It never occurred to anybody, not even the creators that the world would care about the complex lives, loves and sufferings of a group of attractive and witty New Yorkers. But there’s no doubt that Friends(老友记)has become more than just a successful situation comedy ─ it has established itself as one of the last great television phenomena of the last century. Along the way, it has made its half-dozen leading actors famous.
Looking back on the strong friendship between the group of three men and three women who frequently gather at each other’s apartments and at Greenwich Village’s Central Perk coffee house, Friends was created by television producers, David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 1993, the pair met producer Kevin S. Bright. Then the three became partners and got a deal to produce a new comedy for Warner Brothers. What they came up with was based on Crane and Kauffman’s after-college years, when they hung out at the local coffee house and involved themselves in every aspect of each other’s lives.
It didn’t take long for viewers to make friends with Friends. The situation comedy quickly became a top ten hit. Critics loved it as well. Entertainment Weekly said the show operated like a Broadway show, with twisty plots and unique jokes. The television theme song has also been a success with the public. The song’s success helped save the television theme song. An ABC(美国广播公司)executive was ready to order very short music intros(前奏) on his network’s shows, thinking that viewers would hit the remote control as soon as the opening started. But the success of the Friends theme song led the ABC executive to change his mind ─ remote controls or not, the TV theme song would stay.
Years have gone by, but Friends remains and will remain an example of a modern US situation comedy that is both hugely entertaining television and nothing short of a genuine latter-day social phenomenon.
12．What is stressed in the second paragraph?
A. The origin of Friends
B. The role models of Friends
C. The popularity of Friends
D. The brilliance of Friends
13．Which of the following is TRUE about Friends?
A. It has a simple but entertaining plot.
B. It is about friendship between college students.
C. It was criticized by Entertainment Weekly.
D. It first came into being in the 1990s.
14．What can we learn from the passage?
A. Producer, Kevin S. Bright, graduated from the same college as David Crane.
B. ABC once replaced the theme song of its TV show with a short music intro.
C. The ABC executive thought highly of the theme song of Friends.
D. Marta Kauffman expected Friends to achieve great success.
15．What might the author think of Friends?
A. Its merits outweigh its shortcomings.
B. He/she shows great affection towards it.
C. He/she has a reserved attitude towards its success.
D. Its success lies in the lack of good situation comedies.
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