1 . 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

2 . Here are the comments on CRI (China Radio International) given by people from different countries on the Internet.

People	Comments
Yingtian Hu Guangzhou, China	This is the first time that I participate in CRI. And I like it very much. I hope its website will become the most excellent one with the foreign languages. And I choose the important news which I think has a great influence on our society and our lives. In the end, I hope that more and more persons join in CRI and make it perfect!
SujanParajuli, Select city, Nepal	I am both a regular listener of CRI and visitor of its wonderful Website. First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to CRI for its great efforts to keep the listeners up-to-date during the year 2008. We, the listeners, are greatly grateful to CRI for its praise-worthy efforts to quench the thirst of its dear listeners.     During the Year 2008, I found all of your programs quite interesting, informative     and educational.   Once again, thanks a lot for offering lots of information,     news, entertainment and many items which have indeed broaden the horizons of our     knowledge and understanding as well.
Ibrahim Rustamov, Tajikistan	With CRI, I was impressed by China’s rapid development in all spheres. But I felt so sorry to get to know about the snowstorms in China and Wenchuan earthquake. CRI and CCTV play a great role in introducing China to the world! Kudos! My friends and I wish CRI all the best!
Mike Thatcher, London	My family and I are all keen on Chinese Culture, especially the beautiful Chinese folk music. Various interesting programs by CRI just open a window for us foreigners, through which we can know more about China and have a better understanding of the Chinese culture. Best wishes to CRI! Best wishes to China!

1. Which of the following benefits of CRI is NOT mentioned above?

A．CRI helps to keep its listeners up-to-date.

B．CRI helps its listeners to better understand China.

C．CRI helps its listeners to practice and improve foreign languages.

D．CRI helps its listeners broaden their knowledge with its rich contents.

2. The underlined phrase “quench the thirst” refers to _____.

A．satisfy one’s need

B．supply drinks

C．take care of

D．keep in touch with

3. What can be concluded from the four comments?

A．CRI has a great influence on our society and lives.

B．Wonderful though CRI is, there are still many weaknesses.

C．CRI plays an important role in introducing the world to China.

D．CRI has made great efforts to make itself better and gained popularity.