recurs toad SLOOOQOOOOOW TV Its Friday night. What would you like to watch on TV? How ‘about a reality show to find the best singer in the country? Or the funniest comedy programme on TV? Or how about watching a complete seven-and-a-half hour train journey from Oslo to Bergen in Norway? ‘One Friday night in 2009, against all predictions, a milion people in Norway (205 of the population) decided to watch tne programme about the longest ralvay inthe country! This programme was the start of a new phenomenon called ‘Slow TV "Ihwas the 100" anniversary of tis route and we'd planned a couple ‘of documentaries,’ says Rune Moklebust, head of programming al the Norwegian puble TV channe’ (NAIK). "Then someone sad "why not fn the whole trip? We thought it would be something ccomplately new ... and cheap’. The programme went out a the ssame time as The X Factor and a popular comedy programme. It ‘was the most popular programme that night. Many people sald they only planned to watch fora few minutes, but they ended up watching for hours and hours. ‘Some Siow TV programmes are longer and slower than that frst programme. There has been a nine-nour programme which showed the process of geting the wool from a sheep and turning it into 2 jumper. There has also been a 12-hour programme snowing a wood fire burning. And an 18-hour programme showing somebody fishing {took four hours to catch the frst fish), The longest programme ‘0 far was 134 hours, showing the coast of Norway from a ship. Moklebust used 11 cameras and filmed for five and a haf days. Many people went to the coast to appear in the programme. 3.2 milion people watched it. That's more than half the country! ‘1a Work with a partner. What can you see in the TV screens? Each one is of a TV programme. Which programme would you prefer to watch? Why? Tb You are going to read a magazine article about Slow TV. Before you read, what do you think Slow TV might be? 2. Read the text and check your prediction in 1b. 3. Choose the best answers. 11 When a lot of people watched the train programme in 2009, it was because there was nothing good on the other channels. b asurprise ¢ because Norwegians are interested in their railway 2. Originally, Rune Maklebust didn’t ‘a have a reason to make a programme about the train journey. b_ want to make a programme ak Journey. plan to make a long programme of the train ut the train Journey. 6 3. In Nonway a there are approxim: ly S million people. b_ people generally ive on the coast. 7 they are only really interested in nature programmes, { 08 Watch Now ‘So why is Slow TV so popular? Life is faster and more st than in the past. For many people, Siow TV is more relaxing than modem programmes where the pictures and sounds change rapidly. Also, more and more people lve in big cities. Maybe Siow “TWhelps them to feel in contact with nature again. After allthis is reai ‘realty TV, with no editing, not lke the programmes they cal ‘realty shows. ‘Slow TV is getting bigger and bigger And it isn't only Norwoglans. ‘who are interested in i. A US company has started to show the programmes on over 100 channels. 1.1 millon Americans watched the famous Seven-and-a-half-hour train programme, But some ‘Americans say that Slow TV was really an American invention, One Cf the most famous American artists, Andy Warhol, made afm in 1963, It was called Siegp. Inthe film, a poet called John Giorno sleeps for six hours! 4. Slow TVis ‘real’ because a they only use one or two cameras, what they flm is what you see, ¢ they only film nature and animals, not people. 5 On American TV a there are channels that are starting to show Norwegian programmes. b they are saying that an American anist invented, Slow TV. ¢ there are channels which now only show Slow TV, Answer these questions. 11 Why did Rune Maklebust and his team decide to make their ist long programme? 2 What reasons can explain the popularity of Slow TV? 3. What are the similarities between the fim Sleep and Slow TV? ‘Think! Then compare ideas with your class. = ‘Reality shows do not show the real world! Do you agree? Why/Why not? What do the underlined words in the text mean? Guess and then check in your dictionary. SPEMING) What about you? Would you like to watch any of the Slow TV shows mentioned in the text? Why/Why not?a _films are longer than game show bei cola Tatelm meal ag 1a Look at the comparative and superlative form of these adjectives. ‘Adjective Comparative | Superlative 1 long longer [ the longest 2 big Bigger [fhe biggest 3 funny funnier [the funniest 4 popular [more popular _| the most popular Peay better [the best Now match the adjectives with the correct rule. a adjectives with two syllables or more Use more/most + the adjective b_one-syllable adjectives which end in one vowel + one consonant, double the last consonant and add er € two-sylable adjectives ending in y, omit y and add ier 4d one-sylable adjectives, add er © irregular adjectives have no set rule ‘Tb Use the rules in 1a to write the comparative and superlative form of these adjectives. bad boring shot 1c Complete the sentences with the correct words. 11 The new series is more popular the old one, 2 Irs the mo RAN 2c PROMINCATON) G 30 Look at these sentences and listen. Then answer questions 1-3. 800k are more interesting than films. This programme was better than that one. d So. are more popular than reading. 1 Which colour represents the stress in the sentences: red or blue? 2. Which types of word receive the stress: nouns, main or auxiliary verbs, adjectives or articles? 3 What sound does the other colour represent? 2b © 31 Listen again and repeat the sentences. 5 popular series the US at the Tee ‘comparative form of the adjectives given and than. 1. Cookery programmes are documentaries (interesting) 2. Adverts can sometimes be the programmes, (good) 3. Reality shows are chat shows, (bad) 4. Watching films at the cinema is watching them on TV. (exciting) 5 Ben Stilleris will ‘Smith. (funny) 3b Work with a partner. Which of the sentences in 3a do you agree with? 4. Check that you understand the words in the box. They are words which we frequently use with comparative adjectives to modify them. Then choose the correct alternative. abi + far + much © slightly 11 Watching TV is far/a bit more popular as a hobby than writing poetry. 2. Jack Black (1m 68cm) is much/slightly taller than Daniel Radcliffe (1m 65cm), 3. For most people, watching football on TV is a lo¥a bit more exciting than watching yoga. 4. The programme lasted 60 minutes. It was far/a bit longer than normal, because it usually lasts 55 minutes. 5. SIEAING) Complete the sentences with a logical opinion. Then work with a partner and compare your sentences. 1 Slow TV programmes are 5 ot longer than Hormal TY pragranomes 2 a lot younger than 3 slightly more popular than 4 far funnier than 5 much more informative than 6 a bit scarier thanRT acme ns Macey) Thinking pig To think about the consequences of wanting to be famous. To consider different opinions and attitudes to fame. To give advice to somebody who wants to become famous SPEAKING Work with a partner and discuss these questions. 1 Do you have an ambition in life? If so, what is i? 2 Would you like to be famous one day? Why/Why not? 3. Ifyou would like to be famous, what would you like to be famous for? FADING Read the text quickly and write one or two sentences to summarise what you think the message of the text is. want to [just skills: Personal well-being about pi KEY CONCEPTS celebrity inl: (1) A lot of celebrities stay at this hotel. 2) Some famous actors don't really enjoy their celebrity and eae recognised. qualifications [n: He didn’t do any exams and left schoo! with no qualifications. miss/eut class [phrase]: Did he miss class because he was il or did he just cut class because he didn’t want to come? bright [adj She's a very bright stucient. She understands new concepts very quickly. 3. Read the text again and answer these questions. 1. What does Murat Ucar want to be famous for? In the documentary, where does Murat go instead of to school? ge nsendich gon How easy is it to become famous thanks to @ reality show? What twa reasons do most 16 to 19-year-old 16 to 19-yoarolds give for wanting to be famous? * 5 What is the problem with some of the celebrit sth some of the celebrities that youn: people acinire? arid What do we know about Michell Obama when she was school? - BE FAMOUS! urat Ucar is a bright 16-year-old from Tottenham, London, but he isn't doing very well ‘at school. His teachers are worried because he doesn't go to many classes. Murat isn’t worried because he believes that one day he will be famous. He doesn’t mind if he becomes @ famous model, actor or ‘singer. The important thing is to be famous. Murat appears in a documentary about young people today. In the documentary, we see Murat miss ‘school for two weeks. Instead Cf going to school, he goes to Turkey to have an operation on his nose. After the operation, he tries to appear on The X Factor, to join a modelling agency and then a theatre company. He isn’t the only student lke this in the UK. A survey says that more than one in ten young people would Jeave school to try __to st to be famous. Sixteen percent of teenagers think that they can become famous one day by ‘appearing in a realty show. In fact, the chances of becoming famous through a reality show are 30 million to one, worse than the chances of winning the lottery. Most of the 16- to 19-year-olds in the survey said that they want to be famous to have money ‘and feel successful. Nineteen percent of the 777 young people who answered said fame was a way to ‘let everyone kriow who they were’ Seven percent said itwoula "make them appear more attractive’. But experts say thatthe important thing I to-do tomathing because you ory it not because you Want to become acelebity Young people need inspiration Some teachers are worried because today’s students admire Gelebies with money but no qualifications. Some students Row believe that they don't need because they can make fats of money by Becoming famous. Leki, some famous people are trying to corec this idea Michelle Obama visited @ tocondary schoo! in London on one visi othe UK. She told the Students about her own school days. I nover cut cass. ked being smart loved being on time thought beng smart was note than anything in the world’ Studying hard can lead to future Success, Dreaming of fame is just that = dreams