His early life was a time of great hardship. He was born in a very poor part of London, but his family were at first well off enough to afford a maid. However, while he was still a child, his family gradually lost everything. His father was a comedian and his mother worked as a dancer and singer. Neither of them was very successful and the family had very little money. They were so poor that, at one time, he and his brothers had only one pair of shoes between them and they had to take turns wearing them. His father eventually deserted the family and later died of alcoholism.
The strain caused by this desertion affected his mother deeply. Her career fell apart and in the end she became insane. When his mother had to go into an asylum, he was sent to an orphanage.
The first time he himself earned any money was by dancing and singing when he was only five years old. As a young boy he had many different jobs, but what he loved most of all was working in the theatre. As he said in his autobiography, he felt quite "at home" on the stage, in more ways than one - the stage became an escape from the pain of his family life. When he was about fifteen, he joined a travelling theatre company and went on trips to America. On one such tour he was offered a part in a film, so he went to Hollywood, where eventually he became both an actor and a film director.
In his films we see the influence of his early life: a strong feeling of pity for the poor, a romantic view of women (he worshipped his mother) and a love of applause. His comedies were immediately successful. As well as making policemen look foolish, he also often used the situation where people find themselves in a ridiculous position, but refuse to admit they have a problem. The best example of this is the drunken man who, though obviously drunk in the way he walks and talks, tries to pretend he has not touched a drop. One of his most famous roles is the little tramp who tries but fails to be a gentleman, and so makes us laugh. His films are not always comic; they are often sad and some, like The Great Dictator, contain a strong political message.
As a director he was known to be a perfectionist and sometimes made actors repeat a scene many times until he was finally satisfied with it. Many of the people he worked with found him mean and tyrannical, but it was probably his early experiences of poverty that made him so anxious to be successful. He is undoubtedly the most popular comedian of all time. He died in Switzerland in 1977 at the age of 88. There is now i statue of him in London, the city of his birth.
1. Although the family were poor, ...
A. they got on well with each other.
B. they quickly became famous.
C. things had once been better.
D. they were able in make ends meet.
2. His mother's career ended when ....
Moon.vn - Học để khẳng định mình 46 Hotline: 0432 99 98 98 A. she began to drink too much.
B. she went mad.
C. her husband left her.
D. she became too old.
3. What he liked most about the theatre was....
A. that it helped him to forget his problems.
B. the money he earned.
C. the applause of the audience.
D. that his family worked there.
4. In what way did his early life affect his work in cinema?
A. He wanted to make people laugh.
B. He made a film about his mother.
C. He showed the life of the poor.
D. He wanted his films to make money.
5. The drunken man is funny because ...
A. he behaves seriously.
B. he talks in a drunken manner.
C. he behaves as if he is sober.
D. he keeps falling down.
5. His films can be described as … A. just entertainment.
B. political and romantic.
C. serious and comic.
D. love stones.
7. What was he like as a director?
A. He was difficult to please.
B. He was keen to please everyone.
C. He was anxious to finish.
D. He was never satisfied with his work.
PASSAGE 30
Moon.vn - Học để khẳng định mình 47 Hotline: 0432 99 98 98 Although I left university with a good degree, I suddenly found that it was actually quite hard to find a job. After being unemployed for a few months, I realised I had to take the first thing that came along or I'd be in serious financial difficulties.
And so, for six very long months, I became a market research telephone interviewer.
I knew it wasn't the best company in the world when they told me that I'd have to undergo three days of training before starting work, and that I wouldn't get paid for any of it. Still, 1 knew that the hourly rate when I actually did start full time would be a lot better than unemployment benefit, and I could work up to twelve hours a day, seven days a week if I wanted. So, 1 thought of the money I'd earn and put up with three days of unpaid training. Whatever those three days taught me – and I can't realty remember anything about them today - I wasn't prepared for the way I would be treated by the supervisors.
It was worse than being at school. There were about twenty interviewers like myself, each sitting in a small, dark booth with an ancient computer and a dirty telephone. The booths were around the walls of the fifth floor of a concrete office block, and the supervisors sat in the middle of the room, listening in to all of our telephone
interviews. We weren't allowed to talk to each other, and if we took more than about two seconds from ending one phone call and starting another, they would shout at us to hurry up and get on with our jobs. We even had to ask permission to go to the toilet. I was amazed how slowly the day went. Our first break of the day came at eleven o'clock, two hours after we started. Ill always remember that feeling of despair when I would look at my watch thinking, "It must be nearly time for the break", only to find that it was quarter to ten and that there was another hour and a quarter to go. My next thought was always, "I can't believe I'm going to be here until nine o'clock tonight."
It wouldn't have been so bad if what we were doing had been useful. But it wasn't. Most of our interviews were for a major telecommunications company. We'd have to ring up businesses and ask them things like, "Is your telecoms budget more than three million pounds a year?"
The chances are we’d get the reply, "Oh, I don't think so. I’ll ask my husband This a corner shop. We've only got one phone." And so the day went on. The most frightening aspect of the job was that I was actually quite good at it. "Oh no!" I thought. "Maybe I'm destined to be a market researcher for the rest of my life." My boss certainly seemed to think so. One day - during a break, of course - she ordered me into her office. "Simon," she said, "I'm promoting you.
From tomorrow, you're off telecoms and onto credit card complaints. I'm sure you can handle it. There's no extra pay, but it is a very responsible position." Three weeks later I quit. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
1. Why did the writer become a market research telephone interviewer?
A. He had completely run out of money.
B. He had the right university degree for the job, C. It was the first job he was offered.
D. He knew it was only for six months.
2. The writer had doubts about the company when ….
A. they only offered him three days of training.
B. they told him he wouldn't receive payment for his training.
C. they told him he had to be trained first.
D. he was told what the hourly rate would be.
3. His workplace could best be described as …
Moon.vn - Học để khẳng định mình 48 Hotline: 0432 99 98 98 A. large and noisy.
B. silent and dirty.
C. untidy and crowded.
D. old-fashioned and uncomfortable.
4. How did he feel when he realised it wasn't time for the break yet?
A. He felt that he would have to go home early.
B. He felt that he wouldn't survive to the end of the day.
C. He felt that the end of the day seemed so long away.
D. He felt that he must have made a mistake.
5. What would have made the job more bearable?
A. knowing that he was carrying out a valuable service B. being able to phone much larger companies
C. not having to talk to shopkeepers D. not having to ring up businesses
6. What was unusual about Simon's promotion?
A. It showed how good he was at his job.
B. It meant he would be phoning different people.
C. It involved greater responsibility.
D. There was no increase in salary.
7. What would be the most suitable title for this extract?
A. Typical Office Life B. Unpleasant Employment C. How To Earn a Decent Salary D. You Get What You Deserve