You might have been told before that watching American TV series is a good way to improve your English. The show Friends is one of the most commonly suggested shows for English students.
Friends is a classic American situation comedy, or sitcom for short. Ever since its first episode (集) aired in 1994, it has been one of the most popular sitcoms. What has made the show so popular?
Its humor is, of course, the main reason. Sitcoms like Friends are full of lighthearted and funny jokes. According to research done by American TV blogger Talib Visram, the number of jokes in popular US sitcoms ranges from 3.4 to 7.4 per minute. Friends takes a moderate pace and has 6 jokes per minute. This pace of humor keeps the audience relaxed, but also fully involved in the show.
When you laugh at the jokes, you might hear people laughing along with you on the show.
This is another special feature of sitcoms — the laugh track (音轨). Dating back to the 1940s, the laugh track aims to create a theater experience at home. This makes the show even more interesting — when others laugh, we want to laugh too.
But sitcoms are not only about jokes and laughs. As American writer Ken Sanes said, sitcoms are often about the small matters of daily life and every character is as real as we are. They have fears, desires and foolish emotions, and also do crazy things. The weaknesses they show help us relate to them.
“Sitcoms give us permission to move beyond the idealized images of ourselves and the world,” as Sanes wrote. “They give us permission to be imperfect.”
How sitcoms change our language?
Sitcoms influence people on a cultural level. One way they do this is through language. Many sitcom characters have their own catchphrases (流行语). When they become popular, they can change the way people talk in real life.
【小题1】Friends is popular among people mainly because ?| A．it brings people laughter and relaxation |
| B．it is the best way to help people learn English |
| C．it has been popular for more than 30 years |
| D．it was suggested by experts in the US |
| A．It is the most important part of a sitcom. |
| B．It helps people create the feeling of sitting in a theater. |
| C．It helps the actors laugh. |
| D．It was first used in sitcoms in 1940. |
| A．persuade | B．understand |
| C．amuse | D．confuse |
| A．What the actors will do when they become popular. |
| B．The actors work hard to make more sitcoms. |
| C．The author will give some examples of how the actors influence the way people talk. |
| D．People follow the actors to become popular. |
