Топики по английскому языку. Топики Тексты для чтения Экзаменационные вопросы Цветкова И. В. Клепальченко И. А
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THE BIRTH OF THE "SEVENTH ART" Can you imagine life without films or television, cinema's little sister? Today we can watch television 24 hours a day, we can go to the cinema or put a cassette into our video when we want. We can even make video films ourselves. But imagine the surprise and the shock that people felt when they saw the first films in 1895! There was no sound, no colour and the films were very short: they lasted from 60 to 90 seconds! Besides, they did not tell a story. They were glimpses of real life: a military parade, a running horse, a boxing match, the ocean ... One of the first films showed a train coming towards the camera. The audience panicked and ran away! The frightened people were sure that the train was coming into the theatre. The early films were shown in music halls, theatres, cafes and even shops. Travelling projectionists brought the films to smaller cities and country towns. The cinema was the perfect popular entertainment. It was not expensive and, at first, the audience consisted mainly of workers. The rich and intellectual classes ignored it. They didn't think it was art. Gradually films became longer and started to tell stories. Edwin Porter was one of the first directors who made such a film in 1903. It was The Great Train Robbery, the first Western in the history of the cinema. This 11-minute film became a sensational hit. As soon as the films learned to tell stories, they began to film the classics. Silent films had orchestras or pianists. Later, printed titles were invented. Film-makers soon learned how to use special effects. The first known special effect was created in 1895 by Alfred Clark in The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. It was a simple trick: the camera was stopped and the actress replaced with a doll. In 1911 the first studio was opened in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Filmmakers soon realised that the place was perfect for shooting nearly any film — it had mountains, desert and ocean. Soon nearly all important American studios were in Hollywood. The next thirty years became Hollywood's greatest years. The era of the talking film began in 1927 with the enormous success of Warner Brothers' The Jazz Singer. The film mostly told its story with titles, but it had three songs and a short dialogue. There were long queues in front of the Warner Theatre in New York... The silent film was dead within a year. The first colour films were made in the 1930s. The introduction of colour was less revolutionary than the introduction of sound. The silent film soon disappeared, but the black-and-white films are made even today. The most important aspect of the cinema was that, for the price of a ticket, people could dream for a few hours. The little boy who went to a Saturday matinee in Manchester or Marseilles could imagine he was a courageous cowboy. The mother in Birmingham or Berlin could imagine she was Scarlett O'Hara in the arms of Rhett Butler. Today, no one disputes cinema's place as the "seventh art". It has provided as many great artists as literature, the theatre, and any of the other arts. Names Edwin Porter [,edwin 'po:ta] Эдвин Портер The Great Train Robbery frobari] Большое ограбление поезда Alfred Clark Lselfrad 'kla:k] Альфред Кларк The Execution [,eksi'kju:fn] of Mary, Queen of Scots Казнь Марии, королевы шотландской Hollywood ['holiwud] Голливуд Los Angeles [los 'ззпйзэШг] Лос-Анджелес Warner Brothers ['wo:na ,Ьглдэг] Уорнер Бразерз (известная американская кинокомпания) The Jazz [d3sez] Singer Джазовый певец Manchester ['maentfista] Манчестер Marseilles [marsei] Марсель Birmingham [temirjem] Бермингем Berlin [bai'lin] Берлин Scarlett O'Hara Lska:lit au'ha:ra] Скарлет О'Хара (героиня книги и фильма «Унесенные ветром») Rhett Butler [,ret 'ЬлИэ] Рет Батлер (герой книги и фильма «Унесенные ветром») Vocabulalry cassette [ka'set] кассета video ['vidiau] видеомагнитофон glimpse [glimps] зд. картинка (реальной жизни) military parade [jnilitari pa'reid] военный парад surprise [sa'praiz] удивление towards [to:dz ] по направлению к audience ['o:dians] публика, зрители to panick ['paenik] впадать в панику projectionist [pra'd3ekfanist] киномеханик entertainment [,enta'teinment] зрелище, развлечение expensive [iks'pensiv] дорогой, дорогостоящий intellectual [jnta'lektjual] интеллектуальный to ignore [ig'no:] не замечать, игнорировать gradually ['graedjuali] постепенно director [di'rekta] режиссер Western f'westan] вестерн to be a sensational [sen'seifanal] hit иметь сенсационный успех classic ['klaesik] классика, классическое произведение silent ['salient] film немой фильм orchestra ['o:kastra] оркестр title ['tartl] титр film-maker ['film/neika] создатель фильма, режиссер special effect [,spejal i'fekt] спецэффект trick [trik] трюк to replace [ri'pleis] заменять studio ['stu:(stju:)diau] студия to shoot [fu:t] (shot) снимать (фильм) desert ['dezat] пустыня era [1эгэ] эра, эпоха enormous [i'no:mas] огромный queue [kju:] очередь introduction [jntra'dAkJn] введение, внедрение revolutionary [,reva'lu:Janari] революционный price [prais] цена matinee ['maetinei] фр. дневной спектакль to dispute [dis'pju:t] ставить под сомнение, или сеанс (в кино) оспаривать; сомневаться courageous [ka'reidsas] смелый, храбрый to provide [pravaid] давать, предоставлять cowboy ['kauboi] ковбой Questions 1. In 1895 the French Lumiere [lu'miea] brothers showed their first films in public. Were they different from modern films? 2. Where were the early films shown? 3. Why did the rich and intellectual classes ignore the cinema? 4. Why did The Great Train Robbery become a sensational hit? 5. When was the first special effect created? 6. When did the first studio open in Hollywood? 7. Why did film-makers like Hollywood? 8. Have you ever seen a silent film? Did you like it? 9. When did the era of the talking film begin? 10. Was the introduction of colour as revolutionary as the introduction of sound? 11. Do you agree that the cinema is "the seventh art"? Why? 12. Do you often go to the cinema? 13. What films do you like to see? 14. Who are your favourite actors? 15. Who are your favourite film directors? DAVID DUCHOVNY David Duchovny was born in New York City on the 7th of August, 1960. His father is a writer and his mother is a housewife. Before David was bom his parents had been English teachers. When his parents divorced, David was raised by his mother, along with his sister Laurie and his brother Daniel. David went to a prestigious private school in Manhattan. "He was a very bright kid with a brilliant sense of humour," his father remembers. "At school he was always top of the class." After school he entered Princeton University. Then he studied English Literature at Yale University and worked as a teaching assistant. David was working at his PhD thesis at Yale when one of his friends suggested that he should try acting classes. Duchovny's PhD thesis, Magic and Technology in Contemporary Fiction and Poetry was never finished. He moved to Hollywood. His mother was angry when he had given up studying. Even now, when she speaks to him on the phone, she always asks him: "When are you going to finish your thesis?" He laughs and says: "Later, later." David's first year in Hollywood was very hard. He was unemployed and could hardly make both ends meet. Luckily, he was invited to play in a commercial and later in a feature film. "Acting gave me a sense of team and I liked this very much," David says. Very soon Duchovny appeared in such feature films as Chaplin, Beethoven and California. His work in the movies attracted the attention of Chris Carter, the famous creator of The X-Files. A TV series weren't in Duchovny's plans but he was impressed by the script for The X-Files. So he became agent Fox Mulder. David is very surprised not only by the success of The X-Files but by his own personal popularity. Actors who have worked with him describe him as modest, professional and hard-working. David is fond of sports. He played basketball and baseball at school and university. He keeps in shape with jogging and yoga exercises. He writes poetry, but, as he says, he does not read it in public any more. Names David Duchovny [,deivid du'kovni] Дейвид Духовный Laurie ['b:ri] Лори Daniel ['daenjsl] Даниил Manhattan [maen'haetn] Манхеттен (центральный район Нью-Йорка) Princeton University [prinstan juni'vaisiti] Принстонский университет (один из старейших университетов США) Yale University [jell junhraisiti] Йельский университет (один из старейших и и наиболее престижных университетов США) Hollywood ['holiwud] Голливуд Chaplin ['tjaeplin] Чаплин Beethoven ['beithauvn] Бетховен California [,kaeli'fo:nia] Калифорния Chris Carter [,kris 'ka:ta] Крис Картер The X-Files [9i 'eks ,failz] Секретные материалы Fox Mulder. Lfoks 'nrv\lda] Фокс Малдер Vocabulary to divorce [di'vois] разводиться to raise ['reiz] растить, воспитывать prestigious [pre'stid3as] престижный private ['praivit] school амер. частная школа teaching assistant [a'sistant] ассистент кафедры (низшая преподавательская должность в американских университетах) PhD [,pi: eitj 'di:] (сокр. от Doctor of Philosophy) доктор философии thesis ['Gi:sis] (pi. theses ['9i:si:z]) диссертация acting classes уроки актерского мастерства magic ['msed3ik] магия technology [tek'nolad3i] техника, технология contemporary [kan'temparari] современный fiction ['fikjn] художественная литература unemployed [yuiim'ploid] безработный could hardly make both ends meet едва сводил концы с концами commercial [ka'rrraijal] телереклама feature ['fl:tja] film художественный фильм to attract [a'traekt] attention привлечь внимание series ['siari:z] сериал creator [kri'eita] создатель to impress [im'pres] произвести впечатление script [skript] сценарий agent feid3ant] агент popularity Lpopju'laeriti] популярность modest ['modist] скромный hard-working [,ha:d'w3:kig] трудолюбивый to keep in shape [Jeip] держаться в форме jogging ['d3ogiQ] "джогинг", бег трусцой yoga ['jauga] йога Questions 1. Do you like David Duchovny? 2. Do you think he is a talented actor? 3. Is he handsome? 4. What do other actors say about him? 5. Was David a good student? 6. Where did he study? 7. What was his first job? 8. Do you think he'll finish his PhD thesis? 9. Does David like his new profession? 10. Have you seen The X-Filesl 11. Do you like Fox Mulder? 12. Fox Mulder believes in UFOs. Do you? 13. What is David Duchovny' s hobby? 14. What does he do to keep in shape? Science and Scientists ALBERT EINSTEIN Albert Einstein is known all over the world as a brilliant theoretical physicist and the founder of the theory of relativity. He is perhaps the greatest scientist of the 20th century. Some of his ideas made possible the atomic bomb, as well as television and other inventions. He was born in 1879 in a small German town. The Einstein family soon moved to Munich, where Albert went to school. Neither his parents, nor his school teachers thought much of his mental abilities. His uncle often joked: "Not everybody is born to become a professor." In 1895 Albert failed the entrance examination to a technical college in Zurich. A year later, however, he managed to pass the exam and entered the college. After graduating from the college, Einstein started to work at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. In 1905 he wrote a short article in a science magazine. This was his 'Special Theory of Relativity', which gave the world the most famous equation relating mass and energy (E = me2), the basis of atomic energy. Later, he became a professor in several European universities and in 1914 moved to Berlin as a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. After ten years of hard work he created his 'General Theory of Relativity'. In 1921 Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics. A Jew, and a pacifist, he was attacked by the Nazis, and when Hitler came to power in 1933 he decided to settle in the United States. In 1939 Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt, at the request of several prominent physicists, outlining the military potential of nuclear energy and the dangers of a Nazi lead in this field. His letter greatly influenced the decision to build an atomic bomb, though he took no part in the Manhattan Project. After the war he spoke out passionately against nuclear weapons and repression. Einstein died in 1955. The artificial element einsteinium has been named in his honour. Names Albert Einstein [,aelbat 'ainstain] Munich ['mju:nik] Мюнхен Zurich ['zuarik] Цюрих Bern [Ьз:п] Берн Berlin [,Ьз:'Нп] Берлин the Prussian Academy of Sciences ['prAjn a.ksedami av 'saiansiz] Прусская академия наук Hitler ['hitla] Гитлер Nobel Prize [nau,bel 'praiz] Нобелевская премия Roosevelt ['rauzavelt] Рузвельт (президент США с 1933 по 1945г.) Manhattan Project [maen,haetn 'prod3ekt] Манхеттенский проект (кодовое название работы по созданию атомной бомбы в США в период второй мировой войны) Vocabulary theoretical physicist [Gia'retikal 'fizisist] физик-теоретик theory of relativity ['Giari av /ela'tiviti] теория относительности atomic bomb [a,tomik 'bom] атомная бомба invention [in'venjn] изобретение mental abilities [.mentl a'bilitiz] умственные способности to fail [fell] examinations провалиться на экзаменах patent ['peitant] office патентное бюро equation [i'kweijn] уравнение to relate [ri'leit] связывать, устанавливать отношение mass [maes] масса energy ['enad3i] энергия basis ['beisis] основа, основание Jew [d3u:] еврей pacifist ['paesifist] пацифист nazi ['na:tsi] нацист to come to power ['paua] прийти к власти to settle ['sell] поселиться at the request [ri'kwest] по просьбе prominent ['prominent] видный, выдающийся to outline ['autlainj обрисовать, наметить в общих чертах military potential [,militari pa'tenjalj военный потенциал nuclear ['nju:kliaj ядерный lead [li:d] ведущее, первое место to influence [Influans] оказывать влияние to speak out against выступать против passionately ['paejnitli] страстно nuclear weapons [,nju:klia 'wepanz] ядерное оружие repression [ri'prejn] репрессия artificial [,a:ti'fijl] искусственный element ['elimant] элемент einsteinium [ain'stainiam] эйнштейний in smb's honour Г'опэ] в чью-либо честь Questions 1. Why is Einstein generally thought of as being the greatest scientist of the 20th century? 2. When and where was he bom? 3. What did his parents and relatives think of his mental abilities? 4. Did he manage to pass his entrance exams at once? 5. Where did Einstein work after graduating from the college? 6. When did he create his 'Special Theory of Relativity'? Why is it considered to be one of the greatest discoveries ever made? 7. How long did it take him to form his 'General Theory of Relativity'? 8. Why did Einstein leave Germany? 9. Why did he write a letter to President Roosevelt? What was it about? 10. Did Einstein take part in the Manhattan Project? 11. What do you know about nuclear weapons? Why are they dangerous? 12. What other outstanding physicists do you know? ANDREI SAKHAROV Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, an outstanding scientist and public figure, was born on the 21st of May, 1921, into the family of teachers. He graduated from Moscow University in 1942. In 1947 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Science. In 1953 he defended his Doctorate thesis and was elected member of the Academy of Sciences. When he was a graduate student Sakharov began to work on the Soviet nuclear weapons programme and soon he suggested a totally new idea for a hydrogen bomb design. But he was getting more and more worried about the consequences of his work. He understood better than anybody else what nuclear weapons meant and he thought about his own responsibility and about the responsibility of the states which possessed such weapons. In 1968 he wrote an article attacking Soviet political system. He wrote that people needed a democratic society, free of dogmatism. Sakharov is often called the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb, but he became more known as a champion for human rights and freedom. For this work the Nobel Committee awarded him the Peace Prize in 1975. The Committee called him "the conscience of mankind". The Soviet authorities, however, did not allow him to go to Norway to receive the award. In 1966 he took part in his first human rights demonstration, a one-minute silent protest in Pushkin Square. A year later, he wrote a letter to Communist Party leader Leonid Brezhnev defending imprisoned dissidents. His international repute as a scientist kept him out of jail, but in 1980 when he protested against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, he was deprived of all his titles and orders and exiled to the city of Gorky. In 1986 Michail Gorbachev invited Sahkarov to return to Moscow. He was given back all his titles and orders. Andrei Sakharov died in 1989. He is remembered by everybody as an outstanding humanist, who could teach and inspire and who foresaw the changes that are taking place now. Names Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov [a:n'drei /JmitrievrtJ Peace Prize ['pi:s praiz] Премия мира '«keroj Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров Norway Норвегия the Academy of Sciences [8,kaedami av 'saiansiz] Академия наук Afghanistan [aefgsenista:n] Афганистан Nobel Committee [nau,bel ke'miti] Нобелевский комитет Gorky ['go:ki] г. Горький Vocabulary outstanding [aufstaendirj] выдающийся public figure ['figa] общественный деятель to defend one's thesis ['9i:sis] защищать диссертацию degree [di'gri:] of Candidate ['kaendidit] of Science ученая степень кандидата наук Doctorate ['doktarit] thesis докторская диссертация to elect [i'lekt] выбирать, избирать graduate student ['graedjuit ,stu:dant] студент-старшекурсник nuclear weapons Lnjuiklia 'wepanz] ядерное оружие to suggest [safest] предложить totally [lauteli] полностью, совершенно hydrogen bomb ['haidrad3in ,130111] водородная бомба design [di'zain] конструкция consequence ['konsikwans] последствие responsibility [risponsi'bilati] ответственность to possess [pa'zes] владеть to attack [a'tsek] нападать, критиковать democratic [,dema'kraetik] демократический dogmatism ['dogmatizm] догматизм champion ['tfaempian] защитник, борец human ['hju:man] rights права человека to award [a'wo:d] награждать, присуждать conscience ['konjans] совесть mankind [maen'kaind] человечество authorities [oi'Goratiz] власти protest ['prautestj протест; to protest [pa'test] протестовать to defend [di'fend] защищать to imprison [im'prizn] заключать в тюрьму dissident ['disidant] диссидент repute [itpju:t] репутация jail [d3eil] тюрьма intervention [jnta'venjn] насильственное вмешательство, интервенция to deprive [di'praiv] of лишать чего-либо title [taitl] зд. титул, звание order ['o:da] орден to exile feksail] ссылать, изгонять humanist ['hju:manist] гуманист to inspire [in'spaia] вдохновлять, воодушевлять to foresee [fo:'si:] (foresaw, foreseen) предвидеть Questions 1. When was Andrei Sakharov bom? 2. What were his parents? 3. What university did he graduate from? When? 4. What is Sakharov famous for as a scientist? 5. When did he defend his Doctorate thesis? 6. What conclusion did he come to while working on the bomb? 7. When did he take part in his first human rights demonstration? 8. What prize was he awarded? 9. Why was he exiled to Gorky? 10. Who helped him to come back to Moscow? 11. Why is Sakharov known all over the world? |