Reading comprehension: THE OSCARS

An Academy Award is an award bestowed by the American Academy of Motion

Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film
industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The Oscar statuette is officially
named the Academy Award of Merit and is one of nine types of Academy Awards. The
formal ceremony at which the Awards of Merit are presented is one of the most
prominent award ceremonies in the world, and is televised live in more than 100
countries annually, however the first broadcast was not televised. It is also the oldest
award ceremony in the media; its equivalents, the Grammy Awards (for music), Emmy
Awards (for television), and Tony Awards (for theatre) are modeled after the Academy.

The AMPAS (Academy od Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) was originally conceived
by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer as a professional organization to
help improve the film industry’s image and help mediate labor disputes. The Oscar itself
was later initiated by the Academy as an award "of merit for distinctive achievement"
in the industry.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hotel
Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of the 1927/1928 film
season. The most recent ceremony, honoring films in 2010, was held at Hollywood's
Kodak Theatre on February 27, 2011. The 84th Academy Awards, honoring films in 2011,
will be held at the Kodak Theatre on February 26, 2012.

Although there are seven other types of annual awards presented by the Academy
the best known one is the Academy Award of Merit more popularly known as the Oscar
statuette. Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34 cm)
tall and weighs 8.5 lb (3.85 kg).

In 1928, MGM's art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members,
supervised the design of the award trophy by printing the design on a scroll. Gibbons
was introduced to Mexican film director and actor Emilio "El Indio" Fernández.
Reluctant at first, Fernández was finally convinced to pose nude to create what today is
known as the "Oscar". Then, sculptor George Stanley sculpted Gibbons's design in clay.

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ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
1. What is the main purpose of the Academy Awards?
____________________________________________________________
2. How many countries can watch The Oscars around the world?
____________________________________________________________
3. What was the job of the Academy at first?
____________________________________________________________
4. Where and when was the first Academy Awards ceremony held?
____________________________________________________________
5. Where is the next Academy ceremony going to take place?
____________________________________________________________
6. Who was the model for the statuette?
____________________________________________________________
7. How was the Oscar statuette designed?
_____________________________________________________________

TRUE OR FALSE?
1. The first broadcast was televised in more than 100 hundred countries.
2. The Academy awards are the model for the Grammys, Emmys and Tonys.
3. The first academy awards ceremony was held to honour the films made during
1929.
4. The first statuette was made of clay.

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FIND THE SYNONYM IN THE TEXT.
Prize (paragraph 1) _______________
Value (paragraph 1) _______________
Work (paragraph 2) _______________
Triumph (paragraph 2) _____________
Celebration (paragraph 3) ___________
Figurine (paragraph 4) _____________
Afiliate (paragraph 5) ______________
FIND THE OPPOSITE IN THE TEXT.
Imperfection (paragraph 1) _______________
Invisible (paragraph 1) __________________
The last (paragraph 1) ___________________
Worker (paragraph 2) ___________________
Old (paragraph 3) ______________________
Newest (paragraph 5) ___________________
WRITE THE SUMMARY OF THE TEXT IN 50 WORDS.
 …and the Oscar goes to… Anthony
Hopkins for “The silence of the Lambs”!