英语听力精选进阶版 6275

The Cinema and Home Cinema 电影院和家庭影院

Do you wish you could watch the latest Hollywood releases without leaving the comfort of your home?

You might be able to do just that soon – if you've got the cash.

Prima Cinema is a new service in the USA that will offer subscribers the opportunity to watch brand new films on the day of their release.

At the moment, movie fans generally have to wait at least a couple of months before a picture is released on DVD or for digital download. For some people, that makes 'home cinema' just a phrase.

But subscribers to Prima will be able to enjoy the latest blockbuster, romcom or thriller¹ if they invest $20,000 (130,000 yuan) in a special set-top box.

That might seem a lot of money but the expenditure² doesn't end there. Each film will cost $500 (3,200 yuan) and since every download will be around 30 gigabytes, subscribers will probably need a high-end internet connection.

Prima Cinema's founder³, Jason Pang⁴, is unapologetic. "Quite frankly⁵, it does cost that much simply because of the security," he said.

He is sure that there are enough rich people with expensive home theatre setups to make this new venture work.

But what about the experience of going to the cinema? Could this new service mean the end of going to the multiplex to catch a flick⁶ on a Friday night?

Jason Pang thinks not. Of his typical customer, he says: "This is not a client that goes to their box office on a regular basis."

Quiz 测验

1. When will Prima subscribers be able to watch new movies? 

On the day of their release.

2. Why is home cinema just a phrase for some film fans? 

Because they can't see brand new films, these customers don't think that home cinema compares to the real cinema.

3. Is this statement true, false or not given? Jason Pang rejects the idea that Prima Cinema isn't good value. 

True. He says that the cost to the consumer represents the production cost of supplying a secure system.

4. Is this statement true, false or not given? Jason Pang thinks his customers are regular cinema-goers. 

False. He says they don't go to their box office on a regular basis.

5. Look at the article. How many synonyms⁷ can you see for the word 'film'? 

Picture, movie and flick are all synonyms. 'Release' means a new film, album, etc.

Glossary 词汇表

release 新电影 

subscriber 用户 

picture （口语）影片 

digital download 网上下载 

home cinema 家庭影院 

blockbuster 热门大片 

romcom 浪漫情感电影 

thriller 惊悚片 

set-top box 机顶盒，接受器 

gigabyte 千兆 

high-end 高端的 

home theatre setup 家庭影院设备

venture 商业经营项目 

multiplex 多银幕电影院 

to catch a flick （口语）看电影 

box office 票房

1 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

2 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

3 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

4 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

7 synonyms   

同义词( synonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
• Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。