Question

【題目】

Say the words ‘reality TV’ and the show that comes into most people’s minds is Big Brother. Love it or hate it, there have been versions ( 版本) in more than seventy countries! The basic format is simple: put a group of strangers into a house, record everything they do and watch how they manage to live together.

Actually the idea wasn’t original. A similar show, The Real World, was broadcast in 1992 on MTV. But the format really became popular with the success of Big Brother, and it has been copied again and again, including celebrity versions. In similar shows, contestants ( 參賽選手) have been sent to the jungle or a desert island. In Wife Swap a mother goes to live with a family of strangers and tries to manage their homes; in Young, Dumb and Living off Mum a group of spoilt ( 寵壞的) teenagers with no life skills learn to live together and look after themselves.

So what makes these shows so attractive? Actually, living with strangers is stressful and also personality problems are common. Contestants often have to share tasks and housework and this also brings conflict. “It’s all about relationships,” says TV critic ( 批評(píng)家) Jo Barnett. “Some characters are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but they are all real people.”

But is it healthy to be so interested in other people’s private lives? And what kind of people want to appear in front of TV cameras twenty-four hours a day? Not everyone was in favour of such shows, including the first ever winner of Big Brother, Bart Spring. “I’m not a fan of the programme or of people becoming famous for being stupid.” he says.

【1】Big brother is a TV show which has versions in over 70 countries, isn’t it?

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【2】Which of the following words has the same meaning as “original” (Para. 2) ?

A.narrowB.creativeC.powerfulD.favourite

【3】What life skills can the spoilt teenagers learn in Young, Dumb and Living off Mum?

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【4】How is the life of the contestants living with strangers?

______________________

【5】What does TV critic Jo Barnett think of the characters in these shows?

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【6】Do you like to take part in this kind of activity? Add your reason(s) .

______________________

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】Yes, it is. / Yes.

【2】B

【3】To live together and look after themselves. / Living together and looking after themselves. /They can learn to live together and look after themselves.

【4】Stressful and with a lot of personality problems. / Stressful and personality problems are common.

【5】Some characters are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but they are all real people./ They are all real people and just show their ways of life.

【6】Yes. Because it’s fun. / Yes. I can make more friends and learn a lot from them. / Yes. I can learn to be independent. / No. It’s stupid to appear in front of TV cameras. / No. I don’t want to involve in others’ private lives.

【解析】

這是一篇說(shuō)明文，文章主要介紹一些真人秀節(jié)目，節(jié)目參加者做的事情以及大家對(duì)節(jié)目的看法和評(píng)價(jià)。

【1】問(wèn)題是反義疑問(wèn)句，用yes或者no來(lái)回答。根據(jù)第一段“the show that comes into most people’s minds isBig Brother. Love it or hate it, there have beenversionsin more than seventy countries”可知《老大哥》節(jié)目在七十多個(gè)國(guó)家有自己的版本。故答案為Yes, it is. / Yes.

【2】詞義猜測(cè)題。根據(jù)第二段“A similar show,The Real World”可知老大哥節(jié)目有相似的節(jié)目《真實(shí)的世界》，說(shuō)明這個(gè)節(jié)目不是原創(chuàng)。original表達(dá)“原創(chuàng)的”，相當(dāng)于creative。故選B。

【3】根據(jù)第三段“inYoung, Dumband Living off Muma group ofspoiltteenagers with no life skills learn to live together and look after themselves”寵壞的沒(méi)生活技能的年輕人學(xué)習(xí)一起生活和怎樣照顧自己。故答案為To live together and look after themselves. / Living together and looking after themselves. /They can learn to live together and look after themselves.

【4】根據(jù)第四段“l(fā)iving with strangers is stressful and also personality problems are common.”可知和陌生人一起生活是有壓力的而且個(gè)性問(wèn)題很平常。故答案為Stressful and with a lot of personality problems. / Stressful and personality problems are common.。

【5】根據(jù)第四段“Some characters are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but they are all real people”可知評(píng)論家認(rèn)為有些性格讓人愉悅，有些不讓人愉悅，但是他們都是真正的人。因?yàn)樗麄冿@示了自己的生活方式They show their ways of life.故答案為Some characters are pleasant, and some are unpleasant, but they are all real people./ They are all real people and just show their ways of life.

【6】根據(jù)第一段“Love it or hate it”，第三段“l(fā)earn to live together and look after themselves”,第四段“so attractive”以及最后一段“is it healthy to be so interested in other people’s private lives”，“Not everyone was in favour ofsuch shows”以及“I’m not a fan of the programme or of people becoming famous for being stupid”可知對(duì)這些節(jié)目褒貶不一。喜歡節(jié)目的人覺(jué)得有趣,覺(jué)得可以學(xué)到東西，學(xué)會(huì)獨(dú)立生活。也有人不喜歡，覺(jué)得在鏡頭前很蠢，不想?yún)⑴c到別人的私人生活。故答案為Yes. Becauseit’s fun. / Yes. I can make more friends and learn a lot from them. / Yes. I can learn to be independent. / No. It’s stupid to appear in front of TV cameras. / No. I don’t want to involve in others’ private lives.