Why is the musical about Shrek successful?
2. What makes Shrek different from traditional fairy tale characters?
3. The voices of which celebrities can we hear in the cartoons about Shrek?
4. What famous films do the cartoons about Shrek remind us of?
5. Why do children like the cartoons about Shrek?
6. Why can Shrek’s story be interesting to computer gamers?
7. What person does Shrek look like?
A. Somewhere in a far-away magical kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess, a prince and animals who could talk like humans. This is a typical plot for many fairy tales. In 1990, a short story for children about Shrek, a big green troll, appeared. Unlike previous heroes he looked ugly and scary but had a big, kind heart. In 2001, DreamWorks studio made the first animated Shrek cartoon.
B. All the characters of the cartoons about Shrek are easy to remember and have a good sense of humour. The cartoons are full of episodes about friendship, good and evil, love and family values. The cartoons present an amusing mixture of traditional fairy tales and real-life events familiar to everyone. All that made the story of the troll very popular, especially with children.
C. Maurice Tillet was a famous professional French boxer and wrestler of the 20th century. Unfortunately, at the age of twenty he got a rare disease which changed his body and appearance. It made him look like a huge troll. Few people know that Shrek’s appearance copies that of Maurice Tillet. However, in contrast to the cartoon character, Maurice Tillet was highly intelligent – he spoke fourteen languages and was good at writing prose.
D. Several scenes in cartoons about Shrek are based on scenes from famous movies. For example, the «Welcome to Duloc’ song sounds like the popular Disney tune «It’s a Small World’. During the fight between Fiona and Robin Hood’s men, the camera moves as in «The Matrix’. There are hints of the «The Lord of the Rings’ and «Mission Impossible’.
E. The famous story was also made into a Broadway show, «Shrek the Musical’. Technically, the musical show is not the same as the film but it has its advantages. Children and adults enjoy seeing celebrities in the roles of Shrek and Princess Fiona. The success of the musical is also based on a nice combination of new and old popular songs.
F. The stories about the green troll and his friends are for all ages. Teenagers and grown-ups may enjoy modern computer games about Shrek. Computer stories have attractive design and dynamic plots, so gamers and fans will not be bored. Though the images of Shrek and Fiona are a bit different from the film, they are easily recognizable.
Запишите в таблицу выбранные цифры под соответствующими буквами.
Текст …A… B… C… D… E
Вопрос
Прочитайте текст. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений 13—19 соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чём в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated). Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
A trip of her life
The story happened in New York. Max, a taxi driver, was doing his last trip that day. He arrived at the place exactly on time and beeped the horn. Nobody came out of the house. Max waited a couple of minutes and beeped again. He was never late himself and he didn’t like the clients who kept him waiting. He was thinking of driving home, but something made him park the car and check the door.
He came up to the front door and knocked. «Just a minute», an old weak voice answered. After a long pause a small lady of about ninety opened the door. She was wearing an expensive but old-fashioned dress and a veiled hat. Indeed, she looked like a film star of the forties. She asked Max to help her with the heavy suitcase that was inside. He agreed without hesitation.
He came in and noticed that the room looked like people had never lived there. All the furniture was covered with cloth. There were no statuettes and tea sets on the shelves or an old clock on the wall. In the corner of the room he noticed a large box filled with old photos and books. «A deserted room», he thought.
They moved slowly to the car and the lady kept thanking Max for his help and being so patient. He said it was his job to treat every passenger like he would treat his mother. «Oh, you are such a good boy!» she said. She took the back seat and named the address. Max understood that she was going to hospital.
She asked Max to drive through the city centre though it involved extra time. She did not mind the distance and the time. She said she was not in a hurry. She told Max her family had left long before and the doctor said that her chances were not good. Her eyes filled with tears.
Max switched off the counter and asked the lady which route she preferred. The next two hours they were driving through the city. She showed Max the building she had worked in and the dance hall she had visited as a little girl. They went to the district she had lived in with her husband after their marriage.
Finally, she said she was tired and they drove in silence, directly to the hospital. It was a low building that looked more like a small holiday centre. Two nurses came up quickly to them as if they were waiting. They carefully helped her out of the taxi into the wheelchair. «How much do I owe you?» she said looking at Max. «Nothing», he answered.
«You need to earn your living», she added, opening her bag. «There are other passengers», answered Max. He bent down and embraced the old lady. She hugged in return. «Thank you for the little happiness you gave me», she whispered. On his way home Max did not switch on the radio. He drove in silence. He had an impression that it was the most important trip of his life.
13. Max was late to pick up his client.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
Ответ: _______
14. The old lady was a former actress.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
Ответ: _______
15. The old lady was grateful to Max for his help.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
Ответ: _______
16. The lady chose the shortest way to the hospital.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
Ответ: _______
17. Max drove the old lady to the places which were very special to her.
1)