全新版大学英语听说教程第三册 Unit 10

Unit 11

Part B

Text 1

Popcorn¹ and the British Cinema Industry

In the golden fields of Kansas, Britain's biggest cinema success is under production. There are no stars, no special effects, no publicity². And it is still a certain winner, guaranteed to make more money than all but the biggest hit movies. The coming attraction is popcorn. Last year, cinema popcorn sales in the UK and Ireland made ￡20 million plus, way ahead of most films. Only a handful of extremely successful movies could beat it.

If it was not for popcorn, soft drinks and ice cream, British cinema would be as dead as the music hall. A recent survey found that every single screen in the country needed another source of income just to keep operating. Perhaps three or four films a year make money at the box office. The other films just help cinemas tick over, and pull in people to buy popcorn and sweets.

Even when a cinema is showing a must-see film, the operator is working on paper-thin profits. He must fill every seat to cover the film company's costs. Film distributors regularly demand half the money taken at the box office; with big films they can charge between 69 percent and 89 percent of the takings. Cinemas still have to pay staff and running costs out of what's left. This is where popcorn and sweets come into the picture.

A carton of popcorn from a supermarket costs only a little over 3p. Cinemagoers, however, can pay almost ￡4 for one huge helping³. At a very expensive cinema in London's West End, a huge carton may cost ￡3.95.

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

Questions:

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

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

3. What can you infer from the passage?

Text 2

Death of the Stunt⁴ People

Hollywood's true heroes are losing their jobs. Stuntmen and stuntwomen who entertained cinemagoers by falling from the sky, swimming with sharks and driving fast cars have been replaced by technology. After surviving generations of street fights, high falls, and setting fire to themselves, the people behind top actors' most exciting scenes have had nearly all their work substituted by computers. The most dangerous and costly⁵ stunts⁶ can now be achieved by mixing computer graphics⁷ with live action.

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

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

A fall from 50 meters into water can now be achieved for a tenth of the cost. With the rise of digital technology, insurance companies became more reluctant to cover real stunts. 'If they know it can be done safely with visual effects, the companies will not insure real stunts,' said a veteran stunt coordinator⁸.

Many in the industry believe stunt people should develop expertise⁹ in the new technology, acting¹⁰ as advisers¹¹ on the virtual stunts. Some, however, think that stunt people can survive in their traditional careers. They believe that audiences won't accept stunts produced by computers for too long.

Questions:

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

2. What is the author's attitude toward stunt people?

3. What can you infer from the passage?

Part C

Dialogue 1

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

B: That would be nice!

A: What would you like to see?

B: Anything but a thriller¹².

A: How about Star Wars Episode II ?

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

A: Then let's go to see Spider Man.

B: That sounds good.

A: OK, Let's go!

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

Questions:

1. What will the two speakers probably do tonight?

2. What mood is the man probably in?

Dialogue 2

A: What are we going to do tonight, Barbara?

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

A: I don't feel like going to the cinema. I prefer watching TV.

B: There is really nothing to watch.

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

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

A: What's the difference?

B: There are a lot more choices in his videotape case.

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

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

Questions:

1. What film are the two speakers going to see?

2. What kind of film does the woman dislike?

Dialogue 3

A: What kind of movie do you like best, Carol?

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

A: Don't you like suspense¹³ and horror?

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

A: I don't fancy horror either. But suspense stories are exciting.

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

A: They are terrific.

B: What type of movie do you like best, Alan?

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

B: I like them as well.

A: Have you seen Mission Impossible, starring Tom Cruise?

B: No. He's certainly popular.

A: Shall we go and see it?

B: Why not?

Questions:

1. What types of film appeal to both the speakers?

Part D

From Rags to Riches

In the 1990s, Demi Moore was a major movie star and, as the wife of Bruce Wilis, one half of a Hollywood power couple. Life was good. She had a multimillion-dollar mansion¹⁴ in Los Angeles, a 25-acre ranch¹⁵ in Hailey, Idaho. Nothing about that glamorous¹⁶ life had anything in common with her poor childhood.

She grew up in New Mexico. Her parents were hard drinkers who moved her and her half-brother 30 times before settling in Los Angeles when she was 14. Fiercely ambitious, Moore began modeling while at high school and dropped out at 16 to pursue an acting career. Soon after she turned 18, she got a part in a popular soap opera. But her big break came in 1985 when she starred as a drug addict¹⁷ in a hit movie.

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

These were followed by three big-budget movies, one of which was The Scarlet¹⁸ Letter. Then her career stalled. And in October 2000, her 13-year-old marriage ended in divorce. Later she moved out of Hollywood. Since then, she has been living a simpler life, residing full time in her ranch in Idaho. Her ambition is now focused 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. How does the writer tell us about the huge difference between Demi Moore's rich life as a movie star and her poor childhood?

2. Which of the following had not been done by Demi Moore before her first major achievement in her movie career?

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

4. Why did Moore's marriage end up in divorce?

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

1 popcorn   

n.爆米花

参考例句：

• I like to eat popcorn when I am watching TV play at home.当我在家观看电视剧时，喜欢吃爆米花。
• He still stood behind his cash register stuffing his mouth with popcorn.他仍站在收银机后，嘴里塞满了爆米花。

2 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

12 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

13 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

14 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

15 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

16 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

17 addict   

v.使沉溺；使上瘾；n.沉溺于不良嗜好的人

参考例句：

• He became gambling addict,and lost all his possessions.他习染上了赌博，最终输掉了全部家产。
• He assisted a drug addict to escape from drug but failed firstly.一开始他帮助一个吸毒者戒毒但失败了。

18 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。