我为动画狂

According to a 2011 survey， UK children aged five to 16 watch， on average， more than 2.5 hours of television a day.

But what are they watching？

Series like Good Luck Charlie and Doctor Who frequently top viewer ratings. Yet it is into the animated[动画片的] comedy category that many of the most popular programmes fall.

The crazy underwater antics[小丑] of SpongeBob SquarePants captivate[迷住] younger viewers but， for the biggest animated hits for older children， the award has to go to Matt Groening， creator of The Simpsons and Futurama.

With its 500th episode[（电视剧的）一集] being shown in February 2012， The Simpsons is now the longest-running scripted[照稿子念的] show in television history. A quirky[古怪的]， instantly recognisable[可认出的] family （comprising[包括] Homer， Marge， Bart， Lisa and Maggie）， a clever comic script[剧本] and a long list of special guest-stars has made the show a worldwide phenomenon[现象].

Meanwhile Futurama stars[让某人担任主角] Fry， a pizza delivery boy transported[流放] to the year 3000 after being accidentally frozen in time. Along with his one-eyed alien friend， Leela， and kleptomaniac[盗窃癖者] robot， Bender， Frys adventures are literally[确实] out of this world.

根据一项2011年的调查，5至16岁的英国儿童平均每天看电视超过2.5小时。

但是他们到底在看什么节目呢？

虽然《好运查理》和《神秘博士》等电视剧经常在收视榜单上登顶称霸，但最受（青少年）欢迎的节目大多都是喜剧动画片。

《海绵宝宝》那些疯狂的水下闹剧让年纪较小的观众着迷不已，不过对年长一点的孩子来说，最有人气的动画出自作者马特·格勒宁——《辛普森一家》以及《飞出个未来》。

在2012年2月播出第500集的《辛普森一家》目前是电视史上最长寿的剧集节目。这部动画片之所以能风靡全球，除了那个让人一眼就能认出来的古怪家庭（成员包括霍默、玛姬、巴特、丽莎以及麦琪）以外，还要归功于精彩巧妙的漫画剧本以及一份长长的明星嘉宾名单。

另一边，《飞出个未来》讲的是弗莱的故事——这个披萨送餐员意外地被冷藏起来送到了公元3000年。加上他那独眼的外星朋友莉拉以及有盗窃癖的机器人班德，弗莱的大冒险真可谓当世无双。

Word of the day： Kleptomaniac （n.）

A kleptomaniac is a person who cant stop themselves from stealing things. Kleptomaniacs often steal things that have very little value. Kleptomaniac comes from Greek and the first known English use was in 1861.

True or False

a） British Children like animated television shows best.

b） The Simpsons finished in February 2012.

c） People in many countries watch The Simpsons.

d） Leela is a human character in Futurama.

Vocabulary

Find a word from the text to complete these sentences.

a） are the people who watch a television programme.

b） A television show that becomes very popular is called a .

c） The measurement of how many people watch a television show is called viewer .