Question

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(周年紀念日).

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 (障礙) 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 (本質) 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.

Answer 1