In 2015, US actress Brie Larson took home the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the movie Room. These days, the 29-year-old is standing her ground as a superhero.

Larson plays Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, in the movie of the same name. As a superhero, she has many superpowers, such as being able to fly as fast as light. The movie has become a huge success.

When Larson was offered the role, she didn’t accept it at the beginning. ‘I am not a person with much confidence. So, I needed a little bit of time to see if I can do it…’ she said. Larson is no stranger to Hollywood, but it’s one thing to win an Oscar and another thing totally to star in a Marvel movie.She had no idea about playing a superhero. There would be lots of promotional (推廣) interviews. Facing all of these, she decided to go out of comfort zone (舒適區(qū)). ‘I was gonna push myself to do things that I never thought I could do. I challenged myself. ’ she said.

Larson trained for nine months. She learned kungfu, practiced weightlifting and so on. But the biggest challenge was that she had to work with a cat – an animal that she was afraid of. ‘I was sick the whole time, but I insisted to work with it by myself. I was fine.’

Varity magazine spoke highly of her acting. By playing Captain Marvel, Larson discovered her own weaknesses and turned them into confidence. Even just watching her recent interviews, one can tell from her body language that she had found something she didn’t have much before.

Title: Becoming a hero

We used to think owning more was the way to lead a rich life. But now many people believe that owning less is rich, perhaps richer.

According to US writer Joel Stillerman, people who are educated and wealthy are more likely to have a minimalist lifestyle. These people are saying, ‘I can afford to have less.’

But leading a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t only mean owning or spending less. Adam Lucacias from a UK research company Euromonitor found young people spend less on belongings, but more on short holidays and visits to the movies.

‘They are looking for a life that is all about culture.’ Alison Angus, the manager of Euromonitor, said.

So perhaps it all comes down to how we define (定義) ‘wealth’. Is wealth in life about buying more and owning more, or is it about learning more and experiencing more?

【1】Which of the following leads a minimalist lifestyle?

A. Alison Angus.B. Adam Lucacias.

C. Joe Stillerman.D. Joshua Becker.

【2】What does the underlined sentence mean？

A. I can live a good life with no more education and money.

B. I can live a good life by experiencing less and learning more.

C. I can live a good life with necessary belongings and friends.

D. I can live a good life with less money and fewer belongings.

【3】Lin Hanxing’s definition of ‘wealth’ may probably cover __________.

A. Owning fewer friendsB. doing more learning

C. Having more holidaysD. Chatting less often with people

【1】How many suggestions does Mike give to xxximaaa?

A. One.B. Two.C. Three.D. None.

【2】What does Mike think is a real problem?

A. Being honest and open.B. Buying fake trainers online.

C. Telling your friend the truth.D. Laughing at others for having fake things.

【3】GROWING UP may be a(n) __________ .

A. English novelB. learning guide

C. scientific bookD. teenage magazine

One day, while I was waiting for him, a beautiful Cadillac (凱迪拉克) came to a(n) ______ near me. I was busily ______ the car when I noticed the driver. Honestly, she was probably the ______ woman I had ever seen outside of a movie screen. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and she had ______ like a row of pearls (珍珠). Minutes later, a man came out of the building and walked over to her. They kissed and drove off.

Sitting there, ______ in jeans and a T-shirt, I wanted to cry. It is so unfair (不公平) some people have it all.

The next week I saw her again, and after that it became almost ______ to see her. I would wonder if she and her husband ate out a lot and where they went. I wanted her to get out of the car so I could see her clearly. Did she wear high-fashioned shoes?

A few weeks later, this was ______ for me.

I was waiting in my usual place and the lady’s husband came over to their car. He opened the door. ______ the woman walked around to the passenger side, with a walking stick. She had a prosthetic (假肢) on her left leg.

As they drove away I began to cry. When my husband arrived I told him about what had _____. He said he knew her husband and that, when the lady was 12 years old, she had an accident on the railroad. Both of her parents were killed. The rail company gave a large number of money to her because the crossing had no ______; that is why she owned such a nice car.

Now I realize how lucky I am. When you meet a person who seems to be much better off than you, don’t be fooled (欺騙) by appearances.

【1】A. endB. stopC. markD. point

【2】A. admiringB. comparingC. decoratingD. following

【3】A. bravestB. happiestC. prettiestD. wealthiest

【4】A. earsB. fingersC. legsD. teeth

【5】A. coveredB. dressedC. includedD. trapped

【6】A. guiltyB. strangeC. stressfulD. usual

【7】A. answeredB. presentedC. raisedD. solved

【8】A. activelyB. rapidlyC. slowlyD. suddenly

【9】A. announcedB. disappearedC. happenedD. mistaken

【10】A. scenesB. sensesC. sightsD. signs

【1】等公交車開(kāi)走了再過(guò)馬路，那樣你才能把四面八方看得一清二楚。

Cross the road after the bus has moved on and you can see ____________________.

【2】如此不尋常的謀殺案，值得深究。

The murder was ____________________ further research.

【3】他們兩個(gè)都沒(méi)有充分重視這工作，所以失敗了。

____________________ the work. That’s why they failed.

【4】我簡(jiǎn)直不敢相信這個(gè)才二十多歲的男孩已經(jīng)堅(jiān)持寫(xiě)作十多年了。

I can’t believe that the boy ____________________ for over ten years.

【5】按高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)工作對(duì)她來(lái)說(shuō)難乎其難！她一直都是懶洋洋的。

What great difficulty she ____________________! She is lazy all the time.

【6】你記得他們會(huì)被分成了幾組去參加這部電影的試演？

How many groups do you remember they ____________________ the movie?

【1】All the children __________ (bring) back to their parents after the police found them.

【2】— Jenny is crying in the classroom. What’s wrong with her?

— I heard that she had all of her pocket money __________ (steal) on her way school.

【3】— Did your grandpa really give up __________ (work) in the field?

— Yes. He is not strong enough.

【4】— May I have the key to Room 224, please? I want to have a rest.

— Of course, we __________ (tidy) it up. Here you are.

【5】They __________ (take) him to Disneyland if he got good grades in the final exam, Jim’s parents promised.

【6】I would like to thank Marshall, who __________ (continue) to work with us as the manager of the sales department until 2022.

【1】__________ (silent) and a beach to walk on are all I need when I am sad.

【2】Some days later, Candy asked me what I prepared for her __________ (come) 20th birthday.

【3】— You slept on the floor all night? What happened?

— I tried to go upstairs, but I was __________ (complete) tired out.

【4】For a start, there would be less of a sense of hurry to achieve and __________ (success) right now.

— __________. Any other man would have done that.

A. As you like.B. Don’t mention it.C. It’s kind of you.D. Well, it depends.

— Now that you are all __________, it will be easier to get things done here.

A. in a messB. in fearC. in agreementD. in history

— Only in five minutes. You’d better hurry up if you don’t want to miss the beginning.

A. how soon will the film beginB. how soon the film will begin

C. how long has the film been onD. how long the film has been on