Walt Disney is one of the 20th century's most famous filmmakers, most famous for revolutionizing animation and turning our most famous folk tales into blockbuster animation movies. He also went into the theme park business, establishing Disneyland, Disney World and many others with great success.
He was born in Chicago in 1901, but his family moved to Missouri, and then Kansas City when he was growing up. He moved out to California in the early 1920's. He'd been interested in drawing from the beginning, and had taken some classes before he went. He set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy, but it became the Walt Disney Company and eventually became one of the U.S.'s largest and most successful companies. He developed the character Mickey Mouse early on, and adapted well with the development of color and technicolor, often with animation, in movies. Snow White (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), and Cinderella (1950) were some of his earliest movie versions of popular folk tales, but Fantasia (1940) was the one where he really showed his skill with mixing animation, color, and music. He did non-animated movies as well; Mary Poppins (1964) received five Academy Awards.
Having made as many movies as he did, Disney had a huge influence on American culture. His movies came out at critical times while the nation moved through two world wars, a depression, and other difficult experiences. He has been accused of racism and anti-semitism because of things in his movies, but he also has many defenders who say it would be difficult to make so many movies in that era and not be accused of those things later.
He had a wife and two daughters, whose privacy he protected strongly, and his love of theme parks came from his desire to have a place where families could go to enjoy life and spend time together. Although Disney World did not open until after he died, and EPCOT Center became an attraction rather than a model city as he'd intended, the success of his parks was based on the success of his movies and thus they were ensured success in the broader cultural variety of places to go.
He was a heavy smoker all his life, and died of cancer in 1966. He ended up being involved in 81 movies, many of them blockbusters, and all of which will play an important role in American entertainment for years to come.
___ 1. Without using a dictionary, figure out whether a "blockbuster" movie is:
a. very short
b. very long
c. very fast-moving
d. very successful
___ 2. Bambi (1942) is given as an example of:
a. a movie that features an animal
b. an animated movie taken from a folk tale
c. a movie that received Academy Awards
d. an animated movie with Mickey Mouse in it
___ 3. Without using a dictionary, figure out whether "animated" means a movie:
a. has animals in it
b. is like a cartoon in nature
c. is very fast-moving
d. is about the war and depression
___ 4. Disney is most famous for his influence on:
a. American entertainment
b. American politics
c. American sports
d. American family dynamics
Monday, September 18, 2023
Monday, July 24, 2023
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer was an American chess Grand Master, and became famous for not only his victories in chess but also his somewhat stubborn approach to living life his own way.
He was born in Chicago on March 9, 1943; his parents were Polish Jews, but they had separated in Moscow before his mother moved to the United States. She was homeless for a while, but she moved Bobby and his sister to Manhattan in 1949. He won his first of eight World Championships at the age of 14, with a perfect 11-0 score, and this caught the world's attention. In those days premier chess matches were part of the Cold War, with Americans and Russians feeling intense competition over who would be better. But Fischer sometimes forfeited matches if the conditions didn't meet his approval, and once disappeared from the public eye for quite a while. Finally the U.S. government warned him that he should follow the rules of citizenship with regard to playing in certain countries, and he became an emigre. Finally he was granted Icelandic citizenship and moved to Iceland.
There was a controversy over whether Hans-Gerhardt Fischer was really his father, as his mother claimed; another man, Paul Nemenyi, had had an affair with his mother just before his birth, while his supposed father had never even come to the U.S. in that time. Nemenyi was a Hungarian mathematician and physicist, while Hans-Gerhardt Fisher had been a biophysicist. The controversy was never really resolved. The FBI watched Bobby Fischer carefully, since he traveled a lot and his mother had so many connections among important Russians and Eastern Europeans. But in the end, he was probably not a spy, just a very eccentric, and genius, chess player.
___ 1. Where did Bobby Fisher live as a teenager?
a. Chicago
b. New York
c. Moscow
d. Hungary
___ 2. Why was the U.S. government mad at him?
a. He was a spy.
b. He was born in Russia.
c. He played in countries that were prohibited.
d. He let the Russians win.
___ 3. Who was Paul Nemenyi?
a. a friend of his mother's
b. a great chess player
c. a biophysicist
d. a spy
___ 4. Where did he move after his chess career was over?
a. Poland
b. Chicago
c. Iceland
d. the United States
He was born in Chicago on March 9, 1943; his parents were Polish Jews, but they had separated in Moscow before his mother moved to the United States. She was homeless for a while, but she moved Bobby and his sister to Manhattan in 1949. He won his first of eight World Championships at the age of 14, with a perfect 11-0 score, and this caught the world's attention. In those days premier chess matches were part of the Cold War, with Americans and Russians feeling intense competition over who would be better. But Fischer sometimes forfeited matches if the conditions didn't meet his approval, and once disappeared from the public eye for quite a while. Finally the U.S. government warned him that he should follow the rules of citizenship with regard to playing in certain countries, and he became an emigre. Finally he was granted Icelandic citizenship and moved to Iceland.
There was a controversy over whether Hans-Gerhardt Fischer was really his father, as his mother claimed; another man, Paul Nemenyi, had had an affair with his mother just before his birth, while his supposed father had never even come to the U.S. in that time. Nemenyi was a Hungarian mathematician and physicist, while Hans-Gerhardt Fisher had been a biophysicist. The controversy was never really resolved. The FBI watched Bobby Fischer carefully, since he traveled a lot and his mother had so many connections among important Russians and Eastern Europeans. But in the end, he was probably not a spy, just a very eccentric, and genius, chess player.
___ 1. Where did Bobby Fisher live as a teenager?
a. Chicago
b. New York
c. Moscow
d. Hungary
___ 2. Why was the U.S. government mad at him?
a. He was a spy.
b. He was born in Russia.
c. He played in countries that were prohibited.
d. He let the Russians win.
___ 3. Who was Paul Nemenyi?
a. a friend of his mother's
b. a great chess player
c. a biophysicist
d. a spy
___ 4. Where did he move after his chess career was over?
a. Poland
b. Chicago
c. Iceland
d. the United States
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma; he was named after Woodrow Wilson, who was president at the time. He would grow up to be one of the nation's most famous folk musicians, but because of his leftist leanings, it took years for Okemah to become proud of him.
He came of age just as the Dust Bowl was reducing Oklahoma and the area to a dry, unproductive and harsh living environment. Like many Oklahomans, he went west to California; he was already a prolific songwriter and played music at every opportunity. He often wrote about labor movements and socialist issues; his most famous song, This Land is Your Land, he considered to be a response to the overplaying of God Bless America during the war years. Having communist tendencies in those years was a problem and he soon had many political enemies. Although he encouraged communism, he never actually joined any Communist parties. Still, his association with communism in general was a problem for his legacy especially after the U.S. turned against communism and came to consider it its mortal enemy.
He was married three times, and had eight children altogether, one of whom, Arlo, is also famous. Musical talent ran in the family. The movie Bound for Glory was made about his life. He died in 1967.
___ 1. What does the passage imply about Okemah?
a. Okemah was a large city.
b. Okemah did not celebrate Woody Guthrie for many years.
c. Okemah was a very pleasant place to live.
d. Okemah was more communist than most places.
___ 2. During the Dust Bowl, what happened in Oklahoma?
a. A lot of people left.
b. It rained a lot.
c. It became productive.
d. Everyone played music.
___ 3. According to the passage, after the war, the U.S.
a. became more communist
b. threw most communists in jail
c. became more and more against communism
d. made the Communist Party illegal.
He came of age just as the Dust Bowl was reducing Oklahoma and the area to a dry, unproductive and harsh living environment. Like many Oklahomans, he went west to California; he was already a prolific songwriter and played music at every opportunity. He often wrote about labor movements and socialist issues; his most famous song, This Land is Your Land, he considered to be a response to the overplaying of God Bless America during the war years. Having communist tendencies in those years was a problem and he soon had many political enemies. Although he encouraged communism, he never actually joined any Communist parties. Still, his association with communism in general was a problem for his legacy especially after the U.S. turned against communism and came to consider it its mortal enemy.
He was married three times, and had eight children altogether, one of whom, Arlo, is also famous. Musical talent ran in the family. The movie Bound for Glory was made about his life. He died in 1967.
___ 1. What does the passage imply about Okemah?
a. Okemah was a large city.
b. Okemah did not celebrate Woody Guthrie for many years.
c. Okemah was a very pleasant place to live.
d. Okemah was more communist than most places.
___ 2. During the Dust Bowl, what happened in Oklahoma?
a. A lot of people left.
b. It rained a lot.
c. It became productive.
d. Everyone played music.
___ 3. According to the passage, after the war, the U.S.
a. became more communist
b. threw most communists in jail
c. became more and more against communism
d. made the Communist Party illegal.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Woody Allen
Woody Allen was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg on November 30, 1935. He was born in New York City of Jewish immigrants from Austria and Lithuania. Through his remarkable film-making career he came to make many films about being Jewish and about the anxiety of living in New York City; he often starred in his own movies. He wrote for television in the 1950s and 1960s but is most famous for his movies.
In the 1970s he began a professional and personal relationship with Mia Farrow, another famous actress. But his personal life exploded when he fell in love with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia's adopted daughter and his stepdaughter. Many people disagreed with this relationship and Farrow accused him of abuse. He ultimately married Previn and adopted two children with her.
His most famous movies are movies like Annie Hall and Manhattan, movies that were to some degree autobiographical. But the American film audience soured on him after the abuse charges, and people even today don't accept his relationship with his stepdaughter.
___ 1. What did Woody Allen do that was most controversial?
a. he made movies about New York City
b. he had a relationship with Mia Farrow
c. he had a relationship with his step-daughter
d. he adopted two children
___ 2. Which did he not make films about, according to the passage?
a. himself
b. living in New York City
c. Soo-Yi Previn
d. being Jewish
___ 3. Why have his films lost popularity over the years?
a. People are tired of New York City
b. People did not like his personal problems
c. He stopped making them too early
d. They were all about Soon-Yi
In the 1970s he began a professional and personal relationship with Mia Farrow, another famous actress. But his personal life exploded when he fell in love with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia's adopted daughter and his stepdaughter. Many people disagreed with this relationship and Farrow accused him of abuse. He ultimately married Previn and adopted two children with her.
His most famous movies are movies like Annie Hall and Manhattan, movies that were to some degree autobiographical. But the American film audience soured on him after the abuse charges, and people even today don't accept his relationship with his stepdaughter.
___ 1. What did Woody Allen do that was most controversial?
a. he made movies about New York City
b. he had a relationship with Mia Farrow
c. he had a relationship with his step-daughter
d. he adopted two children
___ 2. Which did he not make films about, according to the passage?
a. himself
b. living in New York City
c. Soo-Yi Previn
d. being Jewish
___ 3. Why have his films lost popularity over the years?
a. People are tired of New York City
b. People did not like his personal problems
c. He stopped making them too early
d. They were all about Soon-Yi
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Christo
Christo is one of the most famous of artists worldwide, though he died in 2020, because he made exhibits that were huge spectacles wherever they were, and made good photographs when seen from the air.
Toward the end of his career he made a point to say that the exhibits were done by "Christo and Jeanne Claude," thus giving credit to his wife, who did much of the work, though she died in 2009. Their exhibits were often enormous, and took a lot of planning with zoning commissions and people who didn't want rural land disturbed too greatly.
Christo was born in Bulgaria, while Jeanne Claude was born in Morocco; they met and married in Paris in the late 50's. Unlike most artists, they refused grants and public money, relying entirely on the sale of their own work. Often they would wrap a famous building in cellophane or some other material, and this would make the local fire department very nervous. Their work was almost always huge, visually impressive, and controversial. Once he placed a huge number of umbrellas along the California coast and in Japan at the same time; two people died as a result, one in each exhibit, but that was not unusual. Often his exhibits required huge amounts of fabric and expensive installation. One example was the Running Fence, which ran through California grassland and into the sea, but which was white nylon supported by steel posts and cables.
He became an American citizen in 1984, but continued with international fame and performance. One of his last projects was the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; this project required 30,000 square meters of recyclable polypropyline fabric. It was postponed due to happen in 2020 but was postponed due to the covid pandemic, and then due to Christo's death. But following his death, his followers and workers vowed to continue with the project and did.
___ 1. According to the article, most artists:
a. make exhibits as large as possible
b. do not like Christo and Jeanne Claude
c. live in Paris
d. rely on public aid of some kind
___ 2. Why are fire departments wary of Christo?
a. his exhibits could be a fire hazard
b. he is very critical of fire departments
c. often his exhibits include burning of materials
d. his exhibits prevent them from putting out fires
___ 3. Which is not true of the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe?
a. it was never finished
b. Christo died before it was done
c. the pandemic upset the schedule for its wrapping
d. it required a huge amount of fabric
___ 4. What were Christo and Jeanne Claude most famous for?
a. exhibits that had bright colors
b. exhibits that were huge and visually impressive
c. exhibits that were intricate and complicated
d. exhibits that brought many people to one place
Toward the end of his career he made a point to say that the exhibits were done by "Christo and Jeanne Claude," thus giving credit to his wife, who did much of the work, though she died in 2009. Their exhibits were often enormous, and took a lot of planning with zoning commissions and people who didn't want rural land disturbed too greatly.
Christo was born in Bulgaria, while Jeanne Claude was born in Morocco; they met and married in Paris in the late 50's. Unlike most artists, they refused grants and public money, relying entirely on the sale of their own work. Often they would wrap a famous building in cellophane or some other material, and this would make the local fire department very nervous. Their work was almost always huge, visually impressive, and controversial. Once he placed a huge number of umbrellas along the California coast and in Japan at the same time; two people died as a result, one in each exhibit, but that was not unusual. Often his exhibits required huge amounts of fabric and expensive installation. One example was the Running Fence, which ran through California grassland and into the sea, but which was white nylon supported by steel posts and cables.
He became an American citizen in 1984, but continued with international fame and performance. One of his last projects was the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris; this project required 30,000 square meters of recyclable polypropyline fabric. It was postponed due to happen in 2020 but was postponed due to the covid pandemic, and then due to Christo's death. But following his death, his followers and workers vowed to continue with the project and did.
___ 1. According to the article, most artists:
a. make exhibits as large as possible
b. do not like Christo and Jeanne Claude
c. live in Paris
d. rely on public aid of some kind
___ 2. Why are fire departments wary of Christo?
a. his exhibits could be a fire hazard
b. he is very critical of fire departments
c. often his exhibits include burning of materials
d. his exhibits prevent them from putting out fires
___ 3. Which is not true of the wrapping of the Arc de Triomphe?
a. it was never finished
b. Christo died before it was done
c. the pandemic upset the schedule for its wrapping
d. it required a huge amount of fabric
___ 4. What were Christo and Jeanne Claude most famous for?
a. exhibits that had bright colors
b. exhibits that were huge and visually impressive
c. exhibits that were intricate and complicated
d. exhibits that brought many people to one place
Saturday, August 6, 2022
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger was born in 1943 in Dartford, Kent, United Kingdom. He grew up to lead the Rolling Stones, a band, for over six decades, and be one of the most prominent rock stars in the world.
In the early 1960's rock 'n' roll was just coming out, led by Americans like Bo Didley and Chuck Berry. Jagger had already teamed up with childhood friend Keith Richard, and soon began making rock 'n' roll in England; he was living in Chelsea, London at the time. His band was named after a Muddy Waters tune. He wrote most songs as a collaboration with Richard, but produced music prolifically throughout the 60's, 70's, and 80's. For a while the Rolling Stones shared the spotlight with the Beatles as most popular bands in the world.
He had many tumultuous relationships over the years, though he was only married and divorced once. He had eight children, altogether, with five women, and now has grandchildren and great grandchildren. His style has been described as "like a male ballet dancer," making men uncomfortable with his fluid sexuality and being attractive in that way to both sexes. Some say he did it mostly to ensure the band's success, but in any case his influence on youth culture and the world is unmistakable.
___ 1. We can infer that a Muddy Waters tune had what words in it?
a. Dartford, Kent
b. Rolling Stone
c. Mick Jagger
d. rock 'n' roll
___ 2. According to the passage, where did rock 'n' roll really start?
a. Chelsea, London
b. Dartford, Kent
c. USA
d. United Kingdom
___ 3. For how long was he a force in the rock world?
a. twenty years
b. thirty years
c. fifty years
d. over sixty years
In the early 1960's rock 'n' roll was just coming out, led by Americans like Bo Didley and Chuck Berry. Jagger had already teamed up with childhood friend Keith Richard, and soon began making rock 'n' roll in England; he was living in Chelsea, London at the time. His band was named after a Muddy Waters tune. He wrote most songs as a collaboration with Richard, but produced music prolifically throughout the 60's, 70's, and 80's. For a while the Rolling Stones shared the spotlight with the Beatles as most popular bands in the world.
He had many tumultuous relationships over the years, though he was only married and divorced once. He had eight children, altogether, with five women, and now has grandchildren and great grandchildren. His style has been described as "like a male ballet dancer," making men uncomfortable with his fluid sexuality and being attractive in that way to both sexes. Some say he did it mostly to ensure the band's success, but in any case his influence on youth culture and the world is unmistakable.
___ 1. We can infer that a Muddy Waters tune had what words in it?
a. Dartford, Kent
b. Rolling Stone
c. Mick Jagger
d. rock 'n' roll
___ 2. According to the passage, where did rock 'n' roll really start?
a. Chelsea, London
b. Dartford, Kent
c. USA
d. United Kingdom
___ 3. For how long was he a force in the rock world?
a. twenty years
b. thirty years
c. fifty years
d. over sixty years
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is a prominent entrepreneur and probably is the wealthiest man in the world, with a net worth of $265 billion. He is outspoken about his beliefs on government and laws, and is taken seriously because he can take his companies wherever he wants.
He was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28th, 1971, and grew up there, but moved to Canada when he was 17. His mother had been born in Canada, so he was able to become a Canadian citizen. But he went to the University of Pennsylvania, and then Stanford, in California, where he began to start businesses instead of finishing his advanced degree.
His two most famous enterprises are SpaceX, which focuses on space transport, and Tesla, which is developing the new electric cars. Both involve research into AI, or Artificial Intelligence, and he has also been involved in projects to integrate AI with the human brain. He started a company that eventually turned into PayPal, and has been involved in various other innovative projects over the course of his life.
He married several times, and lived mostly in California, until recently when he moved to Texas, complaining that California had become complacent with its success.
___ 1. Elon Musk is most famous for:
a. going to space
b. being against the government
c. starting innovative businesses
d. moving to Canada
___ 2. What is Tesla?
a. a company that makes spaceships
b. an electric car company
c. a friend of Elon Musk's
d. a person who develops cars
___ 3. Why did he move to Texas?
a. He felt that Califonia didn't value his residence
b. he felt that California was unsuccessful.
c. he felt that Texas had more room for spaceships
d. he felt that Texas was better for AI.
___ 4. Which could be an example of integrating AI and the human brain?
a. a self-driving car
b. having a self-driving car be controled by a person who is not in it
c. a private spaceship going to the moon by itself
d. a private spaceship helping the government
He was born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28th, 1971, and grew up there, but moved to Canada when he was 17. His mother had been born in Canada, so he was able to become a Canadian citizen. But he went to the University of Pennsylvania, and then Stanford, in California, where he began to start businesses instead of finishing his advanced degree.
His two most famous enterprises are SpaceX, which focuses on space transport, and Tesla, which is developing the new electric cars. Both involve research into AI, or Artificial Intelligence, and he has also been involved in projects to integrate AI with the human brain. He started a company that eventually turned into PayPal, and has been involved in various other innovative projects over the course of his life.
He married several times, and lived mostly in California, until recently when he moved to Texas, complaining that California had become complacent with its success.
___ 1. Elon Musk is most famous for:
a. going to space
b. being against the government
c. starting innovative businesses
d. moving to Canada
___ 2. What is Tesla?
a. a company that makes spaceships
b. an electric car company
c. a friend of Elon Musk's
d. a person who develops cars
___ 3. Why did he move to Texas?
a. He felt that Califonia didn't value his residence
b. he felt that California was unsuccessful.
c. he felt that Texas had more room for spaceships
d. he felt that Texas was better for AI.
___ 4. Which could be an example of integrating AI and the human brain?
a. a self-driving car
b. having a self-driving car be controled by a person who is not in it
c. a private spaceship going to the moon by itself
d. a private spaceship helping the government
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