1 .
________/10 Hardship Judy May, 2020 Early on I thought this family was a bunch of complainers. But the focus of this reality show is how sweet family life was in the tough wartime era, which really touched me. But as I watched I noted that the 1940s mid-class family life was not that unbearable. Even though they didn’t have labor-saving facilities, they still had coal fire. Maybe, it’s only due to modern people’s sense of privilege that they promptly forget what immense, bodily labor was involved in the previous chore it replaced. So, the experiment was not that “real”?! Therefore, I recommend, but not highly, this show to you. |
_________/10 Must See TV-Really! Lily June, 2021 For anyone interested in “Reality TV” with an emphasis on “Real”, checkout 1940’s House as soon as you can. The Hymer family from northern England spends 9 weeks living the life of a suburban 1940’s house during the infamous London blitz. Everything they use, wear, purchase, read comes from that time period - including ration books, blackout curtains, Victory gardens, and a self-built bomb shelter. What makes this “House” installment the best in a long line (see “Frontier House”, “Colonial House”, “1900 House”) is the family’s willingness to immerse themselves in the project wholeheartedly. You as the viewer really begin to sympathize with the Hymer family’s struggles to live a 1940’s life with a 21st century mindset. I think most people will come away liking the attitude and spirit of the mother the best - she truly embodies the British spirit that was so essential and prevalent during England’s darkest hour. This is 3 hours of “history” that no one will want to end. Children would also enjoy this as there are 2 young boys (ages 10 and 7) who participate in the program wholeheartedly. |
________/10 A bit sinister David February, 2023 Although it’s as well made as the other PBS reality shows, this one was disturbing. Many of the hardships imposed on the Hymers are by design, not circumstance. A committee of seven or eight experts privately judges them in a star chamber and decides how strict rationing will be and how much they will be fined for infractions. Watching the children go hungry while the experts debated how much to cut the food budget bothered me. The Hymers live more like lab rats than adventurers. It’s also hard to get worked up about how much wartime Brits suffered from rationing since it was nothing compared to the hardships undergone by eastern Europeans, Asians and even their own soldiers. The show was simply too narrow in scope and sinister. |
1. The ratings of these three users have been hidden. Which of the following three ratings do you think are most likely to be real?
A.Judy: 6/10; Lily:3/10; David:1/10 | B.Judy: 8/10; Lily:10/10; David:8/10 |
C.Judy: 6/10; Lily:10/10; David:1/10 | D.Judy: 8/10; Lily:1/10; David:8/10 |
A.From Judy’s perspective, the Hymers family has always been a bunch of complainers. |
B.The “House” series consist of “Frontier House”,” Colonial House” and “1900 House”. |
C.The mother personifies the essential British spirit so most people will like her. |
D.The PBS reality shows are quite disturbing, especially “The 1940s House”. |
A.on a website providing reviews about reality shows |
B.on the advertisement of “The 1940s House” |
C.on a textbook about how to make excellent movies |
D.in a fantasy novel about travelling back to the 1940s |
A. criticize B. desperately C. establish D. feature E. focus F. gratitude G. heartfelt H. humanity I. influence J. present K. touch |
Letters Brought Back to Life
Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChat messages. But a TV show, Letters Alive, is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back into the
Letters Alive took its idea from a UK program with a similar name, Letters Live. Both shows
But these are not just any letters. They vary greatly in time and subjects. There is, for example, a passionate letter that famous painter Huang Yongyu wrote to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to
Compared to published texts, letters also come with a personal
One example from Letters Live was a note of
According to Guan Zhengwen, the director of Letters Alive, it is this kind of
A.The flying tin. | B.The way Earth works. |
C.Finding a new planet to live on. | D.The development of the documentary. |