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Elvis Presley — Story of a Superstar
When Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, radio and television programmes all over the world were interrupted to give the news of his death. President Carter was asked to declare a day of national mourning. Carter said: "Elvis Presley changed the face of American popular culture... He was unique and irreplaceable". Eighty thousand people attended his funeral. The streets were jammed with cars, and Elvis Presley movies were shown on television, and his records were played on the radio all day. In the year after his death, 100 million Presley albums were sold.
Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse Garon, died at birth. His parents were very poor and Elvis never had music lessons, but he was surrounded by music from an early age. His parents were very religious, and Elvis regularly sang at church services. In 1948, when he was thirteen, his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He left school in 1953 and got a job as a truck driver.
In the summer of 1953 Elvis paid $4 and recorded two songs for his mother's birthday at Sam Phillips's Sun Records studio. Sam Phillips heard Elvis and asked him to record "That's All Right" in July 1954. 20,000 copies were sold, mainly in and around Memphis. He made five more records for Sun, and in July 1955 he met Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager in November. Parker sold Elvis's contract to RCA Records. Sun Records got $35,000 and Elvis got $5,000. With the money he bought a pink Cadillac for his mother. On January 10, 1956, Elvis recorded "Heartbreak Hotel", and a million copies were sold. In the next fourteen months he made another fourteen records, and they were all big hits. In 1956 he also made his first movie in Hollywood.
In March 1958, Elvis had to join the army. When his hair was cut thousands of women cried. He spent the next two years in Germany, where he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who became his wife eight years later on May 1, 1967. In 1960 he left the army and went to Hollywood where he made several movies during the next few years. By 1968 many people had become tired of Elvis. He hadn't performed live since I960. But he recorded a new album, "From Elvis in Memphis", and appeared in a TV special. He became popular again, and went to Las Vegas, where he was paid $750,000 for four weeks. In 1972 his wife left him, and they were divorced in October 1973. He died of a heart attack. He had been working too hard and eating and drinking too much for several years. He left all his money to his only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. She became one of the richest people in the world when she was only nine years old.
to interrupt— прерывать; death— смерть, кончина; to declare— объявлять, заявлять, провозглашать; mourning— траур; unique— не имеющий равных, единственный в своем роде; irreplaceable — незаменимый; funeral — похороны, похоронная процессия; to jam with cars — создавать "пробки " на дорогах; religious — религиозный; church service — церковная служба; heart attack — сердечный приступ
Text 6
John Lennon
John Lennon was murdered just before 11 p.m. on December 8, 1980, outside the Dakota, an apartment building where he lived in New York City. He had just got out of a car and was walking to the entrance when a voice called, "Mr.Lennon." Lennon turned and was shot five times. The killer threw his gun down and stood there smiling. "Do you know what you just did?" shouted the doorman. "I just short John Lennon," the killer replied. Lennon was rushed to the hospital in a police car, but it was too late. The killer was 25 year-old Mark Chapman from Hawaii. Earlier the same evening he had asked Lennon for his autograph. In fact, he had been hanging around outside the apartment building for several days. Chapman was a fan of Lennon and had tried to imitate him in many ways. It is said that he even believed that he was John Lennon.
Biographical Notes
1940 Born in Liverpool, England.
1942 Lennon family deserted by father. Mother leaves. John brought up by aunt.
1956 Forms rock band at school.
1957 Student at Liverpool College of Art.
1958 Mother killed in car accident.
1960Goes professional as one of "The Beatles" (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Best, Sutcliffe). Plays in Hamburg, Germany.
1961 Plays in Hamburg and Liverpool. Sutcliffe (Lennon's best friend) dies of brain tumor. Brain Epstein begins to manage the Beatles.
1962 Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best as Beatles drummer. Married Cynthia Powell, an art student. Beatles' first record "Love Me Do." First TV appearance.
1963 Three records Number 1 in British Top 20. Incredible popularity. Son Julian born.
1964First hit record in U.S. "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Two U.S. tours. In
April, Beatles' records Number 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in U.S. Top 20. First movie
"A Hard Day's Night". First book.
1965 "Help!" Beatles' second movie. Beatlemania at its height. U.S. tour. Huge
audiences in sports stadiums. Beatles receive MBE (special honorary award) from Queen Elizabeth.
1966 Lennon in movie "How I Won the War" — not a musical. Meets Yoko Ono, Japanese avant-garde artist.
1967 "Sergeant Pepper" — Beatles' most famous album. All the Beatles
interested in meditation. Manager Brian Epstein found dead from overdose of sleeping pills.
1968 In India with Beatles for meditation. Beatles' company, "Apple", founded. Lennon art exhibit "You Are Here" Lennon divorced by wife.
1969 Beatles' movie "Let It Be". Rumors of quarrels about money. Talk of Beatles breaking up. Beatles' last public performance on roof of Apple Building. Lennon and Yoko marry. He 29, she Lennon still recording with Beatles but some work solo.
1970 McCartney leaves Beatles. Others start solo careers.
1971 Lennon's album "Imagine" — most successful album. Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York one-room studio apartment.
1972 Charity concerts.
1973 Lennon and Yoko Ono separate. Lennon in Los Angeles. Lennon ordered to leave U.S. — protests and appeals.
1974 Drinking problems — still fighting deportation.
1975 Lennon and Yoko Ono together again in New York. Permission to stay in U.S. Son Sean born October 9 (Lennon's birthday).
1976 Retires from public life. Extensive travel. Business affairs managed by Yoko Ono.
1976 Full-time father. Very close relationship with son. Owns seven apartments in same building — one for cold storage of fur coats.
1980 First record in six years. Album "Double Fantasy." Single "Starting Over." Good reviews from critics. Many said it was "a new beginning." Dec.8 Lennon murdered. Massive media coverage. TV and radio programmes interrupted to give news. Record companies on overtime to meet demand for records.
1981Three records in Top 20 charts: "(Just Like) Starting Over," "Imagine", and "Woman."
1984Lennon's last album, "Milk and Honey"released. "Nobody Told Me" reaches Top 20.
to be murdered— быть убитым; killer— убийца; permission -разрешение; honey —мед
EXERCISES
I. Answer the following questions:
1. What kind of music do you prefer to listen to?
2. Are you fond of music? Why?
3. Which composer do you like best? Can you say anything about your favourite composer?
4. Which is the largest concert hall in Moscow(in the town where you live)? Describe it, please.
5. Which recitals do you generally attend? Why?
6. Do you like classical music?
7. What is your favourite singer (musician, composer, pianist, violinist, guitarist)?
8. Which music do you prefer: classical or contemporary (modern)?
9. Do you enjoy Russian folk music? Why?
10.What is your opinion of jazz (dance music, chamber music, symphonic music, instrumental music)?
11. What role does music play in our life?
II. Fill in the missing words.
1. Many books have been written on the mysteries of________ form, yet few make it clear that form is not a _____________into which the composer pours his music, but a__ ______process of presenting those ideas most effectively.
2. It is the business of the___________ to choose a suitable form for the movement of his composition and if he knows his job, the___________________ _________will be there.
3. "Music is a_______________ and I have endeavoured to vest my symphony with those feelings which our people.
4. When the audience heard the inspiring first performance of Shostakovich's Seventh_______, they followed the composer's _______________of musical thought which he embodied in his work.
5. The ________________ life in our country is not limited to the activities of composers alone.
6. Our singers and ____________ , pianists and _____________ make concert tours of our country and abroad.
7. The traditions_____________ by Glinka were brilliantly developed by Rubinstein, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky- Korsakov.
8. It was Tchaikovsky who wrote music that changed the _________ art.
9. Everyone finds something of individual____________ and charm in its______ concerts.
III. Match each word in the left-hand column with the best meaning in the right-hand column. Place the letter of the best definition in the space provided.
__ 1. recital a. a writer of music.
__ 2. music-stool b. a person who plays a musical accompaniment.
__ 3. composer с a person who directs an orchestra, chorus, etc.
__ 4. form d. a programme of music, vocal or instrumental, represented by
one person.
__ 5. accompanist e. a musical performance of some length by
several voices or instruments or both.
__ 6. minuet f. a seat without a back, used when playing the piano
__ 7. cantata g. a piece of music to be sung by solists and a chorus
__ 8. concert h. the style or manner of expression
__ 9. conductor i. an instrument used by band players
__ 10. xylophone j. music for a graceful slow dance
UNIT 4
ARTS
Art plays an important role in the life of a man and sometimes it is next to impossible to live without it. It is natural that the first thing that comes to my mind at the mention of the word 'art' is museums.
A museum is a stock of the world's masterpieces, it is the place, where you can enrich knowledge, you can look at the achievements of mankind, you can satisfy your aesthetic taste. Museums give the possibility to be always in touch with the past and every time discover something new for yourself. Besides, museums play an important role in the life of any nation. A museum is just the right place to find out lots of interesting things about history, traditions and habits of different peoples. One may find in museums papers, photos, books, scripts, works ofart, personal things of famous people etc. All this helps us to better understand historical events, scientific discoveries, character and deeds of well-known personalities.
I think museums somehow effect the formation of personality, his outlook. Every educated person is sure to understand the great significance of museums in our life, especially nowadays, when after the humdrum of everyday life you may go to your favourite museum, relax there with your body and soul and acquire inner harmony and balance.
I am a regular museum-goer. In fact I visited no less than 20 museums. Among them: the Louver, the National Gallery, the Shakespeare House in Stratford-on Avon, the Oxford story exhibition, Museum of Reading, Madam Tussaud's Exhibition, the Tretyakov Gallery and others. We can hardly find a town in our country without its «Fine Arts» Museum. I've been in Voronezh, Kislovodsk, Essentuky and some other regional museums.
Now I want to write about the Tretyakov Gallery, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Hermitage, about their history and their collections.