When the film opens, the Oakland A's have just lost a game to the New York Yankees. And they're about to lose three of their best players to richer teams. Beane is sad, because he doesn't have enough money to compete with the big teams. But then he meets Peter Brand, a young Yale graduate and statistics expert.  Brand introduces Beane to sabermetrics---a controversial system for measuring how good a baseball player is. It applies computer-generated(  )statistical analysis to work out a player's ability. It's completely different from the more traditional methods of talent spotting that all the other teams are using. With sabermetrics, Beane begins buying players other teams aren't interested in. And he manages to build a winning team with very little money.  Monayball is based on a true story, but characters have combined, dates have been changed and some events have been invented all for dramatic effect. For example, Peter Brand, Beane's assistant, never existed. However, he is largely based on Beane's former assistant Paul DePodesta. Though there are these changes, critics think that Brad Pitt's portrayal  of Beane is  _  One journalist wrote, " Pitt imitates Beane's gestures and speech patterns." Beane's use of sabermetrics changed baseball. Now many teams rely on the method. But this form of complex computer-generated statistical analysis is used in business too. And these days, many businesses use sabermetrics to help plan their business strategies. But Moneyballisn't just about facts and figures. Billy Beane himself was once a major-league baseball player. At the start of his career people expected big things from him. But he didn't achieve what is expected of him and in 1990 he retired with an average record. This past failure always returns to his mind, and the film is also about whether Beane will finally achieve success in his life. The critics love Moneyball. One called it " the most soulful of baseball movies", another described it as a " home run". And most agree it's on track for some major awards. In the film Moneyball, Beane  _  . A) is interested in competition B) is good at statistical analysis C) is in charge of the Oakland A's D) is the leading player of his team
C


There is one holiday in the year which is completely American, Thanksgiving Day. It is the day when everyone goes back home to spend the day with his family, to have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner of roast turkey, to talk about old times. This is a story of Thanksgiving Day and of one man's efforts, under rather special circumstances, to carry on these traditions. Old Pete took his seat this day on his usual bench in Union Square. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, Pete had taken this same seat exactly at one o'clock, and each time the same pleasant thing had happened. But this time Pete had come here more from habit than from hunger. Certainly today Pete was not hungry. He had just had a dinner so enormous that he could hardly breathe. The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst. He was so full of soup, oysters, roast turkey, apple pie, ice cream, and a dozen other rich foods that the November breeze and the first light fall of snow felt cool and pleasant to his face. The meal had been completely unexpected. He had been passing one of the large homes on Fifth Avenue, where there lived two rich old ladies. It seems that it was their custom each Thanksgiving to place a servant at the front entrance with orders to bring in the first hungry looking person that passed and then give him a Thanksgiving dinner of everything he could eat. On this particular Thanksgiving Day, Pete had passed, the servant had brought him in, and, before Pete knew it, he was being served like a king with more food than he could eat. Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move. He happened to look to the left and there in the distance he saw the Old Gentleman coming toward him. He wanted to get up and run, but he was so full of food that he stayed right there. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, the Old Gentleman had come here, and found Pete on this same bench, and then taken him to a restaurant and bought him a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a kind of tradition which the Old Gentleman, who had no family and... This year Old Pete came to the Union Square because   _  . A) he was hungry and expected to find some food B) he had nowhere to go on the Thanksgiving Day C) he wanted to meet the Old Gentleman and check his health D) it was a convention for him to accept the Old Gentleman's dinner
D


(Question)
The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research,conversations about class,and many other services. Compared with Chinese libraries,college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time. In addition to borrowing books,there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material,such as LexisNexis Academic,which offers items from newspapers and magazines. Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently,some libraries provide audio and video recordings,maps and sheet music .At some schools,teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students. Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the student's college library,which gets the book,gives it to the user,and arranges for its return. Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information. Earlier this year,Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service,allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an email with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days. It used to be that libraries didn't allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a cafe so students can spend as much time as they want in the library. Actually,some US university libraries are now allnight affairs,or have at least one study room open all night. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A) Chinese library services are better than western ones. B) Library staff play an important role in college library service. C) Postgraduates can post their own PPTs on the library website. D) 24hour services are adopted in all western libraries nowadays.
(Answer)

B