Stand up and make a whole room laugh
If you go to a club and pay (付钱) to hear someone tell funny stories, it’s called “stand-up”.
Stand-up comedy (单口喜剧) started in Britain and the US more than 150 years ago. Men, women and even children performed (表演) in front of people. The famous actor Charlie Chaplin started to do this at the age of 5.
When radio and cinema became more popular (受欢迎的), stand-up clubs closed. But in Britain, some performers became famous on TV. One Christmas, half the population (人口) of the UK – about 28 million (百万) people – watched a stand-up comedy show.
Today there are stand-up clubs around the world. So why is it still (仍然) so popular? Perhaps it’s because it is simple and fun. All you need is one person to stand up and make the whole room laugh.
Did you know?
In Chinese, many stand-up comedy shows such as 80’s Talk Show (《今晚80后脱口秀》) and Rock & Roast (《脱口秀大会》) are called tuokouxiu, or “talk show”. But Western talk shows are a bit different, in fact. On talk shows, there is a host (主持人). The host will have guests to interview (采访). Stand-up comedy is more like crosstalk (相声) in China.
1. Where did stand-up comedy start?2. When did Chaplin start doing stand-up comedy?
3. Paragraph 3 shows that some people started to do stand-up comedy ________.
| A．on the radio | B．in clubs | C．on TV | D．at Christmas parties |
5. Would you like to do stand-up? Why or why not?
相似题推荐
Why do people love pandas so much? Perhaps it is because they look very cute, or perhaps it is because there are not many of them left. Do you want to learn about pandas? Here are some important things about pandas.
Pandas are actually called giant pandas. Many people also call them panda bears because they are mammals classified (哺乳类) from the bear family. Giant pandas come from China. Pictures of both the dragon and the giant panda are often regarded as symbols of China.
Giant pandas look different from other bears because they are white with black patches around their eyes, over the ears, and across their bodies. Although they look cute and move slowly, they can be as dangerous as any other bear when they are angry. Pandas mostly eat bamboo, but they may also eat other food like eggs, fish, oranges and bananas.
Many people think that giant pandas have few babies, and that is one of the reasons that there are not many of them left. But scientists say that a female panda may have about five or six babies during her life. The female panda gives birth to one or two panda babies, but she is only able to take care of only one of her babies. As a result, one of her babies dies soon after birth because of a lack of good care.
Giant pandas are endangered animals, and there are only about 2,000 giant pandas left in the world. People have been trying hard to protect giant pandas. It looks like their work will get good results because the number of giant pandas is increasing.
1题完成句子；2、3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下全文的主题句；5题将画线句子译成汉语。
1. Pictures of
2. What food do pandas eat according to the text?
3. Why do some panda babies die soon after birth?
4.
5.
Stress is what you feel when you are worried about something . This worry is your mind can make your body feel bad . You may feel angry ,sad or afraid . All of these can give you a stomache or a headache .
However , there are different kinds of stress . Some kinds of stress are good and others are bad . Good stress might happen when you’re called to answer questions in class or when you have to give a speech . This kind of stress can help you to get things better done . For example , you may do a better job on your test if the stress pushes you to prepare better before the test .
On the other hand . bad stress can happen if the stress lasts too long . You may not feel well if your parents are fighting , if a family member is sick , if you’re having problems at school , or if anything else makes you unhappy every day . That kind of stress isn’t going to help you . And it can actually make you sick .
The best way to fight the stress is to have a balanced life . Make sure you keep yourself in mind : sleep ,exercise , leisure(休闲) and food . If you get enough sleep and eat properly , and if you exercise and leave time for fun , you’ll properly feel less stressed.
| Face the stress | ||
| Meaning of stress | Stress is a | |
| Possible effect | You may feel uncomfortable in your | |
| Different kinds of stress | Good stress | ★It might happen when you have to |
| ★It will be more | ||
| ★It makes you | ||
| Bad stress | ★It might happen if your stress | |
| ★You may not feel well with the | ||
| ★It might stop you from getting your work well done | ||
| How to keep stress | ★Have a balanced life | |
| ★Have enough | ||
| ★Take exercise and have time to | ||
【推荐3】In the Charles E. Johnson Elementary School in New York，there is a special radio. （1）It gives people warnings（警报）about bad weather.
One day，there came a sound from the radio. This sound brought the piece of news:a heavy storm was coming. William Tomic，principal（校长）of the school，asked teachers to bring children indoors and put them in a safe place at once.
Minutes later，the storm came. However，because of the warning of the radio and the quick work of the principal，no one was hurt.
“The radio really did work very well. We felt happy about its work，”William Tomic said. “The parents were as well. ”
The US government hopes there will be more such successful stories. It plans to give this kind of radios to all 97，000 public schools in the country.
Every year，more than 10，000 big thunderstorms，2，500 floods，1，000tornadoes（龙卷风）and some hurricanes（飓风）take place in the US，so the warning radios are very useful. （2）They not only give people warnings about bad weather，but also give warnings about other dangerous things.
1. 请根据短文内容，简要回答下面问题。Why was no one hurt in the school in the storm？
2. 画线句子（1）中的“It”指代什么？
3. 请把短文中画线句子（2）中的词组not only…but also…译成汉语。
4. 请给短文拟一个恰当的英文标题。
People make many different kinds of houses around the world. Weather tells us what kind of house we need to make.
In hot places such as south China and south America, the weather is warm so people can be outside most of the time. But they still need to keep themselves safe from the sun, rain and insects. Houses in such places can have screens on their windows and doors. They let the wind into the houses, but keep out the insects.
In Canada, north China and other cold places, houses need to keep out the cold and keep in the heat. These houses need thick walls. lf there is a lot of snow, the roofs(屋顶) need to let the snow fall off easily. These houses cannot have flat roofs. The roofs must also be strong, so they can hold a lot of snow.
What kind of house do you live in? Is it good for the weather you have?
1. How many countries are mentioned(涉及到）in this passage?______________________________________________________________
2. Why do some houses need thick walls?
______________________________________________________________
3. Would you like to live in the house with screens? Why?
______________________________________________________________
【推荐2】Some people believe that your nationality can influence your personality. This is why you might hear someone saying “She is a typical （典型的） Australian.” or “He is so French.” It seems that people from a certain country share certain similar characteristics.
French
French people are often seen as romantic and outgoing people with a great love for life, food and wine. They are good at singing and dancing.
Chinese
Chinese are friendly people who are hard-working. They are polite because they are careful about “saving face” when dealing with other people.
Australians
Australians are merry people who spend a lot of time outdoors. They enjoy a slower life. They laugh a lot but sometimes people think they are loud and rude.
Germans
Germans are often described as being serious and careful. They work hard and pay a lot of attention to details. However, sometimes people say Germans have no sense of humour.
All these national types can be true for some people, but very wrong for others. For example, you might meet a German who is a confident singer with a great sense of humour, or an Australian who is shy and quiet!
Personalities and nationalities | ||
| Opinion | People from a certain country share some similar characteristics. | |
Examples | French | * Romantic. * Love life, food and wine. * Good |
| Chinese | * Friendly, hard-working and * Careful about “saving face” before others. | |
| Australians | * Like to stay * Laugh a lot. * Merry, sometimes loud and rude. | |
| Germans | * Pay attention to details. * Serious and careful, sometimes not | |
| Conclusion | Nationalities may influence personalities, but not for | |
In Chinese culture, tigers are seen as the king of all the animals. They stand for power, energy and protection. Tigers are seen as fearless creatures, so that’s why you can see pictures of tigers on the walls of temples and houses—to protect us from disasters and danger. In ancient times, some great generals (将军) were called the “tiger generals”. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《三国演义》) , there are “Five Tiger Generals (五虎上将) ”.
Tigers have an important cultural importance not just in China, but across Asia where they live in the wild. For example, in South Korea, the animal is a symbol of justice and righteousness (正直) in local folk tales. Both the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics used Hodori, a cartoon tiger, as the mascot (吉祥物) .
Instead of tigers, in the West, lions are considered the king of all the animals. England’s King RichardI is known as “the Lionheart”. In Europe, the animal is a national symbol of England as well as 16 other countries.
But tigers are also seen as very strong animals. In English, if you want someone to calm down, you can say to them “easy tiger”. Another famous phrase is “eye of the tiger”, which means to have fierceness (凶猛) and strength.
Places | |
In China | ●Tigers are seen as the king of all the animals. ●Pictures of tigers on the walls are used for protection. ●Generals in ancient stories |
In South Korea | ●The animal is ●A cartoon tiger, Hodori, was used as the mascot in both the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. |
In the West | ●Although lions play a more important role in Western culture, tigers are also considered as very strong animals. Some English phrases |
【推荐1】Air pollution is a big problem for cities. Many people are dying from it. But how can we tell the air quality(质量) is good or bad?
Joris Lam has invented a birdhouse that can tell us about the air quality. On a tree next to a canal (运河) in Amsterdam, a small birdhouse will shine bright green when the air is clean. If you are standing near the birdhouse, it will also give you a free Wi-Fi connection. So Joris’s birdhouse is called TreeWifi. It can be put on a tree around your house to test the air quality. People can see a screen with information about local air quality and how to improve it. TreeWifi is a simple way for people to know about the air pollution around them. If the birdhouse doesn't shine, people will care more about the environment. It tells them to change their lifestyles. For example, to protect the air, they can ride bikes instead of driving cars.
Joris and his team are trying to make some changes to the birdhouse. In the future, the heat of its green light will be used to keep birds warm in winter.
1、2题完成句子；3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下第二段的主题句；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. Many people die because of the
2. When the air is
3. Why is Joris’s birdhouse called TreeWifi?
4.
5.
【推荐2】What do young people think about places in town? We did a survey of our readers and this is what we learned. All the movies theatres are good, but the Screen City is the best in our town. It has the biggest screen and the most comfortable seats. However, Town Cinema is the cheapest and it has the friendliest service. The most popular clothing store is Jason's. It has the best quality clothing. It's also the cheapest. Funky Fashion is the worst. It has really bad service. As for radio station, most people think that Jazz 107. 9 FM is really great. It has the most exciting programs.
Survey Results of Places in Town | |
Name | Comments |
Screen City | It has the biggest screen and the most |
It's the cheapest and it has the friendliest service. | |
Jason's | It has the best |
Funky Fashion | It has really |
Jazz 107. 9 FM | It has the most |
Do you want to be super strong and have the ability to fly? Few people think about having the powers of a spider. Although it may sound strange, this is one of the world’s most popular superheroes—Spider-Man, named Peter Parker, who first showed up as a comic book (漫画书) character in 1962.
At first, the comic’s publishers didn’t think Spider-Man would go popular. Most superheroes at that time were masculine (有男子气概的) and successful but our Parker is just a poor and childish rookie (新手) reporter. However, the Spider-Man comics sold so well that the next year he got his own book series (系列) called: The Amazing Spicier-Man. And now along with the superhero are lots of Spider-Man movies, cartoons and video games.
In total there are 15 Spider-Man movies and spin-offs (衍生作品), however, Spider-Man only plays the leading role in nine of them. Eight of those are live-action movies (真人电影), while one is cartoon. Three actors have played Spider-Man in live-action movies during the past 20 years, and they all showed up in the 2021 movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Spider-Man is not smart and handsome like Superman, nor is he rich and cool like Iron Man, or big and strong like the Hulk. He always has problems in his life. Sometimes, he also finds it hard to use his power in the right way. At first, he just wants to make some money with his power. But after failing to protect his uncle, he finally learns what he is supposed to do with his power. A man with great power like him is responsible (有责任的) for using the power for good instead of only for himself. Ever since then, he has been seen to save the world at different crime scenes in every corner of the city, no matter how small or how big the crime is.
Characters like Spider-Man have reminded us that we can all be superheroes. Even as common as people around us, we can still do something for good with our own power. That’s probably why Spider-Man earned the name “friendly neighborhood hero” among its fans and has always been many people’s most loved superhero for so long.
| Spider-Man, named | |
| At first, the comic’s publishers didn’t think Spider-Man would go popular. He is just a | Spider-Man always has |
| Spider-Man have reminded us that we can all be superheroes. We can do something for good with | |
