30 DAYS ON THE MINIMUM WAGE
Could you change your life in just 30 days? That’s the question documentary maker Morgan Spurlock asked when he filmed his new TV series, 30 Days. Martin Grady reviews the first program of the series,
30 Days on the Minimum Wage*.
Spurlock, who is most famous for Supersize Me, his movie about the dangers of eating junk food, became frustrated that few people know about poverty in America. He and his fiancée, Alex, decided to film an experiment. They’d give up their jobs for a month and try to live on the
minimum wage. The resulting documentary, which was filmed reality-show-style using a handheld camera, contains a powerful social message about the growing gap between the rich and poor in the US.
The couple travel to Columbus, Ohio, one of the poorest cities in the US. The only apartment that they can afford to rent is filthy, in a dangerous area, and has no furniture. The heat doesn’t work very well, so they’re often cold. Alex begins working as a dishwasher, while Morgan does construction work with no safety equipment. Neither of them earns more than the minimum wage.
It’s difficult to watch Morgan and Alex struggling in such terrible conditions. A charity gives them some furniture for free, but they have to live without reliable heat, TV, or telephone. They’re exhausted all the time and begin to argue about money. The couple interview people in the same situation and listen to their stories. It’s difficult to imagine, but these people have lived on the minimum wage for decades and many have children.
When Alex gets sick and Morgan badly injures his wrist, they go to a free clinic but can’t see a doctor because of long lines. People there say that without free medical care they’d die.
After 30 days, Morgan and Alex have spent over $1,000 more than they have earned, mostly because of the medical expenses. They are shocked. They can go back to their comfortable life in New York, but what if they couldn’t? How would they continue to survive?
*At the time of Morgan and Alex’s experiment, minimum wage in the US was $5.15 an hour.
1. 30 Days on the Minimum Wage is _____.
A. a TV series ​B. a TV documentary C. a drama series
2.​Supersize Me was about _____.A. how eating too much junk food can be bad for you
■ B. poverty in the US C. the popularity of junk food ■
3.​Morgan Spurlock is _____.A. single ■ ​​B. married ■ C. engaged ■
4. The purpose of the experiment was to discover if Morgan and Alex could _____.
A. give up their jobs B. make a movie together C. live on very little money
5. Morgan and Alex interviewed people _____.
A. and told them their life story ■ B. who were living in the same way ■
C. in the same apartment building ■
6. Morgan and Alex rented their apartment because _____.
A. it was the only one they could find ■
B. it was cheap ■ ​C. it was in a good building ■
7. Morgan and Alex _____ $5.15 per hour.
A. both earned more than B. earned exactly C. didn’t earn more than
8. The couple had to live with _____.A. no furniture ■ B. a poor heating system ■ C. very little food
9. During the experiment, Morgan and Alex _____.A. got along very well ■​B. argued about junk food ■
C. sometimes disagreed about money ■
10.​ Morgan and Alex weren’t able to see a doctor at the free clinic because _____.
A. they hadn’t applied for free medical care ■ B. there were too many people waiting C. they didn’t have insurance ■