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.
1.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
2.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
3.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
4.The passage is most probably taken from .
A. a book review B. a newspaper C. a film poster D. a DVD menu
Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior’s friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft（手艺）.
In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.
The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust（胸围）, usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.
It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged(投入) into the production of his new style. Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance. A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture（women’s clothing）for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and on and on. More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.
His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s.
1.Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?
A. B. C. D.
2.According to the passage. in Dior’s life, he did NOT___________.
A. make creative fashion designs B. work in a diplomatic service
C. 1earn craft as his first job D. open a New Look House
3.We can infer from the passage that _________.
A. Dior and his supporter had different interests in business
B. Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then
C. Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion
D. Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first
4.What is probably the best title for the passage? .
A. The History of the New Look B. The Growth of the Dior Empire
C. An Expression of Freedom—Dior D. The Founder of the New Look—Dior
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36～55各题所给的A、 B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Children model themselves largely on their parents. They do so mainly through identification. Children identify 36 a parent when they believe they have the qualities and feelings that are 37 of that parent. The things parents do and say---and the 38 they do and say to them--therefore strongly influence a child's 39 . However, parents must consistently behave like the type of 40 they want their child to become.
A parent's actions 41 affect the self-image that a child forms 42 identification. Children who see mainly positive qualities in their 43 will likely learn to see themselves in a positive way. Children who observe chiefly 44 qualities in their parents will have difficulty 45 positive qualities in themselves. Children may 46 their self-image, however, as they become increasingly 47 by peers groups standards before they reach 13.
Isolated(孤立的) events, 48 dramatic(突然的) ones, do not necessarily have a permanent 49 on a child's behavior. Children interact such events according to their established attitudes and previous training. Children who know they are loved can, 50 , accept the divorce of their parents' or a parent's early 51 . But if children feel unloved, they may interpret such events 52 a sign of rejection or punishment.
In the same way, all children are not influenced 53 by toys and games, reading matter, and television programs. 54 in the case of a dramatic change in family relations, the 55 of an activity or experience depends on how the child interprets it.
1.A. to B. with C. around D. for
2.A. informed B. characteristic C. conceived D. indicative
3.A. gesture B. expression C. way D. extent
4.A. behavior B. words C. mood D. reactions
5.A. person B. humans C. creatures D. adult
6.A. in turn B. nevertheless C. also D. as a result
7.A. before B. besides C. with D. through
8.A. eyes B. parents C. peers D. behaviors
9.A. negative B. cheerful C. various D. complex
10.A. see B. seeing C. to see D. to seeing
11.A. modify B. copy C. give up D. continue
12.A. mature B. influenced C. unique D. independent
13.A. not B. besides C. even D. finally
14.A. idea B. wonder C. stamp D. effect
15.A. luckily B. for example C. at most D. theoretically
16.A. death B. rewards C. advice D. teaching
17.A. as B. being C. of D. for
18.A. even B. at all C. alike D. as a whole
19.A. Even B. Since C. Right D. As
20.A. result B. effect C. scale D. cause
------ I heard that there were a lot of shouts and screams at yesterday’s party. It must have been terrible.
------- Oh, no. ________ , I enjoyed every minute.
A. In the end B. As a result
C. On the other hand D. On the contrary
Suspecting the traveler of carrying drugs, the Customs official stopped him and ______ suitcase, but found nothing at all.
A. looked up B. went through C. searched for D. referred to
The old professor told us that every part of the materials should be made use of _____ the station.
A. building B. to build C. build D. being built
