Question

    There are probably no people on Earth who like to gossip as much as the British. If prying into (打探) other’s lives were an Olympic sport, then Team GB would surely take the gold medal.

And when the British can’t watch the lives of real people, they have another source of entertainment to fall back on — the soap opera. British soap operas are very different to US TV dramas. For one, they are normally longer running. The two most popular, Coronation Street and East-enders, have been running for 48 and 24 years respectively. Both are broadcast several times a week, so remarkably there have been more than 7,000 episodes of Coronation Street.

The most obvious difference is that, unlike US dramas, the British soap operas focus on the real world. There is little glamour (魅力), the stars are rarely rich, and they normally have boring jobs. Perhaps the appeal is that the lives of the characters often mirror the lives of the audience — but with some drama added. This means the viewer can relate to the characters and feel the pain and happiness they go through on the show.

Because these soap operas last for decades, the cast is ever changing. The shows rarely focus on one or two main characters. Like the real world, people come and go all the time. However, there are exceptions. Coronation Street’s William Roach, 76, has played the role of Ken Barlow since the very first episode of the show in 1960, and he is still a regular.

The choice of which soap opera you follow is often cultural: People from the north of British tend to watch Coronation Street as it is set in Manchester. People from the south generally prefer East-enders, which is set in the east of London. The show is generally considered grittier and is aimed at a younger audience.

1.What is the main difference between American dramas and British soap operas?

A.American dramas are longer.

B.British soap operas are longer.

C.American dramas deal with dangerous things.

D.British soap operas deal with real people.

2.Why do British people like to watch such operas?

A.They can find their own life from the operas.

B.They can enjoy the operas in their free time.

C.They can watch the operas for many years.

D.They care about the fate of the characters in the operas.

3.The underlined world “episodes” in the 2nd paragraph probably means ______.

A.plays

B.pages

C.issues

D.parts

4.One characteristic of British operas is that ______.

A.the characters play the same role for a long time.

B.the characters in the play often change

C.people don’t know what will happen next

D.there is only one or two characters in them

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。世界上恐怕没有人比英国人更爱八卦了。当英国人看不懂真人的生活时，他们还有另一种娱乐来源——肥皂剧。文章介绍了英国的肥皂剧和美国的电视剧的区别和特点。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中的The most obvious difference is that, unlike US dramas, the British soap operas focus on the real world.(最明显的区别是，与美国电视剧不同，英国肥皂剧关注的是现实世界)可知，美剧与英国肥皂剧的主要区别在于英国肥皂剧与真人有关。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段中的This means the viewer can relate to the characters and feel the pain and happiness they go through on the show.(这意味着观众可以与角色产生共鸣，感受他们在剧中所经历的痛苦和快乐)可知，英国人喜欢这种电视剧是由于他们从中找到自己的生活。故选A。

3.词句猜测题。根据划线词前面的The two most popular, Coronation Street and East-enders, have been running for 48 and 24 years respectively. Both are broadcast several times a week(其中最受欢迎的两个是Coronation Street和East-enders，它们已经分别上映了48年和24年。这两个节目每周播出几次)可推知，more than 7,000 episodes of Coronation Street意为“Coronation Street有7000多集”。part (片段)与划线词意思接近。故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的Because these soap operas last for decades, the cast is ever changing. The shows rarely focus on one or two main characters. (因为这些肥皂剧持续了几十年，演员阵容一直在变化。电视剧很少集中于一两个主要角色)可推知，英国电视剧中的角色经常变化。故选B。