Question

【题目】阅读理解。

There are probably no people on Earth who like to gossip (说闲话) as much as the British.If prying into 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 with glee，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 Eastenders，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，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 Eastenders，which is set in the east of London.The show is generally considered grittier and is aimed at a younger audience.

【1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．British people like to know things about other people.

B．British team can get Olympic gold medals.

C．What is British soap opera.

D．People in the north like different things from the people in the south.

【2】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.

【3】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.

【4】The underlined word “episodes” in the 2nd paragraph probably means ________.

A．plays B．pages

C．issues D．parts

【5】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

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】A

【4】D

【5】B

【解析】

试题分析：

【1】主旨大意题。文章的第二段的第一句话是全文的中心句，全文都是围绕英国的“soap opera”展开叙述的，告诉读者什么是英国的肥皂剧。C项符合文章大意，故答案选C。

【2】细节理解题。根据文章第三段的第一句话可知，英国肥皂剧与美国肥皂剧最大的不同在于英国肥皂剧关注的是现实世界。D项最符合文意，故答案选D。

【3】细节理解题。根据文章第三段的第三、四句话可知，英国人喜欢看这种肥皂剧主要是因为剧中角色的生活反映了他们自己的生活，他们可以从剧中感受到痛苦和幸福。A项最符合文意，故答案选A。

【4】词义猜测题。根据上下文可知，“episode”应该意为“(电视连续剧的)一集”。故D项与画线词的意思最接近。

【5】细节理解题。根据文章第四段的第一句话可知，因为英国的这些肥皂剧要持续好几十年，所以剧中的演员阵容(the cast)经常发生变化。可见，英国肥皂剧的一个特点就是剧中的角色经常改变。