It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable， others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone National Park ends up in flames．
Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012．He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)
“There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added．
According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar．
“Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history，speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added.
小题1:What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?
A．Aliens．
B．The human race．
C．Climate change．
D．A killer disease．小题2:What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
A．Making sth. stronger．．
B．Putting gas into a car．
C．Producing power or heat．
D．Burning小题3:Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
A．A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park．
B．All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012．
C． The old Mayan story says that the world will end in
D．Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation小题4:Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
A．Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future．
B．Because aliens often threaten the human race．
C．Because killer diseases happen at times．
D． Because the old Mayan story says that the world will
