The 1900 House
The Bowler family was one of more than 400 families who applied to 1900 House, a reality TV show which took a typical family back a hundred years to see how people lived in the days before the internet, computer games and even electricity.
The Bowler family spent three months in a London home without a telephone, computers, TV, or fast food. The Bowlers wore clothes from 1900, ate only food available in English at that time, and cooked their meals on a single stove. Paul Bowler still went to work every day in a then uniform. The children changed their clothes on the way to and from school and their classmates didn’t know about their unusual home life. Joyce stayed at home, cooking and cleaning like a typical housewife of the time, though everything took three times as long.
So does Joyce think that people’s lives were better in the old days?
“I think people in the old days had just as many troubles and worries,” Joyce said. And I don’t think their life was better or worse, there were lots of things back then that I’m happy I don’t have to deal with nowadays, but on the other hand life was simpler.” “We had a lot more time with our family, and it was hard being nice to each other all the time,” eleven-year-old Hilary said.
So what did the Bowler family miss most about modern life while living in the 1900 house?
Paul, 39: “telephone and a hot shower”
Joyce, 44: “a quick cup of tea from a kettle you could just turn on”
Hilary, 11: “rock CD”
Joseph, 9: “hamburger and computer games”
21. What does the show want to present to its viewers?
A. The good old days.
B. How people lived in the past.
C. Women doing most of the housework.
D. Kids learning better without computers
22. What did Paul have to do for the show?
A. Get dressed differently B. Stay home from work
C. Send the children to school. D. Cooked on a single stove.
23. According to Paragraph 4, what’s Joyce’s opinion about life in 1900?
A. There were fewer problems for the family
B. Life was simpler but worse than it is now
C. There were things she liked and disliked
D. The family had more time to stay together
24. What would the kids like most to have in those three months?
A. More time with their parents
B. Time-saving equipment in the kitchen.
C. Easy way to communicate with others
D. Fast food and entertainment
25. What can be inferred from this passage?
A. The children’s school had no idea what was going on in the family.
B. The older way of life is more attractive to adults than to children.
C. The modern convenience save more time for family get-together.
D. Not many families are interested in joining in this reality show .
