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.

67．If you are fond of soapy TV shows，you will probably choose to watch      

    A．Fridav Night Lights                     B．30 Rock

    C．the Amazing Race                        D．Saturday Night Live

68．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

69．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

70．The passage is most probably taken from      

    A．a book review     B．a newspaper      C. a film poster     D．a  DVD menu

Writing being largely a self-taught occupation, texts on how to get about it ―though great in number― seldom are of much use.

You try, and fail. Then try again. Until at last, if you have some gift for it, the failures become less frequent, or at any rate less apparantly.

It is this ability to cover up one’s defects that is finally regarded as accomplishment or achievement.

Along the way there are the discouragements of unkind criticism, outright rejection, troublesome insecurity and irregular inability to meet debts.

It is uncommon, therefore, to come across a book containing advice of much practical value for anyone toying(漫不经心地考虑) with the dangerous idea of staring on a writing life.

A friend recently lent me such a book, however ― one I wish I’d had the luck to read years ago, and which I would recommend to any young person devoted to making a career of words. It is the autobiography (自传) of the English novelist Anthony Trollope, first published in 1883, the year after his death.

Needing some means to support himself, Trollope at age 19 worked as a junior clerk in the British postal service. He was at his desk at 5:30 each morning to write for three hours. And he remained in the mail service 33 years, long after reputation and prosperity had come to him.

Now, what of his advice in his works?

1. For safety’s sake, arm yourself with some other skills, some other line of work to fall back on(求助). That way, failure at writing, though the disappointment may appear, will not mean ruin.

2. Do not depend too much on inspiration. Writing is a craft, which Trollope compared to the craft of shoemaking. The shoemaker who has just turned out one pair of his work sets to work immediately on the next pair.

3. Have a story to tell, but, more important than that, people with characters who will speak and move as living creatures in the reader’s mind. Without memorable characters, story alone is nothing.

4. Meet your deadlines. Life is endlessly “painful and troublesome” for writers who can’t finish their work on time.

5. Do not be carried away by praise. And, above all, do not be injured by criticism.

6. Understand the risks of writing for a living. “The career, when successful, is pleasant enough certainly; but when unsuccessful, it is of all careers the most painful.”

63. This passage mainly discusses         .

A. the difficulties and risks of making a career of words

B. the uselessness of instructions contained in writing guidebooks

C. the autobiography of the 19th century English novelist Anthony Trollope

D. sound advice provided in Anthony. Trollope’s autobiography

64. From the context we can figure out that the underlined word “defect” in Paragraph 3 means         .

A. advantage                          B. fault                C. truth                      D. disadvantage

65. According to the author, writing         .

A. is basically a self-taught occupation and no instructions on how to deal with it are of any practical use

B. is a “trial and error” process and it does not count whether you have the gift for writing or not

C. for a living is the most pleasant of all careers, full of praise and enjoyment

D. sometimes provides good hopes of winning public praise and escaping poverty

66. From the passage we may infer that the author is most probably         .

A. an instructor of writing       B. a writer    C. an educator             D. a publisher

   You're in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:

   "I can't believe it--a Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome."

   They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater. It's nice and the price is right. You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls looked really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency. They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo BertoHa clothes.

   Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating. If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too. This is the secret of undercover marketing. Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.

   Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising. This is particularly true of the MTV generation----consumers between the age of 18 and 34. It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads.

   So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go. Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative. "Look at traditional advertising. Its effectiveness is decreasing."

   However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about of young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Adverting executives would say it's no less real than an ad. The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something. You don' t know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance.

55. The two attractive young women were talking so that they could ________.

    A. get the sweater at a lower price        B. be heard by people around

    C. be admired by other shoppers           D. decide on buying the sweater

56. Lorenzo Bertolla is __________.

    A. a very popular male singer                B. an advertising agency

    C. a clothing company in Rome            D. the brand name of a sweater

57. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? 

    A. The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company.

    B. The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by ads.

    C. Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it's too direct.

    D. Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government.

58. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

    A. Two Attractive Shoppers                         B. Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters

    C. Ways of Advertising                                D. Undercover Marketing

Here’s an unusual story：a diamond ring was recently found in an egg．The magician，Liu Qian，discovered it，in front of an audience of millions at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala．Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable once again，and made him the hottest magician in China．

As a seasoned young magician from Taiwan，Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows．Countries he has performed in include the United States，Japan，South Korea and the UK．

Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic．

Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences．He has a unique understanding of showmanship (演出技巧) ．

“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s controlling skills”，that is more important to achieving a successful magic show．We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively，to make them appear more interesting, Liu said.

Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood．Born in 1976 in Taiwan，he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old．At the age of 12，he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest，which was judged by the great American magician，David Copperfield．

Yet，Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician．He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur magician in his spare time．However，his failure to find a proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career．

To refine his performing skills，he has performed on streets，roads and fields，for passers-by，policemen and farmers．

“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians．We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said．

51．The story is about______.

A．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician

B．why people love magic

C．what magic tricks are

D．how fashionable magic is

52．People love to watch magic because___________________．

A．they can’t figure out the secret of magic

B．it arouses their curiosity

C．they love watching magicians make the impossible happen

D．it is a centuries-old art

53．Which of the following is the key reason why Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A．He was interested in magic when he was young.

B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest．

C．He became all amateur magician in his spare time．

D．He couldn’t find an acceptable job after graduation．

54．From the story we know that_______________．

A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions

B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic show

C．Liu Qian performs on streets in order to increase his fame

D．Liu Qian does street show to make money

Where the heart is?

In three days I will leave China behind for a few weeks and head back to Australia to spend time with my family and friends. This will be a very   31   trip for me as, for the first time ever, I will not be   32   to my hometown. You see, my parents sold their house in my hometown and moved about 500 kilometers away.

As it   33  me I would be returning to a whole new place, I was   34   with two questions: Do I still have a hometown? Where is my home? I needed to do some research.

After reading A Story from the Chinese Diaspora, I learned I was not alone in feeling   35   about where I call home. In the story, a Chinese American girl   36   with finding her identity and   37   her past with her present. I realized the place we live now and the place we lived then, have a great   38   over who we are, where we long to be and where we feel   39   and safety.

Back to My Motherland   40   of a woman who left her motherland years ago and started a new life in America--the place she now calls home. But,   41   some people move on from their hometown and   42   a new life somewhere else, others have a strong   43   to the city that they grew up in. In Hometown Boy we learn of a man who clings(坚持) to his   44  and continues to make his hometown a   45   of his life for now and for the future. He makes it his   46   to give back to the community that has given so much to him and his family.

As I   47   the days until I head back to my motherland and   48   where exactly my home is, I am   49   to decide where my heart is. And quite   50  , my heart is wherever I am.

Customers will receive a free CD as a ______ with any order over 200 yuan in this store.

   A. payment                B. bonus           C. cash                 D. benefit

Tom, you’d better find money for the rent______, or I’ll give you a day’s notice and then sweep you out.

A. somehow         B. anyhow         C. anyway              D. somewhat

The project we are engaged in is of vital importance. It is ____ to be a bridge between China and the other countries, promoting the common economic development and prosperity of China and the world.

A. fundamental          B. bound                 C. necessary                   D. beneficial

Their products enjoy 30 percent             of the market in this country because both the quality and their service are fine.

A．rate                    B．share                 C．discount                   D. sales

The young man is intelligent and diligent; he is sure to __ in his new position.

    A. go on              B. go out         C. go for              D. go far