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Surprises at the studio

 

Read the excerpt from the novel Mandy and Angela Go to Europe. In this excerpt, Mandy and her friend Angela attend the filming of a TV quiz programme.

 

'Five minutes until we start filming,' shouted the director. 'Is everyone ready?'

'I'm glad that I'm not one of the contestants!' whispered Mandy. 'They must feel really worried now!'

'Oh, I would love to be a contestant,' said Angela.

The three contestants were sitting at their desks on the stage, waiting. The hot lights were shining down upon them. Suddenly, one of them, a woman, stood up and then fell forward across her desk.

'Oh, she's fainted because it's too hot,' gasped Mandy. A cameraman helped the woman off the stage.

The director hurried down from the control room opposite the stage. 'We need another contestant before the show begins,' he shouted. 'Who wants to be on TV?' Angela raised her hand. 'You're on!' the director shouted. After he seated her on the stage, a make-up artist rushed forward. She quickly powdered Angela's face and combed her hair.

'Ten seconds,' shouted the director. 'Smile, everyone. Cue Lester!' Everyone in the audience started clapping.

The announcer's voice boomed, 'It's time for Travel Quiz, and here's your host, Lester Li!' Lester Li came running out and stood in front of the desks. The quiz programme had begun.

Angela was terrific. Since she answered the questions easily, she was soon ahead of the other two contestants.

Mandy, however, was tense. She sat on the edge of her seat and chewed her fingernails while she watched.

Twenty-five minutes later, Angela had beaten the other contestants. She had to answer six more questions to win the grand prize.

Mandy was so excited. She could hardly keep still. Angela kept getting the questions right. There was just one question to go.

'And finally, where is the Colosseum?' asker Lester.

'In Rome, Italy,' replied Angela.

'Right!' shouted Lester, as the audience clapped. 'You have won tonight's grand prize --- a trip for two to the lovely city of Paris!'

 

Strategy * Picturing the setting

Stories often have many details which may make them difficult to understand. To help you understand the story, you should picture the story's setting and create an image in your own mind. You need to imagine what the place is like and where the characters are situated. For example, you can imagine what it is like on the stage: It feels very hot and there are many lights.

 

Grammar * Adverbial clause of time

To say when things happen or happened, we can use adverbial clauses of time starting with before, after, while, as, since, until, etc. We can put an adverbial clause at the beginning or the end of a sentence. When an adverbial clause comes at the beginning of a sentence, we usually put a comma after it.

before = at an earlier time than	after = at a later time than
while  = at the same time as	as = at the same time as
since = from the time that	until = up to the time that

Notes: While is usually with longer actions and as with shorter actions.

            When speaking, we can use till instead of until.

 

Grammar * Adverbial clause of reason

As and since can also be used to start adverbial clauses of reason. They have a similar meaning to because. Adverbial clauses of reason tell us why things happen. Because is most often used to give a direct reason, and to answer a why-question.

 

Skills * Listening: Understanding a floor plan

When listening to a person giving directions according to a floor plan, you need to pay attention to these kinds of expressions:

It's straight ahead...	It's the first/second door on the left/right...
Go down...	It is opposite/to the right/left of...
Turn right/left...

 

Skills * Writing: Giving instructions about a process

When giving instructions about a process, you often use a picture. First describe the picture, and then explain the process in a step-by-step manner. You can use imperatives (Do...; Don't do...) to explain what someone should do, and use the infinitive of purpose (to + verb) to explain why someone should do something. These words may help you:

1) In picture 1, you can see...

2) To switch on the ..., press...

3) Put ... into..., and then...

 

More reading * New trends in entertainment technology

Read about new trends in entertainment technology from this article in the style section of a newspaper.

 

New Technology                                                                                               Evening Post

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Have you ever wanted to feel like part of the action while you watched a film? You can, at an Imax Dome Theatre like the one at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. The screen at these theatres surrounds the audience. As the sound system has 44 speakers behind the screen, the sound seems very real. Many of the films shown at these theatres are nature films.

You can achieve a similar effect in your own sitting room with a home entertainment system. A home entertainment system uses a wide, flat-screen TV. Often, this is suspended on the wall like a picture. Stereo speakers are arranged round the viewers. Digital technology makes both the picture and the sound clear.

For music lovers, there is always MP3. Since MP3 players were introduced in 1997, people have taken them everywhere. An MP3 player uses digital technology to record and play music. Most MP3 players are smaller than cigarette lighters. They can record hundreds of hours of music. With an MP3 player, you can listen to high-quality music while you are doing nearly anything. You no longer have to carry CDs or cassettes with you.

 

New words and expressions

excerpt   摘录；节录（名词）

studio 演播室

film  拍摄（电影或电视节目）

director  导演

contestant  参赛者

whisper  低语；耳语

faint  昏厥（动词）

gasp （因害怕或惊讶）喘着气说

cameraman （电影或电视拍摄）摄影师

seat   使... ...坐下

rush forward  冲上前去

powder （往脸上）抹粉；搽粉

cue  （在表演中）提示   to signal that someone should begin doing something

clap  拍手；鼓掌

boom  用洪亮而低沉的声音说  to say in a loud, deep voice

quiz     智力竞赛

terrific  极好的；极棒的

ahead of  领先

tense  紧张的；焦虑的

beat  战胜；击败

keep still   静止不动

 

host   主持人

travelogue  旅行纪录片

producer  制片人

floor plan  楼层平面图

lobby  大厅

survey  调查

require  需要（动词）

local  本地的

questionnarie  调查表

instruction  说明

process  过程

imperative  祈使句

infinitive  动词不定式

 

style section  时尚专栏

Imax Dome Theatre    IMAX（Image Maximum) 圆顶剧院

trend  趋势

surround  环绕

achieve  达到；获得

suspend  悬挂；吊

stereo  立体声的

arrange  布置；安排

viewer  电视观众

digital  数码的；数字的

cigarette lighter  打火机

record  将（声像）录下

cassette  盒式磁带