Cut off from society
You're on your way to school as usual when suddenly an invisible barrier appears out of nowhere, trapping you underneath it and isolating you from the outside world. What do you do?
This is the scary experience the residents of a fictional town called Chester’s Mill are going through in the US TV series Under the Dome. Based on famous US author Stephen King’s 2009 best-selling novel, the show has become “the highest-rated summer show in 21 years” since debuting (首播) on June 24, reported the New York Post.
The series begins with the dome (穹顶) making its alarming appearance. As the earth trembles and birds take off, an enormous, invisible barrier slices down, cutting the town off from the rest of the world.
The residents quickly realize they are trapped, probably for quite some time. Families are separated, emergency services are unreachable and water, food and fuel are strictly limited.
There is no way out or in. But who or what is responsible? Nobody knows. Thus, the residents are at the mercy of unknown forces and their internal conflicts.
While it provides an enjoyable TV thrill ride, the movie’s science fiction is closely linked with reality.
“Not only is it worrying, suspenseful (悬疑的) and full of splendid special effects, but it has big thoughts about environmentalism and the future of the commented The Denver Post planet,”
As King himself explained to The Telegraph: “The dome is a microcosm (微观世界) of life. We all live under the dome. We live on this little blue planet and so far as we know that’s all we’ve got,” he said. “The resources that we’ve got are the resources that we’ve got; they’re limited.”
But the show explores many themes in addition to environmental destruction. It also shows “how quickly the social order we take for granted can disappear when people are isolated and afraid”, said the Los Angeles Times.
It is “a science-fiction social study”, said The Washington Post. “Once the people of Chester’s Mill realize they are indefinitely trapped without means of food supply, outside communication and power, their polite sense of small-town, American civilization begins to fall apart.”
小题1:The underlined word “isolating” in the first paragraph probably means _______.
A．separating
B．protecting
C．discouraging
D．distinguishing小题2:In the TV series Under the Dome, _______.
A．the dome, which appears out of nowhere, doesn’t have huge effects on the residents’ lives
B．it takes a long time for residents to realize they are trapped by the invisible dome
C．because of the dome, the residents in the small town become more united and helpful D．not knowing what has D．happened, the residents feel helpless against unknown forces
小题3:Why is the TV series closely linked with reality according to the article?
A．Because it is suspenseful and uses splendid special effects to reflect modern life.
B．Because it gets us to think about the future of the earth and the importance of environmental protection.
C．Because it attaches great importance to following the social order even in frightening situations.
D．Because the residents in the TV series live almost the same life as ordinary Americans do.
小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:B
题目分析: 本文是对电视剧《穹顶之下》的剧情介绍：缅因州度假小镇Chester’s Mill突然被从天而降的力场包围，从此失去了与外部世界的一切联系。在这种极端情况下，当地居民为生存而爆发了争夺资源的内斗……
小题1:A词义猜测题。根据本句中trapping you underneath it and ……you from the outside world.以及文章标题Cut off from society和第三段对影片的介绍cutting the town off from the rest of the world.可以判断该词意思是“与……隔绝，分离”，故答案选A。
小题2:D细节理解题。从文章第五段Thus, the residents are at the mercy of unknown forces and their internal conflicts.可以判断D选项正确。
小题3:B细节理解题。根据文章倒数第四段King对影片的解释“Not only is it worrying, ……but it has big thoughts about environmentalism and the future of the commented The Denver Post planet,”可知电视剧中的科幻场景是与现实紧密联系的，故答案选B。