NEWS ABOUT BRITAIN - SOAP OPERAS

Dear students!
Zaczynamy naukę języka angielskiego z BBC. Dziś o popularnych w Wielkiej Brytanii tzw. soap operas (operach mydlanych). Czy Brytyjczycy oglądają te same co Polacy telenowele? Skąd pochodzi termin "soap opera"? W jakich okolicznościach narodził się pomysł tworzenia ich i dla kogo są kręcone? O tym w dzisiejszym materiale. Znaczenie wyróżnionych słów znajdziecie w słowniczku pod tekstem. Zachęcam do wypełnienia ćwiczeń- to świetny sposób, aby utrwalić słownictwo! Swoje odpowiedzi kierujcie na adres : openmind@poczta.onet.eu
Nagranie do tekstu znajduje się tutaj: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/index.shtml
Have fun!

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 depict 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 the drama. Hence the word ‘soap’.
So what about the word opera? Well, that’s because these dramas are often an exaggeration of real life. They are supposed to represent ordinary lives but, to make them entertaining, lots of dramatic events, like murders, divorces, affairs 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. The BBC even has a soap opera to help you learn English - so if you want to experience one of these dramas in English, ‘The Flatmates’ would be a good place to start - go to www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/flatmates.
News about Britain © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009

Glossary
pastime – what you do outside work for enjoyment, e.g. a hobby
neighbourhood – an area where people live rather than work or do shopping
to depict – to describe, to show, to represent
housewives – women who work at home, doing the cleaning, cooking, etc., and who usually have no other job
washing powder – laundry detergent; a cleaning substance in powder form used for washing clothes
advertise – show short television commercials to promote
sponsor – here, pay for filming
hence the word ‘soap’ – this is how the word 'soap' became part of the expression
an exaggeration – showing or representing something in a more dramatic, serious or shocking way than it really is
affairs – here, intimate relations outside marriage
at once – here, simultaneously, at the same time
cast members – actors in a particular film or TV series
it is set in a suburb of Manchester – the action takes place in an area near Manchester (people from suburbs usually work in the city which they are close to, however there are usually very few or no businesses within a suburb itself)
it’s supposed to represent – the intention is to show; it's meant to show


1. Reading Quiz
Are these sentences true or false? Or is the answer not given in the text? Circle the correct
answer.
1. People don’t like to watch TV in the UK.
True / False / Not given
2. The word ‘soap’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to washing powder used by housewives to do the
washing.
True / False / Not given
3. The word ‘opera’ in ‘soap opera’ refers to the classical singing you hear in the dramas.
True / False / Not given
4. Soap operas have lots of continuing storylines happening over a few shows.
True / False / Not given
5. Coronation Street has been on British TV since 1985.
True / False / Not given

2. TV expressions: guess their meanings!
See if you can match these commonly used TV related expressions with the correct definition:
1. a couch potato
2. reality TV
3. channel hopping
4. a telly addict
5. the box

a. someone who is always watching the TV (the telly) and can’t live without it
b. another word for television
c. someone who sits on the sofa all day eating and watching TV
d. TV programmes following real people in real life situations
e. going from channel to channel with the remote control (the remote) and being unable to decide what to watch

Now try and complete the following sentences with one of the above TV expressions:
1. “__________ is boring. I can see people in real life situations every day – I would much rather watch a drama.”
2. “What’s on __________ tonight?”
3. My brother is such __________. All he does is sit at home and watch TV.
4. The problem with TV these days is that there are too many channels to choose from. I’m always __________ and I can never decide what to watch.
5. I love watching TV – I watch it all the time. I don’t think I could live without it – I need to watch it for at least three hours every night. I’m such ____________ .

Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish/britain/090127_soaps.shtml