Where in the world can you take an hour's train ride, and pass a forest, a London street, a scene from the Wild West, and a burning building that never burns down? There's only one place, and that's Hollywood, in California. The scenes you see from the tourist train are film sets（布景） in the Universal Studios, one of the oldest and largest movie companies in the USA.
A visit to Universal Studios brings back memories of great days of Hollywood, the films and the stars. But they are only memories. Hollywood isn't quite the same as it used to be. Costs have gone up and confidence has gone down. Movie-makers are afraid to spend their money on expensive new ideas. Instead, they repeat old ones.
The film industry is changing fast. Teenagers still go out to the movies. The theatre is a good place to meet friends away from home. But older people mostly stay home to watch series, like Dynasty have become as important to Hollywood as expensive movies. These “soap opera”, as they are called, show rich, powerful families living in beautiful homes and wearing beautiful clothes. But the actors and actresses are nearly all middle-aged, like many of the people who watch them.
Though it is soap operas that are keeping the film-makers of Hollywood in Business, big films are still being made in America. But more and more of them are made outside Hollywood. New York is the most important new center, but there are many others as well. Movie-makers have realized that they don't need Hollywood any more. Modern cameras and real houses instead of expensively made copies in a studio. Other states, especially Florida and Texas, are working hard to take the film business away from California. They are offering better working conditions and lower cost. But Hollywood is fighting back. The state of California is trying hard to keep its best-known industry.
1. From the passage, we know Universal Studios is ________.
A. a very large park
B. a busy London street
C. a famous movie company
D. an old Hollywood movie
2. The movie industry in California isn't as successful as before because ________.
A. young people don't go to movie theatres any more
B. there is strong competition from other states
C. its movie companies are in need of young stars
D. the state hasn't put a development plan into action
3.What can we learn about “soap operas” from the passage?
A. They are teenagers’ favourites.
B. They are much more expensive.
C. They are less attractive.
D. They are cheaper and easier to make.
4. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. something about the film industry in the USA
B. the importance of soap operas in Hollywood
C. the good old days of Hollywood
D. the film business in California
