TV Game Shows[综合类职称英语教材]
One of the most fascinating things about television is the size of the audience1.A novel call be on the“best seller”2list with a sale of fewer than 100,000 copies3,but a popular TV show might have 70 million TV viewers4.TV can make anything or anyone well-known overnight5.
This is the principle behind“quiz”or“game”shows,which put ordinary people on TV to play a game for prizes and money6.A quiz show can make anyone a star,and it can give away7 thousands of dollars just for fun8.But all of this money can create problems.For instance,in the 1950s,quiz shows were very popular in the U.S.and almost everyone watched them.Charles Van Doren，an English instructor,became rich and famous9 after winning money on several shows.He even had a career as a television personality10.But one of the losers proved that Charles Van Doren was cheating.It turned out that the show’s producers who were pulling the strings,gave the answers to the most popular contestants beforehand11.Why?Because if the audience didn’t like the person who won the game,they turned the show off.The result of this cheating was a huge scandal12.Based on his story,a movie under the title“Quiz Show”is on13 40 years later.
Charles Van Doren is no longer involved with TV14.But game shows are still here,though they aren’t taken as seriously.In fact,some of them try to be as ridiculous as possible.There are shows that send strangers on vacation trips together,or that try to cause newly-married couples to fight on TV，or that punish losers by humiliating them.The entertainment now is to see what people will do just to be on TV.People still win money,but the-real prize is to be in front of all audience of millions.
词汇：
quiz n.(1)猜谜或问答节目(2)小测验,小考
instructor n.教员,教练,训练员
scandal n.丑闻,丑事
ridiculous adj.可笑的,荒谬的
loser n.失败者
humiliate vt.羞辱,使……丢脸
entertainment n.娱乐,消遣
注释：
1.the size of the audience：观众的数目规模
(1)size大小,尺寸,指规模、身材等。
life size(雕像等)如真人一般大
(2)audience是集合名词,当它表达一个整体概念时,后面的动词用单数；若表达整体中的具
体的成员时,动词用复数形式。
2.best seller：畅销书,畅销品
3.…with a sale of fewer than 100,000 copies.：……有不到10万册的销售量。
4.TV viewer：电视观众
5.over night：是副词,意为”一夜之间”。Byron became famous overnight.拜伦一夜成名。
6.This is the principle behind…for prizes and money.：这就是存在于电视“智力竞赛”表演背后的原理,这些表演促使普通百姓为了奖品和奖金走上电视玩游戏。
7.give away：送掉,发给,赠给
8.for fun：为了好玩,为了开心。类似的表达法还有：for a change为了改变一下,为了换换花样。
9.文中的famous与well-known意为“著名的”。同义词有：noted, renowned, popular,distinguished等。
10. television personality：电视明星
11. It turned out that the show’s producers who were pulling the strings, gave the answers to the most popular contestants beforehand.：原来, 在幕后操纵的节目制片人已提前将问题的答案告诉了那些最受 (观众) 欢迎的参赛者。
12. scandal：丑闻,丑事
13. to be on：在文中是“上演”之意。
14. Charles Van Doren is no longer involved wi
