高中英语晨读美文：蓝色星球
We all have a common home.
我们拥有一个共同的家
She provides us with enough food, enough water andenough living room.
她向我们提供足够的粮食，足够的水和足够的空间。
We get everything from nature to live better,
为了生活得更好，我们向自然界索取，
but we don't do anything to protect her.
但我们却从不保护她
Now the air is polluted,the earth is poisoned,
现在空气被污染了，土地盐碱化了，
water is unsafe to drink and rubbish is burying the civili- zation that man owns 人们不能安全饮水，垃圾埋葬了现代文明。
Our environment is being polluted
我们的环境正在被污染
faster than nature and man's efforts can prevent.
污染速度远远比自然界和人类现在尽力制止污染的速度快。
Time is bringing us more people,and more people will bring us more industry. 随着时间的推移，人口的增加，人们会发展更多的工业。
So many trees will be cut down,and more large cities will be set up.
于是大片森林被砍伐，更多的大型城市开始建立。
Lots of waste material,in turn,is produced and harms the environment.
这一切导致的结果是:产生大量的垃圾。环境也被破坏了。
So some experts declare that the balance of nature is being upset,
于是专家们宣称自然界正在失去平衡。
so that the very survival of man is in danger.
人们的生存环境正处在危险中。
What can solve this growing problem?
如何来解决这个正在扩大化的问题呢?
The answer is that we must control population growth,
答案是我们必须控制人口增长的速度,
forbid people to cut down trees and pour waste water into rivers and so on. 禁止滥伐和向河里排污
If we do this,the environment will become clean,
如果我们能够做到这些环境将会得到净化,
and our lives will be full of happiness
我们的生活间充满幸福。
高中英语晨读美文：不同寻常的回音Once Mark Twain and two friends were sitting in arestaurant
有一次，马克.土温和两个朋友在饭馆里坐着。
One friend has just returned from a trip to Vermont.
一个朋友刚从佛蒙特旅行回来。
The friend said that the air in the mountains ofVermont was very clear. 这位朋友说佛蒙特的大山里空气非常清新。
In many places
在许多地方，
the echo of a voice came back five times stronger than the original voice. 一个声音的回音要比原来的声音强五倍。
The second friend said that was nothing.
第二个朋友说那没有什么。
In Colorado,where he lived,in many places
在他居住的科罗拉多的许多地方，
the echo of a voice spoken in the morning came back in the afternoon.
一个早上说话的声音要到下午才能返回。
Mark Twain laughed, Then he said,
马克.土温大笑起来，然后他说:
Listen!The echoes which you have told me about are very unusual.
你们说的那些回音非常不同寻常。
But in a small church in Missouri, where I was born,
但是在我出生的密苏里的一个小教堂里，
there is an echo more unusual than those.
有一个回音比你们说的那些更不同寻常。
"What is so strange about the echo there?"asked one of them.
"那里的那个回音有什么不同寻常的?"一个人问。
"Well,I will tell you,"said Mark Twain
"好吧，我来告诉你们，"马克.土温说。
"The echo in that church is so unusual that if one asks in a loud voice: "那个教堂里的回音真的非常不同寻常，如果一个人大声问:
Good Morning!How are you?The echo repeats very clearly after a moment: 早上好!你好吗?过一会儿，回音会清楚地回答:
Very well,thank you. And how are you?
非常好，谢谢。你好吗?
高中英语晨读美文：与众不同的听众
Al Smith was governor of New York States. He was afamous man.
阿尔.史密斯是纽约的州长。他是个名人。
He was born very poor on the East Side of New YorkCity.
他出生在纽约市东部的一个穷苦家庭。
He had little education.He worked very hard and wongreat success.
他读书不多，但是他工作勤奋，终于获得了很大的成就。
One day,as governor, he was visiting the state prison at Sing Sing.
有一天，作为州长，他访问星星州的监狱。
Sing Sing is one of the largest prisons in the United States
星星监狱是全国最大的监狱之一。
The head of the prison
监狱长
asked Mr.Smith to say something to the prisoners.
请史密斯对囚犯们说几句话。
Mr.Smith had never spoken to this kind of audience before.
史密斯先生从来没有对这一类听众讲过话。
He did not know how to begin.
他不知道该怎样开口。
Finally,he said,"My fellow citizens..."
最后，他说:"我亲爱的公民们......"
Then he remembered that when a man goes to prison he is no longer a citizen. 接着他想起一个人蹲进监狱就不再是公民了。
He began again."My fellow prisoners..." That did not sound right,so he said, 他重新开始:"我亲爱的囚犯们......"那听起来也不对劲儿，于是他说: "Well,anyway,I'm glad to see so many of you here today."
"噢，无论如何，今天在这儿见到你们这么多人真是太高兴了。"
【晨读英语美文100篇】晨读英语美文中英对照版英语晨读365 116 Virtue 美德 Sweet day,so cool,so calm,so bright! 甜美的白昼，如此凉爽、安宁、明媚！ The bridal of the earth and sky- 天地间完美的匹配----- The dew shall weep thy fall to-night; 今宵的露珠儿将为你的消逝而落泪； For thou must die. 因为你必须离去。 Sweet rose,whose hue angry and brave, 美丽的玫瑰，色泽红润艳丽， Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye, 令匆匆而过的人拭目而视，Thy root is ever in its grave, 你的根永远扎在坟墓里， And thou must die. 而你必须消逝。 Sweet spring,full of sweet days and roses, 美妙的春天，充满了美好的日子和芳香的玫瑰， A box where sweets compacted lie, 如一支芬芳满溢的盒子， My music shows ye have your closes, 我的音乐表明你们也有终止， And all must die, 万物都得消逝。 Only a sweet and virtuous soul, 唯有美好而正直的心灵， Like season'd timber,never gives; 犹如干燥备用的木料，永
不走样； But though the whole world turn to coal, 纵然整个世界变为灰烬， Then chiefly lives. 它依然流光溢彩。 英语晨读365 115 Equipment 装备 Figure it out for yourself, my lad. You have got all that the great have had: two arms, two legs, two hands, two eyes, and a brain to use if you'd be wise. With this equipment they all began, so start for the top and say" I can". Look them over the wise and the great. They take their food from a common plate. With similar knives and forks they use; with similar laces they tie their shoes. The world considers them brave and smart, but you know--- you have got all they had when they made their start. You can triumph and come to skill; you can be great if you only will. You are well equipped for the fight you choose you have arms and legs and brains to use. And people who have risen, great deeds to do started their lives with no more than you. You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must choose your place. You must say where you want to go, and how much you will study the truth to know. God has equipped you for life, but he lets you decide what you want to be.
晨读英语美文100篇：On Going a Journey [00:00.32]Passage 98 On Going a Journey [00:05.35]One of the pleasantest things in the world is going a journey: [00:10.71]but I like to go by myself. [00:13.52]I can enjoy society in a room; [00:16.91]but out of doors, nature is company enough for me. [00:21.94]I am then never less alone than when alone. [00:26.55]“The fields his study, nature was his book.” [00:30.81]I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time. [00:36.39]When I am in the country I wish to vegetate like the country. [00:41.86]I am not for criticizing hedges and black cattle. [00:46.02]I go out for town in order to forget
the town and all that is in it. [00:52.04]There are those who for this purpose go to watering places, [00:57.06]and carry the metropolis with them. [00:59.81]I like more space and fewer obstacles. [01:04.29]I like solitude, when I give myself up to it, for the sake of solitude; nor do I ask for [01:13.04]“a friend in my retreat, whom I may whisper solitude is sweet.” [01:19.27]The soul of journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do, just as one pleases. [01:29.45]We go a journey chiefly to be free of all obstacles and all inconveniences; [01:36.78]to leave ourselves behind, much more to get rid of others. [01:42.26]It is because I want a little breathing space to ponder on indifferent matters, where contemplation [01:50.46]“May plume her feathers and let grow her wings, [01:55.17]that in the various bustle of resort
高中600字励志美文摘抄 高中的时光是忙碌又充实的，高中的那一幕幕都值得我们去铭记。以下是为你整理的有关励志的高中美文摘抄，希望你喜欢。 高中励志美文摘抄一：奇迹看，小路边的那棵古树，笔直地立在那里，多么高昂。顿时的我感到无比的自卑。我能攀得这么高吗?眼泪轻轻地从脸上落下，它拂在一片树叶上，映着阳光，它刺到我了，我轻轻地用脚按摩着大地，害怕惊动了那棵棵高昂的古树。 这时。夜幕已渐降临。乌黑的天空犹如一片飘零的落叶，摇曳在大地，不能动摇。我用手拭干眼泪，准备要和这些贵人告别时，太阳从西方照耀出来的晚霞映射在一个脸上布满皱纹，伛着身子的人枯树。我轻快地走到它眼前，心里的自卑感顺着晚霞，已消失在一片漆黑的天空里。我伸出我那已沾湿了的右手，向枯树驶去。开始，我犹豫着是否要感觉它的沧桑而不敢去触摸它，但我知道这棵历经过风风雨雨，战胜过无数困难的枯树，是不会介意我聆听它的历史的。我轻轻地抚摸着它，它那崎岖不平的外皮在触摸着我，显得格外温馨。 我再次流下了眼泪，但这滴眼泪是为枯树而流的。它曾经用自己的青春去奉献给那美丽的春天;它曾经用自己的身躯去遮挡那猛烈的阳光;它曾经用自己的头发去保护那
可爱的大地。而它们又给了枯树什么?一小部分的泥土吗?它的人生就如此这样过吗?不，我错了。它并不寂寞，因为它还有那对生活充满信心的信念陪伴着它，能够为这个春天奉献自己的一份努力，是它的荣幸。我现在知道了，我以前做错了，不应叹息这个世界，应用自己的努力而欢呼这个世界，它会为你而高兴的，请相信，相信这个世界真的会有奇迹的! 星星在天空中眨呀眨的，请注意，它在注意着你! 高中励志美文摘抄二：表时间命运久久凝视精美的表盘，心却不知飞向何处。 看着时间一点一滴流逝，心里总不是滋味。这就好比手中捧了一捧清水，水一点一点地减少，而我却只能远远观望，看着水渐渐淌干，想要保留却无能为力，那种无助涌上心头。在时间面前我是那样的微不足道。渺小的我如一粒黄沙，只一吹，就不知了去向，沉默于无际的黄沙中。 我将表的钞针停下，试图让它阻止心灵时间的流走。多么可笑。漆黑的夜，再次注视手腕上的表，三个荧光的指针在黑夜中发出淡青色的光，但都一动不动，犹如垂死的病猫在黑暗里眼中的幽怨的绿光。第二日早晨，日期仍是昨日，我无奈地苦笑，又将时间调好。表终究只是记录时间的工具而已。它和我一样斗不过时间，只不过它向时臣服，而我是被之呃住了咽喉，喘不过气来罢了。 三根表针的命运早已注定，在表盘中一直画着圆
星火四级晨读英语美文100篇【励志感悟】第7篇 Excuses Some people go through life standing at the excuse counter. People say they'd like to do this or that,but...then they offer all the excuses in the world why they can't do whatever it is.No matter what the excuses are,the only thing usually limiting them is their own self-perception. If I've learned anyhing,I've learned a person--any person--can do just about anything they set their mind to.The only thing they need is a willingness to work for what you want,patience to learn what you need to know,and just a little bit of belief in yourself,but you only need a seed.Your faith in yourself will grow with you as you move forward. If you self-perception is that you can't accompilsh somthing because you're not smart enough,then take the time to learn what you need to know and your self-perception will change. If your self-perception is that you can't accompilsh something because you never finsh anything you start,then go finsh something and change your self-perception. If your self-perception is that you're too lazy,too bust,too unworthy,too unfocused,too depressed,too dependent on others,the you're right.You are that because you believe that,but you can change that! Life is change,and the past doesn't equal the future.Your today is the result of your past beliefs and actions.Change your beliefs and action and you change your future.If you think you can or you can't,you're right.You are what you think. Think about that the next time you need an excuse. 翻译： 借口 有些人站在“借口”这一柜台后虚度一生。 有人说，自己想做这个，想做那个，但是······于是便给出他们所能找到的各种借口，来解释自己为什么不能去做这些事。无论借口是什么，大概唯一能限制他们行动的只是他们的自我意识。 如果说我学到了什么，那就是我意识到一个人——任何人——都可以做他决定想做的一切。你唯一需要的是：为理想而努力的意志，学习所需知识的耐心和一点点自信。其实最需要的只是自信的一粒小小的种籽。自信会随着你的进步而增强。如果你自以为不够聪明而无法成功，那就花时间去学习你所需要的知识，这样你的自我感觉就会改变。 如果你认为自己太懒惰，太忙碌，太无足轻重，太不专心，太消沉，太依赖别人，太这样太那样而不能成大器，那么你是对的。你相信如此，便会如此。但你能改变一切。 生活无时无刻不在变化，过去不等于将来。你的现在是你过去的信念与行动的结果。改变信念和行动就会改变你的未来。你认为自己能或不能，你都是对的。你就是你所认为的样子。 下次需要找借口时，请好好想想
(一) Care your dream (By Vanessa Sanchez) 当梦想遭到现实的撞击时，总会发出凄美的破碎声。心灵被梦想的碎片刺痛，散落的碎片上还残留着斑斓的颜色。然而，心灵的疼痛却有着催人成长的力量。梦想的幻灭，是因为它没有得到精心的照料。去呵护你的梦想吧！勇敢地站在舞台中央，跳一曲快乐的人生芭蕾。 My dream ended when I was born. Although I never knew it then, I just he ld on to something that would never come to pass. Dreams really do exist. But in the morning when you wake up, they are remembered just as a dream. That is what happened to me. I always have the dream to dance like a beautiful ballerina twirling around and around and hearing people applaud for me. When I was young, I would twirling around and around in the fields of wildflowers that grew in my backyard. For hours I would dance as if people were watching me. I would dance so fast that I would forget where I was, until I would hear sounds that reminded me of where I really was. I thought that if I twirled faster everything would disappear and I would wake up in a new place. Reality woke me up when I heard a voice saying, "I don't know why you bother trying to dance. Ballerinas are pretty, slender little girls. Besides, you don't have the talent to even be a ballerina." I remember how those words paralyzed every feeling in my body. I feel to the ground and wept for hours. We lived in the country by a nearby lake and I would sometimes go there to hide. My parents were never home anyway and I did not like to be at home where I could hear the walls talking of pain. When they were home, my mother just yelled and criticized because nothing was ever perfect in her life. She dreamed of a different life but ended up living in a country far away from the city where she believed her dreams would have come true. I enjoyed hanging out by the water. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection. There I was, looked nothing like a pretty ballerina dancer. Reflections don't lie. Once the waves would come, my reflection was gone. Washed away just like my dream to dance. I sat there staring at the water, hoping that my reflection would reappear and be different. As I grew older, I began to realize that the reason my dream was even born in the first place, was because it was something that was inside of me. The dream I had was never nurtured and cared for, so it slowly died. It's not that I wanted it to die, but I allowed it to die the day I started listening to the words, "You can't do it." When I finally woke up from many years of dreaming, I realized that you can't settle for dancing in the wildflowers, you have to move on to the platform. I still go to the lake sometimes and sit there. Looking at my reflection is different now too. When I was young, I looked at how others saw me, now that I am older and wiser; I look at how God sees me. (二) Learn to be grateful Hello, everybody! Welcome to my blog, I'm Vivianna. Yesterday I read an encouraging essay, called "learn to be grateful". I hope you will enjoy this essay and wish all of you in this bigear family can make a better and more beautiful life!! Being grateful is an important philosophy of life and a great wisdom.. It is impossible for anyone to be lucky and successful all the time so long as he lives in the world. We should learn how to face failure or misfortune bravely and generously and to try to deal with it. If so, should we
晨读英语美文100篇 Passage1. Knowledge and Virtue Knowledge is one thing, virtue is another; good sense is not conscience, refinement is not humility, nor is largeness and justness of view faith. Philosophy, however enlightened, however profound, gives no command over the passions, no influential motives, no vivifying principles. Liberal Education makes not the Christian, not the Catholic, but the gentleman. It is well to be a gentleman, it is well to have a cultivated intellect, a delicate taste, a candid, equitable, dispassionate mind, a noble and courteous bearing in the conduct of life—these are the connatural qualities of a large knowledge;they are the objects of a University.I am advocating, I shall illustrate and insist upon them;but still, I repeat, they are no guarantee for sanctity or even for conscientiousness,and they may attach to the man of the world, to the profligate,to the heartless, pleasant, alas, and attractive as he shows when decked out in them.Taken by themselves, they do but seem to be what they are not;they look like virtue at a distance, but they are detected by close observers, and in the long run;and hence it is that they are popularly accused of pretense and hypocrisy,not, I repeat, from
英语背诵美文30篇 英文＋翻译 第一篇：Youth 青春 Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple1) knees; it is a matter of will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental2) predominance3) of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting4) our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite5), so long are you young. When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism6) and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80. [Annotation:] 1）supple adj. 柔软的 2）temperamental adj. 由气质引起的 3）predominance n. 优势 4) desert vt. 抛弃 5) the Infinite上帝 6) cynicism n. 玩世不恭 青春 青春不是年华，而是心境；青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝，而是深沉的意志、恢弘的想象、炙热的感情；青春是生命的深泉在涌动。
星火四级晨读英语美文100篇【励志感悟】第17篇 The Power of Beauty One of the most successful, influential and beloved women in American history, Eleanor Roosevelt once said that she had one regret: she wished she had been prettier. Who hasn’t felt the same way? We are all too aware of our physical imperfections. To overcome them, we spend billions upon billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, diet products, fashion, and plastic surgery. Why do we care so much about how we look? Because it matters. Because beauty is powerful. Because even when we learn to value people mostly for being kind and wise and funny, we are still moved by beauty. No matter how much we argue against it or pretend to be immune, beauty exerts its power over us. There is simply no escape. Aristotle said, “Beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction.” It’s not fair, but it’s true. We simply treat beautiful people better than we do others. Attach a photograph of a beautiful author to an essay, and people will think that is more creative and more intelligently written than exactly the same essay accompanied by the photo of a homely author. Our sensitivity to physical beauty is not something we can control at will. We are born with it. Experiments conducted by psychologist Judith J. Langlois showed that even small infants prefer to look at attractive faces. Before they have met a single supermodel, before they have watched a single TV show, before they have opened up a single fashion magazine, they are drawn to the same faces which adults have judged to be attractive. There are more important things in life than beauty. But as Etcoff says, “We have to understand beauty, or we will always be enslaved by it.” If you aim to be wise and kind and funny, it doesn’t mean that you can’t also try your best to look beautiful. There’s no reason to feel guilty about being moved by beauty’s power. It moves us all. 翻译： 美的力量 身为美国史上最成功、最有影响力且最受人喜爱的女性之一的罗斯福夫人曾说她有一个遗憾：她希望自己长得更漂亮。谁没有过同样的想法呢？我们都强烈感觉到自己身体的缺陷。为了克服缺陷，我们每年都要花费几十亿美元--在化妆品、减肥食品、流行时尚与整容手术上。 我们如此这么在意自己的外貌？因为它很重要。因为美的力量很大。因为即使我们学着基本上去看重仁慈、智能、风趣的人，但我们仍会受到美的感动。无论我们多么用力辩驳，或假装对它免疫，美仍然对我们产生影响。根本无法逃避。 亚里斯多德说：“美是比任何介绍信都要有用的推荐函。”这并不公平，但却是事实。我们就是会对美丽的人比较好。把一位美丽作家的照片贴在作品上，读者就会认为这篇文章较有创意，写得更有智能。完全相同的文章配上相貌平凡的作家照片，评价就会较低。 我们对外在美的敏感，不是可以控制自如的。我们天生就这么敏感。心理学家朱迪丝蓝洛斯的实验显示，就连小婴儿也喜欢看漂亮的脸。他们从来没有见过超级名模、没看过电视节目，也没翻开过时尚杂志，却已经受到大人也认为有魅力的脸庞所吸引。 人生中有比美丽更重要的事，但就如艾特考夫所说：“我们必须了解美，否则我们永远都会是它的奴隶。”如果你的目标是要聪明、仁慈又风趣，这并不代表你就不能尽力让自己变得漂亮。被美的力量感动，并不需要有罪恶感，因为所有的人都受它感动。
励志美文摘抄 时间:2013-01-03 分类:好词好句来源:书通网10 篇一：一生定要美丽一次 生长在非洲荒漠地带的依米花，默默无闻，少有人注意过它。许多旅人以为它只是一株草而已。但是，它会在一生中的某个清晨突然绽放出美丽的花朵。 那是无比绚丽的一朵花，似乎要占尽人世间所有色彩一样。它的花瓣儿呈莲叶状儿，每瓣自成一色：红、白、黄、蓝，与非洲大地上空的毒日争艳。 但是，它的花期很短，最多只有两天。两天后它就会随着母株一起枯萎，开花意味着它的生命的终结。 在非洲的荒漠地带，植物的生长需要水分，而开花的植物对水分的需求更大。非洲一般植物都有庞大的根系采水，以供自身的水分需求。但是依米花没有根系，它只有惟一的一条主根，孤独地蜿蜒盘曲着钻入地底深处，寻找有水的地方。那需要幸运和顽强努力，一株依米花往往需要四至五年的时间在干燥的沙漠里寻找水源，然后一点点积聚养分，在完成蓓蕾所需要的全部养分后，它开花了！所以在它最美丽的时候，它因耗尽了自己的所有的养分而凋零。 用五年的时间为开一朵花努力，这是何等顽强而心酸的事情。假若依米花生长在水草丰沃的地方，它将会美丽一辈子的，偏偏，它的家乡在荒漠。 这个世界上，万物都有灿烂一回的时候，这是上苍赐给万物的权利。 人要比依米花智慧和理性，人想灿烂一回的理想要比依米花更强烈。但我们却往往没有一生都不屈不挠和努力，在遭遇困难和阻挠的时候，往往接受环境给予自己安排的命运。 人生的道路有几十年，但像依米花那样地勇往直前的岁月真的太少了。用一生定要美丽一次的心情去努力和坚持，每个人都会比现在做得更好！ 篇二：你可以不成功，但是不能不成长 还记得我第一次采访基辛格博士，那时我还在美国留学，刚刚开始做访谈节目，特别没有经验。问的问题都是东一榔头，西一棒子的，比如问：那时周总理请你吃北京烤鸭，你吃了几只啊？ 后来在中美建交30周年时，我再次采访了基辛格博士。那时我就知道再也不能问北京烤鸭这类问题了。虽然只有半小时，我们的团队把所有有关的资料都搜集了，从他在哈佛当教授时写的论文，演讲，到他的传记，有那么厚厚的一摞，还有七本书。都看完了，我也晕了，记不清看的是什么。虽然采访只有27分钟，但非常有效。 真是准备了一桶水，最后只用了一滴。但是你这些知识的储备，都能使你在现场把握住问题的走向。
Situation Comedy A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on televi sion. Sitcoms usually consist of r ecurring characters in a format in whi ch there are one or more humorous story lines centred on a common environment, such as a family home or workplace.The situation comedy format seems to have originated in the old time radio era of the United States, but today they are produced around the globe. Many cou ntries, such as Britain, have embraced the form and so sitcoms have become among the most popular programmes on the schedule.history,The situation comedy format originated on radio in the 1920s. The first situation comedy is often said to be Sam and Henry which debuted on t he Chicago, Illinois clear-channel station WGN in 1926, and was partially inspired by the notion of bringing the mix of humor and continuity found in comic strips to the young medium of radio. The first network situation comedy was Amos & Andy which debuted on CBS in 1928, and was one of the most popular sitcoms through the 1930s.Situation comedies have been a part of the landscape of broadcast television since its early days. The first was probably Mary Kay and Johnny, a fifteen minute sitcom which debuted on the DuMont Television Network in November of 1947.This type of entertainment seemed to originate in the United States, which continues to be a leading producer of the genre, but soon spread to other natio ns.Characteristics Traditionally, situation comedies were largely self-contained, in that the characters themselves remained largely static and events in the sitcom resolved themselves by the conclusion of the show. One example of this is the animated situation comedy The Simpsons, where the characteristics of animation has rendered the characters unchanging in appearance forever?although the characters in the show ha ve sometimes made knowing references to this. Other sitcoms, though, use greater or lesser elements of ongoing storyli nes: Friends, a hugely popular US sitcom of the 1990s, contains soap opera elements such as regularly resorting to an end-of-season cliffhanger, and has gradually developed the relationships of the characters. Other sitcoms have veered into s ocial commentary. Examples of these are sitcoms by Norman Lear including All in the Family and Maude in the US, and the controversial Till Death Us Do Part in Britain. Most contemporary situation comedies are filmed with a multicamera setup in front of a live audience, then edited and broadcast days or weeks later. This practice has not always been universal, however, especially prior to the 1970s when it became