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

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

Angry Birds is a video game developed by Finnish computer game developer Rovio Mohile. Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds, the game was first released for Apple’s mobile operating system in December 2009.Since then, over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apple’s App Store.
With its fast-growing popularity worldwide, the game and its characters---angry birds and their enemy pigs---have appeared in television programs throughout the world. The Israeli comedy A Wonderful Country ,one of the nation’s most popular TV programs, satirized(讽刺) recent failed Israeli-Palestinian peace attempts by featuring the Angry Birds in peace negotiations with the pigs. Clips of the segment (片段)went viral, getting viewers from all around the world. American television hosts Conan O’Brien ,Jon Steward ,and Daniel Tosh have referenced the game in comedy sketches for their programs, Conan, The Daily Show, and Dash. O. Some of the game’s more famous fans include Prime Minister David Cameron of UK, who plays the iPad version of the game, and author Salman Rushdie, who is believed to be “something of a master at Angry Birds.”
Angry Birds and its characters have also been featured in advertisements in different forms. In March 2011,the characters began appearing in a series of advertisements for Microsoft’s Bing search engine. In the same year, Nokin produced an advertisement in Austin, Texas that included the game’s characters on a downtown building for its new mobile phone. Later, a T-Mobile advertisement filmed in Spain included a real-life mock-up(实物模拟)of the game in a city center .Nokin also used the game in Malaysia to promote an attempt to set a world record for the largest number of people playing a single mobile game.
Angry Birds has even inspired works of philosophical analogy（哲学类比）.A five-part essay with the title“ Angry Birds Yoga（瑜伽）---How to Eliminate the Green  Pigs in Your Life” was written by Giridhari Dasar in Brazil ,utilizing the characters and game play mechanics to interpret various concepts of yoga philosophy. The piece attracted much media attention for its unique method of philosophical presentation.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the passage?

D
I don’t like getting up too early unless I have to. When you’re filming, you’ve got make-up on, which doesn’t happen often. As I’m not filming at present I’ll get up at 8.30.
Work normally means Matt coming over to my house about 10 am. We’re writing at the moment. We’ll chat for a bit before going to my study. One of us will have an idea for a sketch (梗概), we’ll talk about the characters and when we feel we have enough we’ll start writing.
Matt and I met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and started doing shows together in ’95, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. We know we’re onto something if we’ve made each other laugh, and that’s a really special moment. It’s not always like that, but we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can be honest and go. Some days you’re not in the mood to be funny—like writing when my dad was dying of cancer, or when Matt was separating from his partner.
We stop for lunch and sometimes go to Wagamama in Camden, but the last time we were followed by paparazzi (狗仔队), which gets you down—who wants to be pictured eating noodles?
When I’m not writing with Matt I work on other projects. My second children’s book comes out later in the year. It’s called Mr. Stink. The first one I dedicated to my three-year-old nephew, Eddie. Both books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake; it’s been a thrill to work with him—like 20 years ago reading a Roald Dahl book and looking at those drawings, then one day that person illustrates your work… magical.
At 5 I go swimming in Soho. My trainer makes me do horrible exercises, but I always feel better after.
Being in all day, I like to go out in the evening and look smart, but not like I’ve come out of the City. I’m a tall, broad guy and well-dressed.
For dinner I’ll meet friends. When you’re a single guy it’s great to have some good female friends. Or I might take my mum to the theatre, as I know she really appreciates it. I like watching TV comedy shows to see what everyone’s doing. When you see something impressive it makes you work harder. I also love Larkin’s poems: they don’t try to transcend (超越) the commonplace; they’re much more straightforward.
Poetry is great to dip into before going to bed, rather than falling asleep reading a novel and being confused over what you’ve read or not. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in seven years; unfortunately, I rely on pills. I’ve tried everything. If I could wish anything for myself, I’d wish I could sleep better.
67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. the author spends much time with his friends
B. the author and Matt are both famous in the district
C. the author doesn’t care much about what to wear
D. the author works at home and seldom goes out every day
68. Where does the passage most likely appear?
A. In a travel diary.                         B. In a news column.
C. In an online diary.                    D. In a research paper.
69. Why does the author read some poetry before going to bed?
A. Because poetry can often bring him some funny ideas.
B. Because poetry is much easier to understand than novels.
C. Because poetry is very abstract and reflects unusual things.
D. Because poetry can be of some help for him to kill time.
70. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. A day’s work with Matt                 B. A new life-style 
C. A life in the day                       D. A good way to write

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, 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 aired－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 Night Live, from the funny writers to the self­centered cast all the way up to the boss.

 If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps more juicy, 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 good­looking people, this show is definitely for you.

If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart­pounding 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 far­out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing.

1.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

2.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

3.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

4.The passage is most probably taken from        

A．a book review        B．a newspaper      C．a film poster        D．a DVD menu