2.Read the text

Soap

Where can you watch someone hang between life and death in a hospital bed - AND ENJOY IT?

Where can you share the worry of unemployment or the problems of troublesome neighbours, YET SLEEP LIKE A Log?

The answer is in soap opera, and in Britain there are more than 20 hours of it on television each week.

Soaps have been popular ever since American businessmen found they could sell more of their products if they advertised them on radio, in between episodes of a continuing story, each with little cliffhanger endings. If the stories were aimed at women at home, and were about patents, children, relationships with neighbours, love, and sorrow listeners enjoyed them all the more. The fact that the first big sponsors were soap manufacturers gave deem the tag 'soap operas'.

Exactly why soap opera is so popular is a mystery. Jan Bishop, who is at the University of Amsterdam, agues that the key is that soaps deal with feelings first, ideas and actions second. She says we enjoy the opportunity to overhear the private dialogues between husband and wife, lovers, friends, that normally remain secret to us.

Some people believe that you have to be a bit mad or Cad to follow them. But is it like a real addiction? Jan Bishop believes this is simple prejudice. For example, it is accepted that men have good reasons to watch hours of football on TV — they're sports fans. Soap opera viewers are stereotyped as soap addicts.

There is no doubt, however, that a lot of people watch several soaps a week. One reason may be that soaps provide a 'shared experience'. Everyone has an opinion about soaps and they give us something to talk about with friends.

In Britain, a popular soap with young people is Neighbours. This Australian soap is set in a Melbourne suburb and it has many young people in cast. Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, who became successful pop stars, were both in Neighbours. For some young people, soap may be a way of thinking about their problems. As one fan said: 'Any sort of social problem you can think of, or that you're ever likely to face, comes up in Neighbours — teenage pregnancy, couples running away together, divorce, a woman trying to shoot her husband, that sort of thing. It helps me to solve my own problems by showing me what might happen if I do certain things. Sometimes it shows you what not to do.

But what about people who don't just watch but who seem to believe there really is a Ramsay Street? They write to the characters, often sending money and gifts, and sometimes offering to marry or adopt them. These fans make no distinction between the actor and the character. Should we pity these people?

An ex-teacher who started a soap fan club says that perhaps the people who do this are a bit lonely and hope the stars will get in touch with them. He's sure mat it does no harm and feels that it's natural that people project soap characters and storylines into their lives.

Complete these notes

1. The original soap operas were____ .

2. They were called soaps because ____ .

3. The text suggests that soaps are popular because:

* they are about __, not ideas.

* they give us ___ .

* they allow us ___ .

4. People who believe soaps are real may be ___ .

Do you think soaps are harmful? Why? Why not?

Guess the meaning of these words and expressions as used in the text

• sleep like a log =… - key=…

• cliff-hanger=… - cast=…

• make no distinction=… - get in touch=…