Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 43 to 50.
At 7pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus... Given that most people don't seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show’s statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.
But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room.
According to paragraph 1 the writer is surprised to see that although Holiday on Ice is popular ________ .
A. people often prefer other types of show
B. most people consider it as a holiday
C. few people know someone who has seen it
D. people prefer to see a film, the ballet, or the circus