03 04 communication u2b

Module

2B

A World of Mystery

The late 19th century and early 20th century marked the time
of two inventions that had great impact on society: cinema
and television. These developments soon became sources of
entertainment and news. They facilitated communication and
brought the world together.
These industries gave rise to and had a strong effect on a mass
audience. At first, performers attracted great public interest
with their accomplishments and gained fame as a result of their
outstanding work. However, this perception changed with the
expansion of cinema and television.
Stars became products of the mass media and were called
celebrities. They did not need to possess great skills to be part of
the industry. In fact, the media changed its format and invented
celebrities. These individuals became products that the audience
bought. People got more interested in the lives of film and
television personalities than in their abilities.
Undoubtedly, cinema and television are creators
of celebrities and myths. Sometimes, they build
a reality parallel to daily life – reality shows are
obvious examples. Some series and characters
have become cult figures followed by millions
of fanatics. For example, Elvis Presley became
a kind of demigod for the American culture.
Series like Star Trek and The X-Files are
studied in congresses. There are even books

published on Star Trek Science. Actually,
cinema and television blurred the boundaries
between fact and fiction in such a way that
could not be established again.

Activities
1Answer the following questions.
aWhat were the advantages of the invention of the cinema and TV?

bHow did a star gain fame?

c What abilities did celebrities have to show?

dGive examples of films which illustrate reality shows.

English Toolkit 1 - Communication

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

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Module

2B
2Write the words in the box under the correct heading.
accomplishments

products

reality shows

work

Stars

no remarkable skills

great abilities

Celebrities

abuy:

ecan:

bbecome:

f give:

c bring:

gget:

Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

3Write the past form of these irregular verbs and underline them in the text.

dhave:

4Look at the picture and answer these questions.
aWhat movie is this image from?

bWho are the main actors / actresses?

cDo you know the story? What is it about?

dWhat genre does it belong to? (detective, horror, adventure,
western, romance, humorous, science fiction, biographical story)
eCan you tell a story from this image?


5In groups of four students write a movie, television or comic script with
four characters, showing some changes in space, time and action.

English Toolkit 1 - Communication

Robin Hood / Universal Pictures