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Reading Practice 2 - TA1

The article discusses the shift of A-list actors from film to television, highlighting a change in perception where TV is now seen as a viable and quality platform for storytelling. It critiques the current state of cinema, which often prioritizes special effects over compelling narratives, while praising the depth and character development found in TV series. The author expresses hope that this trend will encourage film studios to diversify their offerings and improve the quality of films.

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59 views3 pages

Reading Practice 2 - TA1

The article discusses the shift of A-list actors from film to television, highlighting a change in perception where TV is now seen as a viable and quality platform for storytelling. It critiques the current state of cinema, which often prioritizes special effects over compelling narratives, while praising the depth and character development found in TV series. The author expresses hope that this trend will encourage film studios to diversify their offerings and improve the quality of films.

Uploaded by

thuminh14022006
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Read the article and match headings A–G with paragraphs 1–5.

There are two extra


headings.

1 B - The rise of TV
In the past, A-list actors would rarely appear on television (1)
after becoming famous in films. That all seems to be
changing now, with many big names choosing to do
television rather than large budget movies. Has the small
screen slowly begun to fight back in the battle against the big
screen?

2 D- D Actors on the move


Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Francis McDormand,
Teri Hatcher, Alec Baldwin. These are all big movie stars
who have starred in blockbuster movies over the years. What
do they all have in common? That’s right. They have all
switched to television recently and starred in high quality TV
series. In the past, this may have been seen as a step down in
their careers – a sign that things can’t be going too well for
them professionally. However, these actors were all at the top
of their game. So why did they decide to make the move?

3 G - Where’s the quality gone?


Perhaps the fact that major American film studios are all
more interested in making films that rely on special effects
and don’t care about making films which challenge people to
think. It’s impossible to visit a cinema nowadays without
seeing yet another superhero film advertised. What happened
to all the dramas and thrillers with excellent plots that we
used to see on the big screen? I’m talking about films like
The Game, Frantic or Pulp Fiction. When was the last time
you saw films of that quality at the cinema? You could say
that people want to escape from reality and enjoy themselves.
But there are many films for people to see like that. Not
many for those who want to be challenged.

4 C - Small screen – big quality


Many people believe that this is why television is becoming
so popular. In a television series there is time, over 12 or 24
episodes, to tell a good story with realistic character
development and high-quality production. This attracts the
actors who are more interested in acting than they are in
trying to look good while dressed in colourful tights and
capes. Furthermore, the popularity of online television
services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, means that there is
more money to invest in television. So even the actors who
are just interested in the money are beginning to take notice
of television.
5 F- Things can only get better
Personally, I welcome the change. Perhaps the film studios
will begin to understand that people want more variety in the
films they watch at the cinema. If they do, we might get to
see some more interesting films at the cinema than we
currently do.

List of headings:
A Film fights back
B The rise of TV
C Small screen – big quality
D Actors on the move
E Who are the superheroes?
F Things can only get better
G Where’s the quality gone?

14. Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to the writer.

1 In the past, TV was seen as a better career move for


actors than film. F
2 Popular actors have started to choose television over
film. T
3 There’s less choice at the cinema than there used to
be. T
4 It’s not clear why television is becoming more popular
for actors. F
5 Cinema might be influenced by television in the
future. T
6 Actors in television only care about the
money. F

15 Choose the correct option, a, b or c.

1 What do you think the writer means by ‘A-list actors’?


a the most popular actors
b actors from A–Z in the alphabet
c actors from a special movie studio list
2 What do you think a ‘blockbuster’ is?
a a film with exploding buildings in it
b an expensive and popular film
c a film with the most famous actors in it
3 What does the writer mean by ‘a step down in their
careers’?
a The actor is moving into television.
b The actor is no longer as popular or as successful as
before.
c The actor wants to be more serious in his or her job
choices.
4 The writer feels that
a dramas and thrillers are the best kind of film.
b if the plots of superhero movies were better, he’d
watch them.
c cinemas no longer show films which focus on good
stories.
5 What is the writer referring to when he says actors
are ‘dressed in colourful tights and capes’?
a They’re wearing superhero clothes.
b They’re wearing fashionable clothes.
c They’re wearing make-up for their acting.

6 The writer believes


a money is beginning to be another reason actors are
moving to television.
b money is starting to go into cinemas from online
television services.
c money might begin to go into online television
services.
7 Overall, what do you think best summarises the
writer’s opinions?
a As the quality of television programmes improves,
cinema might get better as a result.
b Good thrillers and dramas are only available at the
cinema so TV needs to improve.
c Acting in television is not bad for your career any
more and cinema will lose all the good actors.

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