四.阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从51-65各题所给的选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。

A

At the beginning of the century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the most famous places of the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of the film stars Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Bergman and hundreds more.

The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight, the west coast was a much better place to work.

Also near Hollywood you can find mountains and sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.

When TV became popular in the 1960s, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to cinema to see big expensive films. After twenty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world.

51. Hollywood used to be a __________.

A. cinema B. big farm C. park D. market

52. Who was not mentioned as a film star in the passage?

A. Charlie Chaplin. B. Marilyn Monroe

C. Ingrid Bergman D. Greta Garbo.

53. People went to Hollywood to make films because __________.

A. it was a beautiful place B. you could find many film stars

C. there was a lot of sunlight there D. it was a famous place

54. Which statement is true?

A. The west coast was a better place to make films.

B. There are no mountains near Hollywood.

C. People no longer went to the cinema after television became popular.

D. Hollywood began to make films for television before the First World War.

B

Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem! First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible. The first step is to find listening resources. The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (懊恼) by limited understanding. What should you do?

Here is some of the advice I give my students: