Gold Experience

Page 70

Use of English

Vocabulary
1 Read the title of a survey on an international students’ website.
What do you think it means?
Are you a soap addict?

1 How often do you watch a soap opera? Regularly? Often?

Rarely? Never? Why?
2 Which soap opera do you like most? Why?
3 Which soap opera do you like least? Why?
4 What is the longest-running soap opera in your country? Why do
you think it has lasted so long?
5 What is the most popular soap opera in your country today?
Why is it popular?
6 Can you name a soap opera that is popular with children, one
that is popular with teens and one that is popular with adults?

2 Read the survey and answer the questions in it. Then work with a
partner and compare your answers.

3 Which adjectives or verbs are the words in bold formed from?

1 Last night I watched an in-depth documentary about soap opera
stars. It was fascinating.
2 It was a great relief to everyone when they killed off Nasty Ned in
Carlton Court last month!
3 The new storyline in Parkers is about trying to lose weight fast. It
de nitely makes you think.
4 As soon as he came out of prison, Alan took a ight to Australia.
5 The entire cast attended the funeral after Arthur Leigh’s death.

4 Form nouns from these words. Use the suf xes -ght, -th and -ief. Write
the nouns in the correct column.
believe
broad
grieve
high
long
see
strong
think
warm
wide
young
-ght -th -ief

5 Complete the blog with the correct form of the words in capitals.

I admit it. I’m addicted!

I have a 1) CONFESS to make: I’m a soap addict. My eyes are

glued to the screen, even though I would rather do something more

2) HEALTH and worthwhile, like sport. But I’m 3) DEFINITE hooked. I have to
keep watching to see what happens next. It’s 4) POSSIBLE to miss an
episode!

The 5) THINK of not knowing what’s happened to my favourite character is

terrifying! I love the ‘street’ soaps – soaps about people who live in a particular
area – and I also like 6) MEDICINE dramas set in hospitals. The 7) GROW in
popularity of Waterloo Road, a UK soap about a school, has been amazing.
Every episode finisheson a cliffhanger. Although the characters are fictitious,
the stories are about 8) SOCIETY issues and they’re relevant to everyone. All
the kids at my school are talking about it.

Sorry, got to dash – Waterloo Road is about to begin!

6 Find words and phrases in the blog that mean the following.
1 I am unable to stop watching (TV)
2 valuable
3 addicted
4 a very exciting point
5 not real
6 I must go

Speak up
Who is your favourite character in a soap opera or other regular TV
programme? Why