The Writers' Strike：Making the Best of the Worst

       By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working．With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period．

       Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV．With a most perfect cast（全体演员）, the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first．

       For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock．Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show （幽默短剧）,similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss．

       If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking．If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you．If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you ．

       If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV．Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing．

If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch       ．

       A．Friday Night Lights          B．30 Rock

       C．the Amazing Race         D．Saturday Night Live

From the DVD shows listed above, we can learn that　　　．

       A．two teams won the amazing race

       B．football fans enjoy the Amazing Race

       C．the Bluths care about their family though selfish

       D．30 Rock and Saturday Night Live have nothing in common

The author writes the passage to tell us that        ．

       A．the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great

       B．the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation

       C．watching DVD is a good choice during the strike

       D．we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes

The passage is most probably taken from       ．

       A．a book review      B．a newspaper    

       C．a film poster        D．a DVD menu

 Though we are very busy these days，we have to__________this urgent work for the time being.

A. undertake           B. agree

C. undergo            D. charge

B

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods. We were only a couple of blocks from home when I spotted a cellphone and credit card sitting on the road. We took them home. We find amazing things on the street. She looks upon it as a movable dinner. Chicken wings here and there.

I found another cellphone a few years back, too, and called a number in its phone book. I explained the situation to the guy who answered. He said it was his sister’s and that he'd swing by to pick it up, which he did.

And that was that. No verbal (口头的) thank-you, no written thank-you, no “here’s a box of chocolates” thank-you.

I didn’t have time to call anyone on my latest found cellphone. I was pouring myself coffee when it started to vibrate (颤动) and dance across the kitchen counter.

“Who’s this?” someone asked when I picked up.

“Who’s this?” I countered. “Sarah?”

She was taken aback until she realized her name was on the credit card I also had recovered. “Could you send it to me?” she asked.

She lives in Arlington, which is 2 miles from my house.

“Hmm, no,” I replied, adding that I thought she could come get them, and that if I wasn’t home, they would be in my mailbox.

A day later, when I was out for a run, someone retrieved them. But I got nothing. In this age of e-mail and cellphones, there’s really no excuse.

Years ago, I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street: a driver’s license. I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me, so I called him up. He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door.

“I guess I could,” I replied.

And that was that.

61. What would be the best title for the text?

   A. Several Experiences of My Own

   B. “Thank You” Is Becoming More Priceless

   C. It’s Polite to Thank the Finders

   D. Only Losers Lack “Thank” for Finders

62. According to the text, it can be inferred that Maggie should be ______.

   A. the author’s wife             B. the author’s pet

   C. the author’s best friend        D. the author’s son

63. The author didn’t call anyone on his latest found cellphone because ______.

   A. it wasn’t worth to do          B. he wanted to keep it as his own

   C. he was busy then             D. he didn’t know its owner

64. The underlined word “retrieved” in the tenth paragraph means “______”.

   A. got back       B. returned       C. lost      D. threw away

65. How does the author feel when he told his last experience about the driver’s license?

   A. Disappointed.      B. Helpless.     C. Encouraged.      D. Hopeful.

Our spiritual intelligence quotient （精神智商）, or SQ, helps us understand ourselves, and live fuller, happier lives．

       Though we're all born with SQ, most of us don’t even realize that we have it．Fortunately, you don't have to sign up for classes to learn how to improve your SQ．Here are some simple steps that can lead you to this new level of understanding．

       Sit Quietly．The process of developing spiritual intelligence begins with solitude （独处） and silence．To tune in to your spirit, you have to turn down the volume （强度） in your busy, noisy, complicated life and force yourself to do nothing at all．Start small by creating islands for silence in your day．In the car, instead of listening to the music, use the time to think．At work, shut the door to your office between meetings, take a few breaths and let them out very, very slowly．Enjoy the stillness in your home after the kids are finally in bed．

       Step Outside． For many people, nature sets their spirit free．Go outside to watch a beautiful sunset．If you are walking with the dog, take the time to admire flower in bloom; follow the light of a bird and watch clouds float overhead．

       Ask Questions of Yourself．Ask open-ended questions, such as "What am I feeling? What are my choices? Where am I heading?"

       But don't expect an answer to arrive through some supernatural form of e-mail．"Rarely do I get an immediate answer to my question," says Reverend Joan Carter, a Presbyterian minister in Sausalito, California．“But later that day I suddenly find myself thinking about a problem in a perspective（角度） I never considered before．”

       Trust Your Spirit．While most of us rely on gut（本能的） feeling to realize danger, spiritual intelligence pushes us, not away from, but towards some action that will lead to a greater good．

The passage is mainly about           ．

       A．what your SQ is and in what way it can benefit our life

       B．what your SQ is and in what way it can be improved

       C．the relationship between your SQ and your life

       D．advantages and disadvantages of SQ

The underlined phrase "to tune in to your spirit" in the third paragraph probably means to _____．

       A．get your spirit relaxed          B．keep up your spirit

       C．keep seated quietly            D．change your spirit

From the passage, we can know that the most important thing to improve your SQ is      ．

       A．a peaceful mind           B．deep thought  

       C．spare time and hobbies         D．good spirits

According to the passage, which of the following is True?

       A．Not everyone has SQ．

       B．You have to go to classes to learn how to improve your SQ．

       C．SQ leads us to take wrong actions．

       D．SQ can benefit our life．

Directions:    Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

An interview with Wynton Marsalis, a noted jazz musician

There were the older jazz musicians who hung around our house when I was young. I saw how much they practiced, how serious they were about their art. I knew then I had to work just as hard if I wanted to succeed. Of course, my father inspired me a lot, and many teachers took the time to nurture my latent and the talents of other students in our school.

Yes. We’ve done such a poor job with music education because, as a society, we haven’t maintained the kind of education that a true artist and musician needs. Young people haven’t been able to equate romance and talent with music. For instance, most of the people who make it in the music industry today have to look good. How they sound is secondary. Sarah Vaughan, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald ― those big, romantic queens of jazz music wouldn’t make it in today’s music industry, and that’s a shame. We need to teach young people about the alternatives.

Around the would people make music that, if you listen carefully to it, sounds a little like the cadence of their language. I’d call it folk music. When I’m away from home, I make a point of listening to regional folk music, not what’s on the radio.

The same music is on the radio all over the world, and the American sound is overwhelming. Even the pop music that’s produced and created in foreign countries has that American beat, that underscore of funk. As a musician, I’m not interested in hearing recycled versions of the same genre over and over. Any music that doesn’t have a development section just isn’t interesting to me.

The music press has so much to introduce these days, and jazz is just a small fraction of it. Because some people are intimidated by jazz, they don’t cover it unless it’s a big name. New jazz musicians don’t get much of break. A lot of editors don’t say anything about jazz these days unless it’s Marsalis. That’s a shame. What VH1 is doing with their Save the Music campaign is phenomenal. They’re getting all these instruments out to needy kids. It’s the kind of thing all networks should be doing.