He is a child in a grown man’s body. Everywhere he goes, he makes his fans laugh so much. He is the lead character of the hugely popular film and TV series of Mr. Bean(憨豆先生), created by British comic actor Rowan Atkinson.

Since its TV show made the first appearance in 1990, its 14 half-hour programs have been sold to more than 200 TV territories worldwide. This year sees Mr. Bean celebrate its 25 th anniversary(周年纪念日).

Why has the character enjoyed success with people of different cultures?

Unlike most people in comedy today, Mr. Bean doesn’t make much use of dialogue, so there is no language barrier (障碍) in his work. Mr. Bean can talk ---sometimes does--- but what he does is much more important than what he might say. For example, in a TV episode, Mr. Bean becomes a barber and makes a terrible mess of the customer’s hair. This doesn’t need any translation.

But there’s a deeper reason. Although he is British and the stories generally take place in British settings, people from different cultures laugh at Mr. Bean for the same reason earlier generations (一代人) laughed at comic star Charlie Chaplin.

As Atkinson told the newspaper: “The essence (本质) of Mr. Bean is that he is self-centered and in fact doesn’t care about the outside world.” Mr. Bean breaks social rules wherever he goes – he jumps the queue, tries to cheat(作弊) in exams – we all secretly want to do but generally don’t.

1.The article is mainly about ______.

A. the influence of Mr Bean on British culture

B. the reasons behind the success of Mr Bean

C. the importance of humor in British culture

D. the most successful British film director

2.Why has Mr Bean been popular with people of different cultures?

A. Because he looks lovely and smart.

B. Because he can solve any problem in a special way.

C. Because people can quite often see him on the screen.

D. Because people can easily understand his humour.

3.Charlie Chaplin is mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph to ______.

A. make clear his importance in comedy history

B. show his popularity in Britain before Mr Bean

C. show he and Mr Bean have something similar

D. show that he and Mr Bean are British heroes

4.According to Atkinson, which of the following is an important characteristic of Mr. Bean?

A. Being selfish. B. Being childish.

C. Being generous. D. Being dangerous.

Young people and older people don’t always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special programme in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in a friendly way.

Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and build houses. The adults teach them these skills.

There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.

When people live together, rules are necessary. In this programme the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”

One of the teenagers has this to say about his experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself, You learn to think about the group.”

1.In one special programme in New York State, young and older people _______ .

A. don’t work well together.

B. are friendly to one another.

C. teach one another new ways of building houses.

D. spend eight weeks together, working as farmers..

2.All the members work some time every day mainly to _______ .

A. lead a busy life.

B. learn new skills of farming;

C. get used to the life on the farms

D. find value and pleasure in work

3.Living together, _________ .

A. the teenagers don’t have to obey(遵守) the rules

B. the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make

C. the members have no free time on weekends

D. the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together

4.The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the programme is ____ .

A. unpleasant B. tiring C. helping D. boring

5.The best title for the passage is __________ .

A. The rules of living together

B. Life in New York State

C. Teenagers in the special group

D. Free hours in the special work group

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