An Empire Founded on a Mouse
 
1 As a young artist, Walt Disney often worked late in his studio. One night he heard some mice in the wastebasket. He caught them and kept them in small cages on his desk. One of these little mice became his particular friend and gave him the idea for the famous cartoon character Mickey Mouse, a clean mouse in a clean world. In 1928 Mickey Mouse first appeared in a cartoon film. When sound was starting to be used in movies, Disney immediately made his Mickey Mouse talk on the movie screen. Mickey became a great success and has since won the hearts of millions. Mickey Mouse was followed by Donald Duck, Pluto the Dog, the Three Little Pigs, and then the Seven Dwarfs and Snow White. Every one of these Disney characters has brought great amusement and laughter to children and adults alike. Walt founded his Disney empire on his popular cartoon characters.
2 One of Disney’s favorite dreams was to create a new kind of amusement park — a place where parents and children could all go and have fun together. In 1955 his first amusement park, Disneyland, opened in California. In late 1971, a bigger amusement park, Disney World, was completed in Orlando, Florida. Walt Disney himself did not live long enough to visit his Florida park. He died in December 1966. However, his death did not bring his dreams to an end. His empire is still growing. It has expanded to Japan in Asia and France in Europe. In 2005, China had its first Disneyland built in Hong Kong. Now it has become much easier for us Chinese to meet those lovely cartoon characters in real life.

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译文：
一只老鼠成就的帝国
1 沃特•迪斯尼还是个年轻艺术家的时候，经常在工作室里工作到很晚。一天晚上他听到废纸篓里有老鼠的声音。他把老鼠抓来关在小笼子里，摆在了桌上。其中一只小老鼠成了他特殊的朋友，给他带来了创作著名卡通形象米老鼠——一只生活在纯洁世界里的纯洁的小老鼠——的灵感。1928年，米老鼠首次在卡通电影中亮相。有声电影刚问世，迪斯尼就立即让他的米老鼠在荧屏上献声。米老鼠大获成功，赢得了百万观众的喜爱。自米老鼠后，迪斯尼又创作了唐老鸭、小狗布鲁托、三只小猪、七个小矮人和白雪公主等卡通人物。这些卡通人物中的每一个都给儿童和成人带来了无尽的欢乐和笑声，而迪斯尼也凭借这些深受大众喜爱的卡通人物创建了迪斯尼帝国。
2 迪斯尼最大的梦想之一是创建一种新型的游乐园，一个父母能够带着小孩一起畅游的地方。1955 年，第一家迪斯尼乐园在加利福利亚州开业。1971年末，在佛罗里达州奥兰多建成了更大规模的迪斯尼世界。沃特•迪斯尼有生之年未能亲临佛罗里达州的迪斯尼世界，他于1966年12月逝世。但是他的去世并没有给他的梦想画上句号，他的帝国仍在发展，并 “扩张”到了亚洲的日本和欧洲的法国。2005年，中国的第一家迪斯尼乐园在香港建成。如今，中国人要想看到那些活生生的可爱的卡通人物已非难事。

Text A / Comprehension
A. Choose the best answer according to the text.

1. Walt Disney was a ________ artist when he was young.
A. hard-working B. lazy
C. proud D. lonely
2. One night he caught some mice in his office and made friends with ________.
A. all of them B. one of them in particular
C. none of them D. some of them
3. Which of the following cartoon characters was not created by Walt Disney?
A. The Three Little Pigs. B. Snow White.
C. Pluto the Dog. D. Snoopy.
4. How many Disney parks were built when Disney was alive?
A. One. B. Two.
C. Three. D. Four.
5. Which statement is true about Disney’s Mickey Mouse?
A. Mickey Mouse lives in a wastebasket.
B. Disney built his cartoon empire on Mickey Mouse.
C. Mickey talked when he first appeared on screen.
D. Only children like Mickey Mouse.
Key: 1. A 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. B

B. Complete the following sentences orally with your partner.

1. He heard some mice in the wastebasket and caught them and kept them in small cages on his desk .
2. One of the mice became his particular friend and gave him the idea for the famous cartoon character Mickey Mouse .
3. People love these cartoon characters because they brought great amusement and laughter .
4. Disneyland is a place where parents and children could all go and have fun together .
5. Disneyland can be found in California and Florida in the United States, Japan, France and Hong Kong of China .

C. Make a dialogue with your partner according to the situation described below.

A: I am so fond of Disney’s cartoon movie The Lion King (etc.) that I’ve watched it many times. Do you like it?
B: No, not really. I prefer the recent movie Shrek 2 (etc.) because it is more exciting and funny. By the way, do you know anything about Disney?
A: Of course I do. He was born in 1901 and Mickey Mouse was his first successful cartoon character.
B: Quite right. After his first success, other famous characters came along such as Donald Duck, Pluto the Dog, the Three Little Pigs, and the Seven Dwarfs and Snow White .
A: Oh. In fact, I’ve not only seen these characters on screen but met them in the streets.
B: How could you meet those cartoon characters in life?
A: At Disneyland in California. My parents took me there last summer. We had a very good time .
B: What a treat! Mmm, I suppose I’ll have to wait till a Disney park is built in China.
A: Wait! Don’t you know there is already a Disney park in China?
B: Oh, really? Where?
A: In Hong Kong , you silly boy.

Vocabulary Building / Exercises
A. Match each word with its proper Chinese meaning.

B. Fill in each blank with a given word or expression in its right form.

1. This idea appeared / has appeared in many books.
2. The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949.
3. When will the work on the highway be completed ?
4. Oranges are my favorite fruit.
5. Hans Andersen created many lovely characters.
6. The business has expanded from having one office to having twelve.
7. Did you have fun at Disneyland last summer?
8. His lies brought an end to his friendship with Mike.

Grammar Tips / Exercises
A. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the words given in brackets.

1. Nanjing Road is the busiest (busy) street in Shanghai.
2. Among the subjects I am studying, I like English best (well).
3. Can you tell me the nearest (near) way to the railway station?
4. We have less (little) rainfall this year than last year.
5. Look! She is running faster and faster (fast). I am sure she will get the first prize in the race.
6. Which is more difficult (difficult) for you, physics or maths?
7. You’re driving too fast. Can you drive slowly ? (slowly)
8. I have as many (many) books as you do.
9. Why don’t you use a sharper (sharp) knife?
10. This movie is more interesting (interesting) than I expected.

B. Choose the best answer.

1. There are many young trees on ______ sides of the road.
A. every　 B. each C. both D. all
2. — It’s so cold today.
— Yes, it’s ______ than it was yesterday.
A. more cold B. more colder 　 C. much colder D. cold
3. Little Tom has ______ friends, so he often plays alone.
A. more　 B. a little　 C. many 　 D. few
4. She isn’t so ______ at maths as you are.
A. well　 B. good　 C. better　 D. best
5. Peter writes ______ of the three.
A. better　 B. best　 C. good　 D. well
6. He is ______ enough to carry the heavy box.
A. stronger　 B. much stronger C. strong　 D. the strongest
7. I bought ______ exercise books with ______ money.
A. a few; a few B. a few; a little C. a little; a few D. a little; a little
8. The box is ______ heavy for the girl ______ carry.
A. too; to　 B. to; too　 C. so; that　 D. no; to
9. The ice in the lake is about one meter ______. It’s strong enough to skate on.
A. long　 B. high　 C. thick　 D. wide
10. Wu Lin ran ______ faster than the other boys in the sports meeting.
A. so 　 B. much C. very D. too

C. Fill in each blank according to the Chinese given in brackets.

1. It is very strange (非常奇怪) that he hasn’t shown up today.
2. This is really a funny story (有趣的故事).
3. Is there anything wrong (毛病) with the computer?
4. It is difficult (困难) for her to write the paper in two days.
5. Is there anything important (重要的事) to tell me?

Text B / Comprehension
A. Complete the following sentences according to the text.

1. Why is Bruce Lee remembered till this day?
He is remembered not only for the movies and TV shows in which he starred but also for breaking racial barriers, helping change stereotypes, and his contributions to martial arts .
2. When did Lee begin his career in martial arts?
He began his career when he went back to the United States at the age of 18 to claim his US citizenship and receive his higher education .
3. How did his films influence the world?
His films brought the traditional Hong Kong martial arts films to world attention and roused interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well .
4. Why is Lee’s influence greater than his movies?
Because he smashed the Western stereotype of the Chinese, and provided reasons for a whole generation of young Asians to be proud of their heritage .
5. What is Jeet Kune Do according to Lee?
He himself referred to it as “ the art of expressing the human body ” in his writings and in interviews.

B. Read the sentences below and decide if they are true or false according to the text.
Write T for true or F for false.

1. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum made a figure of Bruce Lee immediately after he died.
2. Lee came from a Chinese immigrant family in the US.
3. Lee grew up in Hong Kong and received higher education there.
4. Lee’s films were made both in Hong Kong and in Hollywood.
5. There is nothing special about Jeet Kune Do except for its simplicity and directness.
Key: 1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. T

Comprehensive Exercises
A. Choose the best answer.

1. I don’t know the restaurant, but it’s ________ to be quite a good one.
A. said B. told C. spoken D. talked
2. — Can I join your club, Dad?
— You can when you ______ a bit older.
A. get B. will get C. are getting D. will have got
3. It’s nearly seven o’clock. Jack ______ be here at any moment.
A. must B. need C. should D. can
4. I don’t like ______ you speak to her.
A. the way B. the way in that
C. the way of which D. the way which
5. I have never heard of anything more ______ than this.
A. exciting B. excited C. excitedly D. to be excited
6. We’d better complete the job with ______ money and ______ people.
A. few; little B. less; fewer C. fewer; less D. more; much
7. It is dangerous for people ______ the streets if they don’t ______ the traffic
rules.
A. to cross; observe B. across; follow
C. crossing; carry out D. cross; remember
8. Would you mind ______ me here at nine o’clock?
A. meet B. to meet C. meeting D. met
9. When we are ______ trouble they often help us.
A. in B. on C. with D. without
10. I was so sleepy that I could hardly keep my eyes ______ yesterday evening.
A. opening B. open C. to be opened D. to open

B. Fill in the blanks with the words given below.
past probably held
important spring Oscars

Film Festivals and Awards
The first major film festival was held in Italy in 1932. Today, hundreds of festivals are held every year. The largest and probably the best-known festival is held in Cannes, France. Other important festivals take place in Venice, Berlin, London, Moscow, New York City and San Sebastian, Spain. The best-known movie awards are made each spring by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. These awards, called the Academy Awards, or Oscars , are presented for outstanding achievements in filmmaking during the past year.

C. Translate the following sentences into English, using the given words or phrases.

1. 米老鼠是我最喜欢的动画人物。(favorite)
Mickey Mouse is my favorite cartoon character.
2. 现在中国电影在欧美国家很受欢迎。(popular)
Chinese movies are quite popular in American and European countries now.
3. 动画片给人们带来娱乐。(amusement)
Animated films bring people amusement.
4. 六岁时她开始出演电影。(at the age of; star)
She began to star in films at the age of six.
5. 李小龙的电影打破了西方对中国人的刻板印象。(smash; stereotype)
Bruce Lee’s films smashed the Western stereotypes of the Chinese.

D. Translate the following passage from Text A into Chinese.

One night he heard some mice in the wastebasket. He caught them and kept them in small cages on his desk. One of these little mice became his particular friend and gave him the idea for the famous cartoon character Mickey Mouse, a clean mouse in a clean world. In 1928 Mickey Mouse first appeared in a cartoon film.
一天晚上他听到废纸篓里有老鼠的声音。他把老鼠抓来关在小笼子里，摆在了桌上。其中一只小老鼠成了他特殊的朋友，给他带来了创作著名卡通形象米老鼠——一只生活在纯洁世界里的纯洁的小老鼠——的灵感。1928年，米老鼠首次在卡通电影中亮相。

Practical Reading and Writing
A. Look at the movie poster above and write the answers to the questions.

1. Which company produced the movie?
21st Century Jackson Pictures.
2. What is the name of the movie?
I’ll Love You Forever.
3. When will the movie be on in the theater?
On 5th July, 2013.
4. Who are the director and the writer of the movie?
The director is Tim Jackson and the writer is William Grand.
5. Who are the leading actor and actress of the movie?
Ben Albert and Janet Wire.