Ever since it was created 30 years ago, The Simpsons, the longest running prime-time(黄金时段) TV show in the country, has become part of US life. So when TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked the 100 greatest comedies and dramas broadcast in the US ,it came as no surprise that The Simpsons was their top choice.
This was the show that changed the very concept of cartoons in Western society. Before it appeared, cartoons were considered a way to learn and have fun, not serious adult entertainment. The Simpsons changed this. The genius of the show is that it has something to offer both adults and children.
It’s a hugely entertaining program that’s also full of satire(讽刺的) and clever humor.A remark by Chitra Ramaswamy in The Guardian gave a sense of the esteem(敬重) in which The Simpsons is held:“Nothing before or since has match its capacity to be at once so profoundly clever and so unbelievably stupid.”
The show’s creators make fun of the US government, social customs, and of course, the idea of family life. But unlike most classic US prime-time TV characters the Simpsons are a dys-functional(功能失调的) family.
Bart, the boy, is always in trouble---both at home and at school. That may be in part because of his paternal example. Homer Simpson, perhaps the most iconic(标志性的) character, is a beer-swilling, overweight slob（懒汉） who is normally found in front of the TV. And Marge, Homer’s wife and the mother of the family, spends most of her time cooking, cleaning or trying to fix the messes that Bart and Homer make.
The smartest member of the family is daughter Lisa, who does well in school but is no goody-goody(讨好卖乖的人)---Lisa never misses an opportunity to challenge authority. The youngest member of the family is baby Maggie, who will likely be as much of a handful as her brother and sister when she grows up.
But although the Simpsons are a problem family, viewers are always on their side. One of the reasons why the show has remained so popular all these years is that the characters are so lovely. Millions of us identify with them. They are a working class family struggling to make ends meet. They aren’t perfect, but then, who is? And after 30 years, this is still what strikes a chord （引起共鸣）with millions of viewers worldwide.
1.According to the article , The Simpsons___________.
A.is suitable for both adults and kids.
B.reminds people of their sad children.
C.is a program designed only for fun.
D.is difficult to understand for many people.
2.Which of the following statement is TRUE about the Simpson family according to the article?
A.They all show great support to the government.
B.Bart and Lisa are the troublemakers of the family.
C.They are an ordinary family with many problems.
D.The children regard Homer as their role model.
3.According to the article,viewers like the Simpsons mainly because________.
A.they have the courage to challenge authority.
B.their lives and problems are similar to real people’s.
C.they teach viewers how to fix problems.
D.they are a happy and perfect family.
4.What is the article mainly about?
A.Reasons behind The Simpsons’ lasting popularity.
B.The most popular characters in The Simpsons.
C.Changes to The Simpsons over the years
D.What kind of stories The Simpsons tells.
When he was a little boy, his uncle called him "Sparky' after a comic-strip (连环画) horse named Spark Plug. School was all but impossible for Sparky. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. And while he did manage to make the school's golf team, he lost the only match of the season straight away.
Throughout his youth, Sparky was awkward socially. It wasn't that the other students dislike him. It's just that no one really cared that much. In fact, Sparky was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours. Sparky was a loser. Him, his classmates ... everyone knew it. So he learned to live with it. He made up his mind early that if things were meant to work out, they would.
One thing was important to Sparky, however-drawing. He was proud of his artwork. No one else appreciated it. But that didn't seem to matter to him. In his senior year of high school, he sent some cartoons to the yearbook. The editors rejected his ideas. Despite that, Sparky was convinced of his ability.
He even decided to become an artist. So, after completing high school, Sparky wrote to Walt Disney Studios. They asked for samples of his artwork. In spite of careful preparation, it too was rejected. One more confirmation was that he was a loser.
But Sparky still didn't give up. Instead, he decided to tell his own life story in cartoons. The main character would be a little boy who symbolized the boy who always lost and underachieved. You know him well because Sparky's cartoon character went on to become a kind of cultural phenomenon. People readily understand this "loveable loser". He reminded people of the painful and embarrassing moments from their own past, of their pain and shared humanity. The character soon became famous worldwide: "Charlie Brown". And Sparky, the boy whose many failures kept him from trying, whose work was rejected again and again, is the highly successful cartoonist Charles Schultz. His cartoon strip Peanuts continues to inspire books, T-shirts and Christmas specials, reminding us, as someone once commented, that life somehow finds a way for all of us, even the losers.
1.By saying "he learned to live with it" in Paragraph 2, the author means that Sparky_________.
A.decided not to make an effort in school
B.learned to ignore being treated badly
C.didn't care as long as no one called him a loser
D.came to accept being ignored by other students
2.Before Sparky started the Charlie Brown cartoon,_________.
A.he thought poorly of himself in drawing
B.some editors encouraged him to keep trying
C.his artwork was rejected time and again
D.his artwork was accepted by Walt Disney Studios
3.Sparky's cartoon character became so popular because_________.
A.people were touched by Sparky's never-give-up spirit
B.people felt they could relate to it
C.it inspired people to fight for their dreams
D.it mirrored people's life outlook
4.We can learn from the passage that_________.
A.nothing is impossible for a willing heart
B.a loser is meant to be a winner
C.opportunities always favor the prepared mind
D.life is to be enjoyed but not be complained about
The Nobel Prize-winning Mexican writer Octavio Paz said, “The art of the festival has been debased（下降） almost everywhere else, but not in Mexico.” Here are several events that would have made him proud:
Morelia International Film Festival
The Morelia film fest really brings this colonial city to life in mid-October. Created as a platform for documentaries and fiction works, the programming offers an up-close look at Mexican society as seen through the eyes of a new generation of filmmakers. Fashionable bars and sidewalk cafes are buzzing with activity around the main square, where crowds gather nightly for open-air screenings and other cultural events.
Day of the Dead
Each year on November 1st and 2nd, Mexico turns its thoughts to the departed during the Day of the Dead festivities, a colorful tradition deeply rooted in native culture. For Mexicans, death is more a cause for celebration than mourning, and that spirit has been kept very much alive in Pátzcuaro, the Día de Muertos mecca. Prepare yourself to battle large crowds of the living.
Carnival in Veracruz &Mazatlán
Mexico hosts many carnival celebrations every year featuring exciting parades, dance performances, live music and of course, big-time partying. The nine-day event in Veracruz, Mexico’s biggest carnival, usually kicks off in March, right around the same time when festivities get started on the Pacific coast in Mazatlán. You can shake your body with salsa music in Veracruz or the brass band sounds of Mazatlán.
La Morisma
An all-out war erupts on the streets of colonial Zacatecas, usually around late August. OK, well, it’s actually a mock battle with well over 2,000 participants re-enacting battles between the Christians and Moors in old Spain. The faux（假的）soldiers attack one another while accompanied on the streets by bands of musicians.
1.How do the Mexicans feel when the Day of the Dead comes?
A.Calm. B.Anxiod.
C.Scared. D.Happy.
2.What can people enjoy in both Carnival in Veracruz &Mazatlán and La Morisma?
A.Exciting parades. B.Dance performances.
C.Live music. D.A mock battle.
3.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To tell something about a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
B.To introduce some famous Mexican festivals.
C.To advise readers to join in the Mexican events.
D.To criticize the bad customs of Mexican festivals.
假如你是李华，你们学校要举行第一届校园艺术节，请你以组织者的身份邀请你的好朋友John来参加你们的艺术节。要点如下：
时间：2020年6月1日—6月3日
目的：丰富同学们的课余生活，展示自我，放松心情
主题：艺术让我们丰富
内容：歌咏比赛，乐器比赛，古典和民间音乐， 流行歌曲
要求：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：艺术节art festival 歌咏比赛 singing contest
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文,请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处,每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧）,并在其下面写出该加的词。
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. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处,多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I went to my friend Jema’s house yesterday. I often visited her on the weekend. Sometimes we swim in the pool or play the tennis together. It rained yesterday, so we couldn’t do those thing. “Let’s watching a movie, ”Jema suggested. “You’re my guest Katy, so you can pick the one you like.” I final picked a movie called Dance of Joy. The movie were about a girl called Susan liked to dance. I told Jema she loved the movie. She laughed and said she had found it complete boring. She had only kept watching it because I was enjoying it so much. I felt a little bad about that, and it’s nice to have a good friend like Jema.
Diet and way of life are often a problem for teenagers. However, if you eat the right food and exercise 1.(regular), you can feel better, look better and have more energy. So healthy eating along 2. regular exercise is properly the only way to become fit.
As a teenager it is important to give your body the energy 3. needs. For a healthy diet, you should eat mostly rice, bread, vegetables and fruit. You also need to drink a lot of water. 4. (drink) enough water will improve your skin and give you healthy hair.
Exercise is something 5. can help to make you look good, feel good and be healthy. Teenagers should spend at least 30 minutes exercising, five times a week. Walking and riding your bike count and 6. do school sports. When you exercise, your body produces 7.(chemical) that make you feel peaceful and 8.(relax) and increase your ability to concentrate when you study. A good amount of sleep every night 9.(be) also important for your health. Teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
If you follow the suggestions above, you will look and feel much 10.(good) in no time at all!
