It’s one of the greatest sitcoms(情景喜剧) ever made, loved by millions of fans all over the world.
In fact, ever since Friends ended its 10-year run in 2004, the world has been dying for a reunion. But now, it may be the time. The Hollywood Reporter reported that the six cast members and the show’s creators were now in talks to reunite on HBO Max last month.
The news generated excitement. “It’s been nearly 25 years ... but the fascination (魅力) and universal appeal (吸引力) of the hit TV series lives on with fans of all ages,” Peter van Roden, a US Emmy-award winning producer, told Entertainment Weekly.
But why has a show with 10 years of episodes become one of the most re-watched TV programs ever?
Writing at CS Monitor, critic Cathaleen Chen said Friends was special for its “lighthearted pleasantries (轻松愉快)”.
In the show, the six characters spend most of their free time in the now iconic (标志性的) Central Perk coffee shop. Instead of zany (搞笑的) storylines, the characters often make us laugh through their natural conversation. With six different personalities, it’s natural that there will be fights and arguments, but they usually reunite and help each other.
Indeed, many viewers love the show for its relaxing nature. “Friends was nothing more than a very funny, anxiety-free sitcom,” Salon’s Willa Paskin wrote on the 20th anniversary of the show in 2014. “The pure pleasure-giving sitcom has never been a rare thing.”
It’s about more than just pleasure, though. Friends also reflected (反映) the realities faced by young people entering adulthood.
Watching the show feels like reading the story of a young person’s life, said British lecturer Brett Mills.
“It’s about people working out how they are going to live their lives – what kind of relationships they are going to have, what kind of job, and the difficulties of settling down,” Mills told the Daily Mail. “You’ve asked all those questions about escaping from your family, becoming an adult and working out what you want to be.”
1.What do we know about Friends after reading the first two paragraphs?
A.Its six main actors will have a reunion.
B.Its creators wanted it to play again on TV.
C.It will be made into a Hollywood film.
D.It has more fans than ever before.
2.What makes Friends popular with viewers, according to Chen?
A.Its amusing storylines.
B.The personalities of the characters.
C.Its funny and relaxing atmosphere.
D.The fights and arguments between the characters.
3.What can viewers learn from Friends, according to Mills?
A.How to find simple pleasures in everyday life.
B.How young people choose to live their lives.
C.What kind of job is the most suitable for them.
D.How to avoid difficulties the characters have experienced.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.A ‘Friends’ reunion B.The best sitcoms
C.Viewers love “Friends” D.“Friends” reflects reality
People in Western countries are eating less meat these days, whether for their health or because they want to protect animals. But now they have another reason.
Eating less meat can help to prevent climate change, according to a recent study published in Nature.
Raising livestock (家畜) is bad for the environment. When animals like cows digest (消化) food, their stomachs make greenhouse gases, which are a major cause of global warming. Seventeen percent of greenhouse gas emissions (排放) come from livestock farming, The New York Times reported.
In addition, to raise these livestock, people have to cut down forests and turn them into farms. Forests play a key role in fighting global warming because they absorb greenhouse gases.
Eating less meat according to certain guidelines could cut global food-related emissions by nearly a third by 2050, the study found. Keeping a vegetarian diet in the long term could bring down emissions by 63 percent.
But eating less meat won’t be easy. According to the study, people in Western countries will need to eat 90 percent less meat than they do now in order to have an impact (影响) on our climate. Scientists are now trying to find new foods to replace meat.
Some say that insects could help. A 2013 UN report said that eating insects is healthier and better for the environment. They produce 75 percent less greenhouse gases than livestock.
Some experts are creating lab-grown meat. They make meat in a lab using livestock cells (细胞). In March, US company JUST said people in the US might be able to buy its lab-grown meat by the end of this year
1.How much less meat should people eat to influence the climate?
A.63 percent. B.70 percent. C.75 percent. D.90 percent.
2.Eating less meat can help protect the environment because _____.
A.there will be more animal-related waste
B.less livestock means less greenhouse gas emissions
C.animals are an important part of the environment
D.people will plant more trees around their houses
3.According to the story, eating less meat can help us _____.
a. stay healthy b. reduce waste c. protect animals d. slow down climate change
A.a;b;c B.b;c;d C.a;b;d D.a;c;d
4.What is the main idea of the story?
A.Why Westerners eat less meat these days.
B.What people will eat in the future.
C.How eating less meat influences the environment.
D.What the major cause of global warming is.
I’d heard that there is a cool antique (古董) store in New Jersey which sells old and uncommon things from past generations. And it isn’t _______ , either!
Several days ago, I went to New Jersey. I visited Old Mill Antiques. It is in a quiet suburban area with an old forest all around it. The store really makes you_______ like you’re living in the 1950s.
As soon as I_______ the door, I was surprised to find what was there. This store is like a mini museum of American history. It is _______ with large wooden clocks, jewelry (珠宝), cartoon statues, dog-eared books and fancy hats.
“Oh, records!” I shouted _______ when seeing two full boxes of old records and a phonograph (留声机). I have only seen phonograph machines in movies, _______ in real life!
I went through those records one by one, and saw familiar_______ such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Michael Jackson ... Some records were completely _______ , while others were used.
One of the clerks told me that the prices of the antiques in the store are all quite different _______ the different qualities. Take the wooden clocks for example: some of them are priced as high as $500, while some similar ones________ only $50.
At last, I bought a record by the Beatles for $7. I wonder if I should come again someday and buy a phonograph.
1.A.expensive B.cheap C.attractive
2.A.sound B.smell C.feel
3.A.locked B.opened C.touched
4.A.full B.covered C.filled
5.A.happily B.angrily C.peacefully
6.A.once B.never C.often
7.A.songs B.bands C.names
8.A.broken B.cool C.new
9.A.instead of B.because of C.rather than
10.A.pay B.take C.cost
______ means in or to a foreign country.
A.Aboard B.Abroad C.Adventure
— There is growing_________ about violence on television.
— No wonder people worry.
A.concern B.trade C.accuse
— How are they?
—They _________ living in the village.
A.used to B.have fun to C.are used to
