Hungry For a Win
A victor is, by definition, someone who wins a struggle or contest. However, that doesn’t mean he or she will live a proud and happy life ever after, as Katniss Everdeen is about to discover in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Catching Fire, out in Chinese theaters on Nov 21, is set in a futuristic society called Panem. Every year its government holds a televised fight to the death. Two teenagers from each of the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to compete.
In the new film, last year’s victors Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her partner Peeta are back home after winning the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss just wants to live a normal life. However, that never seems to happen. She has nightmares, which remind her that she is a killer.
Her worst nightmare comes true when the annual Hunger Games arrive again. The teenager finds herself back in the competition along with Peeta. Since Katniss brings hope to Panem through her courage, President Snow plans to use this year’s Games to kill off Katniss and Peeta and in turn dampen the fires of rebellion.
“This is the next step of Katniss’ heroism and the next part of her journey to finding out who she is really going to be,” Lawrence told Reuters.
Fast-paced and full of action, Catching Fire looks to outdo the success that the first film had in 2012. With a 97 percent rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, it is enjoying positive reviews. Critics have praised it for being faithful to the book written by American author Suzanne Collins. The Hollywood Reporter said that Catching Fire outshines the first movie a lot.
Jennifer Lawrence, who won a best actress Oscar this year for her 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook, has helped Catching Fire find success, Forbes pointed out. The 23-year-old actress does well playing a young lady who hates what she was forced to do to stay alive yet is determined not to give up.
“Lawrence’s down-to-earth personality in real life won the hearts of the public. So given a wildly popular first film that blew everyone away, a rising fan base and a lead performer beloved by the mainstream press and viewers, the sequel(续集) was always going to be big,” Forbes noted.
63. The underlined word “dampen” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “_______”.
A. hold B. light C. reduce D. support
64. Which of the following is TRUE about the film’s story according to the article?
A. Every year 12 teenagers in total are chosen to join in the televised fight.
B. Despite having won the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss doesn’t feel much joy.
C. Katniss and Peeta are chosen once again to make the TV show more appealing.
D. Jennifer Lawrence won a best actress Oscar this year for the first Hunger Games movie.
65. What are some reasons why Catching Fire will probably be successful?
a. The previous film was successful.
b. It is true to the original book’s story.
c. Most of the reviews of the movie are positive.
d. It has many famous stars in addition to Jennifer Lawrence.
A. abc B. abd C. acd D. bcd
66. After reading the passage, we can infer that _______.
A. President Snow thinks highly of Katniss and Peeta’s victory
B. Katniss decides to fight in the 75th Hunger Games because she loves it
C. Critics hold a negative attitude to the first movie of Hunger Games
D. The personality of the leading actress contributes to the success of Catching Fire