STEVE EMBER: And I'm Steve Ember with People In America in VOA Special English. Today we remember the singer and actress Lena Horne. During her sixty-year career performing, Lena Horne entertained people with her beauty and rich, emotional voice. She used her fame to fight social injustices toward African-Americans.
Lena Horne was born in New York. At sixteen, Lena became a dancer at the famous club in New York City in 1933. After taking voice lessons, she soon became a singer. In 1940, Lena Horne became the first African-American to perform with an all-white jazz hand. After performing at a club in Hollywood, California, she caught the attention of filmmakers. She soon began making movies. Her films became very popular. In the 1940s, Lena Horne was the first African-American in Hollywood to sing a long -term contract with a major movie studio. Her deal with MGM stated that she would never play the role of a servant. She refused to play roles that represented African-Americans disrespectfully.
Lena Horne once said that World War II helped make her a star. She was popular with both black and white soldiers. She sang on army radio programs and traveled to perform for the troops. These experiences led to Lena Horne's work in the civil rights movement.
Lena Horne sang at rights gatherings. She took part in the march on Washington protest in 1963. It was during this event that Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech. She protested racial separation at the hotels where she performed. She took action so that she and her musicians would be allowed to stay in those hotels. B1ack musicians at the time generally stayed in black neighborhoods.
At the age of eighty, she said she did not have to act like a white woman that Hollywood hoped she would become. She said: "I'm me, and I'm like nobody else."
Lena Horne died in New York in 2010.
How old was Lena Horne when she died?
A.93 years old. | B.98 years old. |
C.86 years old. | D.88 years old. |
We can infer from the passage that_____
A.black women were forbidden to perform in the film in the 1940s |
B.Lena Horne didn't make any films in the 1960s |
C.Lena Horne liked staying at hotel very much |
D.black actresses often played roles of servants in the film in the 1940s |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Lena Home became the first African-American in Hollywood in her forties. |
B.Dena Horne was a friend of Martin Luther King. |
C.Lena Horne was involved in civil rights activities in the 1960s. |
D.Lena Horne took an active part in sports activities. |
This text is developed
A.by space | B.by time |
C.by process | D.by comparison |
Chinese media and Internet users on Monday condemned a lack of morals in society after a toddler was struck twice by two different vans and left bleeding on the road as more than a dozen bystanders did nothing to help the seriously injured girl.
The incident, captured by a surveillance camera and aired by Southern Television Guangdong (TVS), showed the two-year-old girl was knocked down and run over by a white van on a narrow market street on the afternoon of Oct. 13, in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.
The driver fled the scene of the accident, leaving the girl to bleed on the sidewalk. Over the next six minutes, more than a dozen people walked by the girl, yet not one individual did anything to help her. The girl was then hit a second time by another van before an elderly trash collector came to her aid and brought the attention of the girl’s mother, according to the video and eyewitnesses.
Doctors said that the girl, who was put on life support after being hospitalized, remains in a deep coma. The girl's parents, who are migrants living in the city, are now with her.
Police said the drivers of both vehicles have been arrested. However, the apathy of the bystanders shown in the video has shocked the public, as Internet forums have seethed with anger, and people are questioning the morality of society.
High moral standards were once triumphed as national pride in China where individuals known for selflessly helping others were adored by the public.
But in recent years, the perception of a decline of morals has become a hot topic as profit and materialism are perceived to be affecting society’s values.
On Sept. 2. an 88-year-old man in central China collapsed, his face striking the pavement. Yet, no one came to his aid, and he ended up choking to death on the blood from his nose.
Some have linked the absence of good models to a previous case in which a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her.
A strong chorus of opinion on the Internet says laws should exempt(免除)models from responsibility, yet laws themselves cannot solve society’s morality dilemma.
Cao Lin, a China Youth Daily commentator, said in a signed article published on Monday that the worry of responsibility should not be an excuse for not helping, and this case exposes the decline of humanity in Chinese society.
.From the passage, what would happen if someone helped others selflessly in the past?
A.The public would feel proud of him/ her and showed love and respect for him/ her |
B.He/she would be awarded by the government. |
C.He/she would be condemned by the public. |
D.He/she would have to worry about liability. |
Which of the following is TRUE about this passage?
A.Nobody helped the girl who was struck twice by two different vans. |
B.High moral standards were once regarded as national pride in China. |
C.The toddler died immediately after she was hit a second time. |
D.Journalists from TVS captured the incident by using a camera. |
In recent years, society’s values is believed to be affected by________ .
A.people’s perceptions | B.the apathy of bystanders |
C.profit and materialism | D.the morals of society |
According to Cao Lin, what is the fundamental reason for not helping the girl?
A.The worry of responsibility. |
B.Lack of laws that exempt role models from responsibility. |
C.The other two cases mentioned in the article--the case of an 88-year-old man and the case where a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her. |
D.The decline of humanity in society. |
Where is the article probably taken from?
A.A news report. | B.A fashion magazine. |
C.A science fiction. | D.An education column. |
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