Part B

Text 1

Popcornand the British Cinema Industry

In thegolden fields of Kansas, Britain's biggest cinema success is under production.There are no stars, no special effects, no publicity. And it is still a certainwinner, guaranteed to make more money than all but the biggest hit movies. Thecoming attraction is popcorn. Last year, cinema popcorn sales in the UK andIreland made ￡20 million plus, way ahead of most films. Only a handful of extremelysuccessful movies could beat it.

If it wasnot for popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream, British cinema would be as dead asthe music hall. A recent survey found that every single screen in the countryneeded another source of income just to keep operating. Perhaps three or fourfilms a year make money at the box office. The other films just help cinemastick over, and pull in people to buy popcorn and sweets.

Even whena cinema is showing a must-see film, the operator is working on paper-thinprofits. He must fill every seat to cover the film company's costs. Filmdistributors regularly demand half the money taken at the box office; with bigfilms they can charge between 69 percent and 89 percent of the takings. Cinemasstill have to pay staff and running costs out of what's left. This is wherepopcorn and sweets come into the picture.

A cartonof popcorn from a supermarket costs only a little over 3p. Cinemagoers,however, can pay almost ￡4 for one huge helping. At a very expensivecinema in London's West End, a huge carton may cost ￡3.95.

Eatingpopcorn while watching a movie is said to be a real pleasure. The differencebetween buying popcorn at a cinema and a supermarket is just like that betweenbuying wine in a restaurant and at an ordinary shop. It costs 100 percent more.

Questions:

1. What isthe main idea of the passage?

2. Why docinemas in Britain need another source of income to keep operating?

3. Whatcan you infer from the passage?

Text 2

Death ofthe Stunt People

Hollywood'strue heroes are losing their jobs. Stuntmen and stuntwomen who entertainedcinemagoers by falling from the sky, swimming with sharks and driving fast carshave been replaced by technology. After surviving generations of street fights,high falls, and setting fire to themselves, the people behind top actors' mostexciting scenes have had nearly all their work substituted by computers. Themost dangerous and costly stunts can now be achieved by mixing computergraphics with live action.

In themid-1990s there were 12,000 registered stunt people, but more than half of themhad difficulty finding work. Sometimes, six or seven teams would be working ona film. Then, after a few days, the producers would come in and say, 'You cango home.'

The reasonwas simple: cost. Computer technology made it possible to create stunts whichwould either be too expensive or too dangerous to attempt. One example was in'Mission Impossible', starring Tom Cruise. In a scene Cruise was seen flyingfor 35 meters through the air from an exploding helicopter onto the back of aspeeding train in the tunnel. In fact, the image of the actor was simply addedonto the scene using computers.

A fallfrom 50 meters into water can now be achieved for a tenth of the cost. With therise of digital technology, insurance companies became more reluctant to coverreal stunts. 'If they know it can be done safely with visual effects, thecompanies will not insure real stunts,' said a veteran stunt coordinator.

Many inthe industry believe stunt people should develop expertise in the newtechnology, acting as advisers on the virtual stunts. Some, however, think thatstunt people can survive in their traditional careers. They believe thataudiences won't accept stunts produced by computers for too long.

Questions:

1. Whichof the statements below best sums up the main idea of the passage?

2. What isthe author's attitude toward stunt people?

3. Whatcan you infer from the passage?

Part C

Dialogue 1

A: Betty,would you like to see a movie tonight?

B: Thatwould be nice!

A: Whatwould you like to see?

B:Anything but a thriller.

A: Howabout Star Wars Episode II ?

B: That'sOK, but I'd prefer seeing a comedy.

A: Thenlet's go to see Spider Man.

B: Thatsounds good.

A: OK,Let's go!

B: Wait aminute, Adam. Let me get a coat.

Questions:

1. Whatwill the two speakers probably do tonight?

2. Whatmood is the man probably in?

Dialogue 2

A: Whatare we going to do tonight, Barbara?

B: Whatabout seeing a film at that new cinema in the mall?

A: I don'tfeel like going to the cinema. I prefer watching TV.

B: Thereis really nothing to watch.

A: We canwatch videos we've bought but never seen.

B: Then, Ithink it's better to borrow some from my brother.

A: What'sthe difference?

B: Thereare a lot more choices in his videotape case.

A: But wecan pick up the most interesting one we have. Then, we don't have to make atrip to your brother's.

B: Comeon, Arthur. I know you are just too lazy to get up from the couch.

Questions:

1. Whatfilm are the two speakers going to see?

2. Whatkind of film does the woman dislike?

Dialogue 3

A: Whatkind of movie do you like best, Carol?

B: Comedyis my favorite. But I like drama and romance too.

A: Don'tyou like suspense and horror?

B:Suspense is OK with me, but certainly not horror.

A: I don'tfancy horror either. But suspense stories are exciting.

B: Yeah,they are really good, especially the ones directed by Hitchcock.

A: Theyare terrific.

B: Whattype of movie do you like best, Alan?

A: As amatter of fact, I like action and adventure best.

B: I likethem as well.

A: Haveyou seen Mission Impossible, starring Tom Cruise?

B: No.He's certainly popular.

A: Shallwe go and see it?

B: Whynot?

Questions:

1. Whattypes of film appeal to both the speakers?

Part D

From Ragsto Riches

In the1990s, Demi Moore was a major movie star and, as the wife of Bruce Wilis, onehalf of a Hollywood power couple. Life was good. She had a multimillion-dollarmansion in Los Angeles, a 25-acre ranch in Hailey, Idaho. Nothing about thatglamorous life had anything in common with her poor childhood.

She grewup in New Mexico. Her parents were hard drinkers who moved her and herhalf-brother 30 times before settling in Los Angeles when she was 14. Fiercelyambitious, Moore began modeling while at high school and dropped out at 16 topursue an acting career. Soon after she turned 18, she got a part in a popularsoap opera. But her big break came in 1985 when she starred as a drug addict ina hit movie.

Moore metBruce Wilis in 1987. It was love at first sight. They got married in Las Vegasfour months later. The next year, Wilis starred in Die Hard, making him one ofHollywood's top-paid actors, while Moore's success in Ghost and A Few Good Menboosted her paycheck to more than $12 million per movie.

These werefollowed by three big-budget movies, one of which was The Scarlet Letter. Thenher career stalled. And in October 2000, her 13-year-old marriage ended indivorce. Later she moved out of Hollywood. Since then, she has been living asimpler life, residing full time in her ranch in Idaho. Her ambition is nowfocused not on stardom but on being a good mother to her daughters with Wilis."My goal is to build a loving relationship so that my children, as adults,will want to share their lives with me," she said.

Questions:

1. Howdoes the writer tell us about the huge difference between Demi Moore's richlife as a movie star and her poor childhood?

2. Whichof the following had not been done by Demi Moore before her first majorachievement in her movie career?

3.According to the passage, why did Demi Moore and Bruce Wilis marry?

4. Why didMoore's marriage end up in divorce?

5. Whatkind of life is Moore living now according to the passage?