Films provide more than just entertainment.For many people,watching English films is a way to develop language skills.While watching a film,you are immersed(沉浸在)in the language and can pick up new expressions that you might not find in a textbook.Some difficulties can arise when watching English films—for example,unfamiliar colloquial language or strong regional accents.With this in mind,here are my tips to help you make progress in English learning while enjoying the films.

Choose a film genre(类型) that you enjoy.

If you like action films,watch an action film—for example Indiana Jones.If you prefer comedies,watch a comedy—anything with Hugh Grant in always provides a laugh!It's simple enough,but if you choose something you enjoy watching in your native language,you're more likely to enjoy it in English.

Choose something that you are familiar with.

It's best to start off with something simple because in this way you have a higher chance of understanding the film.Disney films such as The Lion King,or the more recently released Tangled,are classic examples.Other cartoons such as Up and The Lego Movie are also worth a watch.

Ask friends for advice

Perhaps you have friends who have already seen English film? If so, they may be able to recommend one.

If you need to,use the English subtitles

Subtitles are very helpful for beginners.Using subtitles in your own language is the easiest choice,but for more advanced learners why not consider using English subtitles? This way,you can match the written subtitles to the words spoken on screen.It helps you to develop your language further.

1.What can we know from the first paragraph?

A. Some expressions from textbooks can be found in English films.

B. Unfamiliar spoken language can be neglected when we watch English films.

C. Foreign language films can help us improve our language skills.

D. Strong regional accents cannot influence the understanding of English films.

2.What kind of film will you probably watch if you like Hugh Grant?

A. Action films.B. Cartoon films.

C. Comedy films.D. Detective.

3.One way to get the most out of English films is watching films ________.

A. with a foreigner

B. about familiar topics

C. native speakers recommend

D. without words on the screen

4.What does the underlined word “subtitles”means in the text?

A. Translators.B. Chinese characters.

C. English dictionaries.D. Words on the screen.

Characters in novels don’t always do what the writer wants them to do. Sometimes they cause trouble, take on lives of their own, or even work against the writer. It’s not just a problem for inexperienced authors: famed children’s novelist Roald Dahl said he got the main character in his book Matilda so “wrong”that when he’d finished his first version, he threw it away and started again.

Of course it’s not the characters’ fault. The problem lies with the author. Take Stephen King, who admitted that writing working-class characters is more difficult nowadays because his own circumstances have changed. “It is definitely harder,”King said.“When I wrote Carrie many years ago, I was one step away from physical labour.”

This is also true for characters’ ages, added King.“When you have small children, it is easy to write young characters because you observe them and you have them in your life all the time. But your kids grow up, it’s been harder for me to write about this little 12-year-old girl in my new book because my models are gone.”

For other authors, such as Karen Fowler, there’s one quality that can stop a character in its tracks: boredom.“I had particular problems with the main character in my historical novel Sister Noon,”she says.“She had attitudes about race and religion that seemed appropriate to me for her time and class, but they were not attitudes I liked. Eventually I grew quite bored with her. You can write a book about a character you dislike or a character you disagree with, but I don’t think you can write a book about a character who bores you.”

According to Neel Mukherjee, it was Adinath, a character in The Lives of Others, who made him work the hardest.“I think I struggled because it’s difficult to write a character whose most prominent personal feature is weakness, as Adinath’s is, without making that feature define him,”Mukherjee says. But a troublesome character is far from an unwelcome guest, he continues, arguing that “when characters work against the author they come alive and become unpredictable”.

“That is a fantastic thing to happen,”Mukherjee says.“I celebrate it. It is one of the great, lucky gifts given to a writer.”

1.What can we infer about Stephen King’s book Carrie?

A.It was his most difficult book to write.

B.It was the first successful novel King wrote.

C.There were few children featured in the story.

D.Some of its main characters were working class.

2.Why did Karen Fowler have trouble writing the main character in her novel Sister Noon?

A.She disagreed with the character’s attitudes.

B.The age difference between the two was too large.

C.She found the character very uninteresting.

D.The historical setting made accuracy difficult.

3.What does Neel Mukherjee think of his difficult-to-write characters?

A.They are a sign that the story is not realistic.

B.They are often the most interesting.

C.They should be praised by all authors.

D.They need to be researched more thoroughly.

4.In which part of the newspaper would you expect to find the passage?

A. Careers. B. Culture.

C. Entertainment. D. Lifestyle.

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