More than forty years ago, a group of artists gathered to develop a television program. They planned to make a television show that would teach young children about subjects like reading and math in a fun way.

Sesame Street was first shown on TV on November 10th, 1969. It was produced by a group called The Children’s Television Workshop, and today it was called The Sesame Workshop. The show combines animation (动画), music, large puppets (布偶) and human actors to create funny and creative lessons. Some of the most famous characters on the show are Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and Bert and Ernie. Puppet maker Jim Henson created these lovely characters.

Research is an important part of what made Sesame Street special. The show’s creators studied children very carefully to understand how to best keep them having fun and learning. When the show was first introduced to children, some of its creators were not sure whether it would last one season. But forty years later, Sesame Street is the longest running children’s television program in the United States.

As part of its fortieth anniversary (周年纪念日),  Sesame Street had a special guest on its show. First Lady Michelle Obama showed a group of children and Big Bird how to plant. She explained that the seeds would grow into vegetables, which are healthy and good to eat. She also had a message to the parents who watch the show with their children. She said parents can help their children do things to have healthy lives, like getting enough exercise.

56. Sesame Street is a program shown ________.

  A. in the cinema                B. on the radio              C. on TV   D. on the Internet

57. The characters in the program were created by ________. 

  A. The Sesame Workshop                       B. Jim Henson              

C. Big Bird                                            D. Michelle Obama

58. Sesame Street was produced mainly________.

  A. to make money

  B. to introduce the United States

  C. to teach parents

  D. to help children learn

59. On the program’s fortieth anniversary, First Lady tried to help parents learn ________.

  A. how to grow and eat vegetables correctly                        

B. to watch the show with their children                             

C. to teach children to do enough exercise                    

D. the importance of a healthy life for their children

60. Sesame Street is a successful children’s program because ________.

  A. it was developed by a group of artist

  B. it is the longest running children’s program

  C. it has invited many famous actors and actresses

  D. it knows very well what children really want