Key to Exercises
Section C

Directions: The passages in this section are meant to be read through quickly. Try to finish them within 8 minutes. Don’t preview.

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the following passage.

Movies were first made in Hollywood before World WarⅠ.The constant shunshine and mild climate of southern Californian made it an ideal site for shooting pictures. Hollywood’s fame and fortune reached its peak in the 1930s and 1940s. In those days Hollywood was like a magnet, drawing ambitious young men and women from all over the world. Most of them had only their good looks to recommend them and had no acting experience — or ability — whatsoever. Occasionally they got jobs, if they were lucky enough to be noticed. Some people worked in cafes or gas stations, and as they served their customers they tossed their heads and swung their hips, hoping to attract the attention of some important person connected with the movies. Most of them hoped in vain.
As for the stars themselves, they were under control by the studio chiefs who could make or break stars. The stars were “persuaded” to sign seven-year contracts, during which time the studios built up their images. Under their contracts the stars did not have the right to choose their parts. Their studios decided everything.

1. Hollywood was an ideal site for making movie because         .

  1. Hollywood was beautiful
  2. Hollywood was a magnet
  3. There were many young ambitious people
  4. The climate was good

2. How many years did the stars have to work for their studos?

  1. five
  2. six
  3. seven
  4. eight

Questions 3 to 5 are based on the following passage.

Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best-known film-makers in the world. This gentle- looking, overweight Englishman has been connected the cinema audiences with some of the most mysterious and frightening films ever made.
The 39 Steps made in 1939 was the film that made him famous outside Britain. He received may offers from Hollywood, where he went to make Rebecca. This was the most expensive film he had made, costing over a million dollars. This was impossible in Britain, where budgets were very small. But as soon as shooting started on Rebecca, the Second World War started. Like may other film people, Hitchcock decided to stay in America, and was sometimes called a traitor at home. But he was too old to fight, and the British film industry had closed down. He finished Rebecca, and got his first Oscar, for The Best Film of the Year.
He was also the first film director to become a TV star. In 1955 he started a TV show which showed mystery and horror stories, called “Alfred Hitchcock presents…” This was a new idea, for most of the Hollywood people hated television and thought it was beneath their talents to work in the TV world. The audience loved Hitchcock, however, and he made more shows. These shows gave him more opportunity to try  new ideas and make mor and more mysterious or frightening films.
Decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.
       3. Alfred Hitchcock is known for making some of the most mysterious and frightening films.
       4. The 39 Steps won Oscar award.
       5. In the 1950s, most of the Hollywood people thought only less talented people would work in the TV world.

Questions 6 to 8 are based on the following passage.

Matsushita, the world’s largest provider of consumer electronics, has decided to move in on Hollywood. Last weekend, Matsushita company leaders met with movie VIPs from MCA, Inc., the entertainment community that produced the movies as “Jaws” and “E.T. the Extra-terrestrial”. If the negotiations are successful, Matsushita will pay somewhere between $6 billion and $7.5 billion for MCA, by far the largest U.S. buying by a Japanese company.
The deal is larger than last year’s $5 billion buying of Columbia Pictures by Matsushita’s competitor, Sony Corporation. The movement by the Japanese companies shows Tokyo’s growing interest in the entertainment world. It is surprising for both sides of the Pacific Ocean. Why does a disciplined, no-nonsense nation like Japan want to get into show business? The answer is quite simple: To make money. Japanese corporation leaders feel the global potential of the entertainment business and recognize that there is an increasing market for movies and television in the rapidly industrializing world.

6. The movement of buying America entertainment companies by the Japanese shows that         .

  1. American movies are better than Japanese
  2. Japan has growing interest in the entertainment world
  3. Japanese market is larger than American market
  4. Japanese people are richer

7. A disciplined nation like Japan wants to get into show business because         .

  1. they want to make money
  2. they want to learn from American people
  3. they want to entertain their people
  4. they want to win in the competition

8. Matsushita would pay         for MCA.

    • $5 billion
    • $6 billion
    • $7.5 billion
    • somewhere between $6 billion to $7.5 billion

    Key

    ◆ Topics for Discussion and Reflection

    ①Do you think to become an actor or actress is a good job for young people?

    Reference Words:
    ②Is watching movies and TV programs a good way to learn something indirectly?
    Reference Words:

    Further Reflection