1. Read the text below and choose an alternative title for it.
Do the Dishes and Win!
Big Brother is a reality TV show that brings a number of people together in a house for a period of time. Cameras and microphones record their actions and they appear on TV. Each week viewers vote for their favourite resident, and the least favourite housemate has to leave the house. This happens until there is only one housemate left, who goes home with a cash prize. Big Brother began in the Netherlands in 1999 and since then the idea has spread like wildfire throughout the world. There have been Big Brother shows in over 70 countries worldwide.
In its early years, Big Brother was a huge hit. Originally, people saw it as a fascinating social is experiment. Viewers could peep into the lives of ordinary people twenty-four hours a day. It was very interesting for millions of young and old viewers around the world to see how different types of people live together.
One thing that hasn’t changed in the Big Brother household is that some residents get on like a house on fire, while others drive each other crazy. A major source of conflict for the contestants, but also entertainment for the viewers, is housework. If all housemates do their share of household chores housemates usually live in harmony. Yet a messy housemate who doesn’t help around the house isn’t very welcome in the Big Brother “family”. In fact, the winner is usually the person who does their share of chores and doesn’t complain about anybody else not doing theirs.
Although over the years Big Brother has become less popular, there is still a huge audience eagerly awaiting to see how far their favourite or least favourite character will go to win the big cash prize in the end. Who knows? Maybe some of us see a bit of ourselves in the show!
2. Read the text again and mark the statements below as T (True), F (False) or Ns (Not stated).
1. People watching from home choose a new winner every week.
2. Big Brother started in the Netherlands.
3. In recent years older people have started to take part in Big Brother.
4. Most housemates share their food in the Big Brother house.
5. Some of the housemates in the Big Brother house have a very good relationship.
6. The Big Brother show has a smaller audience than what it had in the past.
3. Match the highlighted words/phrases in the text with their definitions.
4. Answer the questions.
1. What does the writer want to show by using the phrase «spread like wildfire»?
2. Why is the word family in quotation marks?