Watching TV is a very popular pastime in the UK but what kind of programmes do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programmes every week are very popular dramas that are usually on at least four times every week. They are dramas based in one neighbourhood that try to describe ordinary life in the UK --- we call these dramas ‘soap operas’ or ‘soaps’.

       In the early days of TV, there were often dramas on during the day. Back in those days, it was traditional for the husband to go out to work and for the wife to stay at home and look after the house and the children. Most of these daytime dramas were aimed at entertaining the housewives who would traditionally be at home, probably doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder would advertise their products at times when these dramas were on, and sometimes those companies would even sponsor (贊助) the drama. Hence the word ‘soap’.

       So what about the word opera? Well, that’s because these dramas are often an exaggeration (夸大) of real life. They are supposed to represent ordinary life but to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic events like murders, divorces, affairs (風(fēng)流韻事) etc. all happen probably much more regularly than they would in a normal neighbourhood.

       Most soap operas these days are shown in the evening. Each show will have several different storylines happening at once that continue over several shows. The same cast members will appear in every show too.

       There are lots of different soaps on in the UK on different channels but there are three main popular ones. ‘Coronation Street’ has been on since 1960. It is set in a suburb of Manchester and it’s supposed to represent working class life in the north of England. Then there’s ‘Eastenders’ which started in 1985, set in the East End of London and ‘Emmerdale’, which is set on a farm in Yorkshire, in the north of England.

 

56. The text is mainly about ______.

       A. some popular soap operas

       B. how people spend their spare time in the UK

       C. why soap opera is so called

       D. how companies sell soaps

57. Which opera should you watch if you want to learn about people’s life in London?

       A. Coronation Street.                                 B. Eastenders.

       C. Emmerdale.                                          D. None of the above.

58. The underlined part “cast members” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.

       A. actors and actresses                              B. people who sell washing powder

       C. characters in Coronation Street               D. opera producers

59. We may infer from the second paragraph that ______.

       A. companies often sold washing powder from door to door

       B. soap operas were produced only for women

       C. men didn’t like watching TV

       D. today more women go to work

60.   Which of the following stories takes place in Manchester?

       A. Coronation Street.     B. Eastenders         C. Emerdale           D. None of the above.

 

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2011屆云南省昆明三中高三上學(xué)期第二次月考英語(yǔ)卷 題型：閱讀理解

  With its budget of $80 million , John Woo as director, and an all-star cast（明星云集的演員陣容）, Red Cliff is the most expensive and ambitious Asian-financed film ever. Last week I saw the release of the second part, and boy oh boy does it shows.
But watching the film as a foreigner I felt I was missing out on something. Not knowing my Cao Cao’s from my Zhou Yu’s, I was not even sure whom I wanted to win. Certainly after the opening scene, in which Cao Cao is seen watching a game of Cuju, an ancient Chinese variation of football, I knew who had my support. After all, any man who enjoys his football is someone after my own heart. But after Cao Cao resorted to some evil strategies against his enemies in the south, I wasn’t so sure he was the man I should be rooting for.
And there is a lot more to Red Cliff 2 than just extravagant battle scenes. The film does not take itself too seriously. Conversations between leaders are littered with one-liners, many of which had the audience in laughter. There is even enough to keep fans of more romantic entertainment happy too. This includes a charming relationship between a southern spy（偵探）and an innocent northern soldier. The characters’ interaction provides some genuinely heart-warming moments in the middle of the battle.
Clocking in at（結(jié)束于）around two hours, the film certainly does justice to the history story. When I walked out the cinema, I felt as drained（精疲力竭） as Cao Cao’s soldiers must have 1,800 years ago.
【小題1】By expressing “boy oh boy” in the first paragraph, the author seems to show that _______.

A．the film characters are like boys who are childish.
B．the film provides amazing and surprising scenes for audience.
C．the film is suitable for younger boys to watch.
D．the film scene is so bloody that boys shouldn’t watch it.
【小題2】When did the author change his attitude toward Cao Cao?
A．When he read the history story about Cao Cao.
B．When he saw Cao Cao was watching a game of Cuju,
C．When he realized that Cao Cao took some bad measures to beat his enemies.
D．When he saw the romantic love story of Cao Cao and a southern spy.
【小題3】The following factors of the film are all mentioned in the passage except_______.
A．high budgetB．leading rolesC．a(chǎn)ctors and actressD．conversations
【小題4】From the passage we can infer that_______.
A．the author is a football fan in a foreign country.
B．Cuju is the name of an ancient Chinese variation of football.
C．the film Red Cliff 2 lasts about two hours.
D．the author was very tired after about two hours’ battle.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：江蘇省南通市2010屆高三下學(xué)期第三次模擬考試英語(yǔ) 題型：閱讀理解


D
I don’t like getting up too early unless I have to. When you’re filming, you’ve got make-up on, which doesn’t happen often. As I’m not filming at present I’ll get up at 8.30.
Work normally means Matt coming over to my house about 10 am. We’re writing at the moment. We’ll chat for a bit before going to my study. One of us will have an idea for a sketch (梗概), we’ll talk about the characters and when we feel we have enough we’ll start writing.
Matt and I met at the National Youth Theatre in 1990 and started doing shows together in ’95, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. We know we’re onto something if we’ve made each other laugh, and that’s a really special moment. It’s not always like that, but we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can be honest and go. Some days you’re not in the mood to be funny—like writing when my dad was dying of cancer, or when Matt was separating from his partner.
We stop for lunch and sometimes go to Wagamama in Camden, but the last time we were followed by paparazzi (狗仔隊(duì)), which gets you down—who wants to be pictured eating noodles?
When I’m not writing with Matt I work on other projects. My second children’s book comes out later in the year. It’s called Mr. Stink. The first one I dedicated to my three-year-old nephew, Eddie. Both books have been illustrated by Quentin Blake; it’s been a thrill to work with him—like 20 years ago reading a Roald Dahl book and looking at those drawings, then one day that person illustrates your work… magical.
At 5 I go swimming in Soho. My trainer makes me do horrible exercises, but I always feel better after.
Being in all day, I like to go out in the evening and look smart, but not like I’ve come out of the City. I’m a tall, broad guy and well-dressed.
For dinner I’ll meet friends. When you’re a single guy it’s great to have some good female friends. Or I might take my mum to the theatre, as I know she really appreciates it. I like watching TV comedy shows to see what everyone’s doing. When you see something impressive it makes you work harder. I also love Larkin’s poems: they don’t try to transcend (超越) the commonplace; they’re much more straightforward.
Poetry is great to dip into before going to bed, rather than falling asleep reading a novel and being confused over what you’ve read or not. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in seven years; unfortunately, I rely on pills. I’ve tried everything. If I could wish anything for myself, I’d wish I could sleep better.
67. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. the author spends much time with his friends
B. the author and Matt are both famous in the district
C. the author doesn’t care much about what to wear
D. the author works at home and seldom goes out every day
68. Where does the passage most likely appear?
A. In a travel diary.                         B. In a news column.
C. In an online diary.                    D. In a research paper.
69. Why does the author read some poetry before going to bed?
A. Because poetry can often bring him some funny ideas.
B. Because poetry is much easier to understand than novels.
C. Because poetry is very abstract and reflects unusual things.
D. Because poetry can be of some help for him to kill time.
70. What might be the best title for the passage?
A. A day’s work with Matt                 B. A new life-style 
C. A life in the day                       D. A good way to write

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：北京市海淀區(qū)2010屆高三第二學(xué)期期末練習(xí)英語(yǔ) 題型：閱讀理解


第三部分：閱讀理解（共20小題，每題2分，滿(mǎn)分40分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖車(chē)) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds tog tether, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," she replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as she handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.
56．The writer’s first volunteer project was         .
A．working on a poor trailer       B．helping a poor family
C．donating beds and bedding      D．dealing with a housing problem
57．On bearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because         .
A．the family lived in a trailer     B．he expected to get some toys
C．he didn’t know what a bed was      D．the boys had no bed to sleep in
58．From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen      before.
A．a(chǎn) trailer    B．a(chǎn) truck      C．a(chǎn) pillow    D．a(chǎn) house
59．By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that        .
A．what they want to get may be unnecessary
B．they should not waste money on small things
C．they should do more volunteer work for the poor
D．what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2011-2012學(xué)年江蘇省淮安中學(xué)高二上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解


The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and knocked into the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy(笨拙的) in my old age.”
Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank, who sat quietly listening to the others. Someone said, “Come on, Frank. Tell us your most embarrassing moment.”
Frank laughed and began to tell us of his childhood. “I grew up in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was hard making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”
He looked at us and said, “I wish you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for his catch. When you got close to him, he smelled like the ocean. He would wear his old canvas, foul-weather coat and his bibbed overalls. His rain hat would be pulled down over his brow. No matter how much my mother washed them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish.”
Frank’s voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He had this old truck that he used in his fishing business. That truck was older than he was. It would wheeze and rattle down the road. You could hear it coming for blocks. As he would drive toward the school, I would shrink (畏縮) down into the seat hoping to disappear. Half the time, he would slam to a stop and the old truck would belch (噴出) a cloud of smoke. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here, I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!”
He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I decided I was too old for a goodbye kiss. When we got to the school and came to a stop, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, “No, Dad.” It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, “Dad, I’m too old for a goodbye kiss. I’m too old for any kind of kiss.” My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. Then he turned and looked out of the windshield(擋風(fēng)玻璃). “You’re right,” he said. “ You are a big boy....a man. I won’t kiss you anymore.”
Frank got a funny look on his face, and the tears began to well up in his eyes, as he spoke. “It wasn’t long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back. It was a day when most of the fleet (船隊(duì)) stayed in, but not Dad. He had a big family to feed. They found his boat adrift with its nets half in and half out. He must have gotten into a strong wind and was trying to save the nets and the floats.”
I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again. “Guys, you don’t know what I would give to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek…to feel his rough old face… to smell the ocean on him… to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a man, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss.”
【小題1】When his father drove him to the school, Frank would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear because ________.

A．he was ashamed of his father’s old truck
B．he didn’t want his schoolmates to see his father
C．he thought he was old enough to go to school alone
D．he hated the way his schoolmates stared at his father
【小題2】According to the story we can conclude that Frank’s father ________.
A．was quite confident in his skills in fishing
B．loved his children but hardly expressed it
C．seldom gave up faced with challenges
D．was full of devotion to his family
【小題3】By saying the sentence “I wish I had been a man then…”, Frank meant ________.
A．he was tired of his father kissing him goodbye
B．he deeply regretted what he had done to his father
C．he was then too young to refuse a goodbye kiss
D．he hoped that his father would forgive him
【小題4】Which of the following may be the best title for this passage?
A．The Smell of the OceanB．We All Need Love
C．A Goodbye KissD．Father’s Embarrassment

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：河北省唐山一中2010屆高三下學(xué)期第三次調(diào)研考試試卷（英語(yǔ)） 題型：閱讀理解


The easiest way for the English to deal with their social discomfort is to avoid social interaction altogether, by choosing either leisure (閑暇) activities that can be performed in the privacy of one’s own house, or outdoor activities that follow their interest without direct contact with anyone other than one’s own family members, such as going for a walk, or to the cinema, or shopping．
In recent survey, over half of all the leisure activities were of this private domestic type, and of the top ten pastimes, only two—having friends round for a meal or drink, and going to the pub—could be described as ‘sociable’．The most domestic activities are the most popular: watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, DIY （Do It Yourself） and gardening．Even when the English are being sociable, the survey findings show that most of them would much rather entertain a few close friends or relatives in the safety of their own homes than venture out  among strangers．
In the latest national census survey （人口普查）, over half of the entire adult male population had been DIYing in the four weeks before the census date．Nearly a third of the female population had also been busily improving their homes, and their work with their gardens was equally obvious: 52 percent of all English males and 45 percent of females had been out there, cutting branches and weeding grass．
Even among people claiming to belong to a particular religion, only two percent attend services every week．The rest of the population can be found every Sunday at their local garden center or DIY superstore．And when they want a break from caring about their own homes and gardens, they go on trips to visit bigger and better houses and gardens, such as the stately homes and gardens opened to the public by the National Trust and the Royal Horticulture Society．Visiting grand country houses always ranks as one of the most popular national pastimes．
45．The result of the survey shows that ________.
A．a(chǎn)bout half English people enjoy working in their gardens
B．8 out of 10 pastimes can be described as social activities
C．2 percent of the religious people enjoy visits to public houses
D．visiting stately homes is the most popular national pastime
46．According to the passage, the English enjoy all of the following EXCEPT________.
A．the social activities, such as gathering with friends
B．working at home and in their gardens
C．dining out in a public place among strangers
D．visits to stately homes and gardens
47．The underlined word “domestic” probably means________.
A．public      B．household     C．outdoor           D．collective
48．The passage mainly tells us about________.
A．why the English don’t like social activities
B．how the English spend their leisure time
C．what the result of a recent census survey is
D．where the English hold their private activities

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案