A “talk show” is a show organized mainly around talk. Television talk shows have been around since the dawn of radio. Thus the start of talk shows’ golden age can be considered as 1948, even though television wasn’t common in American homes until the 1950s. From 1949 to 1973, nearly half of all daytime programming was talk.
Why are there so many talk shows? A talk show costs less than ＄100,000 per episode(一集) to produce whereas many of today’s TV series cost more than ＄1 million an episode. Thus , if successful, it can produce handsome profits . Still, it takes a lot of work . Since 1948, hundreds of talk shows have come and gone, with only a few having true staying power.
There are several types of talk shows , but while the styles might vary, the format(形式) is limited.
What we are most used to is the informal guest-host format, in which shows’hosts welcome famous people or other talk –worthy persons for an informal discussion.
The second most common format is the public issues show, in which hosts interview people in the news or experts in a given field. Shows that follow this format include both morning news programs and “issue” talk shows:
The Museum of Broadcast Communications’ Bernard M. Timberg notes two governing principles of all successful talk shows:
The host is everything :The host has a high degree of control over their show, from subject matter to comedic atmosphere . They are also the show’s brand and are responsible for it. The host can attract and refuse guests, organize their program and , in many cases, name a successor(继任者) when they retire.
Right here, right now: The second rule is that a talk show must be experienced in the present tense, whether it is broadcast live or taped in front of an audience earlier in the day. They should feel fresh, as if they are happening in the moment, even if the show is a 10-year –old rerun.
What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．How talk shows appeared? | B．Why talk shows appeared? |
| C．When talk shows appeared? | D．Where talk shows appeared? |
What is an advantage of talk shows?
| A．They are easy to make. |
| B．They are cheap to produce. |
| C．They come in varied formats. |
| D．They remain successful for a long time. |
The two formats of talk shows differ in_____________.
| A．the atmosphere they create |
| B．the time they are broadcast |
| C．whether they are sent out live |
| D．whether they invite famous guests |
What is the key to talk shows’ success according to the second principle?
| A．Dealing with the most popular issues. |
| B．Giving the audience an up-to-date feeling. |
| C．Inviting the audience to the place where the shows are made. |
| D．Running the shows several times to refresh the audience’s memory. |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music,dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon,groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”,once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing,some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．They owned a public house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two or three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday. When will the final exam take place?
| A．On Tuesday | B．On a Wednesday |
| C．On a Thursday | D．On a Friday |
What will be included in the exam?
| A．There will be only multiple-choice questions. |
| B．The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions. |
| C．The exam will have an oral and a written section. |
| D．There will be only essay questions. |
Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
| A．It will be easy to understand. |
| B．Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class. |
| C．It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects. |
| D．Students must complete all parts of it. |
The underlined phrase run into probably means .
| A．go into |
| B．meet somebody unexpectedly |
| C．come up against something with force |
| D．come across |
When was this talk most likely given?
| A．During the first week of class |
| B．During midterm week |
| C．On the last day of class |
| D．On the last day of exam week |
Sam lives in New York. His father has a shop and his mother is a doctor. He's seven years old now and has begun to go to school this autumn. It's a little far from their shop and his father drives a car to take him to school every day. So he's never late for class and his teachers like him.
It's Monday today. Miss Hunt is teaching them to count the numbers from one to ten. Sam is studying hard. Soon he can count them. Miss Hunt is happy and asks, "How many people are there in your family, Sam?"
Sam stood up and said, "Two, Miss Hunt."
"Who are they?"
"My father and mother."
"Oh? "Miss Hunt is surprised. She said, "There're three people in your family."
"But now I'm not at home. I'm at school, you know!"Sam is ________.
| A．an English boy | B．an American boy |
| C．an English girl | D．an American girl |
Sam is in Grade _______ now.
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．four |
Sam usually goes to school ________.
| A．on foot | B．by bike | C．by car | D．by bus |
______, so Miss Hunt is happy today.
| A．Sam is late for class |
| B．Sam studies Chinese |
| C．The children are good at English |
| D．Sam can count from one to ten |
Which of the following is wrong?
| A．Sam is at school now. |
| B．There 're two people in Sam's family. |
| C．There 're three people in Sam's family. |
| D．Miss Hunt doesn't know how many people there are in Sam's family |
One day an ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made desperate(adj.拼死的) efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant almost exhausted(adj.精疲力竭的) was still bravely doing her best when a dove saw her. Moved with pity, the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass, she heard a man come near. He was walking along barefooted with a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the dove, he wished to kill it. He would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stopped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life.The ant could not reach the side though _______.
| A．she cried for help | B．she asked the dove to save her |
| C．she tried very hard | D．she could smell well |
The dove saved the ant because _______.
| A．she was the ant's friend |
| B．she took pity on the poor ant |
| C．the ant was almost exhausted |
| D．the ant had been struggled in the water for a long time |
The ant succeeded in getting on the bank with the help of _______.
| A．a leaf | B．a piece of wood |
| C．a blade of grass | D．a raft |
Just as the man shot at the dove, _______.
| A．the dove immediately flew away |
| B．the dove hid himself in the grass |
| C．the ant told the dove to leave at once |
| D．he felt something biting him in the foot |
In writing the story, the writer wants to show _______.
| A．how clever the ant was |
| B．how kind the dove was |
| C．how the ant and the dove helped each other |
| D．we often need help from others, therefore we should help others as much as we can |
Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty (强大的) forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet（子弹） — and stopped him cold.”
Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?
| A．He faced huge risks. |
| B．He lacked mighty forces. |
| C．Fear prevented him from trying. |
| D．Failure blocked his way to success. |
What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
| A．Swallow more than you can digest. |
| B．Act slightly above your abilities. |
| C．Develop more mysterious powers. |
| D．Learn to make creative decisions. |
What was especially important for Tim’s successful defense in the football game?
| A．His physical strength. |
| B．His basic skill. |
| C．His real fear. |
| D．His spiritual force. |
What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To encourage people to be courageous. |
| B．To advise people to build up physical power. |
| C．To tell people the ways to guarantee success. |
| D．To recommend people to develop more abilities. |