Part 6

You are going to read an article about special effects in movies. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (37-42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. 

How did they do that?

It’s impossible, isn’t it? An actor fluently speaking nine languages in a new film? OK. Maybe ‘unlikely’ is the word. And yes, surprise, surprise, he isn’t actually speaking those languages, it’s yet another clever technique developed for video using Al. It makes us believe the impossible.

What is really impossible is trying to keep up with the latest technological advances that affect our viewing experiences. Special effects have come a very long way since the ‘stop trick’ which was first used in 1895 when filming Mary Queen of Scots. The director came up with the idea of stopping the cameras just before the execution and substituting a dummy. (I’m sure the actor was relieved!) In those early days the effects were all created physically, with make-up, different backgrounds, models and trick photography. 37 __. ‘How did they do that?’ they asked. The question the film companies want us to keep asking.

Then digital got involved. Performance capture (performance what?) dazzled cinemagoers with films like The Polar Express (2004), where magically, it seemed Tom Hanks’ expressions and movements were superimposed on an animated character. 38 __. Performance capture is the combination of acting with computer animation and gives us remarkably human characters in an animated world. Think of the animals and birds in The Lion King. Some think that the creations are now almost too realistic to be called animations any longer.

In addition to this, high-tech fakery can allow real characters to do any actions they want. 39 __. What allows this magic to happen is ‘green screen’. This is where actors perform in front of a vividly-bright green background which can later be replaced digitally by almost anything from battle scenes to the interiors of exploding planets! The only limitation is the director’s imagination.

And it is not only the technology that is changing and advancing. It is also the skills of the actors involved. Gone are the days when film actors used costume, make-up and interaction with other actors to create a believable character. 40 __. Or for performance capture, an actor could be dressed in a skin-tight lycra suit with strange tiny balls stuck all over it to record individual muscle movements. He will again be depending on his imagination, this time perhaps to remember, for example, to touch the brim of an imaginary hat.

41 __. This uses ‘face manipulation’ technology to match lip movements with words so that we’re convinced that the person is speaking. It is awesome in the real sense of the word and its potential for dubbing foreign language films is enormous. Remember that awkward mismatching of lips and sounds? Soon to be long gone.

But what next? I’m writing this in the present tense, but I know full well that what I record as revolutionary and new will soon become outdated. 42 __. Will we ever stop asking ‘How did they do that?’ Or maybe there will be an unexpected plot twist and we’ll turn our backs on technology and return to the early days of film. What do you think?

A. For example, they can fly, ride on performance captured monsters or interact with giants in any location imaginable.
B. In other words, there will be newer and more incredible ways to make the impossible possible.
C. Gollum, in Lord of the Rings (2001) is another unforgettable creation – a faded, slimy creature that uses Andy Serkis’ gestures and stares with the actor’s haunting eyes.
D. Frustratingly for many, today they may be alone in front of a green screen interacting with people or creatures in a location that is all completely imaginary.
E. Audiences gasped as fires raged through office blocks or tsunamis towered over towns and people.
F. They are often badly produced and intelligent cinemagoers become bored very quickly.
G. So, we come back to the revolutionary technique that allows the actor to do the impossible and talk in nine languages.

Part 7

You are going to read an article about people’s attitude to summer. For questions 43 – 52, choose from the sections (A – D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Which person mentions…

43. a desire for a complete change of environment? __
44. a belief that others should not be envious of her situation? __
45. having changed her attitude to a particular season? __
46. some people’s biological suitability to a certain climate? __
47. a desire for some peace and quiet during the summer? __
48. an appreciation that her attitude might change under different circumstances? __
49. resenting the predictability of the weather? __
50. the start of health problems in certain months? __
51. a preference for spending time outside at particular times of day? __
52. not sharing the same attitudes as other people in her country? __

The people’s favourite season?

Summer’s just around the corner so we thought we’d find out whether the hot summer sun lights up your life! Check out some readers’ contributions.

A
You’d expect someone like me to have summer down as the best time of the year. After all, I have those long holiday weeks to look forward to, with no more evenings spent marking homework until September. I know many of my friends wish they had a break like I do, but they probably don’t see the drawbacks. My holidays are inevitably the same as the children’s and as a result summer beaches are usually really crowded and any holiday abroad costs a fortune because it’s peak season! Not only that but the hotels I can afford are the family ones and overrun with children. I imagine I’d appreciate places like this if I were a parent. But I’m not! Don’t get me wrong – I love children, but I share every working day with them and I’d just like to escape in the holidays. That’s my main beef about summer. Not my favourite time of the year.

B
Where I live we don’t get seasons like most countries do. It’s pretty much summer all year round, apart from the hurricane season when we get torrential rain and really destructive winds. The tourists love coming here because it’s practically guaranteed sunshine, but to tell the truth, for me it is SO boring. Every day the temperature is the same – no element of surprise at all – and that is hot, hot and maybe even hotter! If you’re out in the midday sun it just saps your energy, so I usually do my outdoor training early in the morning or late at night. I’ve competed in London and that’s where I would love to live. You can get four seasons in one day! Imagine not wearing T-shirts and shorts all year round, but investing in a proper wardrobe, with furry hats, boots, sweaters? Tourists think I’m crazy, but I’d swap the burning sand for some chilly frost and snow any time!

C
I’m Russian and I know I should be used to the winter months, like most Russians, but I am definitely not! I absolutely detest the cold. Not only do I hate putting on layer after layer of clothing, but I also can’t bear the almost permanent feeling that I’m just about to come down with flu or something- which never actually happens. If I’d been born in Siberia or somewhere near the Arctic, apparently my body would be better adapted for the cold weather of long winters. Scientists say that people from that part of the world have a different physique – shorter bodies and limbs so as to keep as much body heat as possible. I’m tall and skinny and feel the cold terribly. So, for me, summer is when I come alive! There’s a buzz in the air and people have smiles on their faces and you don’t go to college and come home again in the dark. Give me summer any time.

D
What’s not to like about summer? For me – actually quite a lot. I’m one of those people who suffer when the pollen levels start to rise, sneezing throughout the summer months. What’s more, I have the sort of blood that mosquitoes seem to love and if I’m out at dusk I get bitten to death! I haven’t had these allergies all my life, only in the last couple of years, and it’s a real pain because I used to adore the long days and the picnics and trips to the seaside. Now, it’s completely different. I have to take regular medicine, which makes me really sleepy by the way, and my job, which involves cutting lawns and hedges, is a bit of a challenge. Although it feels wrong on so many levels, I look forward to darker evenings and the changing colours of the leaves.

Click to download this FCE Reading and Use of English worksheet in PDF