Paramount on Wednesday began laying off more than 2,000 employees, a long-awaited consequence of its merger with the Hollywood studio Skydance. The cuts, announced internally by David Ellison, Paramount’s chief executive, will initially include roughly 1,000 employees in the United States across many divisions, including CBS News, the Paramount film studio and cable networks like MTV, Nickelodeon and BET. The rest of the cuts, some of which will affect Paramount’s international employees, will come later. Overall, Paramount is planning to cut roughly 10 percent of the combined company.

In a memo to employees Wednesday, Mr. Ellison said that the cuts were focused on eliminating redundant jobs or phasing out positions not in keeping with Paramount’s evolving priorities. “These decisions are never made lightly, especially given their effect on our colleagues who have made meaningful contributions to the company,” Mr. Ellison said in the memo.

Paramount employees, who have been subjected to near-annual corporate reorganizations, have been bracing for layoffs for months. When Skydance announced its merger with Paramount last year, the company said it was looking for $2 billion in synergies, Wall Street argot for cost-cutting.

Mr. Ellison signaled earlier this year that major changes were coming. In September, he sent a memo telling employees they would be expected to return to the office five days a week in the coming months. Employees unwilling or unable to return to the office would be eligible for a severance package, he said.

Some of Paramount’s most senior employees have already announced their departures as the layoffs have drawn near. Pam Kaufman, the head of Paramount’s international business, told employees in September she was leaving after more than a quarter-century. Chris Aronson, the president of U.S. distribution for Paramount Pictures, said this month that he would be departing in December.

Successive waves of layoffs have become the new normal in Hollywood as executives merge companies and try to wring out billions in costs after those deals close. The specter of further cuts has been the talk of Hollywood in recent days after Mr. Ellison’s proposed bid for Warner Bros. Discovery — the parent company of CNN, HBO and the Warner Bros. film studio — was rejected.

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1.1.How many U.S. employees are affected in the first phase of layoffs?

A Over 2,000 staff.

B Roughly 10 percent.

C About 1,000 workers.

D International employees.

解析：选C。1.C细节理解题。第一段明确提到“initially include roughly 1,000 employees in the United States”（最初将包括在美国的大约1000名员工）；选项A整个裁员计划的总人数，而不是首轮在美国裁员的具体人数选项；B是整体比例；选项D涉及国际员工，均不符合问题要求。正确选项C用“workers”替代原文“employees”，进行了同义转换。故选C。

2.2.How does Mr. Ellison perceive the layoffs based on his memo?

A As unavoidable yet painful.

B As unnecessary and cruel.

C As positive for growth.

D As a quick solution.

解析：选A。2.A观点态度题。根据第二段Ellison在备忘录中强调决定“从不轻率”并考虑对同事的影响，表明他认为裁员不可避免但令人遗憾。选项A“unavoidable yet painful”准确反映了这一态度；选项B、C和D与原文态度不符。故选A。

3.3.What can be inferred about employees’ attitude toward the layoffs?

A They were shocked unexpectedly.

B They had prepared for it.

C They opposed the merger.

D They demanded more pay.

解析：选B。3.B推理判断题。第三段开头明确提到员工数月来一直在“bracing for layoffs”（为裁员做准备），可推断他们预期到了裁员。选项A与原文相反；选项C和D未在文中提及。正确选项B用“prepared for it”替换了原文表达。故选B。

4.4.What can be inferred from the departure of senior executives before the layoffs?

A The company is eliminating all senior positions.

B Paramount’s international business is closing down.

C They were forced to leave without any benefits.

D The upcoming changes created an atmosphere of instability.

解析：选D。4.D推理判断题。倒数第二段提到，在裁员临近时，一些最高级的管理人员已经宣布离职。将高管离职这一事件与“裁员临近”的背景联系起来，可以合理推断出，公司即将发生重大变化（即裁员和重组）造成了一种不稳定氛围，促使高管先行离开。选项D正确。选项A过于绝对；选项C与文中“宣布离职”的主动姿态不符；选项B是过度推断，一位高管离职不代表整个业务关闭。故选D。

5.5.The phrase “wring out” in the context is closest in meaning to ______.

A negotiate aggressively

B extract forcefully

C invest wisely

D calculate precisely

解析：选B。5.B词义猜测题。“wring out”的本意是“拧出，榨出”，如拧干湿衣服。在语境中，高管们合并公司后，试图在交易完成后“wring out billions in costs”（______数十亿的成本）。结合“合并后寻求协同效应（即削减成本）”这一常见商业逻辑可知，此处指通过强硬手段强行榨取/压榨出成本节约。因此，选项B（extract forcefully，强行提取）在含义和力度上都最为贴切。选项A（aggressively negotiate，积极谈判）、C（invest wisely，明智投资）和D（calculate precisely，精确计算）均与“削减巨额成本”的核心目的不符。故选B。