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 |
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words，you are telling yourself the logic(逻辑)behind what you think，feel，or only partly understand. Often，explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words，you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power”．
Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power，even if you have no idea how right now. Just start with anything，and create an explanation. For example，start with “I’ll learn chess，” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan，and if you actually do this，you’ll have a better understanding of your brain twenty minutes from now.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many，if not most，highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head，but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project，you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example，but if you are learning something new，write a letter to a friend about it，and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem，why you want to solve it，and why it is worth solving，and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often，they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.What would be the best title for the text?
| A．A Way on How to Write |
| B．Increase Your Brain Power Through Writing |
| C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing |
| D．How to Start Your Writing |
According to the text，writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ________.
| A．the increase of your brain power |
| B．the ability to remember |
| C．the development of your interest in study |
| D．the better understanding of a topic |
The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in Paragraph 5 implies that ________.
| A．you are already successful |
| B．you still need to work hard |
| C．writing can help you walk half way |
| D．writing is important to solve problems |
What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?
| A．To advise readers to start their writing. |
| B．To explain the importance of writing. |
| C．To persuade readers to become writers. |
| D．To increase readers’ brain power. |
I had been rather proud of myself when my friends and family got the ticket，whether it was for speeding，parking or stop sign violations (违反)．It was something that happened to others. But last Friday I joined the club.
I was asked to do a new project last week. On Friday morning on my way to work，I suddenly remembered that I had spent the past six weeks without considering that I had a week’s vacation planned during that time. I was very disappointed with myself for not remembering it.
The truth is that I was not paying enough attention to my driving and I did not come to a complete stop at the stop sign in front of a school. I was so distracted (思想不集中的)that I didn’t even notice I had a policeman on my tail with his lights flashing. Finally I looked in my mirror and caught on.
The policeman was rude and took my papers. Fortunately，I had everything up to date and since I had never had a ticket before，there was nothing for him to do but write me a ticket. While I was sitting there in the seat of “shame”，I felt bad. If I had been that distracted and a child had run onto the road，perhaps I would have not reacted as well as I could have. It was a wake-up call.
People at work asked me if I tried to talk my way out of it. Frankly，it never occurred to me. I felt guilty. Now I no longer have a clean driving record. Please be careful out there，as a moment’s distraction can lead to tragedy.What is this passage mainly about?
| A．The writer’s most unforgettable experience. |
| B．How the writer got her first ticket. |
| C．An accident caused by the writer. |
| D．Why the writer is always so careful. |
。We can infer that the underlined part “the club” in Paragraph 1 here refers to ________.
| A．people who are crazy about driving cars |
| B．a club for drivers without much experience |
| C．people who get tickets for breaking traffic rules |
| D．a club for people to talk about their driving stories |
What made the writer unable to focus on her driving?
| A．Planning how to spend the vacation. |
| B．Thinking of the forgotten vacation. |
| C．Thinking about her work. |
| D．Missing her children. |
From the experience，the writer has probably learnt ________.
| A．what is really important to her |
| B．how to deal with policemen |
| C．to enjoy the small things in life |
| D．to be much more careful |
A trip to the library can change your life.That is the idea of the Get It Loud in Libraries project，which challenges the habit of speaking in a low voice.The sweet tones of singer Diana Vickers rang out recently，surrounded by books as well as fans，at Lancaster Library.Plan B，Adele，Florence and the Machine，Speech Debelle，and the Thrills have also performed for the project.
This fiveyear project aims to increase access(进入) to libraries while developing youth talent and has attracted more than 8,500 visitors,5,000 of whom are firsttime library users.
“I think it’s wonderful，”Vickers says.“I’ve been playing in front of big crowds and I’m excited about close environments where you can be close to your fans.”
As a child growing up in nearby Blackburn，she says that her school library was a “second home”to her.When she was young she loved PeterRabbit and Mr.Men books，and later her favorites included LittleWomen and TheLovelyBones.
Attracted by the stage，the young who would once never have been to a library have been returning to borrow books and CDs.The project’s founder，Stewart Parsons，has worked in libraries for 25 years.He feels that the concerts have made libraries something that the young want to be part of.A mother，Lauren Zawadzki，sent him a text message after a concert：“Your work is great！！！Both Izaak and Dom have been reading in the library for the last half hour...You should be proud.They would never have suggested that before the concerts.”
Parsons hopes that the activity is changing the way people view libraries.“My big worry is that libraries trail(拖拉)behind slightly；they shouldn’t.This is about bringing libraries up to date.The beautiful thing is that people are reconnecting with the library in a way they haven’t done before.”The Get It Loud in Libraries project aims to ________.
| A．collect money for libraries to buy books |
| B．attract more people to read in libraries |
| C．provide a performing place for music lovers |
| D．develop youth talent for singing |
According to the passage，Vickers’s attitude towards Libraries project is that of ________.
| A．praise | B．unconcern |
| C．doubt | D．worry |
What can we know about Diana Vickers from the passage?
| A．She once worked at a library. |
| B．She doesn’t like being close to her fans. |
| C．She liked reading in her childhood. |
| D．She complains about the noisy environment. |
According to the passage，Zawadzki ________.
| A．advised libraries to keep quiet |
| B．praised Parsons for helping her reading |
| C．found her children’s talent for singing |
| D．praised the Get It Loud in Libraries project |
Do you know about a series of books that say they are “for dummies”？ These American selfhelp books have been translated into more than thirty nine languages including Chinese，Arabic，Russian，French，German，Greek and Spanish.
“Dummy” is a word for a stupid person.The dummies books are not really for stupid people.They are designed to show people how to do something they may never have tried before，like painting a house or learning a language.The books all say in a funny way that they are for dummies，such as World History for Dummies，Rabbits for Dummies，Chinese Cooking for Dummies，and Wedding Planning for Dummies.The first such book，DOS for Dummies，was published in 1991.It helped people learn how to use the DOS operating system for computers.Since then，more than one hundred fifty million dummies books have been sold.
The dummies.com website explains the idea behind the books.It says that they show people can be taught to do anything.First they can make fun of ideas that are difficult to understand.Then they show how the information can be interesting and easy.The publishers say that the books do not provide more information than necessary.They give readers just enough information to do what they want.They say that the dummies books give the best and easiest way to do something.And the books use simple and easy language.
There are more than one thousand different dummies books.A report in New York Times says that the top-selling dummies books are those that explain technology and personal finance.
The publishers say that the best-selling dummies books are those providing information many people need－like information about diseases，education and cooking.People interested in opera，car repair and wine can also find dummies books to help them.And there are even more dummies books to come.The publishers say that they publish about two hundred new dummies books every year.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Books for Dummies |
| B．The Easiest，the Best |
| C．Self-Help Books |
| D．New Ideas behind the Books |
The dummies books have been popular because ________.
| A．they provide just what is needed and are easy to understand |
| B．they provide abundant information on the concerning subject |
| C．people can learn to do anything with just one copy |
| D．people can save lots of money through self-teaching |
According to New York Times，we know that books on ________ sell best.
| A．technology and personal finance |
| B．opera and car repairing |
| C．diseases and education |
| D．cooking and world history |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The first dummies book was on Chinese cooking. |
| B．The dummies books will continue to be popular. |
| C．Fifty million different dummies books have been published. |
| D．The simple language was intended for child readers. |
US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey surprised 300 members of her audience (观众) by saying she would send them on a trip to Australia in December.Winfrey will also film an episode (集) of her show at the Sydney “Oprah” House.
The Australian government said it was spending AUS$(澳元) 3 million to help bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country.
Tourism Minister (旅游部部长) Martin Ferguson insisted it was money well spent as it would put Australia in the spotlight，with the popular TV show watched by 40 million Americans and screened in 145 countries.“Oprah is a famous name and she has the power to improve Australia’s image as an important tourist country，” he said in a statement.
Winfrey made the announcement on Monday.After telling the audience that she might take them on a trip to New York，Philadelphia or Los Angeles，she said her last season would provide something “bigger”．
“I started to think about where I would most want to go.Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world.We’re going to Australia！”she said.
Several episodes will be filmed during the trip，which had been planned for almost a year and will take in beaches，Sydney Harbour and so on.It marks the first time that the show will be filmed with its US audience outside North America.The Australian trip follows a similar act in 2004 when Winfrey gave a car to each member of her audience.
Winfrey is to start her own television channel (频道)，the Oprah Winfrey Network，in 2011，at the age of her 57.What ’s the Australian government’s aim in inviting Oprah Winfrey?
| A．To spread Australia’s culture. |
| B．To develop Australia’s tourism. |
| C．To introduce The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country. |
| D．To improve the relations between the two countries |
Which word can best describe Martin Ferguson’s attitude towards Oprah Winfrey’s Australian trip?
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Proud. | D．Confident. |
Which of the following about Winfrey is TRUE?
| A．She once brought her audience outside North America in 2004. |
| B．Her Australian trip and episodes have been planned for a month. |
| C．She will film her show at Sydney Harbour. |
| D．She was born in the year of 1964. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．Oprah Winfrey takes audience to Australia |
| B．Australians love to see The Oprah Winfrey Show |
| C．Americans want to know more about Australia |
| D．Oprah Winfrey will start her own channel |