A Korean wave is sweeping across China, with many Chinese women worshipping South Korean actors Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Min Ho as demigods (半神半人). Chinese netizens have always been divided over South Korean TV dramas, but there is no doubt that programs from the neighboring country are now enjoying a new round of popularity in China. And a big part of the credit for that goes to You Who Came From The Star, the South Korean TV series which is on the air now.
Top South Korean actors Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo Hyun recently earned a popularity rating of 24.8 percent in their country, considered strong by Nielsen Korea. You Who Came From The Star and The Heirs have been subjects of hot online discussions throughout Asia. Besides, the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, read by the hero in You Who Came From The Star was a hard-to-get item on Amazon for a while.
The two TV programs have several common elements: a tall, handsome, and rich hero who loves the heroine blindly and always protects her, and an equally handsome man madly in love with the same woman. Both programs portray the purity of love, which is expressed through a kiss or a warm hug. Perhaps that’s the secret of their success; perhaps people are still fascinated by Cinderella-type stories.
The growing wealth gap is a matter of social concern both in South Korea and China, and the challenges that young people face in their search for a better life might have prompted (激起) many ordinary girls to dream of marrying rich, caring men. This is precisely what the popular South Korean TV dramas portray. In fact, South Korean TV dramas are tailored to meet the market’s demands.
In contrast, Chinese TV screens are flooded by knock-off (山寨) or poorly made soap operas. There are too many Chinese TV dramas that are either of the stereotyped (刻板的) war theme or just blindly copy foreign programs. The lack of good stories has resulted in loads of TV series on time travel or fights in the harems (后宫) of Qing Dynastyemperors. These, in short, are the pain of Chinese TV productions.
The shooting for South Korean productions generally starts when the scripts (脚本) are just one-third ready. Many popular productions have their own websites, where scriptwriters post part of the finished scripts, inviting viewers to leave messages, discuss the plot and come up with suggestions for future events. This not only keeps viewers’ interest in the TV dramas alive, but also helps scriptwriters and directors make changes to the storylines to suit the audience’s demand.
Hopefully, the innovation-induced (创新引导的) success of South Korean TV programs will prompt Chinese TV drama makers to think up new ideas and abandon their bad practice of copying foreign productions in order to attract more viewers at home, and possibly abroad.
小题1:The main point the author emphasizes in this passage is ________.
A．why Korean actors are more popular than Chinese actors
B．how the three Korean actors became famous around East Asia
C．what modern TV dramas need is not copying foreign programs but innovation
D．the Cinderella-type stories are an ever-lasting theme people are fascinated with小题2:Which of the following best explains people’s favor for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane?
A．The celebrity effect is powerful.
B．Drama stars are the best advertisements.
C．Rich and handsome heroes in dramas usually love reading.
D．A successful drama generally originates from a good novel.小题3:According to the passage, the secret to Korean TV dramas’ being successful is that ________.
A．drama stars must be tall, rich and handsome or beautiful
B．scriptwriters should choose the appropriate themes for all viewers
C．drama producers have creative ideas to adapt to viewers’ interest and demand
D．people’s concerns such as wealth gap both in Korea and China are taken good care of小题4:What does the last paragraph imply?
A．Abandoning copying foreign productions is the only way to attract viewers.
B．The Chinese TV drama makers should follow in the footsteps of the Koreans.
C．It’s hard to predict what the future TV dramas in China and Korea will be like.
D．A bright future of Chinese TV dramas can be expected prompted by the Koreans.
