Every English learner hopes to find a patient native speaker who will politely correct mistakes and teach him some useful new vocabulary. But native speakers can be hard to find. If you’re having trouble communicating in English, American situation comedies are one good way to help.
They can not only give you a lot of information about American culture, but also offer some useful daily expressions. Watching them will help you enlarge your vocabulary and teach you correct language usage in different situations. Best of all, situation comedies are a fun way to learn.
The Apprentice
The American reality (现实) TV show is hosted by the famous businessman Donald Trump. It’s based on the idea of the final job interview for the final job. The show picks 16 people to compete for a job with Trump’s business. Those who fail their weekly tasks have to meet with Trump. They have to explain why they should not be fired (解雇).
The Apprentice is useful for English students who want to learn how to make up a persuasive (令人信服的) argument. For example, rather than say “I think I did a good job”, one may also learn to throw off the possibility of uncertainty by saying, “I did a good job.”
Desperate Housewives (DH)
Desperate Housewives is set in an invented American town, Wisteria Lane. It follows a group of middle-aged women as they go through their daily family lives. But in fact, those women live a life of lies, secrets, criminal (犯罪的) acts, and mystery.
This program is good at expressing the funny life of American neighbors. And, it’s the perfect comedy series for foreign learners wanting to see how to hold a relaxed daily conversation.
Another reason for watching DH is to learn some expressions American families use that are not in your English language textbooks. For example, the mothers often use words such as “sport” and “you guys” to speak about their kids.
小题1:According to the passage, The Apprentice and DH are introduced because _____.
A．they are now the most popular programs
B．they are helpful in English learning
C．they are advertised for English beginners
D．they are enjoyed by most young people小题2:Through watching the two American comedy series, English learners can do the following EXCEPT _____.
A．communicate with native speakers
B．know about American culture
C．pick up English daily expressions
D．learn more English words小题3:In the author’s opinion, learning English through TV series is _____.
A．common
B．difficult
C．enjoyable
D．possible小题4:We can learn from the passage that The Apprentice _____.
A．tells a story of school life
B．is about real life
C．has 15 actors
D．is about some businessmen小题5:Which of the following statements about DH can we get from the introduction?
A．The story happens in a village of America.
B．The housewives join in the same job interview.
C．The women in the American town lead a life full of sadness.
D．It does well in describing an interesting neighborhood in America.