Interactive Cinema

1 Going to the cinema can be an enjoyable and a reasonably inexpensive evening out. That’s why, despite
2 competition from traditional television channels and online streaming services, cinema attendance in the UK is
3 now higher than it has been since 1971. However, while there has been a significant increase in the number of
4 people over 55 years of age and of families with young children going to the cinema, teenagers and young adults
5 seem to prefer alternative forms of entertainment.
6 One theory as to why the younger generation finds the cinema to be less appealing is because it requires
7 them to disconnect from the outside world for a few hours, as phone use is strongly discouraged or even banned
8 in cinemas. Adam Aron, the chairman and CEO of the American cinema chain AMC Entertainment, put forward
9 the idea of mobile-friendly screenings. These would have given audiences the choice of watching a film
10 undisturbed or choosing a viewing time when blogging, chatting or texting was allowed. However, reaction to
11 the proposal
12 was swift and almost entirely negative. Many people were worried that his mobile-friendly screenings would
13 legitimise the use of phones in all cinemas. Concerned about the financial effect this could have on his business,
14 Aron dropped the idea.
15 Cinema owners in the Far East have been braver, and young people are being tempted back into cinemas
16 with “bullet screens”. In these cinemas, people can send text messages commenting on the film they are
17 watching, and these reactions are immediately shown on the screen.
18 We don’t know what the cinemas of the future will look like, but it seems certain that they will have to adapt
19 in order to survive. Hopefully, traditional screenings will continue for those filmgoers who are willing to
20 disconnect for a few hours
I* COMPREHENSION (4 points)
CHOOSE AND WRITE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C OR D). (0.5 points each)
1. What was Adam Aron’s idea?
(a) To show the same film to two separate audiences. (c) To divide the cinema into two halves so that
(b) To allow mobile phone use only if it didn’t disturb mobile phone users all sat together.
others. (d) To make all AMC Entertainment screenings
mobile friendly.
2. What does the writer say in the final paragraph?
(a) Cinemas will change and some people will be (c) Cinemas can change without upsetting anybody.
unhappy (d) Cinemas will concentrate more on younger
(b) Cinemas won’t exist in the future. audiences in the future.
WRITE TRUE OR FALSE. FIND EVIDENCE IN THE TEXT TO JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS (2 p.: 0,5 each)
3. Since 1971, there has been an increase in the number of young people going to the cinema.
4. Adam Aron wanted to legitimise the use of phones in all cinemas.
5. Bullet screens allow audience members to share their opinions with other viewers.
6. The writer prefers traditional film viewings.
FIND IN THE TEXT: (0.5 p.: 0,25 each)
7.1 ONE SYNONYM FOR “suggested” (phrasal verb).
7.2 ONE SYNONYM FOR “very quick” (adjective).
8.1 ONE WORD MEANING “not to continue with something” (verb).
8.2 THE WORD WHICH HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: “agreeing to something” (adjective).

II* USE OF ENGLISH

FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERB IN BRACKETS: (1 p: 0,5 each)
9.1 I wish I __________ (not watch) that horror film yesterday.
9.2 I can’t stop __________ (think) about that film we watched last night.
FILL IN THE GAP WITH THE CORRECT PREPOSITION (0,5 p: 0,25 each)
10.1 I’m looking __________ to meeting them tonight.
10.2 He dropped __________ of the competition because it wasn’t interesting.
THERE ARE TWO MISTAKES. REWRITE THE FULL SENTENCE CORRECTLY. (0,5 p)
11. This is the cinema which I used to worked.
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING (CONDITIONAL) SENTENCE (0,5)
12. If someone talks on their phone at the cinema, …
TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE INTO THE PASSIVE VOICE (0,5)
13. Cinema owners in the Far East are tempting young people with bullet screens.
TURN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE INTO THE ACTIVE VOICE (0,5)
14. I was never warned against screen addiction
GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS (0,5)
15. There has been an increase in cinema attendance in the UK since 1971.
TURN THIS SENTENCE INTO REPORTED SPEECH (0,5)
16. She asked Tim, “Have you visited your aunt today?”
REWRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE SO THAT THEY BOTH MEAN THE SAME
17. It wasn’t until the 1980s that institutions started to eliminate sexist language.
Before the 1980s …
REWRITE SO THAT THEY BOTH MEAN THE SAME
18. My computer is too slow for me.
My computer isn’t …
ORDER THE WORDS. USE ALL OF THEM.
19. tries active to an interactive audience give role cinema the