朗文英语听说教程（2）听力原文解析

朗文英语听说教程（2）听力原文解析lectureaudioscriptsunit1what’sinaname?？TEACHER:Goodmorning,everybody.Goodmorning,Felipe,Monica,Theo,andIcan'trememberyourname.STUDENT1:Patricia.TEACHER:Patricia,right,Patricia.Thoseareallbeautifulnames,andthat'sourtopictoday-names.Namesareacultureuniversal.Thismeanseveryoneusesnames.Aperson'snamecantellusabitaboutaperson'sfamily.Today,we’llbeginbylookingatfirstnamesandhowpeoplechoosenamesfortheirchildren.Andthenwe'lltalkaboutfamilynames,andlookatthedifferentcategoriesoffamilynames.AlthoughthescopeofthelecturetodayisEnglish-languagenames,wecanusethesameapproach,youknow,tolookatnamesfromanyculture.Let'stakeabrieflookatfirst,orgivennames.Thereareseveralwaysparentschoosethefirstnamefortheirchild.Thefirstwayisbyfamilyhistory.Parentsmaychooseanamebecauseitispassedfromgenerationtogeneration;forexample,thefirstbornsonmightbenamedafterhisfatherorgrandfather.Althoughfamilynamesarealsopassedtodaughters,itisusuallyasamiddlename.Adding"junior"or"thesecond"forexample,WilliamParkerthesecondsonlydonewithboys',notwithgirls’names.Thesecondwayparentschooseanameisafterafamilymemberorfriendwhohasdiedrecently,oraftersomeone"theyadmire,likeawell-knownleaderorafamousmusician.AlthoughmostEnglishfirstnamesmeansomething,forexample,"Richard"meanspowerfuland“Ann"meansgrace,nowadaysmeaningisnotthemainreasonpeopleselecttheirbaby'sname.Thethirdwayistoprovidea"push"forthechild.Parentswanttochooseanamethatsoundsvery"successful."Astrongnamemighthelptheminthebusinessworld,forexample.Ortheymightchooseanamethatworksforeithergender,likeTaylororTerry.So,giventhesethreemethods,whatisthemostcommonwayparentschooseaname?Manyparentschooseanamesimplybecausetheylikeit,orbecauseit'sfashionableorclassic.Fashionsinnameschangejustastheydoinclothes.Onehundredyearsago,manynamescamefromtheBiblenamessuchasDaniel,andAnna,andHannahandMatthew.Thenfiftyyearsago,Biblicalnameswentoutoffashion.Nowadays,namesfromtheBiblearebecomingpopularagain.Similarly,parentsoftenchooseclassicnames,namesthatwerepopularin1900,1950,andarestillpopularnow.ClassicnamesforboysincludeThomas,David,Robert,andMichael.Andforgirls:Anna,Elizabeth,Emily,andKatherine,justtonameafew.They'reclassic.Theynevergooutofstyle.Let'slookattheoriginoflastnames,alsocalledfamilynamesorsurnames.Researchershavestudiedthousandsoflastnames,andthey'vedividedthemintofourcategories.Thecategoriesare:placenames,patronymics,addednames,andoccupationalnames.Arecentsurveyshowedthatofthe7,000mostpopularnamesintheUnitedStatestoday,43percentwereplacenames,32percentwerepatronymics,15percentwereoccupationalnames,and9percentwereaddednames.Thefirstcategoryisplacenames.Placenamesusuallyidentifiedwhereapersonlivedorworked.SomeonenamedJohnHilllivednearahill,forexample,andtheRiversfamilylivednearariver.IfyouhearthenameEmmaBridges,whatimagedoyousee?Doyouseeafamilythatlivesnearabridge?Ifyoudo,yougettheidea.Thesecondcategoryispatronymics.That'sP-A-T-R-O-N-Y-M-I-C-S.Apatronymicisthefather’sname,plusanendinglikeS-E-NorS-O-N.Theendingmeansthatachild,aboy,isthesonofhisfather.ThenamesRobertson,Petersen,andWilsonarepatronymics.RobertsonissonofRobert,PetersenissonofPeter,andsoon.Thethirdcategoryisaddednames.Linguistssometimescallthiscategory"nicknames,"butwhenmostofusheartheword"nickname,"wethinkofaspecialnameafriendoraparentmightuse.Theword"nickname"isactuallyanoldEnglishwordthatmeansanadditionalname,anaddedname.SoI'llusetheterm"addedname."Thiscategoryoflastnamesisfunbecausethenamesusuallydescribedaperson.Reed,Baldwin,andBiggsareexamples.Reedwasfrom"red"forredhair.Baldwinwassomeonewhowasbald,someonewhohadlittleornohair.AndBiggs.STUDENT2:Someonebig?TEACHER:Yeah,someonebig,right.Now,ifwelookaroundtheroom,wecouldprobablycomeupwithsomenewlastnames,like,uh.CurlyorStrong.Now,thefourthcategoryisoccupationalnames.Theoriginofthefamilynamewastheperson'soccupation.ThemostcommonexamplesofoccupationalnamesstillusedtodayareBaker(someonewhobakesbread).Tailor(someonewhosewsclothes).Miller(someonewhomakesflourforbread),andSmith....Now,SmithisactuallythemostcommonnameinthewesternEnglish-speakingworld.ThenamecomesfromanOldEnglishword,smite,that'sS-M-I-T-E,whichmeanstohitorstrike.Intheolddays,asmithmademetalthingsfordailylife,liketools.Everytownneededsmiths.What'sinterestingisthatmanylanguageshaveafamilynamethatmeansSmith.InArabicitisHaddad,H-A-D-D-A-D.InSpanishitisHerrera,H-E-R-R-E-R-A.InItalianitisFerraro,F-E-R-R-A-R-O.AndinGermanitisSchmidt,spelledS-C-H-M-I-D-T.Allthesenamesmeansmith.Thoughnamesmaytellussomethingaboutsomeone'sfamilyhistory,youneedtokeepinmindthattheymaynottellusmuchatallaboutthepresent.Forexample,there'susuallynotmuchconnectionbetweentheoriginofthenameandthepersonwhohasitnow.TakethenameCook,forinstance.ApersonnamedCooktodayprobablydoesn'tcookforaliving.Also,manypeoplechangetheirnamesforvariousreasons.LotsofpeoplewhohavemovedtotheUnitedStateshavechangedtheirnamestosoundmoreAmerican.Thishappenslessnowthaninthepast,butpeoplestilldoit.Peoplealsousepennamesorstagenamestogivethemselvesaprofessionaladvantage.Forexample,thewriterSamuelClemensusedthepennameMarkTwain,andThomasMapotherIVusesthestagenameTomCruisey.So,let'srecapnow.Intoday’slesson,welookedathowparentschooseEnglishfirstnames.Wealsolookedatsomecommonoriginsoffamilynames.Inthenextclass,we'lllookathownamesaregiveninKoreaandinJapan.Thisiscoveredinthenextsectionofthebook.That’sallfortoday.Unit2English:AGlobalLanguage?TEACHER:Today’stopicisEnglishasagloballanguage.IknowmanyofyouspeakEnglishasasecondlanguage,right?Howaboutyou,Hiroshi?IsEnglishyourfirstlanguage?STUDENT1:No,myfirstlanguageisJapanese.Englishismysecondlanguage.TEACHER:Andhowaboutyou,Patricia?STUDENT2:Englishismysecondlanguage,too.MyfirstlanguageisSpanish.TEACHER:See,manyofyouuseEnglishasasecondlanguage,evenasagloballanguagetocommunicatewithotherpeoplewhospeakEnglishasasecondlanguage.Today,IwanttogiveyoutwocontrastingpointsofviewonwhetherornotEnglishisagloballanguage.ThefirstisthatEnglishisobviouslyagloballanguage.PeoplewhosupportthispointofviewbelieveEnglishisthelanguagepeopleallovertheworldusetocommunicate,andthatitisgraduallyreplacingotherlanguages.ThesecondpointofviewisthatEnglishisnottrulyagloballanguagebecauseitisnotthemainlanguagespokenbypeopleworldwide.SupportersofthisviewsaythatthoughmanypeoplespeaksomeEnglishworldwide,Englishhasnotreplacedotherlanguages.TheyacknowledgethatpeopleuseEnglisheveryday,formanyreasons,butthisdoesn'tmeanEnglishisreplacingotherlanguages,nordoesitmakeEnglishthemainlanguagespokenintheworld.First,let'sexaminethefirstview.Firstofall,Englishisthedominantlanguageofbusiness,travel,andscience.Whenpeopleneedacommonlanguage,theyoftenuseEnglish.Thinkaboutit.Englishisoftenusedattouristinformationcenters,ininternationalhotels.IfyouuseataxiinRome,andyoucan'tspeakItalian,thetaxidriverismorelikelytouseEnglishthananyotherlanguages.Itisuseatbusinessmeetingsandinternationalsportsevents.TheEuropeanUnionusesEnglish,alongwithFrench,atitsmeetings….ASEANtheAsiantradegroup,usesEnglishatitsmeetings.CanyouthinkofothersituationsinwhichEnglishisusedascommonlanguage?STUDENT2:Howaboutthisclass?AllofinthePhilippines,Singapore,andIndian.TEACHER:Absolutely.Educationalsettingsareagreatexample.Anyothers?STUDENT2:HowaboutachatroomonsometimesgotochatroomsandeveryoneisusingEnglish.TEACHER:Excellentexample.TheInternethascreatedalotofcommunitiesandpeopleoftenuseEnglish.Infact,mostpeoplewhousetheInternetknowEnglish.ThishelpssupporttheviewthatEnglishisagloballanguage.ThesecondmajorreasonthatpeoplebelieveEnglishisagloballanguageisthatitistheofficiallanguageofmorethanseventy-fivecountries.ThismeansthesecountriesuseEnglishinschools,banks,business,andgovernment.Oftheseseventy-fivecountries,Englishmaybetheonlyofficiallanguageofthecountry,likeinEngland,orEnglishmaybeusedalongwithotherofficiallanguages,likeinthePhilippines,Singapore,andIndia.IncountrieslikeIndia,wheresomanylanguagesarespoken,youcanseehowusingEnglishasanofficiallanguagemakesiteasierforpeopletocommunicate.Thethirdreasontosupporttheglobalargumentisthateveryyearabout1billionpeoplestudyEnglish.Why?Whataresomeofthereasons?Hiroshi?Howaboutyou?STUDENT1:Well,nowtostudy,andsomedayIwanttobeininternationalbusiness.TEACHER:That'sasolidreason.Howaboutyou,Oksana?STUDENT3:I'mnotreallysure.Ijustthinkitwillhelpmeinthefuturesomehow.TEACHER:OK.There'samoregeneralreason.Thepointis,peoplewantandneedtolearnEnglishbecauseitoffersthemopportunities.Tosumup,Englishisusedeverydaybymanypeople.Peopleallovertheworldcomeincontactwitheachotherformanyreasons.Theyneedacommonlanguage,alanguagetofacilitatecommunication.BeingproficientinEnglishgivessomeoneanadvantageinthesesituations.OK.IhavegivenyoumanyexamplesofhowEnglishisusedinavarietyofsituations.Nevertheless,doesthismeanthatEnglishisagloballanguage?Let'slookatwhysomepeopledon'tbelieveEnglishhasreplacedotherlanguages.First,thereareaboutthreetimesasmanypeoplewhospeakChineseastheirfirstlanguageasthosewhospeakEnglishasafirstlanguage.AndinmanycountrieswheresomepeopleuseEnglishforworkeachday,theydon'tuseEnglishanywhereelse.EveninEnglish-speakingcountries,therearemillionsofpeoplewhoprefertospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome,withfriends,oratwork.Second,Imentionedbeforethatseventy-fivecountrieshaveEnglishastheirofficiallanguage.Thisdoesn'tmeanall,orevenmostofthepeopleinthesecountriescanspeakEnglish.Forexample,inIndia,mostsourcesagreethatonlyabout5percentofthepopulationspeaksEnglish.That'sasmallpercentage!Third,howmuchEnglishdoesapersonneedtoknowtobecalledanEnglishspeaker?PeoplemaylearnsomeEnglishforspecificsituations,suchasthetaxidriverImentionedearlier.However,Ithinkyouwouldallagreewithmethatataxidriverwhoknowsafewphraseslikewhereareyougoing?"or"Whatisthenameofyourhotel?"isn'treallyaproficientEnglishspeaker.AnotherexampleisAirspeak,theEnglishthatisusedbyairtrafficcontrollersandpilots.ApilotforJapanAirlinesoranairtrafficcontrollerinParisneedstoknowAirspeak.ButtheymaylearnonlytheEnglishwordstheyneedforthesejobs,andthereforetheycan'tbeconsideredEnglishspeakers.ThepointhereisthatpeopleallovertheworldmayusesomeEnglishforworkorothersituations.Nevertheless,thisdoesn'tmeantheyarefluentinEnglish.Theystillusetheirfirstlanguagefordailycommunication.Englishisnottheirmainlanguage.So,whatdoesthisallmean?Ithinkit'ssafetosaythatEnglishwillcontinuetobethemainlanguageusedinmanyinternationalsettingsbecause,asIsaidearlier,peopleallovertheworldneedacommonlanguage.And,fornow,Englishisthatlanguage.But,Englishwon'treplaceotherlanguagesformostdailycommunicationandthis,tome,iswhatagloballanguagereallyis,onethatreplacesothersformosteverydaycommunication.Somepeopleareafraidofthis.TheyworrythataspeopleuseEnglishmoreandmore,theirabilityintheirfirstlanguagewilldecline.IthinkpeoplewilluseEnglishalongwithotherlanguages.Wearemovingintoaglobalculture,andasthiscontinues,Ithinkpeoplefromnon-Englishspeakingcountrieswillwanttomaintaintheirculture,includingtheirfirstlanguage.TheymaystillwanttolearnEnglish,butIdon'tseethemgivinguptheirownlanguageforEnglish.Whatdoyouthink?I'mgoingtostopthere.Iknowthat'salotofinformationtodigest.We'llcontinuetalkingaboutsomeofthedifferencesintheEnglishwordsusedinvariouscountrieslikeAustralia,Singapore,andthePhilippines.That'sallfortoday.Comeseemeifyouhaveanyquestions.Unit3HighAnxiety:PhobiasTEACHER:Goodafternoon.Todaywe'regoingtoturntoanewtopicinpsychologyandstartlookingatsomespecificpsychologicalproblems.Thereareavarietyofmentalproblemsthatcanaffectusinourdailylives-somearenotsoserious,likeafearofcatsorofinsects,andothersaremoreserious.Nowaspsychologists,wetrytostudythesedifferentproblemsandfindwaystohelppeople.Iwanttostartthediscussionbytalkingaboutafairlycommonkindofpsychologicalproblem-aphobia,that'sP-H-O-B-I-A.First,I'llexplainwhataphobiaisandthenI'lltalkaboutsometheoriesonwhypeoplehavephobias.Asyouprobablyknow,aphobiaisafear.Sodoanyofyouhavephobias?Oh,comeon,youcantellme;I'mapsychologist.Yes,Monica?STUDENT1:Ihaveafearofswimming.Idon'tliketogoneartheocean.TEACHER:OK,that'snotanunusualphobia.Anyoneelse?Ali?STUDENT2:Ihatedogs.Imean,Ijustdon'tlikethem.WhenIseeabigdog,actuallyanydog,Ijustgetnervous,soIavoidthem.TEACHER:OK,that'sanothercommonphobia.Thanksforsharingthoseexamplesofphobias.Aphobiaisnotanormalfear;itisanextremefear―averystrongfear.Forexample,mybrother,who'sasuccessfulartist,hadcomputerphobia.Hedidn'tsimplydislikeusingcomputers.Heusedtohaveaverystrongfearofusingthem.Psychologistshavecomeupwiththreecharacteristicsofaphobia.Peopledisplaythesethreecharacteristicsiftheyhaveaphobia,notjustanormalfear.Nowfirst,aphobiaisnotarationalresponse.It'saverystrongreaction,toostrongforthesituation.Formybrother,thismeanthehadaverystrongphysicalreactionifsomeoneaskedhimtouseacomputer.Hestartedshakingviolentlyandhadtroublebreathing.Once,heevenstartedchoking.Physicalreactionslikethisarecommon.Second,aphobiaoftenlastsforalongtime,formonthsorevenyears.Inmybrother’scase,itlastedseveralyears.Third,thereactionistoostrongforapersontocontrol.Forexample,evenifmybrothertoldhimselfnottobeafraidatthecomputer,itdidn'thelp.Hestillfeltveryafraid.Usually,peopleavoidwhateveritistheyaresoafraidof.So,inmybrother’scase,heavoidedusingacomputer.OK,sothosearethethreecharacteristicsofphobias.It'sanextreme,irrationalresponse,it'slong-lasting,andit’suncontrollable.STUDENT3:Souncontrollablemeansevenifyoutrytocontrolit,youcan't?TEACHER:Yes,itmeansyoucan'tcontrolitbytryingtodenyyoufeelthephobia.Therearewaystotreatphobias,andwe'lltalkaboutthoseinaminute.Yes?STUDENT4:Whathappenedtoyourbrother?Didhegetoverit?TEACHER:Yes,hedid.Themainthingwasthathedecidedthathewantedtogetoverit,andhewastreatedbyapsychologist.Nowheusescomputersallthetime.OK,solet'sspendaminutegoingoversomeclassificationsofphobias.Phobiasareclassifiedbythethingorsituationthatthepersonfears.GreekorLatinnamesareusuallyusedtodescribethefear.Here'sanexample:hypno,H-Y-P-N-O,meanssleep,sofearofsleepishypnophobia.Cyno,C-Y-N-O,meansdog.Soafearofdogsis...cynophobia,right?Here'sanotherexample.Aerophobia.Listentothefirstpart,Aero.What'sthefear?Aeroasinairplane-aerophobiaisfearofflying.Let'sturnnowtothecausesofphobias.Onetheoryisthataphobiaislearned.Thismeanssomethinghappensthatcausessomeone,orinasense"teachessomeone"tofreeafraid.Forexample,Alicouldhavelearnedtobeafraidofdogsifhewasattackedandinjuredbyoneasachild.Peoplecanalsolearntohavephobiasbywatchinghowotherpeoplereact.Infact,doctorsfindthatphobiastendtoruninfamilies.Forexample,let'simaginethatAli’smotherhasalwaysbeenafraidofdogs.WheneverAllandhismotherweretogetherandsawadog,hismotherwouldgetveryscared,verynervous.WhenAlisawhowhismotherreacted,hewouldthengraduallybecomeveryscared,too.Hewouldthenhavedevelopedcynophobiafromwatchinghismother.So,youcanseethattherearetwowayslearningcanbeinvolvedinphobias.So,thefirsttheoryisthataphobiaislearned.Learnedeitherbydirectexperienceorbywatchingthereactionsofothers.Thesecondtheorysaysthataphobiaisonlyasignofadeeperproblem.Thismeansthatthephobiaisn'tthewholeproblem.Let'stakeanotherexample.Ioncetreatedateenagerwhowasveryafraidofthedark.Hecouldn'tbeinadarkroombyhimself.Hewasterrifiedtogooutsideatnight,andsoon.Accordingtothistheory,whenheactedafraidofthedark,hewasreallyshowinghisfearofsomethingelse.Intherapy,itwasrevealedthathewasafraidofhisfather.Hisfatherwasverystrictwhenhewasyoung,andoncehisfathermadehimsitinadarktheroomwhenhedidsomethingbad.Accordingtothistheory,hisfearofthedarkwasasignofhisdeeper,realfearofhisfather.Yes,question.STUDENT4:Sowhatdidyoudo?Didhehavetotalkwithhisfather?TEACHER:Well,no,wecouldn'tdothat.Butrecognizingthathewasreallyafraidofhisfather,andnotthedarkwasthekeystepinthetreatment.Nowhe'scured.Nomorefearofthedark.OK,solet'sthinkaboutthesetwotheories,andaboutthemaindifferencebetweenthem.Thefirsttheorysaysthatthephobiaistheproblemitself.Right?And,thesecondtheorysaysthatthephobiaisasignofadeeperproblemthepersonhas.Whyisthisdifferenceimportant?It'smostlyimportantindecidinghowtotreattheperson.Accordingtothefirsttheory,ifaphobiaislearned,perhapsitcanbeunlearned.Apsychologistwhofollowsthistheorywilltrytoteachsomeonetoreactdifferently,tobehavedifferentlywhenheorshefeelsafraid.Changingtheperson’sbehavioristhegoal.Ontheotherhand,apsychologistwhobelievesthesecondtheorymaystartbytryingtoteachthepersontoreactdifferently,butthedoctorisinterestedinmorethanthat.Thedoctor’sobjective,orgoal,istohelpthepatientrevealthedeeperpsychologicalproblem,becauseitwillbeeasiertotreatthephobiaifthedeeperproblemisidentifiedandworkedonaswell.Iwantyoutothinkforaminuteaboutthesignificanceofhavingthesetwotheories,oranycompetingtheories.Whatdoesitmean?Ittellsusthatpsychologists,likeanyscientists,havetocontinuetodoresearch,tolearn,andtotesttreatmentswebelievewillbeeffectivebasedonresearch.Treatmentsimprovethemorewelearn.I’mgoingtostoptherefortoday.Inthenextclass,Iwanttotalkaboutotherpsychologicalproblems.Readthenextunitinyourbookbeforethenextclass.That’sallfortoday.Unit4TV:WhatWeWatchTEACHER:Goodmorning.WhowatchedTVlastnight?Ah,mostofyou.OK,todaywearegoingtotalkaboutanimportantpartofthemedia—TV.Specifically,TVviewingandTVdramas.Nowfirst,I'llgiveyousomebackground,thenwe'lldiscusswhatmakesthistypeofprogramming,dramas,sopopularworldwide.OK.Let'sgetstarted.MostofyouwouldagreethatwatchingTVispartofmostpeoplelives.NowstatisticsvaryonhowmuchTVpeoplewatch,butresearchshowsthatquiteafewAmericans,onaverage,exceedsixhoursofTVperday.AnEnglishprofessornamedCeceliaTichihasstudiedTVformanyyears.Inherbook,ElectronicHearth:Creating'anAmericanTelevisionCulture,shediscusseshowtheTVhasbecomethecenterofactivityathome.Wewalkintoaroom,turnontheTV,andsuddenlytheoutsideworldbecomeslessimportant.PeopleuseTVtotuneout,orforget,abouttheoutsideworld.We'resafetorelaxandjointheworldoftheTVshows.DoyoueverfeelthiswayaboutTV?...Yes,manyofyouarenodding.ShealsoseesourcultureasbeingdefinedbyTVNow,bythissheemeansthatTVhasahugeinfluenceonourattitudes,onwhatweliketoeat,onwhatweliketowear,onwhatweliketotalkabout.Forexample,popularTVshowsarediscussedatwork,atschool,incoffeeshops.Why,evenchildrenfourorfiveyearsolddothiswiththeirfavoriteshows.ThisshowsthatweliveinaTVculture.ImprovedtechnologyhascontributedfurthertoourTVculture.Satelliteservices,inparticular,haveexpandedtheTVprogramminginmanypartsoftheworld.TherearenowhundredsofTVchannelspeoplecanwatch,andtheoptionscontinuetoexpand:gameshows,sports,news,talkshows,comedies,TVdramas,movies,...Man,withcableandsatellitetherearealotofchoices.NielsenMediaResearchstudiespeople’sTVviewinghabitsintheU.S.Theymonitorwhichshowsarepopularbrandwithwhom.Forexample,popularshowshaveincludedthegameshowWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire?AndtherealityTVshowSurvivor.Theywerevery,verypopularandwatchedbymillionsofpeopleofallagegroups.Now,allofthisisreallybackground.WhatIwanttofocusontodayisoneformofapopularTVshowthatispopularwithmanypeopleofmanyagegroups.ThisisratTVdramas,specificallyTVdramasknownassoapoperas,or,inSpanish,telenovelas.Someofyoumightbefamiliarwithtelenovelas.TelenovelasandsoapoperasintheU.S.aresimilarbuthaveonebigdifference—thenumberofepisodestheyhave.TelenovelasandTVserialsendafterabout200episodes.Thestoryeventuallyends.SoapoperasintheU.S.,however,continuedayafterdayformanyyearsandmayneverend.Well,forexample.TheGuidingLighthasbeenon^formorethan12,000episodes,andonitgoes.Canyoubelievethat?Morethan12,000episodes!SoapoperasstartedintheUnitedStatesin1959,withtheshowTheGuidingLight.TheseTVshowswerecalledsoapoperasbecausethemainadvertiserswerecompaniesthatmadesoap.Now,thistypeofprogrammingispopularallovertheworld.Dozensofcountriesmaketheirownsoapoperashows.MexicansoapoperashavebeenvotedthemostpopularTVshowoftheyearincountriessuchasKoreaandRussia.JapanesesoapoperasaresenttoBelgium.U.S.soapoperasarewatchedworldwide.TheLatinAmericansoapopera,BettyLaFea,orBettyTheUgly,wasahugesuccessintheU.S.Braziliantelenovelasarethemostwidelydistributedtelevisionshowsintheworldandhavebeenseeninmorethan100countries.Andtherearemanyotherexamples.Whatisitabouttheseshowsthatmakesthempopulareverywhere?Andwhydopeoplefromverydifferentculturesallenjoywatchingthesamesoapopera?Well,thereareacoupleofreasons.OnereasonsuggestedbyRobertC.Allen,whohasdoneextensiveresearchontelevisionviewing,isthatmanysoapoperasdealwithuniversalthemesthatpeopleallovertheworldunderstand.Themesaretopicsforexample,family,love,personalstruggle,moneyproblems,marriageproblems,healthproblems,jobproblems.Viewersdonotneedtoknowthecultureinordertounderstandthefamilyproblemsintheshow.NowaccordingtoIrnaPhillips,oneofthecreatorsofTheGuidingLight,anotherreasonisthatpeopleidentifywiththecharacters.Theyfeelthecharactersarejustlikethem.Toquoteherfromaninterview,"they(thesoapoperas)dealwithlifeasweknowit."Nowbythisshemeansthefamiliesinsoapoperasdealwithproblemsofeverydaylife.Andso,aspeoplewatcheveryday,dayafterday,aspecialbondorfeelingdevelopsbetweenthemandtheTVfamily.Theygettoknowthecharactersandtheirproblems.TheTVfamily'swelfarebecomesimportant.Thereisasenseofcommunity,ofsharing,offamily.Allofthesethingscontributetocharacterloyalty.Ifanyofyouhavewatchedashowregularly,youknowwhatImean.Youwatchitbecauseyouidentifywiththecharacters.Now,writersofTVshowsunderstandthatTVviewerswanttohaveagroupofcharacterstoknowandcareabout.AsWendyRiche,formerexecutiveproducerofGeneralHospitalputit,"theaudiencewantsapersonalhumanconnectionandwhentheygetit,theyaredevoted.”ThismeanstheybecomeveryloyaltotheTVcharacterstheywatcheveryday.TogiveaninterestingexamplefromAstheWorldTurns:Someyearsback,thewriterwantedtohavethemaincharacter,BobHughes,getshotonaFriday.Well,thatFridayturnedouttobeChristmasEve.Theproducersoftheshowtoldthewriters.“No,no,no…hecan’tbeshotonthisFriday’sshow.Doyouknowwhy?STUDENT1:Becauseitwastooviolent.TEACHER:Well,no,notbecauseitwastooviolent,buttheydidn’twanthimshotontheFridaybeforeChristmas.STUDENT1:Why?Imean,whynot?TEACHER:Becausetheaudiencewouldworryallweekendabouthim.Theywouldn’tknowifhewasaliveordead,andtheywouldnotenjoyChristmas.Sothewritershadtochangethestory,andhavehimshotafterChristmas.Imean,theviewersreallyidentifywiththesecharactersasifthey’rerealpeople.WritersforeveningTValsotrytocreatecharacterloyalty,butnotwithacontinuingstory.Instead,eachweek,thestorybeginsandends.However,eachweekthesamecharactersappear,andviewerswatchbecausetheyknowthecharactersandtheycareaboutthem,likefriends.AgreatexampleofthiswastheshowSeinfield.TherewerefourmaincharactersJerry,George,Kramer,andElaine.Theyeachhadtheirownproblemstheirownpersonalities.Viewersgottoknowthem,andwantedtoseewhatwouldhappentothem.Whenyouthinkaboutit,don’tgoodwritersusuallydothis?Theydevelopourinterestinthecharacterssoth