【正文】 brarian and eventual executive director, Margaret Herrick, thought the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar and said so, and that as a result the Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar. No hard evidence exists to support that tale, but in any case, by the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the name in his column in reference to Katharine Hepburn39。s first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didn39。t use the nickname officially until 1939. Since its conception, the Oscar statuette has met exacting uniform standards with a few notable exceptions. In the 1930s, juvenile players received miniature replicas* of the statuette。 a ventriloquist* Edgar Bergen was presented with a wooden statuette with a moveable mouth。 and Walt Disney was honored with one fullsize and seven miniature statuettes on behalf of his animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Between 1942 and 1944, in support of the war effort, Oscars were made of plaster. After the War, winners turned in the temporary awards for golden Oscar statuettes. The traditional Oscar statuette, however, hasn39。t changed since the 1940s, when the base was made higher. In 1945, the base was changed from marble to metal and in 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with No. 501. Approximately 50 Oscars are made each year in Chicago by the manufacturer, R. S. Owens. If they don39。t meet strict quality control standards, the statuettes are immediately cut in half and melted down. Each award is individually packed into a Styrofoam container slightly largerthan a shoebox. Eight of these are then packed into a larger cardboard box, and the large boxes are shipped to the Academy offices in Beverly Hills via air express, with no identifiable markings. On March 10, 2000, 55 Academy Awards mysteriously vanished en route from the Windy City* to the City of Angels. Nine days later, 52 of stolen statuettes were discovered next to a Dumpster* in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles by Willie Fulgear, who was later invited by the Academy to attend the Oscar 2000 ceremonies as a special guest. For eight decades, the Oscars have survived war, weathered earthquakes, and even managed to escape unscathed* from mon thieves. Since 1995, however, R. S. Owens has repaired more than 160 statuettes. Maybe somebody used chemicals on them to polish them and the chemicals rubbed right through the lacquer* and into the gold, explains the pany president. Or maybe people stored them someplace where they corroded. Although he stresses that the statuette is made to endure, Siegel offers this sage advice to all Oscar winners: If it gets dusty, simply wipe it with a soft dry cloth. Exercise A Prelistening QuestionEvery January, the attention of the entertainment munity and of film fans around the world turns to the uping Academy Awards, the highest honor in filmmaking. The annual presentation of the Oscars has bee the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences39。 most famous activity. The Oscar Statuette is a knight holding a crusader39。s sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes. Exercise B Sentence Dictation Directions: Listening to some sentences and write them down. You will hear each sentence three times. Exercise C Detailed Listening Directions: Listen to the passage and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Discuss with your classmates why you think the statement is true or false. T 1. There were five original branches of the Academy. (Because the five spokes on the reel of film signify the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians.) F 2. The Academy Award of Merit was officially named Oscar in 1928. (Born in 1928, years would pass before the Academy Award of Merit was officially named Oscar.) T 3. The Academy staff began referring to the Academy statuette as Oscar because Margaret Herrick said the statuette was like her uncle Oscar. (An Academy librarian and eventual executive director, Margaret Herrick, thought the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar and said so, and as a result the Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar.) F 4. Since its conception, the Oscar statuette has met exacting uniform standards. (There were a few notable exceptions. In 1930s, juvenile players received miniature replicas of the statuette and a ventriloquist Edgar Bergen gained a wooden statuette with a moveable mouth. Walt Disney was honored with one fullsize and seven miniature statuettes. ) T 5. Oscars were made of plaster in the 1940s because of the War. (Between 1942 and 1944, in support of the war effort, Oscars were made of plaster.) T 6. The manufacturer, R. S. Owens makes about 50 Oscars each year in Chicago. (Approximately 50 Oscars are made each year in Chicago by the manufacturer, R. S. Owens.) F 7. 55 Academy Awards were stolen by a mysterious person en route from the Windy City to the City of Angels on March 10, 2000. (On March 10,2000,55 Academy Awards just mysteriously vanished en route from the Windy City to the City of Angels, but how and by whom was unknown.) F 8. For eighty years, the Oscars have survived war, weathered earthquakes, managed to escape unscathed from mon thieves and even chemical corrosion. (Since 1995, however, R. S. Owens has repaired more than 160 statuettes. Maybe somebody used chemicals on them to polish them and the chemicals rubbed right through the lacquer and into the gold. )Exercise D Afterlistening Discussion Directions: Listen to the passage again and discuss the following questions. 1. The traditional Oscar statuette hasn39。t changed since the 1940s, when the base was made higher. In 1945, the base was changed from marble to metal and in 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with . 2. (Open) Section ThreeNewsNews Item1BushNATOIraq Mr. Bush says he hopes America39。s NATO alli