Passage 21
Moviegoers may think history is repeating itself this weekend.The summers most anticipated film,Pearl Harbor,which has opened recently,painstakingly recreates the Japanese attack that drew the United States into World War II.But that isnt the films only reminder of the past.Harbor invites comparison to Titanic,the biggest hit of all time.Like Titanic,harbor heaps romance and action around a major historical event.Like Titanic,Harbor attempts to create
popular global entertainment from a deadly reallife.Like Titanic,Harbor costs a pretty penny and hopes to get in even more at the box office.Both Titanic and Pearl Harbor unseal their tales of love and tragedy over more than three hours.Both stories center on young passion,triangles of tension with one woman and two men: In Titanic,Leonardo DiCaprio and Billy Zane compete for the love of the same woman,a highsociety type played by a British actress named Kate (Winslet).In Harbor,two pilots (Ben Affelck,Josh Hartnett) fall for the same woman,a nurse played by a British actress named Kate (Beckinsale).The scenes of peril also have similarities.Harbor has a shot in which soldiers cling for dear life as the battleship USS Oklahoma capsizes.The moment isrecalled of the Titanics climactic sinking scene in which DiCaprio and Winslet hang from the ocean liner as half of the ship vertically plunges into the water.In Harbor,one of its stars floats atop a piece of debris in the middle of the night,much like Winslets character does in Titanic.And the jawdropping action of Titanic is matched by Harbors 40minute recreation of Dec.7,1941 attack on the United States Pacific Fleet.Both films spent heavily on special effects.Harbor director,Michael Bay,for example,says he kept salaries down so more could be spent on the visuals.Both movies event shot their shipsinking scenes at the same location: Fox Studios Baja in Mexico.Harbors makers have even taken a Titaniclike approach to the soundtrack.The film includes one song,There Youll be,performed by country music superstar Faith Hill.Titanic,which is one of the best selling soundtracks of all time,also had only one pop song: Celine Dions My Heart Will Go On.
“If Harbor becomes a major moneymaker,filmmakers may comb history books searching for even more historical romanceaction material,” says a critic.

1.What are the two things that the author of this article tries to compare?

A)  The attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the Titanic.
B)  Historical fiction movies and successful box office hits.
C)  The movie Titanic and the onshow movie Pearl Harbor.
D)  Sinking boats and famous actors.

2.What does the phrase “cost a pretty penny” in the first paragraph mean?

A)  To be very attractive.
B)  To cost a lot.
C)  To have big box office returns.
D)  To require a lot of effort to accomplish.

3.It is said in the passage that     .

A)  major historical events can never repeat themselves
B)  both Titanic and Pearl Harbor are the historical reappearance
C)  Pearl Harbor may have a better box office return than Titanic
D)  Titanic is the most successful film in history

4.Pearl Harbor and Titanic are similar in all the following aspects EXCEPT     .

A)  both spent large amount of money on special effects
B)  both have soundtracks starring a major pop star
C)  both added madeup stories to historical events
D)  both are documentary movies of historical events

5.If Pearl Harbor is as successful as Titanic,which of the following movies might we see next?

A)  The Battle of Waterloo.   
B)  The Adventures of Mr.Bean.
C)  Space Invaders.  
D)  The Haunted House.

语言注释
1.peril  n.危险
2.capsize  v.(特指船)倾覆
3.jawdropping  令人瞠目结舌的，令人震惊的

答案

1.C 
文章中多处表达证明本题的正确答案是C。如：第一段中invites comparison to …Like Titanic…Like Titanic…Like Titanic；第二段主题句 Both Titanic and Pearl Harbor unseal…Both stories center on；第三段主题句The scenes of peril also have similarities.第四段主句…is matched by；以及第五段的主题句…have even taken a Tianiclike approach to the soundtrack。从这些贯穿全文的主线，可以概括出文章的主题——《泰坦尼克号》和《珍珠港》两部影片的比较。

2.B 
根据上下文的线索costs a pretty penny and hopes to get in even more at the box office可知该短语意为“花费一大笔钱”。

3.D 
文中第一段在比较两部影片的时候，作者评价道《泰坦尼克号》是有史以来最成功的影片(Harbor invites comparison to Titanic,the biggest hit of all time.)此处理解的关键是hit一词。此处hit 意为“成功而风行一时的事物(如电影、歌曲、演出等)”。如a Hollywood hit (轰动好莱坞的电影)；a hit song(一炮打响的歌曲)。

4.D 
本题要求考生总结文章的要点和细节。选项A、B、C在文章中各部分都有相关表述。但选项D(两部电影都是历史纪录片)的陈述是不实之词。文中第二段开头已经对两部片子的定位进行了描述——悲情的爱情故事。故D为正确答案。

5.A 
文章最后作者指出如果《珍珠港》这部电影能取得不菲的票房成绩，那么电影制片人就会去寻找、炮制更多的情节浪漫、动作惊险的历史题材片。由此可推知A(滑铁卢战役)为正确选择。而B(憨豆先生的奇遇)、C(太空入侵者)、D(鬼屋)这些现代、科幻、或恐怖电影都不符合他们的选材标准。