阅读试题

He never ages, he never gets seriously injured, he never stops drinking or chasing skirt, he never settlesfor anything less than the best cars, clothes,accommodation and weapons, and he never takes time off from saving the world from disaster.

Bond has certainly been an economic lion. MGM/UA, the company that releases the Bond films in the US, virtually stays in business for that sole purpose. In late August, Wall Street analysts upgraded their rating of the company's stock on the mere basis of seeing some footage of the next Bond film which isn't due in cinemas until late November.

But something other than money, even vast piles or it, keeps Bond going.Although he has seemed to stay Frozen in time, Bond has actually undergone a series of very subtle transformations, via the variety of actors who have played the role and the relation of the movies to the culture and politics of the real world.

Perhaps it was because he was so much older than Connery, the ever first Bond; perhaps because his films depended less on what he brought to the part than what was happening around him. Moore was always slightly out of touch,distinctly self-satisfied, standing like a beauty queen or a game show contestant waiting to be crowned.

The Bond franchise was next put into the hands of an actual actor, the impossibly handsome Shakespearean actor Timothy Dalton. Dalton's debut gave the film-makers the opportunity to steer the character back to Fleming's vision of bare knuckles and high living. And Dalton, being a proper actor, played the role as written: hard, violent, mean.

Like Moore, Brosnan had once lost the role to the previous fellow and was best known for his television work. But Brosnan had glamour, there was no denying it. And he had the look and the wit and even the acting chops.

The public at large deemed him a perfect Bond. His first three outings-Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies andThe World Is Not Enough-all grossed US$350 million worldwide, the most in the history of the series. Brosnan's chief strength is his ability to play straight and wink at the same time-in this capacity he is arguably the best Bond of all.

参考译文

他永远不老：他从来不会受重伤；他总是花天酒地，追逐美女；若非最好的汽车、衣服、酒店和武器，他都不屑一顾；他总是一刻不停地拯救世界，使其免遭灾难。

[l]007当然是经济上的雄狮。在美国，发行007系列影片的米高梅/联美公司实际上就是为了这个原因才继续经营的。8月底，华尔街的分析师提高了对该公司股价的估值，[2]其依据仅仅是因为看过了下一部007影片片花，而影片要到ll月底才正式公映。

但是，使007系列不断延续的不单单只是钱（大把大把的钱）。虽然看起来他像是凝固在时间里，但实际上007已经发生了许多细微的改变，这些改变是由扮演这个角色的不同演员以及该系列电影与真实世界的文化、政治的相互关系引起的。

或许是因为摩尔要比首位007演员康纳利年长得多，或许是因为007系列电影不是那么依赖007这个角色有什么新本事，而是依赖于发生在他身边的各种事件。摩尔总是有点拒人于门外，他显然对自己很满意，像是等待加冕的选美皇后或游戏节目胜出的参赛选手一样。

[3]下一位扮演007的是一位真正的演员，他就是提摩西·达尔顿，一个非常英俊的莎士比亚戏剧演员。[4]达尔顿的初次演出就让制片人有机会按照弗莱明设想的那样塑造出一个气势汹汹、生活奢华的人物形象。达尔顿的确是位合适的演员，他按照剧本所要求的那样扮演角色：坚韧、暴烈而又无情。

[5]和摩尔一样，布鲁斯南也曾一度失去扮演007角色的机会，把当让给了前一位007扮演者。布鲁斯南以其电视作品最为著名。他有魅力，这是不可否认的。他形象好，有才智，也有演技。

公众一般认为他是最好的007演员。他的前三部作品——《黄金眼》、《择日再死》和《明日帝国》——都获得了3.5亿美元的全球票房，是007系列影片获得的最高票房纪录。布鲁斯南的最大长处在于他能够在常规的表演同时又出人意料——凭借这种才能，他当之无愧地被评为最好的007。

测试题

1.It is indicated that MGM/UA stays in business simply for________________ purpose.

2.The next Bond film is expected to be put on in the cinemas in__________________________.

3.Before he was chosen to act as Bond, Timothy Dalton used to play parts in______________________.

4.Fleming originally described Bond as a secret agent of____________________________.

5.Brosnan's first chance to play Bond was lost to another actor whose name is__________________.

答案详解

1.[economic]
[定位]第2段开头两句。

解析：第2段第2句表明MOM/UA持续经营的原因是for that sole purpose，而由首句中提到的an economic lion可推断此处这个“目的”是指“经济方面的”目的，因此economic为本题答案。

2.[late November]
[定位]第2段末句。

解析：根据题干可以推断本题要求查找下一部007电影上映的时间或地点，原文只有第2段末句提到了the next Bond film，该句句末的定语从句说明了其公演的时，可见late November为本题答案。

3.[Shakespearean plays]
[定位]第5段首句。

解析：从第5段首句中的actual actor和Shakespearean actor可以推断Timothy Dalton在扮演007之前是一个职业演员，而且专演“莎士比亚剧”，故Shakespearean plays就是本题答案。

4.[bare knuckles and high living]
[定位]第5段第2句。

解析：空白处为名词（词组）。原文该句中的steer the character back to...描述的就是Fleming理想中的007形象，而本题要求查找的正是描述007形象的词语，因此该句中的bare knuckles and high living为本题答案。

5.[Timothy Dalton]
[定位]倒数第2段首句。

解析：本文介绍007演员时是按他们扮演007的先后顺序的，第4段提到最早的是Connery，然后是Moore，第五段提到接着是Timothy Dalton，最后两段提到Brosnan。由此可见，Brosnan之前是Timothy Dalton，而这正是倒数第2段首句中previous fellow的所指，故本题答案应为Timothy Dalton。