New Destinations B2 Module 7

Listening

Read the text and answer the questions 1-13. Choose from the shows (A-F).

REALITY SHOW FEVER

The attraction of the genre is hard to explain. But perhaps it could be that reality TV seems to tell stories of "ordinary" people with real lives, real emotions - people like us. And often, thankfully, people unlike us. Whether it is delighting or sympathising in the pain of others, everyone loves watching a tragedy played out, don't they? We review the top six tabloid headline grabbing shows here.

A I'm a celebrity - get me out of here!

ITV's show scored its highest ratings last night as almost 7 million viewers tuned in. The stress of spending nearly a week in close contact with other minor celebrities in almost constant rain in the Australian jungle is beginning to show, with comedienne Rhona Cameron falling out with almost all the fellow participants.

Ratings rose to just over 8 million after 10 pm as more viewers tuned in to see Uri Geller being chosen to take the daily challenge of eating worms! In this show viewers vote to send someone home every three days.

B Big Brother

Big Brother is a new series in which ten volunteers spend up to two months in a house in an environment where every single activity is monitored on camera. Their lives are screened 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the web, every weekday on Channel 4, with a finale each Friday where one or two participants, chosen by their housemates, are ceremoniously thrown out of the game if they lose viewers’ votes. Their lives and personal moments become the property of all!

The Big Brother formula includes camera work, video, chat-rooms to discuss the latest issues and updates through phones and e-mail. It is set to become the most intense live experience ever seen on the web.

C Fame Academy

In this particular show the contestants sing in order to be allowed to stay in a mansion which is heavily guarded, working 17-hour days. The luxurious residence hosts the BBC's new multi-million pound show Fame Academy which is the latest in a wave of talent shows that has flooded our screens in the last eighteen months. The show features a group of hopeful popstars under the watchful eye of TV cameras around the clock. Viewers vote for one contestant to remain in the academy, while two other contestants then choose which one of the remaining contestants is shown the door.

D Survivor

Survivor brings us reality TV with some particularly weird contestants, one of whom was caught smuggling meat onto the island in his clothing! In fact, out of the sixteen people marooned on the South Sea island competing to win the prize money, there wasn’t one you would feel completely safe sitting next to!

The programme is actually all the better for it. Unless there is a sudden wave against reality TV, it should be a great hit. With swooping helicopter shots and timelapse photography, the millions spent on the scries is evident. The large budget, however, might not be to its advantage as the glossiness detracts from what should be a down-to-earth show about life on a desert island.

E American Idol

This show is the US version of the huge British TV hit, Pop Idol. Simon Cowell, in his role as judge, has been up to his old tricks with contestants, fellow judges and the show's presenters. Mr Nasty is a hit with viewers after delighting and horrifying the American public with his ironic sense of humour.

Nine out of the ten finalists have now been chosen, leaving Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul to make the final choice for the tenth place by selecting one of the twenty-one unsuccessful contestants. A spokeswoman for ITV said American Idol underline the global appeal of big entertainment events combining the drama of live performance with interactive participation.

F Popstars

Popstars returns to television screens tonight, aiming to bring fame to another group of potential stars. Tonight’s new Popstars show will begin the process of narrowing down more than 10,000 hopeful youngsters in order to create a boy-band and girl-band of ten members each. Viewers will then vote for five to leave each group, leaving two bands that will race to reach number one in the charts.

The show should produce huge profits through the usual formula of tears, tempers and endless put downs from judges working in show business. The producers will be taking a share of telephone call charges from viewers’ votes and are sure to make even more money through the sale of singles and albums as well as merchandising.

In which show(s)

do contestants have to do disgusting things? 1 ...

are there two sets of winners? 2 ...

is one contestant now unpopular with the others? 3...

do contestants sometimes break the rules? 4...

is money made directly from the public? 5 ...

can contestants be watched 24 hours a day? 6 ... 7...

do contestants live in style? 8 ...

do experts comment on individual performances? 9 ... 10 ...

does one of the judges make sarcastic comments? 11 ...

is the style perhaps unsuitable for this kind of show ? 12 ...

Choose the correct option a, b, c or d to complete the sentence.

After a certain age, your metabolism becomes slower, so it is more difficult to lose the weight you have _____________ .