It’s not so surprising that US First Lady Michelle Obama has called Modern Family her favorite TV series. September saw the fun, heartwarming sitcom take home the Best Comedy Series award at the 2013 Emmys. This is the fourth year in a row that the series has won that title. The show features three families who move in and out of each other’s lives. The first one is a typical American family: the working dad Phil, stay-at-home mom Claire and their three children.
The second family is made up of Jay, his young Hispanic wife and her son Manny. Jay, 65, is the father of Claire. He is 30 years older than his wife and everyone mistakes the two for being father and daughter.
The third family is made up of a gay couple, Mitchell and Cameron, and their adopted daughter Lily. Mitchell is Jay’s son.
On Sept 25, the show started its fifth season, in which Claire makes a big change – she returns to work. The other big storylines include Jay’s stepson Manny starting high school and Mitchell and Cameron looking for a primary school for Lily. Will things go right for the three families?
Modern Family has no spies, aliens or vampires (吸血鬼); it’s just about ordinary people. So what has made it such a hit?
According to the Los Angeles Times, its “presentation of contemporary US society” contributes to its success. The show presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US: two parents, a big house and two or three children. When there’s a fight between their kids, Phil wants to be the “cool dad” while traditional mom Claire lives by the saying “an eye for an eye”. She always forces Phil to punish the troublemaker.
The show also touches upon developments in interracial relations in the US by focusing on Hispanic communities. This makes sense, as “by 2040, America will no longer be a majority-white country, with the fastest growth rate among Hispanics…” BBC pointed out.
In addition, according to BBC, 40 percent of Americans say they have a gay friend or relative. By including Mitchell and Cameron, Modern Family reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.
“The US is a melting pot … so the family has come to reflect that diversity.” commented The Hartman Group, a US research firm.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the characters in Modern Family?
A. There are always fights between Phil and Claire because of their different ways of raising kids.
B. Jay, Claire and Mitchell make up a typical American family.
C. Mitchell and Cameron are a gay couple and they adopted a boy.
D. Jay and his wife are often not thought of as a couple because their ages are so far apart.
2.What’s new in Modern Family’s fifth season?
A. Lily is entering kindergarten.
B. Jay’s grandson Manny starts high school.
C. Phil loses his job.
D. Claire goes back to work.
3.Why is Modern Family so popular?
A. It reflects current US society.
B. It presents what a typical “nuclear family” is like in the US.
C. It includes developments in interracial relations in the US.
D. It reflects the changing status of gay people in the US.
4.Which of the following best shows the structure of the article?
Every September in China, people love to talk about the overprotective parents following their children around everywhere during university enrollment.
Now, with more than 420,000 youngsters in the UK starting their new college school year, what is their first day like? BBC’s Sean Coughlan described it in a recent report.
According to Coughlan, at the very beginning it is not hard to spot something familiar to Chinese–a stream of parents arriving with their sons and daughters at the student village. Mothers, fathers and a teenager–now most likely taller than they are – stand together like the three might have done on the first day of primary school.
“The approach road to the student village is a long traffic jam of family cars, stuffed full with boxes, pillows and nervous families,” he writes. “The door closes on a student’s room and parents and children go their separate ways. For many families, if childhood has a final moment, this is it.”
But saying goodbye to parents is not the only similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China. In both cases, new arrivals most want to know about their Internet connections. “It’s their most urgent concern,” notes Coughlan.
Even on their first day, university in the UK won’t be an entirely lonely experience for some new students. “Before they arrive they have been using social networking to get to know their future roommates,” writes Coughlan.
Still, the first night is something no UK university student ever forgets. There are people they meet and then spend three years avoiding and people who become their friends for the rest of their lives. First week stories are all about over-partying, bad cooking and misguided clothing, Coughlan says.
As he concludes: “These new students are entering their own soap opera of romance, friendship and ambition. It’s a huge adventure that they’ve worked for years to achieve.”
1.What is the author’s purpose in writing the article?
A. To introduce how UK students prepare for college.
B. To show different challenges that college freshmen face in the UK and China.
C. To describe how UK colleges welcome newcomers.
D. To inform us about what the first day of college is like in the UK.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A. On the first day of college, UK freshmen don’t know each other.
B. When the new semester begins, most UK freshmen drive to college by themselves.
C. For many freshmen, when they say goodbye to their parents, they are also saying goodbye to their childhood.
D. Most British parents stay around their children’s colleges for a few days at the beginning of the semester.
3.A similarity between college freshmen in the UK and China is that ______.
A. the approach roads to their colleges are packed with cars filled with nervous families
B. they have contacted their future roommates through social networking sites
C. once they get to the campus, they want to make sure that they have access to the Internet
D. they spend their first week getting to know their roommates and partying
4.From the article, we can conclude that Sean Coughlan’s report is ______.
A. descriptive B. critical
C. sympathetic D. bitter
At the airport, I looked closely at the face of my son, Daniel, his backpack by his side. We were saying good-bye. In a few hours he would be flying to France to a different life. It was a transitional（过渡期的）time in Daniel’s life. I wanted to leave him some words of . But nothing came from my and this was not the first time I had let such a moment .
When Daniel was five, I took him to the school-bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. He looked at me -- as he did now. “What is it going to be like, Dad? Will I be okay?” And then he walked up the of the bus and disappeared inside. And the bus . And I had said nothing.
A decade or so later, a similar played itself out. I drove him to college. I tried to think of something to say to give him and confidence as he started this new life. Again, words me.
Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those opportunities. How many times have we all let such moments pass?
My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always never hearing him put his into words and never having the memory of that moment. Now, I could feel my palms（手掌） and my throat tighten. Why is it so to tell a son something from the heart?
My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words . “Daniel," I said, "if I could have picked, I would have picked you." That’s all I could say. I wasn’t sure he understood what I . Then he came toward me and threw his arms around me. For a moment, the world and all its people vanished（消失）, and there was just Daniel and me. He was saying something, my eyes misted（视线模糊）over, and I couldn’t understand what he was saying. All I was of was the stubble（胡子茬）on his chin as his face pressed mine. And then, the moment ended. What I had said to Daniel was clumsy. It was nothing. And yet, it was .
1.A. experienceB. spendC. enjoyD. shape
2.A. consultationB. significanceC. necessityD. difference
3.A. headB. lipsC. thoughtsD. mind
4.A. flyB. remainC. passD. last
5.A. windowsB. chairsC. handlesD. steps
6.A. pulled upB. pulled downC. drove awayD. drove up
7.A. signB. sceneC. sceneryD. sight
8.A. interestB. opinionC. courageD. influence
9.A. failedB. discouragedC. struckD. troubled
10.A. valuableB. embarrassingC. obviousD. lost
11.A. wonderedB. regrettedC. triedD. minded
12.A. feelingsB. viewsC. actionsD. attitudes
13.A. freezeB. hurtC. sweatD. burn
14.A. importantB. essentialC. complexD. hard
15.A. approximatelyB. obviouslyC. clearlyD. carefully
16.A. countedB. meantC. valuedD. care
17.A. butB. andC. insteadD. so
18.A. sensitiveB. convincedC. awareD. tired
19.A. byB. againstC. onD. with
20.A. noneB. allC. anythingD. everything
It is really important for parents to reach a ___ between what they want and what their kids desire.
A. conclusion B. compromise
C. communication D. permission
When asked how he came up with the excellent idea, he said one of his childhood experiences was the original ____ to begin his story.
A. application B. evaluation
C. creation D. inspiration
Nowadays, many people walk and cycle to work _____ the government calling for living a low-carbon lifestyle to deal with global warming.
A. in response to B. in relation to
C. in addition to D. in charge of
