Text 2. Part 2. The 1950—1980s

PRE-READING

1. What do you know about the following things:

– the arrival of the television;

– gimmicks used to make film watching more entertaining;

– home «hi-fi» arrangements

2. Look at the statement: «In the 1950s, the rise of the television became a real threat to the cinema.» Why do you think it happened? Work in groups of three or four and discuss your ideas. Report them to the class.

3. What do you think these words and word combinations mean?

Dominant source, public entertainment, film studios, technological advance, 3D glasses, auditorium, limit, economic factors, professionals, frustration, numerous technical problems, vinyl medium, aesthetic problems, full-range front channels, minimum number of speakers.

4. Name some more words and phrases you know relating to the subject.

SUBJECT AND LANGUAGE STUDY

Reading

5. Skim the reading passage to complete the statements.

The text considers…

It describes…

Each paragraph tells us…

6. Look through the passage and spot the answers to these questions.

1) What technological advances did the film studios introduce to fight the television?

2) Why did the idea of the four-channel configuration Quad fail?

3) When did the system 5.1 appear?

By the early 1950s, the movie certainly remained the dominant source of public entertainment. Nevertheless, the rise of the television became a real threat to the cinema. In fact, the growing popularity of the television influenced meaningfully the profits of the film industry. The film studios fought back desperately introducing one technological advance after another. Though some of them were just gimmicks to attract viewers (things like 3D glasses), other ones, such as the wide-screen cinemascope, eventually developed into significant improvements. Another achievement worth mentioning was a four-channel stereo (three front speakers accompanied by a switchable «effects» speaker). Soon after that, 70 mm 6-track film was invented. It had five front channels (left, left/center, center, center/right, right) plus a dedicated effects channel placed in the auditorium. However, mastering these technologies was limited by certain economic factors.

Home audio systems were also evolving greatly. By the 1960s, home «hi-fi» arrangements were all the rage. Stereo sound replaced monaural as a standard. The stereo recordings of a ping – pong ball bouncing between speakers stimulated the rise of today’s consumer surround sound.

In the early 1970s many professionals felt a kind of frustration at the scanty abilities of two speakers leading to research into the consumer surround sound which resulted in an analog four – channel configuration called Quad. It was a progressive idea going ahead of its time. It failed, however, beset by numerous technical (inability of the vinyl medium to carry four discrete signals without strong crosstalk and compromises in frequency response), economic (there were a lot of competing, non-compatible formats) and even aesthetic problems (the public did not completely understand the psychoacoustics of the four-channel sound.)

However, by the late 1970s, the first digital audio sets made an appearance at the market. The film industry was pushing forward its positions, too. Dolby Laboratories started their work at a matrixing system «Dolby Stereo» where three front speakers and an array of rear speakers received information through four channels derived from two stereo channels that were printed optically onto film. Dolby professionals also made an introduction of a separate «boom» subwoofer channel, or so called the «LFE channel» (which stands for Low Frequency Effects). It effectively increased dynamic range (the difference between the softest sound and the loudest sound perceived) in cinematic installations.

By the mid – 1980s, the system 5.1 was supposed to be a standard for 70 mm cinematic releases. It was composed of three full-range front channels (left, center, right), two full-range rear channels, and a subwoofer. In the name «5.1» the». 1» stands for the LFE channel because it carries only approximately one – tenth of the frequency range of the other channels. Researchers considered this as being the minimum number of speakers needed to supply the listener with an enveloping, immersive sound perception, as well as providing a sufficient level of localization (the capability to receive a sound as coming from a definite point in space). The 5.1 is still the most common configuration used for surround sound today.

Essential glossary

• profit – прибыль, выгода

• advance – продвижение, достижение

• gimmick – приём, трюк, уловка

• viewer – зритель

• improvement – улучшение, усовершенствование

• achievement – достижение

• switchable – переключаемый

• dedicated channel – выделенный канал

• be all the rage – достигать крайней степени, предела

• monaural sound – монауральный, относящийся к одному уху, монофонический

• consumer – потребитель

• research – научное исследование

• vinyl medium – виниловый носитель

• crosstalk – перекрёстные помехи, диафония

• frequency response – частотная характеристика

• psychoacoustics – психоакустика

• range – диапазон

• installation – установка, инсталляция

• compose – составлять, компоновать

• approximately – примерно, приблизительно

• immersive – многонаправленный, с одновременным воздействием на человека посредством нескольких каналов восприятия (зрение, слух, осязание, обоняние); иммерсивный, создающий эффект присутствия

• sufficient – удовлетворительный

• the most common – наиболее употребляемый

• capability – способность

7. Scan the article and use the words in brackets to complete the statements.

1) By the early 1950s, the increasing popularity of the television became a… to the movies.

2) By the 1960s, home «hi-fi» schemes were all the rage. Stereo sound took the place of… as a standard.

3) In spite of being a progressive idea going ahead of its time, the usage of… failed, attacked by numerous technical, economic, and even aesthetic problems.

4) The 1970s featured intense development of both audio and…

5) By the mid – 1980s, …, which still remains the most widely used surround sound configuration, became a standard for 70 mm cinematic releases.

(5.1 system, real threat, video technologies, monaural, Quad)

8. Read the text in more detail and answer the questions.

1) What source of public entertainment threatened the cinema in the early 50s?

2) What did the film studios do in what seemed to be a losing battle with television? What technological advances were offered by audio engineers?

3) What sound system was accepted as a standard instead of the old one in the early 1960s?

4) What caused the first exploration into the consumer surround sound? What was its result?

5) When did the early digital audio devices appear at the marketplace?

6) What does «Dolby Stereo» consist of?

7) What does the». 1» stand for in the system 5.1?

9. Find the English equivalents for the following words and expressions in the text.

Основной источник в сфере развлечений; развитие (восхождение) телевидения; угроза кинематографу; прибыли в сфере киноиндустрии; одно техническое достижение за другим; уловки для привлечения зрителей; в конечном итоге преобразовались в значительные усовершенствования; достижение, которое стоит упомянуть; который располагался в зрительном зале; освоение этих технологий; скудные возможности систем с двумя динамиками; система объёмного звука для потребителя; идея, опережающая своё время; осаждённая многочисленными техническими, экономическими проблемами, и даже проблемами чувственного восприятия; конкурирующие, несовместимые форматы; набор задних колонок; динамический диапазон; кинематографические установки; приблизительно одна десятая частотного диапазона других каналов; определённая точка пространства.

Grammar revision: active and passive voice

We use the active voice to say what the subject of the sentence does:

In the 1970s, Dolby professionals made an introduction of a separate «boom» subwoofer channel, or so called the «LFE channel».

We use the passive voice to say that something happens to the subject:

However, mastering these technologies was limited by certain economic factors.

Here is some more information about the passive voice.

We use a passive verb

1) when what or who causes the action is unimportant, unknown or obvious from the context:

Two new studios have been built recently.

2) to sound more formal or more polite:

The letter hasn’t been sent. (Instead of: You haven’t sent the mail.)

3) when the action itself is more important than who or what does it (in technological processes, reports, newspaper headings, manuals, instructions, regulations etc.):

Dolby Stereo Digital was first encoded on the 1992 film Batman Returns.

4) to put more emphasis on the agent:

The new laboratory will be opened by the company president.

We form the passive voice with the verb to be and the past participle of the main verb:

be (is/was/have been etc.) + the past participle (made/ washed/done etc.)

10. Fill the gaps in the sentences with the verbs given. Use them in the correct tense either in the active or in passive voice.

Remain, influence, introduce, limit, evolve, fail, beset, receive, increase.

1) Some of these technological advances finally _______ into meaningful improvements.

2) The cinematic systems of that time were unable to produce loud low frequency signals without clipping, that’s why a subwoofer channel (also called the «LFE channel») _____ ______ by Dolby Laboratories.

3) Though the pioneering idea of the Quad installation______, it led to further exploration into consumer surround sound.

4) The acceptance of new technologies, especially since the expansion of television was making serious inroads into the profit margins of the cinematograph, _____ ______ by certain economic factors.

5) Until the early 1950s the dominance of the movie was obvious and it _______ the main source of public entertainment.

6) By the late 1970s, specialists at Dolby Laboratories started their development of the Dolby Stereo system, whereby information _____ _____ by three front speakers and a few rear speakers.

7) The invention of the «boom» subwoofer channel had an added advantage: it effectively ______ the dynamic range of theatrical installations.

8) The growing popularity of television certainly _______ the development of the film industry.

9) The analog four-channel arrangement Quad turned out to _____ _____ by a multitude of economic, technical, and aesthetic problems that eventually led to its failure.

Vocabulary work: adjectives and adverbs

A lot of adverbs are made from adjectives by adding —ly:

Quick-quickly, careful-carefully

Note that not all words, which end in —ly, are adverbs. There are some adjectives that have the —ly ending, too:

Friendly, lively, etc.

11. Transform the adjectives into adverbs using the pattern given below. Work out the meaning of the unknown words from the text.

Example: amazing – amazingly

Certain, real, meaningful, desperate, eventual, significant, great, progressive, complete, optical, separate, effective, approximate, sufficient, definite.

Use the words in sentences of your own.

TALKING AND DISCUSSING POINT

12. Make a plan to the article using your notes in exercise 5.

13. Write a key sentence for each point of your plan.

14. Make a summary of the article adding a few more sentences to each point of your plan. Use the key words.

15. Answer the «What do you think» questions.

1) Why did television threaten the cinema in the early 1950s?

2) Which of the two opponents —the movie or the television – has eventually won?

3) Why 3D glasses are called a gimmick in the text? What other «gimmicks» used to attract audience can you name?

4) Are there any economic, technical and aesthetic problems in the sphere of the sound production nowadays?

5) What technological advances in the surround sound will be achieved in the nearest future?

WRITING

16. Write a commentary that contains two arguments for and two arguments against the statement: «Society cannot do without technologies.» Write 120—180 words.

17. Write an essay commenting on the following statement (State Exam Writing).

Work is the most important thing in life.

Do you agree with the statement? What is your point of view?

Write 200—250 words.

Use the plan below:

– make an introduction (state the problem)

– express your personal opinion giving 2—3 reasons to support it

– express an opposing opinion giving 1—2 reasons for it

– explain why you do not agree with the opposing opinion

– write a conclusion restating your position

CHECK POINT

18. Complete the sentences choosing from the words in brackets. Use the information you have learnt from Unit 1, Part 2.

1) Though some advances introduced by the film studios in the 1950s were just … (gimmicks, failures, digital schemes) to attract viewers, other ones eventually developed into significant improvements.

2) The stereo recordings of a … (child, ping – pong ball, football) bouncing between speakers encouraged the growth of the modern consumer surround sound.

3) In the early 1970s, the … (research, experiment, record) into the consumer surround sound led to an analog four – channel configuration called Quad.

4) The «LFE channel» invented by Dolby specialists in the 1970s really (decreased, made, increased) dynamic range in cinematic configurations.

5) In the name «5.1» the». 1» stands for the LFE channel because it carries only approximately (one-third, one-fifth, one-tenth) of the frequency range of the other channels.