节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2012-06-18
难易度:High
关键字:stylish, soap opera, hierarchy, boom, Hallyu, sonata
Hello, everybody.
Welcome to Studio Classroom Worldwide.
My name is Steve.
Thanks for joining us today.
We're going to kick off this week with a three-day lesson about something that
started about 15 years ago, and it was just a ripple in a small pond.
Today, with the aid of the Internet, it's become a giant wave that has rolled
across the ocean and crashed onto the shores of East Asia and beyond,
toward the distant lands of North America and Europe even.
Yes, I'm talking about Hallyu, the wave of Korean pop culture that's spreading
around the world.
Let's open our magazines to page 36 and read together now - Hallyu.
(Music).
Hallyu.
Korean pop culture makes waves in Asia.
From Japan to Indonesia, a certain brand of pop culture is in high demand.
Its fashion is flashy; its stars are stylish; copying it is "cool." But it
doesn't come from Hollywood - it's Hallyu,
the wave of Korean pop culture that has washed over Asia.
It has affected everything from music to television, and thanks to the Internet
and social media, it's now spreading worldwide.
Why Hallyu?
South Korea exports all types of entertainment, the most popular being music,
soap operas and films.
What makes Hallyu so hot?
Hello, friends.
Thank you so much for joining us here in the studio.
My name is Kaylah.
(Background Noise).
Ryan... Ryan.
Huh?
What are you doing?
Oh. Sorry, sorry...
(Background Noise).
Wait, Ryan! What are you doing?
Well, for our CULTURE article, we're talking about Hallyu.
So I thought I get started listening to some K-pop.
OK, Hallyu?
Yeah, Hallyu. That is Korean culture spreading around the world.
Oh. So you were listening to some Korean music.
Exactly. It's called K-pop.
OK. Well, let's get started with our article today instead.
OK. So we're looking at how Korean pop culture is making waves in Asia and
around the world.
That's right.
It's making waves, which means it's... it's going through, and people are
enjoying it.
Just like the ocean, the waves come up on the shore all over the world, it's
doing the same thing.
And it's spreading, and it is spreading very fast, so.
It's moving from Japan to Indonesia.
And it's a certain brand of pop culture, it's in very high demand.
When we say something is in high demand, it's what people really want.
It's what they're demanding, they're asking for it.
Well, what is it?
Well, its fashion is flashy; its stars are stylish; and its copying... or if you
copy it, it is very cool.
That's right.
So its fashion is flashy, which means it's got a lot of style to it.
It's very unique and very special.
It's got a lot of colors and shiny. It's very...
Very noticeable.
Yes.
Yeah. People notice it a lot.
And it is very "stylish." That means the way it looks is very high-quality.
It has very nice design.
And that's why people like to copy it - because it's cool.
Exactly. But Korean culture doesn't come from Hollywood, obviously.
It's Hallyu, it comes from Korea.
And this wave of Korean pop culture has washed over Asia.
That's right. We most often think that the most popular styles and music and
videos come from Hollywood.
But that's not true.
Hallyu is really taking a stand here.
Yeah. It's really growing very quickly.
And we're going to see how it's growing and exactly how it's able to spread so
quickly.
Well, it has affected everything from music to television, and thanks to the
Internet and social media, it's now spreading worldwide.
OK. So now we see "thanks to the Internet," that means it's benefited a lot from
the Internet and social media.
Things like Facebook and YouTube have allowed Korean culture to really spread
quickly.
But why Hallyu?
Of all the things out there, why is Hallyu spreading so quickly?
Well, that's a great question.
So let's take a look at exactly what Hallyu is, and where it comes from exactly,
and how it has been able to spread so fast.
Well, South Korea exports all types of entertainment, now the most popular being
music, soap operas and films.
OK. So they export a lot of entertainment.
Kaylah, let's talk about what it means to export something.
Well, when you export something, that means it is created in your country and
you sell it outside of your country, sell it to other places.
For example, United States makes a lot... grows a lot of wheat, a lot of grain.
And then they export it out to different countries.
Australia does that with the beef.
So something you create in your own country and sell to other people.
Yeah. I know I'm from California, and I know California does that a lot with
grapes.
They use it for wine.
And so they export it all around the country in the United States and around the
world.
Well, South Korea is exporting a lot of popular media, so a lot of pop culture.
Now that is music, soap operas and films.
So music we can... all of us can name at least a couple of Korean... South
Korean bands.
Yeah. I was just listening to a couple just now.
One of them was Super Junior.
Oh, well, very good, Ryan.
Now what is a soap opera?
All right.
A "soap opera" is a show that is on almost every day, and it follows a set of
characters and their lives and the way they interact with each other.
That's right.
Now soap operas from South Korea are typically only a certain amount of episodes
- so between 17 and 35 or something like that.
So you follow the same characters for that amount of time.
That's right.
So you keep looking at these characters and keep coming back to see what kind of
relationships they get in, whether it's happy or whether it's sad.
There are a lot of people that watch these almost every day.
That's right. Now soap operas usually do follow some sort of love story.
Well, Korea is exporting a lot of those and films.
But what makes Hallyu so hot?
Why Hallyu?
Well, I... I guess that's what we're going to have to find more about.
I know a lot of you have seen a lot of these Korean movies, Korean shows, and
you know a lot of these famous Korean musicians.
So why? Why are they so popular?
What makes it so hot?
Well, we'll talk about that.
But first, we need to visit the Chat Room.
(Music).
Hey, Ken.
What's wrong? You look confused.
I sure am.
This is the journal of pop culture.
I thought pop culture would be easy to read about.
But the articles in here are very difficult to understand.
I can understand your confusion.
You're right.
In general, pop culture refers to forms of entertainment that are enjoyed by the
majority of common people.
Yes. But these articles are anything but common.
Here's one about the Da Vinci Code and the virtual public sphere?
I've seen the movie the Da Vinci Code, but I have no idea what this is talking
about.
I hear you, Ken.
I would be lost too.
The journal you're reading is an academic journal.
So unlike normal pop culture, it's not written for common people but for people
who study culture.
In fact, many universities now offer degrees in Pop Culture Studies.
OK. Thanks for the tip.
You know, I think I'll pass on reading this.
Hey, by the way, Bryan, what's your favorite pop group?
Hmm, let me think.
That's hard for me to say because I don't listen to a lot of mainstream music.
Mainstream music?
I'm guessing that's another term to describe pop music?
You're right.
Mainstream, as an adjective, simply describes things that are accepted by the
majority of people.
Does that mean you don't like pop music?
Let's just say it's not my favorite type of music.
But I must admit, I did enjoy a lot of the pop music produced in the 80s.
The 80s, huh?
That's my generation.
Oh, good.
We should chat about 80s pop music over coffee sometime.
Yeah! That sounds good.