The Oldest Cinema

BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeThe Oldest CinemaAndreaI’m inside London’s - and the UK’s - oldest cinema, TheElectric, in the West of London. It’s very grand in herewith gold and cream walls and red velvet¹ carpets. And I’mreally looking forward to enjoying a night at the movies.
　　Jackie:  Hello I'm Jackie Dalton and that was ourreporter, Andrea Rose, at the Electric- the oldest cinema in London and in the UK.
　　More people are going to the movies in the UK than theyhave at any other time in the last 30 years.
　　Over the past few years, more and more multiplex cinemashave been built. Multiplex cinemas are big cinemas withseveral screens showing different movies - usually thelatest blockbusters. 'Blockbusters' are films that are verypopular, like Star Wars or Harry² Potter.
　　But the Electric is a bit different. Listen to Andreatalking about why.
　　AndreaI can see why this is one of the places to watch a film inLondon. I’m stretched out on one of their double sofas andready to watch the film.
　　Jackie:  Andrea is planning on spending her eveningat the cinema watching a film on a double sofa. She saysthat this is one of the most special places to see a filmin London. She does this by emphasising the word 'the'.
　　'This is one of the places to watch a film in London'.
　　Without the emphasis on the word 'the', it would sound likethis.
　　'This is one of the places to watch a film in London.'
　　The stress changes the entire meaning, from being one ofthe most important places to being just one of many cinemaswhere you can watch a film. It’s a funny but effectivetechnique to make a point. Here’s another example.
　　'It’s one of the films in the world of cinema. It’s oneof the films in the world of cinema.'
　　BBClearningenglish.comAndrea describes the history of the building. There are twowords which might be helpful to understand here. One is'auditorium³'. That's the part of the room where people sit.
　　The other is 'music hall', which is a type of theatre withlive music and performers popular in the early 1900s.
　　Now here's a question for you: Why was the auditoriumoriginally designed as a music hall auditorium?
　　AndreaApparently the Electric cinema was constructed in 1910 byarchitect Gerald Seymour Valentin. As there was noestablished cinema 'model' in the UK he designed theauditorium as a music hall.
　　Jackie:  The architect Gerald Seymour Valentindesigned the auditorium as a music hall because before thisthere hadn’t been a cinema in the UK. There was no'established model' – no other cinema to copy.
　　Sadly, the building was never finished. So what’s happenedsince?
　　AndreaIt’s recently been renovated⁴ to become a unique cinematicexperience. It is the only place in London where you canspend a night watching a movie on a comfy leather sofawhile sipping⁵ a cocktail⁶ or a glass of champagne⁷.
　　Jackie:  The cinema has been 'renovated' – repairedand improved – in the last few years and now it’s thoughtof as a unique cinematic experience. That means it’s avery special experience. 'Unique'.
　　When you watch your film, you can lie on a comfortableleather sofa and drink cocktails⁸.
　　Not everyone gets to spend their night at the movies likethis. Adam, who’s a film school graduate, watches films inthe many other cinemas around London and it’s just asenjoyable. So what is his favourite British film?
　　AdamOne of my favourite British films is probably Excalibar.
　　Excalibar is a fantastic film soanybody who’s into Arthurian mythology⁹, that’s the filmto watch.
　　Jackie:  Excalibur is about the mythology of KingArthur. Adam recommends this film if you really likeArthurian mythology. He uses the term 'into', instead of'really like'.
　　'Anybody who’s into Arthurian mythology…'
　　'I'm into films about crime – I'm into comedies.'
　　It’s now time to go back to Andrea at the electric cinemato see what’s happening.
　　AndreaWell although that double leather sofa in the Electriccinema was really comfortable I thinkthe price was a bit above my budget so I’m off to findsomewhere else more cheap and cheerful for a night out inLondon.
　　Jackie:  Oh dear, Andrea didn’t get to have thatcocktail after all. It was too expensive.
　　She uses the expression –a bit above my budgetThis is a gentler way of saying to someone that somethingis too expensive for you.
　　'I’m sorry, but unfortunately it’s a bit above mybudget.'
　　So, instead, Andrea has decided¹⁰ to look for something that’s just as fun but is a lot less money.
　　She says: 'I'm going to find something else that’s cheapand cheerful!'

1 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

2 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

3 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

4 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

5 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

6 cocktail   

n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物

参考例句：

• We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
• At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。

7 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

8 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

9 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。