(R=Reporter；S=Sadie Caddock)

R: What is the best part about your job as an animator (动画片制作者)?

S: I love to be able to bring a character to life. If I can imagine it, I can make it happen on the screen. It's a great feeling.

R: What was your favourite project?

S: My favourite project was a movie called It's a Zoo Out There. Unlike commercials (广告) and TV shows, a movie is longer and usually lets you explore the characters and story. For It's a Zoo Out There, I worked with a fun team of animators to create more than thirty animal characters. It was really an interesting experience.

R: How long does it take you to finish a project?

S: Well, it depends (看情况). It might take me a week to finish my part of a short commercial. As for a movie, one year may be not enough. It also depends on whether (或者) I'm drawing by hand or using a computer. Computers make the work go much faster. However, I sometimes find that drawing by hand is more creative.

R: Do you have any plans in the near future?

S: I will take a long holiday. I plan to visit some other countries. After that, I will keep working hard. I hope to make more animated movies!

If you want to travel from Xi'an to Chengdu by train, it will take about 16 hours. But starting this month, the new Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway will shorten this travel time to three hours.

The 643-kilometer line is China's first high-speed railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which form a natural boundary (分界线) between China's north and south. With a speed of 250 km per hour, it's also the first mountain-heavy train line to provide a 4G network.

Along the way, the train passes through two areas for rare wild (稀有野生) animals – one for pandas and the other for crested ibises (朱鹮).

To reduce the railway's influence on the animals, workers and experts (专家) have designed and built the railway to be environmentally friendly (有利于环保).

To avoid disturbing (打扰) the pandas, the railway was designed to run through tunnels (隧道) within the area. Protective shields (防护屏) are placed near the entrance of each tunnel to stop animals from going in.

To protect the thousands of crested ibises that fly near one part of the railway, protective nets (防护网) have been set up along the tracks to make sure the birds will not fly into a train.

The nets are about 32 km long and 4 meters high. Experts tested different shapes and materials for building the nets before making their final choice.

As soon as the reporters know what to write about, they get down to work. They telephone people and fix a time for a face-to-face interview with them. Sometimes they do telephone interviews. Checking information is very important. They go to the newspaper’s own library to look up any information that they need. This is called “doing one’s homework.”

At the same time, the picture editor decides which photographs will be used for the next day’s paper. All the people who work on a newspaper must be able to work fast. Reporters have to stop working on one story and start working at once on the important new one. They must find out the new information as quickly as possible. Later in the day, everything is put together at the new desk. Reporters return, type their stories into the computer and hand them to the editor.

The chief editor decides which will be the most important story on the front page. Sometimes this will have to be changed if something more important happens late in the day. Other editors read the stories which the reporters have written and make any necessary changes.

Finally, there is no more time left for adding new stories, and the time for printing the newspaper has come. This is done on fast-moving printing machines. The newspapers are then delivered (发送) by truck, plane or rail. Speed is important. People want to buy the latest newspaper; nobody wants to buy yesterday’s.

a. writing stories

b. doing interviews

c. joining in a discussion

d. doing homework

e. handing stories to the editor

The United States and Great Britain took the war on Iraq (伊拉克) in late March, 2003.   (1)  over twenty days American soldiers were in Baghdad (巴格达市), the  (2)  of Iraq. They ended the government (政府) of Saddam.   (3)   Iraqis died in the war. Saddam was   (4)  at first. No one knew  (5)  he’s dead or alive.

In some parts of the city there was no light because of the war. Some oil wells (油井) were set on fire. Now the Iraqis need food, water and  (6)  . Many soldiers and people who were hurt in the war need medical care. People also need

   (7)  to find their family members.

    After the war, some Iraqis broke into Saddam’s palace, government buildings, and stores. They  (8)  many things from Iraqi Museums. Many Iraqis are angry that the U.S. soldiers didn’t stop the robbers (抢劫者). So far there is  (9)  no government of Iraqis.

The reason for American soldiers taking the war is that they are  (10)  ​ weapons of mess destruction (大规模杀伤性武器). But by June 6th, 2003 they hadn’t found any at all.

Have you ever been to Dubai? If you go to Dubai during this summer holiday, you may see a(an)   (1)  kind of“taxi”. It is a drone(无人机). It flies in the sky by   (2)  ! It is said that Dubai plans to use Chinese-made drones as a self-flying air taxi in July.

The drone taxi is named EHang 184. A(An)   (3)  company made it. The city of Dubai will start using it in July. It will be the world’s   (4)  passenger(载客) drone, according to Yahoo News.

The drone taxi can fly up to 3,500 meters   (5)  . It can fly at a top   (6)  of 160 km/h. It can only take one person.

How do you call an EHang 184? You use its app on your phone. When the   (7)  comes, you choose the place you want to go to on a touch screen. There is no pilot(飞行员) in the drone. But some people on the ground will be   (8)  it. They will make sure your   (9)  is safe.

EHang 184’s battery(电池) can only last about 30   (10)  . So it cannot take you farther than 50 km.

Would you like to take a trip in this flying drone?