Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s smartest physicists, once said: “I’m obsessed by time.”Many of us are, and the popularity of time travel TV series has just proved that.
After Palace and Startling by Each Step 《步步惊心》achieved startling ratings last year, Palace 2 aired on January 20, attracting time travel fans back to TV.“It’s fun to watch characters travel back in time and deal with the conflicts between modernity and ancient times,” Xia Xiaoyan, who works for a foreign-owned enterprise in Shanghai, told China Daily. “Time travel series connect both today and the past, thus offering room for imagination,” said Cai Yinong, the producer of Startling by Each Step.
“I’m
hooked by the shows because they are characterized by dramatic and poetic love and have eye-pleasing actors,” Xia explained her love for time travel TV series.Her comment echoes a 2011 survey by Great Marketing Research Co Ltd in China. When asked about what’s so appealing about time travel TV series, 21 percent of respondents answered: “Those attractive characters.”
A bigger reason behind the popularity of time travel stories, however, is the relaxation they offer, according to the survey.Cai Yinong agrees. “Many people are facing tremendous pressures in their fast-paced lives, so this genre is more relaxing than other shows as it provides people with a terrific outlet to escape reality,” Cai told China Daily.
The love for time traveling is universal.Woody Allen’s latest movie Midnight in Paris, which has been nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Art Direction for the 2012 Academy Awards, features modernity versus cultural nostalgia.
小题1:Which might be the best title for this passage ?
| A．Time travel is universal | B．Time travel TV series |
| C．A introduction to Startling by Each Step | D．Time travel wins fans |
小题2:The reasons why people like time travel are as followings except______.
| A．It’s fun to watch characters travel back and deal with the conflicts between modernity and ancient times. |
| B．Time travel series offer room for imagination. |
| C．The characters are attractive. |
| D．After watching time travel series, you can escape reality. |
小题3:Which word can replace the underlined word “hooked” in the third paragraph.
| A．pleased | B．moved | C．attracted | D．surprised |
小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that________.
| A．Stephen Hawking likes time travel TV series. |
| B．A bigger reason behind the popularity of time travel stories, however, is the relaxation they offer. |
| C．Not only Chinese audience but also foreigners like watching time travel stories. |
| D．Startling by Each Step has been nominated for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Art Direction for the 2012 Academy Awards. |
小题5:We can learn form what Cai Yinong said in the fourth paragraph that ________.
| A．Everyone likes watching time travel stories. |
| B．Many people want to escape reality because of the pressures in their fast-paced lives. |
| C．Many people want to go back to the ancient times. |
| D．People can get more relaxation in the ancient times. |