I don’t like getting up too early unless I have to. When you’re filming, you’ve got make-up on, which doesn’t happen often. As I’m not filming at present I’ll get up at 8.30.
Work normally means Matt coming over to my house about 10 am. We’re writing at the moment. We’ll chat for a bit before going to my study. One of us will have an idea for a sketch (梗概), we’ll talk about the characters and when we feel we have enough we’ll start writing.
Matt and I met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and started doing shows together in ’95, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. We know we’re onto something if we’ve made each other laugh, and that’s a really special moment. It’s not always like that, but we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can be honest and go. Some days you’re not in the mood to be funny—like writing when my dad was dying of cancer, or when Matt was separating from his partner.
We stop for lunch and sometimes go to Wagamama in Camden, but the last time we were followed by paparazzi (狗仔队), which gets you down—who wants to be pictured eating noodles?
When I’m not writing with Matt I work on other projects. My second children’s book comes out later in the year. It’s called Mr. Stink. The first one I dedicated to my three-year-old nephew, Eddie. Both books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake; it’s been a thrill to work with him—like 20 years ago reading a Roald Dahl book and looking at those drawings, then one day that person illustrates your work… magical.
At 5 I go swimming in Soho. My trainer makes me do horrible exercises, but I always feel better after.
Being in all day, I like to go out in the evening and look smart, but not like I’ve come out of the City. I’m a tall, broad guy and well-dressed.
For dinner I’ll meet friends. When you’re a single guy it’s great to have some good female friends. Or I might take my mum to the theatre, as I know she really appreciates it. I like watching TV comedy shows to see what everyone’s doing. When you see something impressive it makes you work harder. I also love Larkin’s poems: they don’t try to transcend (超越) the commonplace; they’re much more straightforward.
Poetry is great to dip into before going to bed, rather than falling asleep reading a novel and being confused over what you’ve read or not. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in seven years; unfortunately, I rely on pills. I’ve tried everything. If I could wish anything for myself, I’d wish I could sleep better.
1.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. the author spends much time with his friends
B. the author and Matt are both famous in the district
C. the author doesn’t care much about what to wear
D. the author works at home and seldom goes out every day
2.Where does the passage most likely appear?
A. In a travel diary. B. In a news column.
C. In an online diary. D. In a research paper.
3.Why does the author read some poetry before going to bed?
A. Because poetry can often bring him some funny ideas.
B. Because poetry is much easier to understand than novels.
C. Because poetry is very abstract and reflects unusual things.
D. Because poetry can be of some help for him to kill time.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. A day’s work with Matt B. A new life-style
C. A life in the day D. A good way to write
How has smoking been controlled in recent years?
People were asked to stop smoking in a range of public places—such as doctors’ surgeries, cinemas, theatres and churches—over the second half of the 20th century but it was after the King’s Cross Underground fire on November 18, 1987, caused by a cigarette end which resulted in 31 deaths, that restrictions on smoking in public places gained rapid and widespread acceptance.
How did a ban on smoking in public places come into place?
In 1998 the Smoking Kills White Paper set out a national strategy to reduce smoking prevalence (流行) and passive smoking, including in public places. The measures were voluntary and poorly carried out. After a public conference in England in 2004, the Government decided to choose for lawmaking. Scotland went first, with a ban in 2006, followed by the other nations a year later.
What is the current law?
Any person who smokes in enclosed public places, including pubs, offices, on public transport and work vehicles, is breaking the law. It does not extend to private houses. It is also an offence for people in charge of premises (营业场所) to permit others to smoke in them.
How was it received?
It was welcomed by most organizations—except for some pub owners and restaurateurs. Many workplaces in the UK had already introduced smoke-free policies consistent with the legislation (法律，法规) before it was carried out, while others have gone beyond its basic requirements.
All railway facilities, including platforms, footbridges and other areas—whether or not fitting the definition of an enclosed public space—are covered, as are all football grounds and some cricket and athletics stadiums. School grounds are not required to be smoke-free under the legislation, but the majority now are.
How has it been forced?
Compliance (服从) in public premises has been high, with inspections suggesting that 99 per cent of places were sticking to the rules. The number of people charged for smoking in cars has been very low, which was due to the problems defining and identifying “work” vehicles. They said that a total ban on smoking in vehicles would end this confusion.
Has it improved health?
Studies in early adopters of the law, including in Scotland, suggest a reduction in hospital admissions for heart disease, which has been shown to be linked to passive smoking. There is also strong evidence of improved rates of smoking end and a drop in the number of cigarettes consumed by those who continue to smoke.
1.When did the first law come out to ban smoking in public places?
A. 1987. B. 1998. C. 2004. D. 2006.
2.Which of the following behaviors may NOT be against the law?
A. Jack often smokes in the office when he is alone.
B. A taxi driver is smoking with a lady in his car.
C. Tom smokes while thinking of his future at home.
D. Max smokes for relaxation during time-out in the stadium.
3.Who might feel unhappy about the law according to the article?
A. A restaurant owner. B. A company manager. C. A car owner. D. A policy maker.
4.What can you infer from the article?
A. Most heart diseases have been proved to be linked to passive smoking.
B. A new law will soon come out with a total ban on smoking in vehicles.
C. The 1987 fire has convinced more people that smoking is bad for health.
D. Most of the school grounds are not smoke-free, as it is not banned in the law.
(BBC News April 18) All flights in and out of the UK and several other European countries have been cancelled as ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland moves south.
Up to 4,000 flights are being cancelled with airspace closed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark among others.
The UK’s air traffic control service (Nats) said no flights would be allowed in UK airspace until at least 07:00 BST on Friday for fear of engine damage.
Safety group Eurocontrol said the problem could last for 48 hours.
The volcano is still erupting and the wind direction is expected to continue bringing clouds into UK and European airspace for some time to come.
The UK’s airspace restriction was the worst in living memory, a Nats spokesman said. Some 600,000 people are thought to have been affected.
Nats suggested that the restrictions were unlikely to be lifted (解除) after 07:00, saying it was “very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future”.
Passengers were advised to contact their carriers before travelling.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and would be meeting with key transport officials on Friday morning.
Experts have warned that the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud from the still-erupting volcano could be sufficient to jam aircraft engines.
The Health Protection Agency said the ash from the eruption did not bring a significant risk to public health because of its high altitude.
However, the British Lung Foundation has warned people with lung conditions to keep their medication (医疗护理) with them as a precautionary measure.
These are some of the knock-on effects:
● Eurocontrol says Germany is monitoring the situation and considering partial airspace closures.
● The two main airports in Paris and many others in the north of France are closing.
● There is severe disruption (崩溃) in France and Spain, where all northbound flights are cancelled.
● Nats is due to make an announcement shortly as to the arrangements that will be in place
through to 13:00 BST on Friday.
● British Airways offers refunds or an option to rebook after all its domestic flights are suspended.
Flybe announces it has cancelled all flights up until 13:00 BST on Friday and more than 25 services due to run after that.
British sports teams have been hit by travel problems after flights were grounded.
1.What may passengers do on hearing the news according to the passage?
A. They may cancel their international flights.
B. They may contact the airlines before traveling.
C. They may take measures to protect their lungs from the ash.
D. They may stay indoors till the volcanic eruption dies down.
2.Why have some European countries cancelled flights after the volcanic eruption?
A. Because the volcanic ash may make passengers ill.
B. Because people refuse to take the international flights.
C. Because the volcanic ash may jam or damage the engine.
D. Because the flights may be hit by the rocks from the eruption.
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. All the flights are likely to return to normal in 48 hours.
B. British people had experienced a worse airspace restriction before that.
C. Germany is monitoring the situation and considering closing all airspace.
D. The UK airspace restrictions are unlikely to be lifted in the foreseeable future.
Why You Should Celebrate Your Mistakes
When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish (珍视) it like it’s the most precious thing in the world. Because in some ways, it is.
Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.
And that’s only natural: most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, that we should try to avoid mistakes. We’ve been scolded when we make mistakes—at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world: they make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.
By trial and error—trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes—we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.
Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest toddler, make speech possible, make works of genius possible.
Think about how we learn: we don’t just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don’t just read about painting, or writing, or computer programming, or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually … then you construct a model in your mind … then you test it out by trying it in the real world … then you make mistakes … then you revise the model based on the results of your real-world experimentation … and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you’ve pretty much learned how to do something. That’s how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new—because if you succeed at something, it’s probably something you already knew how to do. You haven’t really grown much from that success—at most it’s the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey was made up of mistakes, if it’s a good journey.
So if you value learning, if you value growing and improving, then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.
1.Why do most of us feel bad about making mistakes?
A. Because mistakes make us suffer a lot.
B. Because it’s a natural part in our life.
C. Because we’ve been taught so from a young age.
D. Because mistakes have ruined many people’s careers.
2.According to the passage, what is the right attitude to mistakes?
A. We should try to avoid making mistakes.
B. We should owe great inventions mainly to mistakes.
C. We should treat mistakes as good chances to learn.
D. We should make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
3.The underlined word “toddler” in Paragraph Six probably means _______.
A. a small child learning to walk B. a kindergarten child learning to draw
C. a primary pupil learning to read D. a school teenager learning to write
4.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. most of us can really grow from success
B. growing and improving are based on mistakes
C. mistakes are the most precious things in the world
D. we read about something and know how to do it right away
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
You may have heard of Osceola McCarty, an 88-year-old woman in Mississippi who had worked for over 75 years as a 1woman.
One day after she retired, she went to the bank and discovered that her small monthly 2had grown to over＄150,000. Then to everyone’s surprise, she turned around and 3almost all of the money to the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) for a 4fund for students with financial needs. Immediately, she made national 5.
What you have not heard is how Osceola’s gift had 6my life. I am 19 years old and the first 7of an Osceola McCarty Scholarship.
I was a 8student, and I was determined to go to USM. But I 9being qualified for a regular scholarship by one point on the entrance exams, and a scholarship was the 10way I could attend.
One Sunday, I came across the story in the paper about Osceola McCarty and her generous 11. The next day I went to the financial aid office, and they told me there was still no money 12for me, but if anything came up they’d call.
A few days later, I was going out with my mother 13the phone rang. I was told I had been chosen to be given the first Osceola McCarty Scholarship. I was 14!
McCarty worked hard her whole life, washing clothes by hand. Now that she is 15, she sits most of the day and reads the Bible, that is, when she is not getting rewards. Every time I go to visit her, she has a new 16. She’s even gone to the White House. She is so happy and proud. We have tried to talk her into getting a VCR (录像机) so she can tape the programs and see 17on TV—she just smiles.
McCarty gave me much more than a scholarship. She taught me about the gift of 18. Now I know there are good people in the world who do good things. She worked hard and helped others, and in turn she has inspired me to 19when I can some day. So 20I plan to add to her scholarship fund.
1.A. café B. buffet C. laboratory D. laundry
2.A. expenses B. profits C. savings D. wages
3.A. returned B. donated C. delivered D. removed
4.A. welfare B. project C. scholarship D. research
5.A. headlines B. customs C. sympathies D. doubts
6.A. affected B. formed C. disturbed D. ruined
7.A. designer B. receiver C. contributor D. reporter
8.A. considerate B. dedicated C. casual D. sensitive
9.A. advocated B. regretted C. missed D. avoided
10.A. normal B. wrong C. legal D. only
11.A. gift B. idea C. decision D. plan
12.A. left B. raised C. available D. enough
13.A. since B. before C. though D. when
14.A. shocked B. excited C. puzzled D. encouraged
15.A. retired B. dismissed C. promoted D. transferred
16.A. job B. hobby C. life D. award
17.A. everybody B. everything C. herself D. us
18.A. giving B. understanding C. receiving D. loving
19.A. give up B. give back C. give off D. give in
20.A. suddenly B. originally C. gradually D. eventually
—I really don’t know whether I can be admitted to dream university in a month.
—________. Everything is possible.
A. Take it easy B. Just ignore it C. Never give up D. Take your time
