It never occurred to anybody, not even the creators that the world would care about the complex 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 leading actors famous.
Looking back on 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 situation comedy quickly became a top ten hit. Critics loved it as well. Entertainment Weekly said the show operated 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 US situation comedy that is both hugely entertaining television and nothing short of a genuine latter-day social phenomenon.
1.What is stressed in the second paragraph?
A. The role models of Friends.
B. The popularity of Friends.
C. The origin of Friends.
D. The brilliance of Friends.
2.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 1990s.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. The ABC executive thought highly of the theme song of Friends.
B. Producer, Kevin S. Bright, graduated from the same college as David Crane.
C. ABC once replaced the theme song of its TV show with a short music intro.
D. Marta Kauffman expected Friends to achieve great success.
4.What might the author think of Friends?
A. Its merits outweigh its shortcomings.
B. He/she shows great affection towards it.
C. Its success lies in the lack of good situation comedies.
D. He/she has a reserved attitude towards its success.
In China, chain restaurants — especially the big multinational ones — are cool. Going to Starbucks, for example, is a status symbol. It not only says, “I’m rich enough to buy this overpriced coffee,” but also, “I’m cosmopolitan (见多识广的) enough to be part of globalization.”
Where I come from in the UK, however, chains are neither fashionable nor gourmet(美食的). Chains are where you go on New Year’s Day when nowhere else is open, or when you are 5 years old and your parents can’t stand hearing, “I’m huuuuuungry!” any longer. In my own case (with regards to McDonald’s), a chain is where you are taken on your first “date”. Even at the age of 13, I knew to give the guy the “let’s just be friends” phone call the next day.
In the UK, independent cafes and restaurants are making a comeback on the fashion scene. Nowadays, a Londoner who says “let’s meet for a coffee at Monmouth” (an independent cafe) is much cooler than one who says “let’s go to Starbucks”. Even if Monmouth’s coffee is a little more expensive, there’s a satisfaction in knowing your pounds aren’t going straight to the big corporations.
Of course, there are chain stores all over the UK; you can’t go five minutes without spotting a Costa Coffee. But numbers do not add up to good taste.
I do, however, have a confession (坦白). After moving to China I had moments when all the rice and Kung Pao Chicken became too much. I, too, have retreated to McDonald’s.
1.Many Chinese people like to go to multinational chain restaurants because ______.
A. the restaurants give customers a taste of foreign culture
B. the restaurants offer different food and drinks from other restaurants
C. these restaurants are perfect places for a romantic date
D. they believe that eating there will show their wealth and social status
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The author has grown tired of Chinese food.
B. Most independent stores are closed on New Year’s Day in the UK.
C. Branches of Monmouth’s cafe can be found all over the UK.
D. It is cool in the UK to take your first date to a chain restaurant.
3.We can infer from the article that ________.
A. many Britons don’t like big corporations
B. the author doesn’t like food from Pizza Hut
C. the author doesn’t like to follow fashion trends
D. many Britons think that numbers mean poor quality
4.What does the underlined word (in the last paragraph) mean?
A. adaptedB. contributed
C. subscribedD. switched
Chester City Library offers a range of Library Special Needs Services to people who don’t have access to our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Chester City, we’ll provide a wild range of library services and resources including:
● Large printed and ordinary printed books
● Talking books on tape and CD
● DVDs and music CDs
● Magazines
● Reference and information requests
Home delivery service
Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you. Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library. You can also choose the resources you need personally.
Talking books and captioned videos
The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don’t have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge.
Languages besides English
We can provide books in a range of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia.
How to join?
Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible（合适的） for any of the services we provide — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am — 5pm on 4297 2522 for more information.
1.Library Special Needs Services are meant for ________.
A. those who are fond of reading
B. only those who have walking disabilities
C. people living in Chester City with an illness or disability
D. those who can’t get medical help in Chester City
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Books with different languages are available.
B. People with limited hearing have to pay for captioned videos.
C. Few entertaining resources are offered here.
D. People have to choose what they need by themselves.
3.To get home delivery service, you must ________.
A. only choose printed books
B. have others choose the resources for you
C. pay the library ahead of time
D. register ahead of time
假定你是李华，今年暑假参加了“美国七日游”的夏令营活动。活动期间，新结识的美国朋友David给了你很多帮助。请你根据以下提示，给David写一封信，内容包括：
1. 对他的帮助表示感谢；
2. 参加夏令营的感受和收获；
3. 邀请他参加明年在中国举办的夏令营。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2. 信的开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear David,
Long time no see! I miss you very much. _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
I am looking forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
短文改错
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。短文中有10处错误，每句最多有两处。
错误涉及一个单词的增加、删改或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（
）,并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I am a enthusiastic and fun-loving student. My favorite subject is English. I am pretty fluent with English, and my teachers say my style and presentation is good. My first love is writing, and I have been writing for some magazines about three years. Mostly I like to write about things those are happening in the school, like sports events, trips to place of interest, and tips on how to study effectively. Seen my words in print makes me extremely pride. I also enjoy communicating with other people to find out what do they think. I am always interested in what others are concerning about, from student worries, local news, to world events.
Fay: Hi Jerry. I’m thinking of applying 1.________ a job with a multinational(跨国的) company, but I’m worried about having an interview in English. Can you give me any good tips?
Jerry: Hmm. That’s a tough one. I guess the first thing is to try to make 2. _______good impression.
Fay: That sounds good. But 3. ______(serious), how can I do that?
Jerry: To begin with, you should firmly shake the interviewer’s hand and keep eye contact while 4.______(greet) him or her with a smile.
Fay: Ah, “body language” is really important, isn’t it?
Jerry: Yes. The second thing is to be confident. You gain 5._______(confident) from being prepared. You should learn a little bit about the company before the interview. Find out what they do, how long they’ve been in business, 6._______their business motto is, that kind of thing.
Fay: I never 7.________(think) about that before. You’re really smart, Jerry! But what should I do 8._____ I can’t remember an English word when I’m answering a question?
Jerry: In that case, you have to paraphrase. In other words, you have to explain what you want to say.
Fay: That’s very 9.______(help), Jerry. Thanks very much. Ah, one more thing. Should I ask about the salary during the interview?
Jerry: No, either let them bring up the topic of money, 10.____wait for a second interview. Good luck!
Fay: Thanks!
