PRACTICE 1.

Questions 1-6: Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Choose the correct headings for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-6on your answer sheet

List of Headings

i. Construction of special cinemas for 3-D

ii. Good returns forecast for immediate future
iii. The greatest 3-D film of all time
iv. End of traditional movies for children
v. Early developments
vi. New technology diminishes the art
vii. The golden age of movies
viii. In defence of 3-D
ix. 3-D is here to stay
x. Undesirable visual effects

1) Paragraph A 4) Paragraph D

2) Paragraph B 5) Paragraph E

3) Paragraph C 6) Paragraph F

3-D Films

A. In the theatre of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, on the evening of 27 September 1922, a new form
of filmmaking made its commercial debut: 3-D. The film. The Power of Love was then shown in New York City
to exhibitors and press but was subsequently not picked up for distribution and is now believed to be lost.
The following three decades were a period of quiet experimentation for 3-D pioneers, as they adapted to
new technologies and steadily improved the viewing experience. In 1952, the “golden era” of 3-D is
considered to have begun with the release of Bwana Devil, and over the next several years, audiences met
with a string of films that used the technology. Over the following decades, it waxed and waned within film-
making circles, peaking in the 1970s and again in the 1990s when IMAX gained traction, but it is only in the
last few years that 3-D appears to have firmly entered mainstream production.

B. Released worldwide in December 2009, die fantasy film Avatar quickly became the highest-grossing film
ever made, knocking Titanic from the top slot. Avatar, set in 2154 on a planet in a distant solar system, went
on to become the only film to have earned US$2 billion worldwide, and is now approaching the $3 billion
mark. The main reason for its runaway popularity appears to be its visual splendour; though most critics
praised the film, it was mostly on account of its ground-breaking special effects. Kenneth Turan of the Los
Angeles Times praised Avatar’s “powerful” visual accomplishments, but suggested the dialogue was “flat”
and the characterizations “obvious”. A film analyst at Exhibitor Relations has agreed, noting that Avatar has
cemented die use of 3-D as a production and promotional tool for blockbuster films, rather than as a mere
niche or novelty experiment. “This is why all these 3-D venues were built,” he said. “This is the one. The
behemoth… The holy grail of 3-D has finally arrived.”
C. Those who embrace 3-D. note that it spices up a trip to the cinema by adding a more active “embodied”
layer of experience instead of the viewer passively receiving die film through eyes and cars only. A blogger
on Animation Ideas writes, “…when 3-D is done well, like in the flying scenes in Up, How to Train Your Dragon,
and Avatar, there is an added feeling of vertigo. If you have any fear of heights, the 3-D really adds to this
element…” Kevin Carr argues that the backlash against 3-D is similar to that which occurred against CGI
(computer-generated imagery) several years ago and points out that CGI is now widely regarded as part of
the film-maker’s artistic toolkit. He also notes that new technology is frequently seen to be a “gimmick” in
its early days, pointing out that many commentators slapped the first “talkie” films of the early 1920s with
this same label.

D. But not everyone greets the rise of 3-D with open arms. Some ophthalmologists point out that 3-D can
have unsettling physical effects for many viewers. Dr. Michael Rosenberg, a professor at Northwestern
University, has pointed out that many people go through life with minor eye disturbances – a slight muscular
imbalance, for example – that does not interrupt day-to-day activities. In the experience of a 3-D movie,
however, this problem can be exacerbated through the viewer trying to concentrate on unusual visual
phenomena. Dr. Deborah Friedman, from the University of Rochester Medical Centre, notes that the
perception of depth conjured through three dimensions does not complement die angles from which we
take in the world. Eyestrains, headaches and nausea are, therefore, a problem for around 15% of a 3-D film
audience.

E. Film critic Roger Ebert warns that 3-D is detrimental to good filmmaking. Firstly, he argues, the technology
is simply unnecessary; 2~D movies are “already” 3-D, as far as our minds are concerned. Adding die extra
dimension with technology, instead of letting our minds do the work, can actually be counter- purposeful
and make the overall effect seem clumsy and contrived. Ebert also points out dial the special glasses dim the
effect by soaking up light from the screen, making 3-D films a slightly duller experience than they might
otherwise be. Finally, Ebert suggests that 3-D encourages filmmakers to undercut drama and narrative in
favour of simply piling on more gimmicks and special effects. “Hollywood is racing headlong toward the kiddie
market,” he says, pointing to Disney’s announcement that it will no longer make traditional films in favour of
animation, franchises, and superheroes.

F. Whether or not 3-D becomes a powerful force for the film-maker’s vision and the film-going experience,
or goes down in history as an over-hyped, expensive novelty, the technology certainly shows no signs of
fading in the popularity stakes at the moment. Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland, and How to Train
Your Dragon have all recently benefited at the box office due to the added sales that 3-D provides, and with
Avatar’s record set to last some time as a totem of 3-D’s commercial possibilities, studios are not prepared
to back down.

Questions 7-13:

Look at the following statements (Questions 7-13) and the list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person, A-G. Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 20-26 on your
answer sheet.

NB. You may use any letter more than once.

NB. Some options may not be used.

7) 3-D conflicts with our mental construct of our surroundings.

8) 3-D encourages an over-emphasis on quick visual thrills.

9) Effective use of 3-D technology may increase our sensation of elevation.

10) 3-D viewing can worsen an existing visual disorder.

11) Avatar is the most powerful example of 3-D yet to arrive in cinemas.

12) Avatar’s strength is found in its visual splendour, not in aspects of story.

13) People already have the mental capacity to see ordinary movies in three dimensions.

List of people

A. Kenneth Turan
B. Exhibition Relations’ analyst
C. Animation Ideas’ blogger
D. Kevin Carr
E. Dr. Michael Rosenberg
F. Dr. Deborah Friedman
G. Roger Elbert

PRACTICE 2
Computer Games: The Early Days of the Video Game Business
It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. In the age of computers, that statement takes
on new meanings. A video game cannot ever really be defeated because, no matter how high the score, it is
always the human who tires first or makes the fatal error. But millions of people continue to play, because
microelectronic technology has enabled game designers to conveniently and inexpensively transform plain
screens into playfields of extraordinary capability. At the same time, a multi-billion-dollar industry has grown
from very humble beginnings in just a few decades.
The technological roots of video games can be traced back to 1962, when an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of
Technology) graduate student demonstrated Spacewar, a science-fiction fantasy game played on a mainframe
computer and a large screen. That game immediately attracted a wide cult following among computer buffs.
The next important step came in 1968, when a console was developed that could be used to play games on
ordinary televisions. But it was not until the early 1970s that a young University of Utah engineer advanced
the adaptation of Spacewar from a large computer into coin-operated form, making it economically feasible
for use in video game arcades. Bushnell and his associates began working on such a machine in a converted
bedroom workshop but were unsuccessful. What they ultimately developed instead was a simple tennis-like
game that they named Pong.
Pong took the industry by storm and quickly became the first coin-operated video game hit. Soon thereafter,
commercial Pong-style home video games also appeared. Yet despite early enthusiasm, consumer interest in
this area proved less sustained than anticipated. As prices started to drop and losses mounted, most of the
early manufacturers withdrew from the field. Profits proved to be just as elusive at Bushnell's company, Atari,
where a rapidly growing market presence in coin-operated machines and home video required greater
injections of capital and more professional management than the company was able to provide. In 1976, the
founders of Atari sold their share of the company for a sum that was only equivalent to their sales in that year.
At that point, coin-operated video games seemed just another passing fad. But the introduction of Space
Invaders, an arcade model produced by Japanese manufacturer Taito, proved otherwise. With its vibrant
graphics, it was so different from the previous black and white games that Space Invaders immediately
captured public interest. There soon followed a rush of popular video games that employed the same or
better hardware and even more imaginative software. Of these, Pac-Man in 1980 was especially significant,
because now females began to take an interest.
By this time, the same software improvements and technological advances (faster microprocessors and larger
memories) that permitted designers to produce spectacular audio and visual effects for coin-operated
machines were also being applied to home video units. It was thus only a short while before the
programmable consoles that had been unpopular for lack of software suddenly began to sell in large numbers.
Consumers had discovered that they could finally play a reasonable version of their favorite arcade games in
the comfort of their own home. The impact on Atari was astounding. Unprofitable for the first three years,
Atari had by the end of 1979 become a success. By either self-designing or licensing the most popular arcade
concepts for cartridge format for use at home, the company had captured some 80 percent of the worldwide
market for home video games.
All of this, however, was too good to last. By late 1982, the public's fascination with arcade games had begun
to slow down, and fewer potential bestsellers were becoming available for conversion to cartridges that could
be used on an Atari machine. At the same time, the market was flooded with illegal software of all types. It
was thus not until the late 1980s that the unstructured nature of the industry, at least on the software side,
had stabilized and become restructured in a manner similar, in many respects, to the book publishing
business.
Until 1986, when Japan-based Nintendo introduced a more technologically sophisticated and user-friendly
game console, the hardware side was also in disarray. But with tight control of software development and
marketing, Nintendo was able to revive and then capture up to 80 percent of a once-again booming market
in which no significant competition appeared until the early 1990s. By that point, the annual operating profits
of Nintendo had already grown to over $1 billion—an amount exceeding the 1991 profits of all the major
Hollywood film studios combined. In 1999, sales of game hardware and software, led by PlayStation, were
equal in size (around $7 billion) to US domestic box-office revenues.
With change the only constant, the game industry has moved on to become what it is today. However, no
matter what the technology or the format, the essence of a successful game will always be the same: it is
simple to understand and to play on an elementary level, but it is compulsive and maddeningly difficult—in
fact, forever impossible—to master fully.
Questions 1-6.
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
A history of video games
1960s
• Spacewar was first played on a computer and special screen.
1970s
• Advances in technology led to cheaper 1. __________ and the possibility of coin-operated video
games.
• The first successful coin-operated video game was 2. __________.
• 3. __________ was bought from its original owners.
• Space Invaders was successful because of its colorful 4. __________.
1980s
• Pac-Man was the first game to attract 5. __________.
1990s
• At first, one company dominated the market.
• By the end of the decade, 6. __________ had become the biggest selling home entertainment
product.
Questions 7-13.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 7-13 on your answer sheet, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
7. Spacewar was unpopular at first.
8. Bushnell and his team failed to create a coin-operated version of Spacewar.
9. From the beginning, the home video game market has been commercially successful.
10. Atari was successful for the first time in 1979.
11. Video arcade game usage continued strongly in the 1980s.
12. The time taken to produce a video game can be compared to producing a book.
13. The qualities needed for a video game to become successful have been researched thoroughly.