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6 Composer germsonLife as a Movie ExtraOrdinary people have always been attracted to the world of movies and movie stars. One way to get closer to this world is to become a movie extra. Although you have seen movie extras,you may not have paid attention to them. Extras are the people seated at tables in a restaurant while the two main actors are in conversation. They are the guests at the wedding of the main characters. They are the people crossing the street while“ the bad guy” is being chased by the police. Extras dont normally speak any lines,but they help make the scenes look real1.Being a movie extra might seem like a lot of fun. You get to see what life is like behind the scenes. But dont forget that being an extra is really a job, and its mostly about doing nothing. First-time extras are often shocked to learn how slow the process of movie making is. In a finished movie,the action may move quickly. But it can sometimes take a whole day to shoot a scene that appears for just a few minutes on the screen.The main requirement for being an extra is the ability to wait. You may report to work at 5 or 6 a. m. , and then you wait until the director is ready for your scene. This could take several hours. Then there may be technical problems, and you have to wait some more. After the director says “action” and you do the first “take” , you may have to do it again if he or she is not satisfied with the scene. In fact, you may have to do the same scene over and over again. You could be on the set for hours,sometimes waiting outdoors in very hot or cold weather2. You may not be nnished until 11 p. m. or midnight. The pay isnt good,either - often only a little bit above minimum wage. And you must pay the agent who gets you the job a commission of about 10 percent. So who would want to be a movie extra? In spite of the long hours and low pay, many people still apply for the job. Some people truly enjoy the work. They like being on a movie set, and they enjoy the companionship of their fellow extras. Most of them have flexible schedules, which allow them to be available3. They may be students, waiters, homemakers, retired people, or unemployed actors. Some unemployed actors hope the work will help them get real acting jobs, but it doesnt happen often. Most people in the movie industry make a sharp distinction between extras and actors, so extras are not usually considered for large parts.The next time you see a movie , dont just watch the stars. Take a closer look at the people in the background, and ask yourself ： Who are they? Why are they there? What else do they do in life? Maybe there is someone in the crowd who is just like you.练习：l. What is true about movie extras?A） Only agents get them jobs in movies.B） They often have to wait around on movie sets and do nothing.C） Its a good way to get a real acting job.D） They can have drinks in a restaurant.2. What might surprise movie extras the first time they do the job?A） It can take hours to do a scene that is only a few minutes long in the movie.B） They always do the same scene many times.C ） The actors are interested in talking to them.D） The action moves very quickly.3. Why do most people work as movie extras?A） They like meeting famous movie stars.B） They think they will become famous.C） They want to be on a movie set.D） They will get real acting jobs.4. What are the job requirements for being a movie extra?A） You have to have a part-time job.B） You must be attractive.C） You must be willing to repeat a scene many times.D） You must start working very early.5. It can be inferred from the passage that .A） being a movie extra can be boringB） movie extras need acting experienceC） movie extras can play larger partsD） movie actors are quite different from actors答案与题解：1. B 本文的第三段详细叙述了群众演员的主要工作要求是在拍摄现场等，不用做事，所以答案为B；第一段中描述了群众演员的工作；他们是演员的陪衬，不用讲话。虽然提到他们是在餐馆里，但并没有提是硒可以喝饮料，所以D可以排除；A中的only一词太笼统，所以A不对；从第四段可以看出，从群众演员到演员的转型是相当困难的，所以C也不对。2 A 第二段中说明了令初做群众演员感到吃惊的是：拍一个场景需要一整天，而播放时只有几分钟。虽然B、D都有所提及，但不是令他们吃惊的事情。3 C 虽然做群众演员耗时长而薪酬低，但他们为什么还选择这一工作呢？答案在第四段：他们喜欢这份工作，愿意与别的群众演员交流，他们自己的工作时间有弹性。A没有提到，B、D不太可能。4 C 做群众演员的条件是什么？在第三段和第四段，我们可知：要有耐心（长时间等待，一个场景有时要拍好多次），要肯吃苦（在恶劣的户外环境中拍戏），报酬低，工作时间有弹性。A、B没有提到；在第三段的第二句提到：You may report to work at 5 or 6 a. m.，表明只是有时会很早开始工作，不是每日必须的，所以D不对。5 A 从本文对群众演员的工作描述我们可以看出，群众演员只是演员的道具，所以是乏味的。B没有提到；据第四段的最后一句，C不对；第四段的最后一句清楚表明，群众演员和真正的演员差别很大，所以不是得出的推论，推论是通过字里行间推出来的，不是给出的陈述。参考译文：群众演员的人生人们常常被电影和电影演员吸引，接近他们的方式之一就是当群众演员。虽然你见过群演员，但可能从没注意过他们。群众演员就是主角在餐厅对话时在后面坐着的人，是主角举行婚礼时在现场的客人，是“坏人”被警察追捕的时候过马路的行人。虽然群众演员通常没有台词，但他们的存在使整个场景更真实。当群众演员看上去很有意思，你可以看到电影背后的情景。但是不要忘记群众演员是一个职业，而这个职业常常意味着无事可做。第一次当群众演员的人常常会感到震惊：原来拍电影这么缓慢。电影成品中的场景会播放的很快，但在拍摄的时候，屏幕上几分钟的镜头可能需要拍一整天。对群众演员来说，主要的要求就是要有耐心等待。可能告知你早晨五六点钟工作，但你要一直等导演准备好你要出演的一幕，可能一等就是几个小时。说不定还会出现技术问题，那就要等更长的时间。导演说“开始”之后，你开始演你的第一场戏，要是导演不满意，你就要重演一遍。实际上，一遍又一遍地重复是常有的事。在拍摄现场，你可能一演就是几个小时，有时还要一直待在很热或很冷的环境中。工作可能会持续到晚上十一二点。报酬也不是那么理想很可能刚超过最低工资线，你还要从中拿出约lO%给向你提供工作的中介。究竟哪些人会想当群众演员呢？虽然工作时间长而报酬又低，但还是有很多人乐意申请这份工作。有些人是真心喜欢这份工作，他们喜欢出现在电影中，也乐意同其他群众演员交，流。这些人中大部分都是时间比较灵活的人，这样他们就能腾出时间来演戏。他们有可能是学生、服务生、家庭主妇、退休人员或者是失业的演员。一部分找不到工作的演员希望群众演员的工作能够帮助他们找到一份正式的演出工作，但是希望很渺茫。电影业里的人大都对群众演员和正式演员有严格的区分，通常不会考虑让群众演员出演大角色。下次看电影的时候，别总是盯着影星，也看一下做背景的人，问问你自己：他们是谁？什么在这里？在生活中他们做些什么呢？也许在人群中，就有人过着跟你相似的生活。Going Her Own WayWhen she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class farmlies chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic “finishing” schools. There they leamed a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria - or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywlvhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools： the “classical” schools and the “technical” schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history1. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modem than the classical schools and they offered courses in modem languages, mathematics, science, and accounting2. Most people - including Marias father - believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her fathers approval. She finally did, with her mothers help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Marias father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her.In 1883 , at age thirteen, Maria entered the “Regia Scuola Tecnica Vlichelangelo Buonarroti” in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modem subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Leaming consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.练习：1. Maria wanted to attend .A） private “finishing” school B） school with Latin and GreekC） technical high school D） school for art and music2. In those days, most Italian girls .A） went to classical schools B） went to “finishing” schoolsC） did not go to high school D） went to technical schools3. You can infer from this passage that .A） girls usually attended private primary schools B） only boys usually attended technical schoolsC） girls did not Iike going to school D） only girls attended classical schools4. Marias father probably .A） had very modern views about women B） had very traditional views about womenC） had no opinion about women D） thought women could not leam Latin5. High school teachers in ltaly in those days were .A） very modem B） very intelligentC） quite scientific D） quite strict答案与题解：1C 本题的问题是：Maria想去个怎样的学校？由文中第三段可明确得出结论。“Maria，however, wanted to attend a technical school.” A、B、D项均有明显错误。2C 本题的问题是：在当时的意大利大多数女孩的选择是什么？由文中第一段可知“Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school，”所以本题的正确答案为C。3B 本题为推理题，问题是：从全文可以得出什么样的结论?A选项未提及。C选项错误，原文只说大多数女孩子都选择待在家里，并未说她们都不喜欢读书。D选项错误，原文只说就算是上学的话大多数女孩子也都选择传统学校，而并非只有女孩于才可以去。所以正确答案为B。4B 本题的问题是：Maria的父亲对女性的态度是什么？由文中第三段倒数第二句“Most People - including Marias father - believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects.”可以得出答案，父亲和大多数人一样都持传统观念。5D 本题的问题是：当时的意大利高中教师是怎样的？从文中最后一段可以得出结砉论“Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishmentsevere for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.”故正确答案为D。参考译文：选择她自己的路当她1 2岁的时候，玛利亚做出了她人生道路的第一个重要决定。她决定继续读书。对于大多数来自中产阶级家庭的女孩子来说，小学毕业就都选择待在家里，尽管有一曲参加了教会办的女子精修学校。在那她们学习一些音乐、艺术、针线活，以及如何礼貌交谈。这些并不是玛利亚所感兴趣的或者可以说也不是她妈妈感兴趣的。此时，她对待学习更加认真。她不停地读书，他走到哪里就把书带到哪里。有一次她甚至把数学书带到了剧院里，设法在黑暗中学习。玛利亚知道她想要继续正规学习。她想要到公立高中去学习，很少有女孩子这样做。在当时的意大利，有两种形式的高中，一种是“传统”学校，另一种是“技术类”学校。在传统学校中，学生们都依照一种非常传统的教学方式学习，包含拉丁语、希腊语及文学课，还有意大利的文学与历史。极少数能继续学习的女孩们也大多选择这类学校。但是玛利亚打算去技术类学校。技术类学校比传统学校要现代得多，他们提供的课程有现代语言、数学、自然科学，以及会计学。包括玛利亚父亲在内的大部分人都认为，女孩子是不可能弄明白这些科目的。另外，他们也认为女孩子不适合学习这些。玛利亚并不在乎适合与否。数学和自然科学是她最感兴趣的学科。但是在她报名之前她必须争得她父亲的同意。最后在她母亲的帮助下她成功了，尽管过去很多年她的家庭关系依然很紧张。她的父亲一直反对她的计划，而她的母亲却帮助她。1883年，玛利亚13岁的时候考取了罗马的“Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti”学校。她在这个学校的经历对我们来说难以想象。尽管课程包括现代学科，而教学方式却是十分传统的。学习包括记忆长长的词条和事件，然后向老师复述。学生们不会以任何的方式被提问或是自己思考。老师非常苛刻，课堂纪律十分严格，未达标准或者不守纪律的学生会被给予严厉的惩罚。
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