The Simpsons – American Life in Cartoons

The Simpsons is an American sitcom that shows middle class lifestyle in cartoon form. The half-hour episodes take
place in and around the fictional town of Springfield and make fun out of American culture and society.

Since the show started in 1989 the Simpsons have been broadcast over 500 times. This makes it the longest running
sitcom in American television history. In 2007 a full-length movie, The Simpsons Movie, made over half a billion dollars.

The Simpsons has won many prizes, concluding the Emmy Awards. In the year 2000 Time magazine named it the best
television series of the century and the cartoon characters of The Simpsons received their own star on Hollywood’s Walk
of Fame.

The Simpson family consists of 5 main characters. Homer is the rather clumsy, beer-drinking father. He works at
a nuclear power plant in Springfield and is married to Marge Simpson, a typical American middle class housewife. The
couple has three children. Bart is a ten-year old who constantly gets into trouble. Lisa is a highly intelligent eight-year old
who has become a vegetarian and a Buddhist. Maggie, the family’s baby, is often shown with a pacifier. The Simpsons
have two pets, a dog named Santa’s Little Helper and Snowball, a cat.

Even though the series focuses around animated characters, many human celebrities have starred on The

Simpsons in the past, for example, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Tom Jones or Mel Gibson.

The comedy centers on a few major themes. Homer’s work in a nuclear power plant opens up the topic of
our environment for discussion. Bart and Lisa are often shown in their school life where educational problems arise.
Homer and Marge try to raise their children as best as they can but, as in many typical families, do not always succeed.
The series also makes political comments and criticizes how the government and large corporations exploit the
normal worker.

The program has been very successful around the world. It is watched by millions of people in over a hundred countries.

1- Write True or False.

A- Springfield is a real city of the USA. ___________________

B- The show started in 1989. _________________

C- The movie was a success in 2006. ____________________

D- The family has got three pets. __________________________

E- Marge was vegetarian. ____________________________

F- The Simpsons has won the Emmy Awards. _________________

2- Complete with some of the words in bold.

  ________________ = made to look as if they are moving
 ________________ = to send out a radio or television program
 ________________ = film with drawings of characters
 ________________ = a famous person
 ________________ = a hundred years
 ________________ = to do something in a very funny way
 ________________ = always
 ________________ = a very big company
 ________________ = not approve of
 ________________ = prize awarded for the best television shows
 ________________ = the world around us
 ________________ = one of a series of programs that is continued every day or every week
 ________________ = not real; it does not exist
 ________________ = products that are about the topic
 ________________ = building that uses produces electricity by splitting atoms
 ________________ = situation comedy; a funny television program with the same characters every
week
 ________________= popular

3- Choose one of the characters of the family and write about him/her.

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