The History of the Cinema

In Britain, the cinema was, (1) ……… doubt, the most important form of public commercial entertainment of the twentieth century. Until its popularity was eclipsed in the 1950s by television, cinema enjoyed a period of some fifty years during (2) ......... its appeal far exceeded (3)......... of sport or indeed any other commercial leisure activity.

The popularity of the cinema at that time is (4) ......... difficult to explain: it was accessible, glamorous and cheap. At (5) …...... height, between 1920 and 1950, a very small sum of money (6) …...... guarantee a good seat in the cinema. In the 1920s, the usual venue was a small, neighbourhood hall. The audience was drawn from the local area, and could (7) …...... some occasions be rather noisy. By the end of the 1930s, (8) …...... the venue was more likely to be in (9) …...... of the larger cinemas known as “picture palaces”, which were springing up everywhere in city centres (10) …...... accommodate audiences of over two thousand people. (11) ……... these establishments, the audiences were expected to be well behaved; the performances were organised just (12) …...... military operations, (13) …...... uniformed staff on hand to control the queues and usherettes to direct seating arrangements.

These large cinemas attracted (14) …...... very mixed audience, although older people were less likely to be cinema-goers than adolescents. As might be expected, people in rural areas were (15) ......... immersed in the cinema than were people in towns, simply (16) …...... of the greater provision of cinemas in urban areas.

11. You are going to read three extracts which are all concerned in some way with theatre. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (А, В, С or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

A favourite actress

A recent interview with Zoe Wanamaker began by saying that she has an untypical face for an actress because she is instantly recognisable. I was reminded of this when I accompanied my grandchildren to Harry Potter, where all the adult actors are heavily made up. I saw straightaway that she was the referee in the spectacular scene where Harry and the others play a kind of flying roller-hockey on broomsticks, grey-haired but still very much the same as when she charmed me twenty years ago.

This was at Stratford, when she played the heroine, Viola, in Shakespeare’s last great truly romantic comedy, Twelfth Night. I was with my wife, who is Spanish, and had refused to tell her anything of the plot beforehand, hoping that she would enjoy the play much more if Shakespeare were left to work his magic. She was convinced that she would not understand a word but afterwards told me it had been a wonderful experience. She had not realised how dramatic Shakespeare is, in the sense that you can understand what is going on even if much of the language escapes you. Privately, my feeling was one of gratitude to the director, Adrian Noble, for letting the play speak for itself, unlike many modern directors, and proving my hunch correct.

Zoe Wanamaker was not quite my idea of Viola and could not have been. Viola is the most feminine, the least boyish of Shakespeare’s romantic heroines, bravely keeping up her pretence of manhood but fighting back her tears even when dressed as a boy. Ms Wanamaker had a stronger personality and physique than this, but she impressed with her absolute sincerity, the key to understanding this character in a play where everyone else is playing at being in love, while she stands for the real thing.

1. Why did the writer feel grateful towards the director of Twelfth Night?

A) Because he had not altered the language.

В) Because the action was understandable.

С) Because the production was faithful to the text.

D) Because he had not explained the play to his wife.

2. What was the most convincing aspect of Ms Wanamaker's performance for the writer?

A) She personified the most important theme of the play.

В) She looked like his conception of the character.

С) She conveyed the strength of the character.

D) She was very effective when dressed as a boy.

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