Flicks to check out

Le Havre (2011)

Time: Oct.21, 23-25

Venue: China National Film Museum

Price: 40 yuan

    Le Havre is a comedy-drama. It centers on a shoeshiner who takes pity on an immigrant child in the French port city Le Havre. He tries to save him by inviting him to his home. The film premiered(初次公演) in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it received the FIPRESCI Prize.

Mia et le Migou (2008)

Time: Oct. 29

Venue: China Film Archive

Price: to be announced

    Also known as Mia and the Migoo, this animated film describes the adventure of a young girl named Mia. Motivated by a premonition(预兆), Mia sets out on a journey across mountains and jungles to search for her father. The film won the European Film Award for Best Animated Feature. Director Jacques-Remy Girerd will also show up at China Film Archive.

Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902)

Time: Oct. 22, 24-25

Venue: China National Film Museum

Price: 20 yuan

    Also known as A Trip to the Moon, this silent movie was inspired by the French novels From the Earth to the Moon and Around the Moon, by Jules Verne. It follows a group of astronomers who travel to the moon and explore it. They meet lunar inhabitants and capture one before returning to Earth.

    Find schedule and ticket information about the French movie panorama at http://www. gewara.com/

    The China Film Archive will also present a short lecture before each French movie on how to understand it.

    I grew up in a troubled home in the 1970s, on the outskirts of downtown Orlando, Florida. Not far away, a three-story house attracted my eyes.

    It was nothing like the one I lived in with my mother, a small dark place with rules about befriending others. “Don't. Never, ever talk to anyone,” my mother said.

    One day, in sixth grade, a black-haired woman was introduced to our class: Mrs. Reese. Reese explained that she was starting Spanish Club. She invited anyone interested in learning Spanish language and culture to stay after school.

    I could not take my eyes off her bracelets(手镯) and shining rings. The bell rang, and to my shock, no one went up to Mrs. Reese. I was under strict orders to go straight home. But that day, I stayed. I asked Mrs. Reese when the club started.

    “We could begin right now if you like,” she said with a smile. I felt beautiful. That day I learned that the house of my dreams was her house. I learned how to answer questions about my age and my favorite food in Spanish. And I learned, “Do you want to come over tomorrow for cooking lessons?”

    I wanted to say “Yes”, but Mom's words held me back.

I begged my mother all summer and into fall, well after Spanish Club had dissolved. I wept at night sometimes, so worried that Mrs. Reese and her family would move away.

    At some point, I managed to wear my mother down and one Saturday afternoon. I rode out to Mrs. Reese's house.

    The details of that afternoon are marked in my mind: We had tea. She painted my toenails red. We made a garlicky picadillo. We spoke in Spanish. In Spanish, my voice was loud and romantic. This is the real me! I remember thinking.

    My mother never permitted me another visit to Mrs. Reese's house. But four decades later, I still remember that day and the life she showed me, proof of a possible future.

    I was asked in an e­mail about learning idioms in a foreign language. Maybe I am different from most people，but I do not bother with them. To me they are kind of dessert of language learning. They come at the end of a meal. Once you have filled up with the key words and phrases that are used in a variety of situations，then you can add a few idioms. And by that time, you will be able to pick them up naturally anyway.

    I find that many learners have trouble with idioms，as if repeating some very colloquial expressions is going to upgrade how they sound in a language. In fact, it is the opposite. Idioms are difficult to use correctly.

    Yes，occasionally you hear idioms and do not understand. But，in my experience，there are always situations where you do not understand. It is best to focus on the most important words，what they mean and how they are used. Certainly，it is best for a non­native speaker to stick to standard speech.

    Some teachers even try to teach the “real language”．Then you hear non­native speakers saying things like “I goanna”, “You wane” etc.

    You will learn all the idioms you need just by exposing yourself to the language. In general，you can save any phrase that you find interesting，and if that includes idioms，go to it. But I would not make any special effort to go after idioms. I，in fact，avoid them. If I come across something in Russian that strikes me as a particularly idiomatic use of words，I just leave it aside; do not even bother trying to learn it. If it keeps on appearing，then I will learn it.

阅读短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

    First aid is emergency care for a victim of sudden illness or injury until more skillful medical treatment is available. It may save a life or improve certain vital signs including pulse, temperature，a clear airway(气道), and breathing. In minor emergencies，first aid may prevent a victim's condition from turning worse and provide relief from pain. First aid must be   administered as quickly as possible. In the case of the Critically injured, a few minutes can make a difference between complete recovery and loss of life.

    First­aid measures depend upon a victim's needs and the provider's level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, for example，can lead to permanent spinal (脊柱的) injury and  paralysis (瘫痪)．

    Despite the variety of injuries possible, several principles of first aid apply to all emergencies. The first step is to call for professional medical help. The victim, if conscious（有意识的）, should be reassured that medical aid has been requested，and asked for permission to provide any first aid.  Next，assess the scene, asking other people or the injured  person's family or friends about details of the injury or illness，any care that may have already been given, and preexisting conditions such as diabetes (糖尿病) or heart trouble. The victim should be checked for a medical bracelet (手镯) or card that describes special medical conditions. Unless the accident scene becomes unsafe or the victim may suffer further injury，do not move the victim.

    First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life­threatening conditions exist. One method for evaluating a victim's condition is known by the acronym(首字母缩写词)ABC，which stands for：

    A—Airway: Is it open and clear?

    B—Breathing: Is the person breathing? Look, listen, and feel for breathing.

    C—Circulation: Is there a pulse? Is the person bleeding externally? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems.

    From 100 years of Bauhaus to 350 years since Rembrandt's death, a host of landmark art events and exhibitions are open around Europe this year.

    John Ruskin 200th England

    This year is also the bicentenary (200周年纪念) of the birth of John Ruskin, the art critic, writer and reformer. There are exhibitions throughout the year at Brantwood, his former home in Cumbria, on topics from his clothes to his interest in geology and his legacy in Japan. On Ruskin's birthday, 8 February, there is a free public lecture on his love of trees at Oxford University Museum of Natural History and an evening of readings and music at the Royal Academy, London.

    Rembrandt 350th The Netherlands

    It is 350 years since the death of Rembrandt van Rijn. There is a year-long programme of events in nine Dutch cities, focusing on Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age. In Amsterdam, the Rijks Museum (15 Feb-10 June) will display all of its 22 paintings, 60 drawings and 300 engravings – the biggest Rembrandt collection ever seen in a single exhibition.

    Bauhaus 100th Germany

    Germany is celebrating the centenary of Bauhaus, the revolutionary art school founded by Walter Gropius in 1919. The opening festival is already under way at the Berlin Academy of Arts, with a programme of concerts, plays and virtual reality installations (until Thursday 24 Jan). But visitors are encouraged to explore beyond the capital throughout the year on a self-guided road trip.

    Renoir 100th France

    August Renoir died 100 years ago in December. The Eau et Lumière Association, which has created 12 "Impressionisms Routes" linking sites that inspired 12 European impressionist painters, has declared 2019 to be Renoir Year. It hopes to attract more art lovers to attractions on the Renoir Route—visitors to Paris could try the Museum of Montmartre and Renoir Gardens, where he once lived, or the Musée de la Grenouillère in nearby Croissy-sur-Seine, where he painted river scenes.