No one not even its creators-thought that the world would care about the interwoven(相互交织的)lives, loves and sufferings of a group of attractive and witty New Yorkers. But there’s no doubt that Friends(老友记)has become more than just a successful situation comedy—it has established itself as one of the last great television phenomena of the last century. Along the way, it has made its half-dozen lead actors famous.
Looking back the strong friendship between the group of three men and three women who frequently gather at each other’s apartments and at Greenwich Village’s Central Perk coffee house, Friends was created by television producers, David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 1993, the pair met producer Kevin S. Bright. Then the three became partners and got a deal to produce a new comedy for Warner Brothers. What they came up with was based on Crane and Kauffman’s after-college years, when they hung out at the local coffee house and involved themselves in every aspect of each other’s lives.
It didn’t take long for viewers to make friends with Friends. The sitcom quickly became a top ten hit. Critics loved it as well. Entertainment Weekly said the show operate like a Broadway show, with twisty plots and unique jokes. The television theme song has also been a success with the public. The song’s success helped save the television theme song. An ABC(美国广播公司)executive was ready to order very short music intros(前奏) on his network’s shows, thinking that viewers would hit the remote control as soon as the opening started. But the success of the Friends theme song led the ABC executive to change his mind---remote controls or not, the TV theme song would stay.
Years have gone by, but Friends remains and will remain an example of a modern day US sitcom that is both hugely entertaining television and nothing short o a genuine latter-day social phenomenon.What is stressed in the second paragraph?
| A．The origin of Friends |
| B．The role models of Friends |
| C．The popularity of Friends |
| D．The brilliance of Friends. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Friends?
| A．It has a simple but entertaining plot. |
| B．It is about friendship between college students. |
| C．It was criticized by Entertainment Weekly. |
| D．It first came into being in the 1990. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Producer, Kevin S. Bright, graduated from the same college as David Crane. |
| B．ABC once replaced the theme song of its TV show with a short music intro |
| C．The ABC executive thought highly of the theme song of Friends. |
| D．Marta Kauffman expected Friends to achieve great success. |
What might the author think of Friends?
| A．Its merits outweigh its shortcomings. |
| B．Its success lies in the lack of good sitcoms. |
| C．He/she has a reserved attitude towards its success. |
| D．He/she shows great affection towards it . |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris bus. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in line(排队), others were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe(咖啡馆). he looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, Mike, one of Tom's workmates came in and sat with Tom.
"What time is your bus " asked Mike.
"There's plenty of time yet," answered Tom.
"Well, I'll get you some more tea then," said Mike.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. "Oh! It's going backward(倒行)!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven."
"You're looking at the clock in the mirror." said Mike. Tom was so sad(难过). The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.Tom went into the station cafe because .
| A．Mike asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．it was quite early and he could find a seat there |
| C．he didn't like to stay with the schoolgirls |
| D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there |
What time was it in fact when Tom looked at the clock in the mirror
| A．Half past twelve | B．Twenty to twelve |
| C．Half past eleven | D．Half past one |
From the story we know that when we look at a clock in a mirror, we will find .
| A．the time is right | B．it's going slower |
| C．it's going backward | D．it's going faster |
Which of the following is true？
| A．Tom arrived in Paris on time |
| B．The next bus would leave in half an hour |
| C．After that Tom didn't like clocks any longer |
| D．Tom looked at the clock in the mirror only once |
Which of the following is the title(题目) of the story
| A．The Mirror of the Station | B．Not A Careful Man |
| C．Missing A Bus | D．The Clock In The Mirror |
On Nov.18th,1908,three men went up in a balloon(气球).They started early in London. The headman was Auguste Gaudron,and the other two men were Tannar and Maitland. They had a big balloon and they were ready for a long way.
Soon they heard the sea. They were carrying the usual rope(绳子),and it was hanging down from the basket of the balloon. At the end of the rope they had tied a metal box. This could hold water, or it could be empty. So they were able to change its weight(重量).It was for use over the sea. They were also carrying some bags of sand.
After the sun rose, the balloon went higher. It went up to 3,000 metes, and the air was very cold. The water in the balloon became ice. Snow fell past the men's basket, and they could see more snow on the ground. The men tried to throw out some more sand; but it was hard. They tried to break the icy sand with their knives, but it was not easy. The work was slow and they were still falling, so they had to drop some whole bags of sand. One of them fell on an icy lake and made a black hole in the ice.
At last they pulled the box into the basket. It was still snowing; so they climbed to get away from the snow. They rose to 5,100 meters! Everything became icy. They were so cold that they decided to land. They came down in Poland heavily but safely. They had traveled 1,797 kilometers from London!Three men flew in balloon ________.
| A．for nearly 1,800 kilometers | B．to another city |
| C．to visit Poland | D．more than a century ago |
The metal box was used for ________.
| A．carrying the bags of sand | B．keeping drinking-water |
| C．carrying ropes of the basket | D．changing weight |
When the balloon went up higher,________.
| A．the temperature of the balloon began to fall |
| B．They saw the sun go down |
| C．They made a hole in the basket with their knives |
| D．They could see a black hole on the ground |
The balloon landed ________.
| A．in London | B．on the sea | C．on a lake | D．in a foreign country |
Which of the following is NOT true ________
A The three men started their journey before the sun rose.
B. The balloon began to go up when they threw bags of sand out of the basket.
C. When they pulled the box into the basket, the balloon began to climb up.
D. The three men had to land because they felt cold.
Edward Wilson is America’s, if not the world’s, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a tour of the world’s natural resources(资源). How are they used? What has been lost? What remains and is it able to continue with the present speed of use? Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the biodiversity(生物多样性)of our earth.
Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in environment (环境) protection, Henry David Thoreau. He compares today’s Walden Pond with that of Thoreau’s day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest of the book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the years. Can the earth, with human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels that will be able to support us in the future?
Biodiversity, Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even our agricultural crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species(物种) are the basis of our food supply, of which but twenty carry the load. Wilson suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that could be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes of plants and animals to enlarge farming areas.
At the end of the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the environment. If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and act on the ideas in this book. We learn form the text that Wilson cares most about ______
| A．the environment for plants | B．the biodiversity of our earth |
| C．the wastes of natural resources | D．the importance of human values |
How many species are most important to our present food supply?
| A．Twenty. | B．Eighty. | C．One hundred | D．Ten thousand. |
Wilson suggests that one way to keep biodiversity is to _______.
| A．learn how to farm scientifically |
| B．build homes for some dying species |
| C．make it clear what to eat |
| D．use more species for food |
We can infer that the text is _______
| A．a description of natural resources |
| B．a research report |
| C．a book review |
| D．an introduction to a scientist. |
Edward Wilson is _______
| A．a pioneer in environment protection |
| B．an American scientist in environment protection |
| C．a world-famous scientist in Asia |
| D．a well-known expert in nature in U.S.A |
“In my country, men usually go to restaurants on their own. They always take their shoes off before they go in. Then they usually sit on the floor around a small, low table. In the evening they often sing songs.”
“You usually take chocolates or flowers. But you always take an odd number of flowers, and you remove the paper before you give them to the hostess. You can also send flowers before you arrive. you don’t usually take wine except when you visit very close friends.”
“We always offer our guests something to drink when they arrive, tea, coffee or perhaps water or soft drinks. We think it is polite to accept a drink even if you’re not thirsty. If you visit someone you always stay for a few drinks. When you have had enough to drink, you tap your cup or put your hand over it. If you say no, your host will insist that you have more to drink.”
“People’s private lives are very important so they never ask you personal questions about your family or where you live or your job. They never talk about religion or matters of finance, education or politics, but usually stay with safe subjects like the weather, films, plays, books and restaurants.”
“It’s difficult to know when to leave, but an evening meal usually lasts about three or four hours. When the host serves coffee, this is sometimes a sign that the evening is nearly over, but you can have as much coffee as you want.”
“If the invitation says eight o’clock then we arrive exactly at eight. With friends we know well, we sometimes arrive about fifteen minutes before.”
“Obviously it depends on the occasion, but most dinner parties are informal. The men don’t usually wear a suit, but they may wear a jacket and tie. Women are usually smart but casual.” The writer of the passage is probably_____.
| A．Chinese | B．Japanese | C．the English | D．American |
What should you bring when you are invited to have dinner?
| A．Wine and cigarettes. | B．Tea or drinks. |
| C．Money and presents. | D．Chocolates or flowers. |
Which of the following subjects are never talked about among the people?
| A．Politics, education, religion, or matters of finance. |
| B．Family, books or plays. |
| C．Weather, restaurant, or film. |
| D．Job, money, weather or film and play. |
When the hostess serves coffee after the meal, it means _____.
| A．the evening meal will start at once |
| B．the guests can stay more hours |
| C．the evening meal has ended, the guests should prepare to leave |
| D．there has not been any tea and other drinks |
Which of the following statements isn’t right?
| A．If you are invited for dinner, you should arrive on time. |
| B．You should take off your shoes first after you step into the host’s door. |
| C．The hostess always offer the guests something to drink when they arrive. |
| D．You should accept the hostess’ drinks even if you’re not thirsty. |
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter, especially famous for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to regret and prepare for Christ’s death and coming back to life.
Modern Brazilian Carnival dates back to Rio de Janeiro in 1641. It originally copied the European form of the festival, later taking in elements of Native American and African cultures.
In the late 19th century, the strings (弦乐器) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant (游行) groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as blocks, consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. Blocks are generally connected with particular neighborhoods; they include both a music group and a lot of revelers.
Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocks can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a clear title. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach.
Carnival time in Rio is very interesting, but is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other lodgings (住宿) can be up to four times more expensive than the regular rates. There are big crowds at some locations and life is far from ordinary in many parts of town.What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A．The Carnival of Brazil is often held after Easter. |
| B．The Carnival of Brazil comes from Easter and Saturnalia. |
| C．The Carnival of Brazil is a festival to regret and begin a new life. |
| D．The Carnival of Brazil is mainly to celebrate the birth of Christ. |
How long is the history of the people’s celebrating modern Brazilian Carnival?
| A．About 100 years. | B．Less than two centuries. |
| C．About 370 years. | D．Over five centuries. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the blocks in Rio de Janeiro?
| A．They are always wearing costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. |
| B．They always parade through countryside villages singing and dancing. |
| C．There are no more than 50 blocks today. |
| D．They don’t parade before the show. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The famous carnivals in the world. |
| B．How the carnival was introduced in Brazil. |
| C．The carnival in Rio de Janeiro. |
| D．The happy life of the people in Rio de Janeiro. |
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