Life as a Movie Extra

    Ordinary 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 don"t normally speak any lines, but they help make the scenes look real. ¹

    Being a movie extra might seem like a lot of fun. You get to see what life is like behind the scenes. But don"t forget that being an extra is really a job, and it"s 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 weather. ²You may not be finished until 11 p. m. or midnight. The pay isn"t 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 available, ³ 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 doesn"t 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, don"t 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.

词汇：

movie extra   群众演员            

chase [tʃeɪs]   vt．追捕            

shoot [ʃu:t]  vt． 拍摄

action ["ækʃn]  n． （导演指令）开拍     

commission [kə"mɪʃn]  n． 佣金

注释：

1.Extras don’t normally speak any lines，but tlley help make me seenes look real．：虽然群众演员通常没有台词，但他们的存在使整个场景更加逼真。

2.You could be on me set for hours，sometimes waiting outdoors in very hot or cold weatller．：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。on the set：在拍摄现场。

3.Most of them have flexible schedules，which allow them to be available．：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。

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

Life as a Movie Extra

    Ordinary 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 don"t normally speak any lines, but they help make the scenes look real. ¹

    Being a movie extra might seem like a lot of fun. You get to see what life is like behind the scenes. But don"t forget that being an extra is really a job, and it"s 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 weather. ²You may not be finished until 11 p. m. or midnight. The pay isn"t 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 available, ³ 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 doesn"t 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, don"t 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.

词汇：

movie extra   群众演员            

chase [tʃeɪs]   vt．追捕            

shoot [ʃu:t]  vt． 拍摄

action ["ækʃn]  n． （导演指令）开拍     

commission [kə"mɪʃn]  n． 佣金

注释：

1.Extras don’t normally speak any lines，but tlley help make me seenes look real．：虽然群众演员通常没有台词，但他们的存在使整个场景更加逼真。

2.You could be on me set for hours，sometimes waiting outdoors in very hot or cold weatller．：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。on the set：在拍摄现场。

3.Most of them have flexible schedules，which allow them to be available．：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。

You must start working very early

A:being a movie extra can be boring B:movie extras need acting experience C:movie extras can play larger parts D:movie actors are quite different from actors

Lawn tennis is a good sport, being based on the ancient game of court tennis, which probably came up in Egypt or Persia some 2,500 years ago. Major Walter Wingfield thought that something like court tennis could be played outdoors on lawns, and in December 1873, he introduced his new game, which he called Sphairistike, at a lawn party in Wales. The sport became popular very rapidly, but the strange, difficult name disappeared almost at once, being replaced by the very simple and logical term "lawn tennis".
By 1874 the game was being played by British soldiers in Bermuda, and in the early months of that year a young lady named Mary Outerbridge returned from Bermuda to New York, bringing with her the equipment necessary to play the new game. With the help of one of her brothers, she laid out a court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, and there, in the spring of 1874, Miss Outerbridge and some of her friends played the first game of lawn tennis in the United States.
And just two years later, in 1876, the first United States lawn tennis tournament(抽锦标赛) was held—at Nahant near Boston.

A:Lawn tennis became popular very rapidly in the United States. B:It was Major Walter Wingfield who invented court tennis. C:The sport was called" lawn tennis" shortly after it was invented. D:Miss Outerbridge set up a lawn tennis court with the help of her brother.

Lawn tennis is a good sport, being based on the ancient game of court tennis, which probably came up in Egypt or Persia some 2500 years ago. Major Walter Winfield thought that something like court tennis could be played outdoors on lawns, and in December 1873, he introduced his new game, which he called Sphairistike, at a lawn party in Wales. The sport became popular very rapidly, but the strange, difficult name disappeared almost at once, being replaced by the very simple and logical term "lawn tennis".
By 1874 the game was being played by British soldiers in Bermuda, and in the early months of that year a young lady named Mary Outerbridge returned from Bermuda to New York, bringing with her the equipment necessary to play the new game. With the help of one of her brothers, she laid out a court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, and there, in the spring of 1874, Miss Outerbridge and some of her friends played the first game of lawn tennis in the United States.
And just two years later, in 1876, the first United States lawn tennis tournament(锦标赛) was held—at Nahant near Boston.
Which of the following statements is NOT true

A:Lawn tennis became popular very rapidly in the United States. B:It was Major Walter Wingfield who invented court tennis. C:The sport was called "lawn tennis" shortly after it was invented. D:Miss Outerbridge set up a lawn tennis court with the help of her brother.

Passage Four
Lawn tennis is a good sport, being based on the ancient game of court tennis, which probably came up in Egypt or Persia some 2500 years ago. Major Walter Wingfield thought that something like court tennis could be played outdoors on lawns, and in December 1873, he introduced his new game, which he called Sphairistike, at a law party in Wales. The sport became popular very rapidly, but the strange, difficult name disappeared almost at once, being replaced by the very simple and logical term "lawn tennis".
By 1874 the game was being played by British soldiers in Bermuda, and in the early months of that year a young lady named Mary Outerbridge returned from Bermuda to New York, bringing with her the equipment necessary to play the new game. With the help of one of her brothers, she laid out a court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, and there, in the spring of 1874, Miss Outerbridge and some of her friends played the first game of lawn tennis in the United States.
And just two years later, in 1876, the first United States lawn tennis tournament(锦标赛) was held--at Nahant near Boston.

A:Lawn tennis became popular very rapidly in the United States. B:It was Major Walter Wingfield who invented court tennis. C:The sport was called" lawn tennis" shortly after it was invented. D:Miss Onterbridge set up a lawn tennis court with the help of her brother.

Passage Four Lawn tennis is a good sport, being based on the ancient game of court tennis, which probably came up in Egypt or Persia some 2500 years ago. Major Walter Wingfield thought that something like court tennis could be played outdoors on lawns, and in December 1873, he introduced his new game, which he called Sphairistike, at a law party in Wales. The sport became popular very rapidly, but the strange, difficult name disappeared almost at once, being replaced by the very simple and logical term "lawn tennis". By 1874 the game was being played by British soldiers in Bermuda, and in the early months of that year a young lady named Mary Outerbridge returned from Bermuda to New York, bringing with her the equipment necessary to play the new game. With the help of one of her brothers, she laid out a court on the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, and there, in the spring of 1874, Miss Outerbridge and some of her friends played the first game of lawn tennis in the United States. And just two years later, in 1876, the first United States lawn tennis tournament(锦标赛) was held--at Nahant near Boston.

A:Lawn tennis became popular very rapidly in the United States. B:It was Major Walter Wingfield who invented court tennis. C:The sport was called" lawn tennis" shortly after it was invented. D:Miss Onterbridge set up a lawn tennis court with the help of her brother.

Cigars Instead? Smoking one or two cigars a day doubles the risk of cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth, and throat, according to a government study. Daily cigars also increase the risk of lung cancer and cancer of the esophagus, and increase the risk of cancer of the larynx (voicebox) sixfold, say researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition, the report revealed that smoking three or four cigars a day increased the risk of oral cancer to 8.5 times the risk for nonsmokers and the risk of esophageal cancer by four times the risk of nonsmokers. The health effects of smoking cigars is one of eight sections of the article " Cigars: Health Effects and Trends". The researchers report that, compared with a cigarette, a large cigar emits up to 90 times as much carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines "This article provides clear and invaluable information about the disturbing increase in cigar use and the significant public health consequences for the country," said Dr. Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, in a statement. "The data are clear-the harmful substances and carcinogens in cigar smoke, like cigarettes, are associated with the increased risks of several kinds of cancers as well as heart and lung diseases," he added. " In other words, cigars are not safe alternatives to cigarettes and may be addictive. " "To those individuals who may be thinking about smoking cigars, our advices is — don’’t. To those currently smoking cigars, quitting is the only way to eliminate completely the cancer, heart and lung disease risks," warned Klausner. According to a National Cancer Institute press release, there haven’’t been any studies on the health effects on nonsmokers at cigar social events, but "... a significant body of evidence clearly demonstrates an increased lung cancer risk from secondhand smoke. " In the context of this passage, " secondhand smoke" may mean______.

A:smoking bad-quality cigars. B:smoking very cheap cigars. C:being very cigar smokers when they are not smoking. D:being very near cigar smokers when they are smoking.