Reading, vocabulary and speaking
Exercise 34.Read the text about Steven Spielberg and put in the missing words.
After reading, make a short biography note of the director.
People
were afraid to go into the sea after «Jaws». They wanted to be
archaeologists after “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. They thought
dinosaurs were real after “Jurassic Park”. They cried when they
watched “E.T.” and “Schindler’s List”. They were shocked by
the realities of war in “Saving Private Ryan”. They laughed at
“The Terminal” and “Catch Me If You Can”. And they were
amazed by special effects in “War of the Worlds”.
And all this because of one man – Hollywood’s best-known film director, producer and w- - - - -: Steven Allan Spielberg.
Spielberg was b- - - in Cincinnati, Ohio on 18th December 1946. Today he and his films are famous all over the world. He w- - several Oscars and Golden Globes. He
d- - - - - - - more than twenty-five films, and produced more than fifty. He didn’t s- - - in any of his films yet, but don’t be too surprised if you see him on the screen one day.
Was Steven always so successful? In a word – yes. He made his first amateur film, an 8-minute Western called “The Last Gun”, when he was twelve. And he is an excellent
b- - - - - - - - - -. When he showed his home movies to other children, he sold tickets, and his sister Annie sold popcorn.
Grammar past continuous
A F F I R M A T I V E |
I was playing. He was playing. She was playing. It was playing.
We were playing. You were playing. They were playing. |
I N T E R R O G A T I V E |
(How well) Was I playing? Was he playing? – Yes, he was. / No, he was not. Was she playing? – Yes, she was. / No, she wasn’t. Was it playing?
Were we playing? Were you playing? – Yes, we were. / No, we were not. Were they playing? – Yes, they were. / No, they weren’t. |
N E G A T I V E |
I was not playing. (I wasn’t playing.) He was not playing. (He wasn’t playing.) … She was not playing. It was not playing.
We were not playing. (We weren’t playing.) You were not playing. (You weren’t playing)… They were not playing. |
I. Past Continuous обозначает действие, которое совершалось в определённый момент времени в прошлом. Неважно, закончилось действие или нет, было ли оно прервано. Важно, что началось оно когда-то раньше, и в тот момент оно было в процессе.
Момент времени может быть обозначен:
1) указанием на точку времени;
Напр.: What were you doing at six o’clock yesterday evening? – I was making dinner.
2) указанием на период времени;
Напр.:This time last year she was having a holiday.
3) другим, более коротким действием.
Напр.: When I got up this morning the sun was shining, the birds were singing…
II. Так же, как Present Continuous в настоящем, Past Continuous может передавать раздражение, особенно в сочетании со словами always и continually.
Напр.: I didn’t like him – he was always borrowing money.