II. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the impact of television lead to a decline of major Hollywood studios in 1950s?

2. What happened to be the weekly American traditions?

3. What are the main pictures studious?

4. In what way was the situation in motion picture industry different in the 30s and 40s then on the turn of the century?

5. What did the earliest films rely on?

6. What stars attracted millions of Americans to the cinema in 1920s?

7. Which famous movie-stars of 40s do you know?

8. Why did the television had claimed the lion’s share of the entertainment audience in the early 60s?

III. Read and act out the dialogue.

Mr. Black: What else are you doing? Something more interesting than shopping, I hope.

Mrs. Black: Oh, but I like shopping. I enjoy going round the big shops. If I finish my shopping early enough, I may go and have my hair done. If the hairdresser's busy I may go to the cinema. There's a good film at the Regal Cinema this week.

Mr. Black: What's the film about?

Mrs. Black: Murder. A really good murder film. One of Hollywood's best pictures this year, I'm told.

Roger: What do you think about murder films, father?

Mr. Black: You know I don't like films of any sort, Roger. How often do I go to the cinema? Twice a year, perhaps. Most films are very foolish. I don't understand why people want to go to the cinema every week.

Roger: There are millions of people who go to the films every week. They want to wear clothes like those worn by film stars. They want to look like film stars. They want to live in the way film stars live.

Mr. Black: Yes, as I said, most films are very foolish, and most of the people who go to the films are very foolish.

Mrs. Black: And is that true of me, James?

Mr. Black: No, of course not, my dear. I wasn't thinking of you.

ІV. Complete the sentence using the phrases from the text.

1) Impact of television led to _______________ major Hollywood studios, 1950s.

2) For the most part such fare had little _____________________.

3) ______________________ the American motion picture industry in the 1930s and 1940s was a far cry from its primitive beginnings near the turn of the century.

4) The earliest films relied on ______________________to attract customers.

5) By the early 1920s the movies had already carved a place for themselves in _____________________of millions of Americans who flocked to theatres to see such stars as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charles Chaplin, Joan Crawford and Tom Mix on the still silent screen.

6) Seven years later the first technicolour feature, "Becky Sharp," _______________________.

7) The early 1960s television had claimed _______________________________ and the major studios first cut back their production schedules, then changed their methods of operation, becoming little more than packages of both movies and situation comedies for the new medium.

V. Make and act-out the dialogues using the following expressions:

• to praise unreservedly;

• to appeal so much to the audience;

• gripping film;

• slow-moving film;

• -to leave somebody cold;

• -dragged out film;

• -a flop;

• -obscure and complex ideas;

• to mar a film;

• a good film, not without flows;

• сo-production;

• -to star in a role;

• -to be cast to advantage;

• -to be miscast;

• -to co-star

• -to gain the best actor award title;

• -the first showing;

• -star-studded film;

• -to come alive on the screen;

• -to release a picture;

• -to screen a novel;

• -to be dubbed into Russian;

• -scenery and costumes by….;

• -script writer;

• -costume designer;

• -to give a magnificent performance as…;

• -to make the most of the role…;

• -to outshine everybody else…