Section 4. Listening/Composition

Ex 1. Listen and retell

The great performance of the Roman Empire

The naumachiae were reproductions of famous naval battles in Rome. They were staged on natural or artificial basins surrounded by mountains or river banks with the audience. All around the action rafts full of praetorians were set to prevent escape of the participants. Caesar represented an engagement between the Tyrians and Egyptians and used four thousand oarsmen and two thousand fighters. Augustus had three thousand fighters. Claudius, in the Lake Fucinus affair, used nineteen thousand men with fifty large warships on each side. Ordinarily the naumachiarii were war captives and criminals who had been condemned to die. Instead of being quietly executed in a dungeon, they were used for the purpose of giving the populace the thrilling and bloody type of entertainment in which it delighted. Consequently, a naumachia was a spectacular form of execution, a battle fought until all the participants were killed. Though, on some occasion - but it doesn't seem to have been very common - mercy was promised to the survivors.

Ex 2. Listen and retell

Case dismissed! (urban legend)

In Florida, an atheist decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while the atheists had no holiday to celebrate. The case was brought before a wise judge who after listening to the long, passionate presentation of his lawyer, promptly banged his gavel and declared, "Case dismissed!" The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? Surely the Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. And the Jews -- why in addition to Passover they have Yom Kippur and Hanukkah... and yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!" The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said "Obviously your client is too confused to know about or to celebrate the atheists' holiday!" The lawyer pompously said "We are aware of no such holiday for atheists, just when might that be, your honor?" The judge said "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date-- April 1st!"

Section 5. Response Rate/Sight Translation

A. to suffer a flop – игрок, покупатель, клиент - accost smb in the street– актер, ставший директором - fly into the fit of rage – лучшие актеры Голливуда – busy-body – хаос, неразбериха,провал - spin in grave – выбрать - smash – памятные вещи – long-run prospects – иметь большие гонорары - shot to superstardom post – разграбить город - rake in profits – «салага» – flashback – конечные титры – heavy-hitter – гонорар сопровождающего лица – careen along - трюковой фильм – be badly cast – смехотворный сюжет - a smash or a flop - культовый модельер – be charged with wrongdoing - уважительная причина - highlight the movie – журнал рекламирует (уделяет основное внимание) фильмам - early expectations see – рекламные тексты на обложке - pop-culture heavyweights – стать вехой - set a new attendance record- безделушки и старые вещи - unassuming artifacts - упустить что-л - spark huge interest – антикварные вещицы

B. потерпеть неудачу - punter – приставать на улице – actor-turned-director – впасть в ярость - Hollywood A-Listers – назойливый человек - meltdown – в гробу перевернуться – decide on – сокрушить - memorabilia items – отдаленные перспективы – command a handsome fee – получить статус суперзвезды – plunder the town – «загребать» прибыли - sprog – обратный кадр – end credits – сильнейший игрок, влиятельное лицо - chaperone fee – нестись вперед (крениться) - caper film – неудачно подобран на роль – farсical set-up – успех или провал - iconic designer – быть обвиненном в правонарушении - ample reason – освещать фильм - publication features movies – вначале предполагалось - brief blurbs – корифеи поп-культуры - mark a milestone – побить новый рекорд посещения - knick-knacks and rummage – скромные артефакты - miss out on smth - вызвать огромный интерес – bric-a-brac;

CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT

1.It's one thing to suffer a flop, as Tom Hanks did with his film 'Larry Crowne', but it's quite another to be cornered by disappointed punters. The 55-year-old actor-turned-director was in a petrol station near his California home when a couple accosted him to let him know they’d seen his new movie, 'Larry Crowne'. When Hanks enquired as to what they thought of his latest effort behind the camera, they replied simply that it "wasn't that good". In the rom-com, Hanks stars opposite Julia Roberts as a man going through mid-life crisis. But far from flying into the fit of rage we have come to expect from Hollywood A-Listers, the gracious star reportedly responded: "Gee, I'm sorry you were disappointed - how about letting me refund your ticket money?" Before removing $25 (£15) from his wallet and offering it to the stunned couple, he even promised: "We'll do a better job next time."

2.A role made famous by legends such as Gracie Fields, Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, June Whitfield and Joan Hickson, Miss Marple is the quintessentially British busy-body turned detective. News that American actress Jennifer Garner (who’s past roles included a female ninja and a CIA agent), is set to play a younger, sexier model sent fan forums into meltdown. Convincing Agatha Christie fans that she makes a decent detective could be Garner's biggest challenge to date. Fans reacted to the story saying, “Whoever decided on this actress to play Miss Marple obviously has not read the books.”, “She is far too young to play this role. Miss Marple has to be a bright old lady, not a sex symbol”; “Agatha Christie will be spinning in her grave at this”. Perhaps we won’t need an investigation into the murder of this British legend.

3. No stranger to the dollar sign, Johnny Depp has commanded a very handsome fee since he shot to superstardom post ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’. It seems good ol’ Captain Jack’s lust for treasure has rubbed off on Depp as he is reported to have plundered over £34 million from Disney’s bank for his latest outing as the not-so-penniless pirate in ‘On Stranger Tides’. He also reportedly earned a crazy £30 million for his role as the Mad Hatter in ‘Alice In Wonderland’.

4. The final installment of the 'Harry Potter' films has raked in almost £750 million at the box office so far, but the youngster who starred as the bespectacled hero was rewarded with just £40. And no, we're not talking about Daniel Radcliffe. The Sun reports that baby Toby Papworth was the lucky sprog selected to play Harry Potter during flashbacks to the traumatic death of his parents at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Toby appears in four scenes during the course of the film, clutching the wooden bars of his cot before Voldemort's curse bounces off of his head, leaving Harry's trademark scar. He's even included in the trailer, and his name appears in the film's credits. Mother Ashley received a £90 chaperone fee for the day's filming. But they were stunned when a cheque for just £40 turned up in the post, and the filmmakers didn't even send them a free ticket to see Toby's part in the film.

5.You know the old saying about how pizza and sex are pretty good even when they're lousy? (“Pizza is a lot like sex. When it's good, it's really good. When it's bad, it's still pretty good.”) Unfortunately, the rule doesn't apply to the pizza-guy-turned-bank-robber comedy "30 Minutes or Less," which remains a lazy and listless caper farce, despite the presence of comedy heavy-hitters like Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride and Aziz Ansari. Eisenberg, unsuccessfully cast against type, stars as Nick, a slacker whose go-nowhere life revolves around smoking pot and delivering pizza. One of his deliveries takes him to a construction site where two gorilla-masked men chloroform him and strap a bomb to his chest, telling him he's got nine hours to rob a bank. And while we get an occasional a chuckle or two, this movie careens along lacking any wit or even momentum.

6. French designer Coco Chanel spied for the Nazis during the German occupation of France in World War II, according to a new book on sale Tuesday. "Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War," by Hal Vaughan, expands on long-standing evidence that the iconic designer had a double life and was the lover of a spy, Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage. Chanel was also "fiercely" anti-Semitic, the book says, although at the time she would not have stood out among numerous other high-profile compatriots later seen as having collaborated during the 1940-44 occupation. Chanel, an orphan who became a revolutionary fashion designer, moved to Switzerland after the war before returning to Paris to take up her career in fashion. She was never charged with any wrongdoing and died in 1971.

7. Indian teens who love the movie Krrish will have ample reason to celebrate. The first issue of the country's new Disney Adventures magazine will highlight the movie. An international format adapted for India, the 100-page monthly publication will feature Disney and Bollywood movies, jokes, comic pages, games, tech news and reviews, fashion, and contests. Early expectations see the magazine being offered on newsstands for Rs 40, or by subscription. The current issues on news-stands is a biannual comic issue contain brief blurbs about pop culture news.

8. Like zombies in a post-apocalyptic movie, a swarm of pop-culture heavyweights, industry merchants and thousands of fans of comics, cos-play, science fiction, and anime will take over downtown Phoenix for the annual Phoenix Comicon. This comic book convention held in Arizona started in June. Last weekend, Phoenix fans marked a milestone as the city held its tenth annual Phoenix Comicon. This year the four-day convention was estimated to set a new attendance record as 30,000 visitors showed. Fans could be seen scattering about in a flurry of motion on their way from one event to another and producing their own spectacle, most in costume, on their way.

9. It might be time to dig out your knick-knacks and rummage around in the back of cupboards for forgotten glassware and pottery, as if you don’t find any of these unassuming artefacts you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Retro collectables from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and even 80s have sparked huge interest in recent years. Whether people buy these items to recapture their childhood or to discover the style of an era before they were born, you will find that what might look like worthless bric a brac can in fact be worth some serious money.