Lesson 16 At the Drive-in

In the 1930s, going to the movies was a favorite activity for adults. They would get a babysitter for the children, get dressed up and go downtown to the movie theater on a weekend evening. Then one man had an idea for making moviegoing easy and fun for families.

On June 6, 1933, Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., and three partners opened the first drive-in movie theater. For an admission^① price of only 25￠per car, families could drive to the theater, park in front of a large screen^②, and enjoy the movie without ever leaving their automobiles! Soon, other drive-in movie theaters began popping up all over the country.

While drive-in theaters are hard to find today, they changed the way people view movies. Now, instead of being for adults only, movie-going is something everyone can enjoy!

（140 words）

Notes

①admission [əd'mɪʃən] n. 入场费；承认；进入许可；坦白；录用

②screen [skriːn] n. 屏，幕；屏风

vt. 筛；拍摄；放映；掩蔽

vi. 拍电影

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Check the details] When did the first drive-in movie theater open?

A. On June 6, 1933. 　B. Before the 1930s. 　C. 60 years ago.

2. [Check the details] What was the admission price of the first drive-in movie theater?

A. Free. 　B. 25￠per car. 　C. 25￠each person.

3. [Grasp the main idea] What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. The development of the drive-in movie theater.

B. How people go to see a movie outside.

C. The history of the movie-going.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

（1） They would get a babysitter for the children, get dressed up and go downtown to the movie theater on a weekend evening. （Para. 1, line 2）

A. 老师 　B. 护士 　C. 保姆

（2） For an admission price of only 25￠per car, families could drive to the theater, park in front of a large screen, and enjoy the movie without ever leaving their automobiles! （Para. 2, line 4）

A. cars 　B. bikes 　C. car parking

（3） While drive-in theaters are hard to find today, they changed the way people view movies. （Para. 3, line 2）

A. study 　B. think of 　C. watch

2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.

（1） On June 6, 1933, Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr., and three partners opened the first drive-in movie theater. （Para. 2, line 2）

A. 开车看电影 　B. 汽车电影院 　C. 乘车看电影

（2） Soon, other drive-in movie theaters began popping up all over the country.（Para. 2, line 5）

A. becoming popular B. breaking out 　C. jumping

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

1. Do you often go to the movies? How often do you go to see a film?

2. In the world, what do you think is the most useful invention? Tell me the reason.

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