Quickly read the blog and find the author’s opinion on the following names?

1. Robert Downey Jr.

2. Gone with the Wind

3. Ashish Sharma

4. Bãhubali

Film records

The record books are full of great film trivia, but only gossip about stars is usually heard. I like the gossip, but what about the film trivia we aren't told about? Some film records are much more interesting. For example, did you know that Robert Downey Jr. was paid more than any other actor for his role as Iron Man in the Avengers films (the huge sum of eighty million US dollars)? And I bet you can’t guess which film has the record for the most tickets sold. I was amazed! Well, apparently more cinema tickets were sold for Gone with the Wind, a 1930s romance, than for any other film. I haven’t even seen it but it sounds terrible! The classic science fiction film Star Wars comes a close second, and I’m sure that it’s a much better movie.

One truly unbelievable film record was set by a man called Ashish Sharma in Mathura, India, in 2008. He sat in a cinema and watched films for an incredible 120 hours and twenty-three minutes – that’s forty-eight films in total.

Another film-related record from India is about the world’s largest film poster. It was made to advertise India’s biggest action film of 2015, Bãahubali. The size of it is extraordinary! At nearly 5,000 square metres, it’s more than half the size of a professional football pitch! It wasn’t made in the usual way. It was designed by the film’s director S. S. Rajamouli and it was made by a team of thirty people who worked around the clock for three days.

Read the Study Strategy. Practise reading the blog out loud.

Film records

The record books are full of great film trivia, but only gossip about stars is usually heard. I like the gossip, but what about the film trivia we aren't told about? Some film records are much more interesting. For example, did you know that Robert Downey Jr. was paid more than any other actor for his role as Iron Man in the Avengers films (the huge sum of eighty million US dollars)? And I bet you can’t guess which film has the record for the most tickets sold. I was amazed! Well, apparently more cinema tickets were sold for Gone with the Wind, a 1930s romance, than for any other film. I haven’t even seen it but it sounds terrible! The classic science fiction film Star Wars comes a close second, and I’m sure that it’s a much better movie.

One truly unbelievable film record was set by a man called Ashish Sharma in Mathura, India, in 2008. He sat in a cinema and watched films for an incredible 120 hours and twenty-three minutes – that’s forty-eight films in total.

Another film-related record from India is about the world’s largest film poster. It was made to advertise India’s biggest action film of 2015, Bãahubali. The size of it is extraordinary! At nearly 5,000 square metres, it’s more than half the size of a professional football pitch! It wasn’t made in the usual way. It was designed by the film’s director S. S. Rajamouli and it was made by a team of thirty people who worked around the clock for three days.

VOCABULARY PLUS Use a dictionary to check the meaning of the words in blue in the text.

Film records

The record books are full of great film trivia, but only gossip about stars is usually heard. I like the gossip, but what about the film trivia we aren't told about? Some film records are much more interesting. For example, did you know that Robert Downey Jr. was paid more than any other actor for his role as Iron Man in the Avengers films (the huge sum of eighty million US dollars)? And I bet you can’t guess which film has the record for the most tickets sold. I was amazed! Well, apparently more cinema tickets were sold for Gone with the Wind, a 1930s romance, than for any other film. I haven’t even seen it but it sounds terrible! The classic science fiction film Star Wars comes a close second, and I’m sure that it’s a much better movie.

One truly unbelievable film record was set by a man called Ashish Sharma in Mathura, India, in 2008. He sat in a cinema and watched films for an incredible 120 hours and twenty-three minutes – that’s forty-eight films in total.

Another film-related record from India is about the world’s largest film poster. It was made to advertise India’s biggest action film of 2015, Bãahubali. The size of it is extraordinary! At nearly 5,000 square metres, it’s more than half the size of a professional football pitch! It wasn’t made in the usual way. It was designed by the film’s director S. S. Rajamouli and it was made by a team of thirty people who worked around the clock for three days.

3. Read the text about the film The Theory of Everything and answer the questions that follow.

The Theory of Everything is a biographical film, directed by James Marsh in 2014. It stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.

The film is about the life of the scientist Stephen Hawking. It was adapted by Anthony McCarten from the book Travelling to infinity: My1ife with Stephen by the scientist’s wife, Jane Hawking. The film is set in England in the early 1960s. It tells the story of Hawking’s relationship with his wife, the diagnosis of his motor neuron disease and his success in the field of physics.

The film received positive reviews. People say it is a must-see. I agree, because the story is moving and the acting is excellent. The music is also incredible. Although The Theory of Everything is a little sad at times, its story is very interesting and there is a lot of action. Go and see it if you can.

1. What kind of film is The Theory of Everything?

à _____________________________________________________________________

2. Who stars in it?  

à__________________________________________________________________         3. What is it about?                                                   

à _____________________________________________________________________

4. What book was it adapted from?                          

à _____________________________________________________________________

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 28 to 34.

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty–eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies.

Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and halfdollars were produced with sixteen stars.

As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars–one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error.

The expression “Curiously enough” is used because the author finds it strange that _______

A. Silver coins with fifteen stars appeared before coins with thirteen

B. Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in 1794

C. Tennessee was the first state to use half dimes

D. No silver coins were issued until 1794

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 28 to 34.

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies.

Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and halfdollars were produced with sixteen stars.

As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars-one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error.

The expression “Curiously enough” is used because the author finds it strange that _______.

A. Silver coins with fifteen stars appeared before coins with thirteen

B. Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in 1794

C. Tennessee was the first state to use half dimes 

D. No silver coins were issued until 1794

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies. Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee

in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and half-dollars were produced with sixteen starts. As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars-one for each ofthe original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die breakand is not a true error.

Which of the following can be inferred about the order in which Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vermont joined the Union?

A. Vermont joined after Tennessee and Kentucky

B. Kentucky joined before Tennessee and Vermont

C. Tennessee joined Vermont and Kentucky

D. Vermont and Kentucky joined at the same time.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies. Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and half-dollars were produced with sixteen starts. As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars-one for each ofthe original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die breakand is not a true error.

Which of the following can be inferred about the order in which Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vermont joined the Union?

A. Vermont joined after Tennessee and Kentucky

B. Kentucky joined before Tennessee and Vermont

C. Tennessee joined Vermont and Kentucky

D. Vermont and Kentucky joined at the same time

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 28 to 34.

Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty–eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies.

Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and halfdollars were produced with sixteen stars.

As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars–one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error.

Why was a coin produced in 1828 with only twelve stars?

A. There was a change in design policy

B. There were twelve states at the time

C. The mint made a mistake

D. Tennessee had left the Union