英语阅读Where in the world can you take an hour’s train ride, an

英语阅读
Where in the world can you take an hour’s train ride, and pass a forest, a London street, a scene from the Wild West, and a burning building that never burns down? There’s only one place, and that’s Hollywood, in California. The scenes you see from the tourist train are film sets in the Universal Studios, one of the oldest and largest movie companies in the USA.
A visit to Universal Studios brings back memories of great days of Hollywood, the films and the stars. But they are only memories. Hollywood isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Costs have gone up and confidence has gone down. Movie-makers are afraid to spend their money on expensive new ideas. Instead, they repeat old ones.
The film industry is changing fast. Teenagers still go out to the movies. The theatre is a good place to meet friends away from home. But older people mostly stay home to watch series, like Dynasty have become as important to Hollywood as expensive movies. These “soap opera”, as they are called, show rich, powerful families living in beautiful homes and wearing beautiful clothes. But the actors and actresses are nearly all middle-aged, like many of the people who watch them.
Though it is soap operas that are keeping the film-makers of Hollywood in Business, big films are still being made in America. But more and more of them are made outside Hollywood. New York is the most important new center, but there are many others as well. Movie-makers have realized that they don’t need Hollywood any more--modern cameras and real houses instead of expensively made copies in a studio. Other states, especially Florida and Texas, are working hard to take the film business away from California. They are offering better working conditions and lower costs.
But Hollywood is fighting back. The state of California is trying hard to keep its best-known industry.
42. The movie industry in California isn’t as successful as before because ________.
A. young people don’t go to movie theatres any more
B. there is strong competition from other states
C. its movie companies are in need of young stars
D. the state hasn’t put a development plan into action
43. Which of the following seems to be a threat to Hollywood？
A. The use of modern cameras and other equipment
B. The interest of middle-aged film stars
C. The making of TV series like Dynasty
D. The expensively made copies of scenes
44. What can we learn about “soap operas” from the passage?
A. They are teenagers’ favorites. B. They are much more expensive.
C. They are less attractive. D. They are cheaper and easier to make.
45. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. something about the film industry in the USA
B. the importance of soap operas in Hollywood •
C. the good old days of Hollywood
D. the film business in California

(A)
A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket (彩票) at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty. His victim, who picked up the ticket, then claimed the $25,000 prize, managed to trace him, and handed over the cash, The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabbatocei. 58. was changing a tyre on an Italian motorway. Another motorist, who stopped “to help”, stole a suitcase from his car and drove off. The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.
Next day, he saw the lottery results on TV and, taking out the ticket, realized it was a winner. He claimed the 60 million lire (里拉) pcize. Then he began a battle with his conscience. Finally, he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed. He advertised in newspapers and on radio, saying: “I’m trying to find the man who robbed me. I have 60 million lire for him-a lottery win. Please meet me, Anonymity (匿名) guaranteed.”
Professor Sabbatucei received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized –and he arranged to meet the man in a park. The robber, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst into tears. He could not believe what was happening. “Why didn’t you keep the money?” he asked. The professor replied: “ I couldn’t because it’s not mine.” Then he walked off, spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.
71. The sentence “ Then he began a battle with his conscience,” in paragraph 2 implies all of the following EXCEPT that A .
A. he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results
B. he hesitated about keeping the money for some time
C. he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber
D. he came to realize that honesty is more important than money
72. Hundreds of people phoned professor Sahhatucci because they B .
A. wanted to make fun of him B. hoped to get the money
C. knew who the robber was D. lost the lottery ticket
73. The word “spurning” in the last sentence can be replaced by C .
A. accepting B. claiming C. rejecting D. canceling
74. If the story appears in a newspaper, the best title might be A .
A. A Thief’s Lucky Day B. A Popular Maths Professor
C. A Magic Lottery D. A Reward of Honesty