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III. READING
American Idol
1. Work in pairs. Look at the pictures and discuss the following questions. What are these shows? What do you know about them?
2. Read a text about a famous music show. Match the highlighted words and phrases in the text with the meanings below.
American Idol was shown for the first time on television in January 2002. At that time, there were many movies and TV series, but no reality competitions on TV. The participants in this programme are ordinary people who the audience can really identify with.
First, judges travel all round America in search of the best singers and bring them to Hollywood. Twenty-four to thirty-six participants are then chosen to go on to the next stages where they perform live on TV, and receive the judges' opinions. From the semi-final onwards, people over 13 and living in the US, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands can vote for their preferred singers online or through text messaging. The singer with the lowest number of votes is eliminated. On the final night, the most popular singer becomes the winner of that American Idol season.
People watch American Idol not only to see the participants sing, but also to hear the comments of the judges, who play an important role in the competition. Their different opinions and interesting arguments make the show very exciting.
The first season of Vietnam Idol was shown in 2007. It included three stages: short performances to choose participants, semi-finals and finals. The winners of the show's different seasons have become famous singers in Viet Nam.
| 1. series | a. feel that they are similar to and can understand them |
| 2. identify with | b. a set of TV or radio programmes on the same subject |
| 3. in search of | c. removed from the competition |
| 4. eliminated | d. looking for |
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3. Read the text again and choose the best answers.
1. What is American Idol?
A. A game show on TV
B. A TV singing competition
C. A live dancing competition
2. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. From the semi-final, singers who can go to the next stage are decided by the audience vote.
B. The judges choose as many singers as they can.
C. People around the world can vote for the songs they like.
3. Who wins American Idol?
A. The singer with the highest number of votes on the final night.
B. The singer with the highest number of votes and highest score from the judges.
C. The singer with the highest score from the judges.
4. Which of the following statements about the judges is NOT mentioned?
A. They give comments after each live performance.
B. They have different views about the singers' performances.
C. They are not in favour of choosing ordinary people.
5. What can be inferred about the competition in Viet Nam?
A. The audience decides who makes it to the final stage.
B. All the singers will be famous.
C. It can help develop participants' singing careers.
4. Work in pairs. Discuss whether you want to participate in Vietnam Idol. Give your reasons.
