Say the words “reality TV” and the show that comes into most people's minds is Big Brother____ There have been varieties in more than seventy countries. The basic form is simple: put a group of strangers into a house, record everything they do and watch how they live together.

    ____A similar show, the Real World, was broadcast in 1992 on MTV. But the form really became popular with the success of Big Brother, and it was copied again and again____ For examples, in wife Swap, a mother went to live with a family of strangers and tried to run their home.

    So what makes these shows so attractive? As we all know, living with people you don't know is full of pressures and personality problems are common____ A TV presenter thought it was all about relationships and real people and if you were not interested in reality TV, you were not interested in people.

    But is it healthy to be this interested in other people's private life?____Not everyone prefers such shows, including the first winner of Big Brother, Bart Spring. He said he wasn't a fan of the programme or of people becoming famous for being stupid.

A. In similar shows, competitors were sent to different places, being with strangers.

B. And what kind of people want to appear in front of TV cameras twenty-four hours a day?

C. Competitors often have to share tasks and this also brings disagreement.

D. Love it or not, the programme is worldwide popular.

E. Actually the idea wasn't original.

    Watching TV is a very popular pastime（消遣）in the UK. But what kind of programs do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programs are usually on ____ four times every week. They are programs based in one neighborhood that try to describe ____ life in the UK --- we call these dreams 'soap operas' or 'soaps'.

    Back in the early days of TV, husbands went out to work and wives stayed at home, looking after the house and the children. Most of these ____ programs were aimed at amusing the housewives who were at home,____ doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder（洗衣粉）would advertise their products between the programs, and sometimes those companies would even sponsor（赞助）the 'soap operas'.