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When it was first released in the US 20 years ago, The Shawshank Redemption(肖申克的救赎)only opened at No 9 at the box office. Though it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, the movie failed to win any.

But that was then. Since 2008, The Shawshank Redemption has been at the top of IMDb’s Top 250 films as voted on by users.

So, how did the movie become such a lasting classic (经典)?

It tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Prison for murdering two people despite his claims that he is innocent (无辜的). During his time at the prison, he befriends fellow inmate Ellis Redding. But the ugly realities of prison life are quickly introduced to Dufresne.

“ Most viewers are going to identify very well with Andy,” said the Examiner website. “In today’s modern world, as things get more and more unfeeling than ever, we face our own battles of isolation (隔离) … and misplaced blame on a daily basis.”

But the goal of The Shawshank Redemption is not to focus on the hopelessness of the world we live in, but to show the viewers that with strength and patience, “hope, and the preservation (维护) of that hope, is a good thing, maybe the best of things”, as Dufresne told Redding.

The movie is “like a friend in the sitting-room, who talked to you and picked you up when you were down”, wrote The Guardian.

For American actor Tim Robbins who played Dufresne, the true magic of The Shawshank Redemption lies in the fact that “it’s a film in which you actually see a relationship between two men which isn’t based on car chases, or scoring some women, but a sort of love which goes deeper than just friendship,” Robbins, 56, told The Guardian.

1. What can we learn about the movie The Shawshank Redemption from the first two paragraphs?

A. The movie won seven Academy Awards.

B. The movie was a great hit at the box office when it first came out.

C. The movie presents the struggles of many ordinary American people.

D. The movie is considered as one of the best ever by movie fans today.

2. According to the article, the success of The Shawshank Redemption mainly lies in ______.

A. its focus on the hopelessness of human life

B. its display of the power of will and patience

C. its breathtaking murder plots

D. its honest description of the ugly realities of prison life

3. Which of the following topics are covered in the movie The Shawshank Redemption according to the article?

a. the true meaning of friendship

b. misunderstandings and injustice

c. the struggle against loneliness

d. chases for cars and women

e. coldness and indifference in society

A. abde

B. abcd

C. abce

D. bcde

A million people on Mars within 100 years. This is the brave vision (展望) of Elon Musk, the founder of the space technology company SpaceX.

“We need to be laser-focused (全神贯注的) on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That’s the next step,”he said in a recent interview with Aeon magazine. Musk expects to see about 80,000 people living on Mars by 2040.

It’s all about protecting the human race from extinction, according to Musk.

The Earth has always been a ticking (滴答作响的) time bomb. As the sun begins to die, it will grow bigger, becoming what is known as a Red Giant. In 500 million years, the sun will have become large enough to kill off any plant and animal life on Earth, according to US scientist Edward Guinan. In a billion years, the Earth will have become a hot planet with little or no water.

The brave dream of getting the human race to Mars is not only Musk’s; others have made plans, too.

A Dutch entrepreneur set up the Mars One foundation in 2011, hoping to be the first project to put humans on Mars. It received over 200,000 applications to become part of the first group of astronauts to go there. According to Mars One, “human settlement (定居) on Mars is possible with existing technologies.”

Water, food, energy, and oxygen are needed for life anywhere. According to Mars One, water that was still in the Martian soil would be boiled and taken out.

By using a process called “electrolysis”, astronauts could split (分离) water into hydrogen (氢气) and oxygen for breathing. Astronauts on the International Space Station have already done similar things.

Food can also be grown in space. Certain plants such as lettuce and onions can be grown using LED light for different color spectrums (光谱) and much less heat. NASA has been researching this to prepare for visiting Mars.

But how will people get there?

The Mars One project plans to use SpaceX’s Dragon capsule as part of its mission. But it is rumored (传闻) that Musk already has a design in mind for a giant spaceship. He calls it the Mars Colonial Transporter.