to see their life and interests reflected in the stories they read.
But, Irby says, the publishing industry has a long way to go. When he went to a big book exhibition recently, few of the kids’ titles on display had diverse characters. And those that did felt both foreign and not fun. The books’ subjects were mainly slavery, civil rights, or old dead black person. The librarians he met could hardly name two laugh-out-loud picture books with a black protagonist (主角).
Books about slavery and civil rights have their place, Irby believes, but little black boys and girls deserve books that allow them to be children and to laugh like children.
Irby says, schools need to focus less on out-of-touch books and reading tests that leave kids feeling defeated. They should try listening more and ask students: What are your strengths, your experiences, your interests? What’s most important to you?
In Levels Barbershop of New York, what’s most important to Vincent, a sixth-grader and son of a barber, is Diaty of a Wimpy Kid, the book Irby just replaced, because the hero’s story feels real — and really funny.
“Everything goes wrong when he thinks that it’s gonna go right,” Vincent says. “Or, when something good’s about to happen, it just gets ruined by his brother, Roderick.”
Vincent’s enthusiasm — he says he’s read every last one of the shop’s 15 books - is all the motivation Alvin Irby needs to keep growing Barbershop Books. And it is growing.
Last year, the program won a $10,000 Innovations in Reading Prize from the National Book Foundation. And next month, Irby will host a New York City fundraiser...
24. What can we know about Irby?
A. He set up Barbershop Books.
B. He owned many barbershops.
C. He likes wearing different hats.
D. He works in a kindergarten now.
25. What is Irby’s opinion about the publishing industry?
A. It prefers to publish historical books.
B. It doesn’t hold enough book exhibitions.
C. Its books don’t connect with black children.
D. Its books have too many foreign characters.
26. Why does Vincent love reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid?
A. It has a surprising ending.
B. It’s newly put on the shelf.
C It’s a real story about a black hero.
D. It’s amusing and reflects his life.
27. The author uses the last paragraph to_.
A. give evidence of Barbershop Books’ success
B. arouse kids’ enthusiasm for Barbershop Books
C. encourage donations for Barbershop Books
D. stress the importance of Barbershop Books
In a recent series of experiments at the University of California, researchers studied toddlers’ thinking about winners and losers, bullies (欺凌)and victims.
In the first experiment, toddlers (學步兒童)watched a scene in which two puppets (木偶) had conflicting goals: One was crossing a stage from right to left, and the other from left to right. The puppets met in the middle and stopped. Eventually one puppet bowed down and moved aside, letting the other one pass by. Then researchers asked the toddlers which puppet they liked. The result: 20 out of 23 toddlers picked the higher-status puppet — the one that did not bow or move aside. It seems that individuals can gain status for being dominant (占優(yōu)勢的)and toddlers like winners better than losers.
But then researchers had another question: Do toddlers like winners no matter how they win? So, researchers did another experiment very similar to the one described above. But this time, the conflict ended because one puppet knocked the other down and out of the way. Now when the toddlers were asked who they liked, the results were different: Only 4 out of 23 children liked the winner.
These data suggest that children already love a winner by the age of 21-31 months. This does not necessarily mean that the preference is inborn: 21 months is enough time to learn a lot of things. But if a preference for winners is something we learn, we appear to learn it quite early.
Even more interesting, the preference for winners is not absolute. Children in our study did not like a winner who knocked a competitor down. This suggests that already by the age of 21-31 months, children’s liking for winners is balanced with other social concerns, including perhaps a general preference for nice or helpful people over aggressive ones.
In a time when the news is full of stories of public figures who celebrate winning at all costs, these results give us much confidence. Humans understand dominance, but we also expect strong individuals to guide, protect and help others. This feels like good news.
28. One of the purposes of the experiments is to_.
A. teach toddlers how to gain higher status
B. offer toddlers a chance to watch a scene
C. observe the process of toddlers’ solving a conflict
D. find out toddlers’ attitude toward winners and losers
29. The toddlers regarded bowing and moving aside as a sign of_.
A. obeying rules
B. gaining status
C. giving in to the other
D. showing good manners
30. What does the second experiment tell us about toddlers?
A. They are excellent learners.
B. They are always changeable.
C. They show mercy to the loser.
D. They value kindness over winning.
31. What does the author think of the results of the series of experiments?
A. Disappointing. B. Encouraging. C. Unexpected. D. Controversial.
Nasr Majid started hunting this fall at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (保護區(qū))on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in USA. He’s one of the relatively few new hunters who officials hope will help stop a nearly four-decade decline nationally in what has become a hobby for fewer than 5 percent of Americans.
Natural resources and wildlife officials in Maryland are encouraging hunting of deer, turkeys and some other wild animals, which is believed to be good for the environment. Without hunting, they say, sika deer will overpopulate the wildlife refuge and they’ll overeat the bushes and other plants that provide important habitat for birds. On the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, hunting is also important to prevent the spread of diseases such as Lyme.
In many families, the hunting tradition has been handed down for generations. But as longtime sportsmen age and children lose interest, the number of hunters in the United States fell by 2 million, from 2011 to 2018, to about 11 million.
“Everything is changing. Kids are growing up in front of video games and computers instead of going hunting.” said Chris Markin, a hunting specialist for the state natural resources department. “Adults usually focus on working and providing for their families. Those pressures are preventing many other potential hunters from going out, and from raising the next generation of hunters.”
To avoid such a decline, a new approach is needed. Government agencies and nonprofit groups are now launching mentoring (指導)programs to train more hunters, which not only helps preserve an industry and a culture but also means more protection for wildlife and their habitats through deer population control and investment.
Luckily, there are those still eager to learn, like Majid. He was just looking for an outdoor hobby he could share with his children when he came across the mentorship program. Now,he feels capable of hunting on his own, but also has someone he can text with questions that pop up. His new pastime has already paid off for him — on his second hunt with his mentor, in the last minutes of daylight, he bagged his first deer.
32. What can be inferred from Chris Markin’s words?
A. The hunting tradition is facing challenges.
B. No one is interested in hunting any more.
C. Parents fail to spend enough time with kids.
D. Hunting adds to many adults,life pressures.
33. In this passage, Nasr Majid is considered as a symbol of_.
A. hope B. bravery C. enthusiasm D. devotion
34. What does the underlined words “new pastime” refer to?
A. Raising questions.
B. Learning to hunt.
C. Looking for hunters.
D. Sharing a new hobby.
35. What is the best title for the text?
A. Teach Hunters New Skills
B. Preserve a Great Tradition
C. Reduce the Pressure of Life
D. Make Hunting More Popular
21 B 22 C 23 C 24 A 25 C
26 D 27 A 28 D 29 C 30 D
31 B 32 A 33 A 34 B 35 D