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You have to laughReading (Paper 1 Part 3)

Before you read 1 Look at the title and subheading of the article and the photo.Discuss these questions.J Have you ever seen any of Rowan Atkinson's comedy programmes or

films? From the photo, what kind of humour would you associate himwith (e.g. slapstick, mime, satire)?

2 From the title and subheading, what aspects of Atkinson's career do youthink you are going to read about in this article?

Skimming 2 Skim the article quickly. Then try to explain the references in the title to: the rubber-faced joker the burden of comedy the joy of fixing a plug

Multiple-choice questions 3 Read the magazine article and answer questions 1-6. Mark the letter A, B, C Task strategies page 168 or D. Give only one answer to each question.

He's the rubber-faced joker with millions in the bank, yet Rowan Atkinson.. . . ." . . . .' . . t: swap the burden of comedy for.theJoy of fixing a plug. itThe well-known comedy film writer Richard Curtisremembers a day in 1976 when he an d a group of fellowstudents at a university drama club got together to discusssketch material for their summer review. 'Suddenly, Rowan,

s this rather odd electrical engineering student who hadcome to all the meetings but never uttered a word, stoodup an d started to mime and talk at the same time. I'd ne\.'erseen anything like it. It was pure genius!' It was as a resultof this that Rowan Atkinson stumbled across his future

'0 vocation, going on to gain valuable performing experiencean d forging a professional relationship with Curtis thatwould underpin his career. He'd done some acting atschool, bu t says there is nothing in his 'old-.fashioned an destablishment' farming background which indicates th e

IS path he would later follow, unless it was perhaps the desireto break out and rebel.

Less than three years aher leaving university, RowanAtkinson was a star, albeit a most unlikely one. True. thedisjunction between an intensely private, shy, serious man

20 an d a compellingly watchable performer such as he is is notunusual among comedians. But in Atkinson, th e divisiongoes deeper, for his comic persona exists in a parallel worlddominated by his lifelong passion for cars an d machinery.Friends say he is a 'motor mechanic dreaming he is an

25 actor', and his passion for collecting and driving cars seemsto be all-consuming. While on tour, theatre riggers wereastonished to witness th e sta r performer unplugging th ecables, unbolting the scenery and lifting crates. It wasalmost as if he was pursuing a separate existence as th e

'0 electrical engineer he had originally planned to be.

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Despite being acknowledged allover urope as the heirto the mime greats of th e past, Atkinson insists that he is anactor rather than a comic, an d says he hasn't been funnyoff-stage or screen since adolescent self-consciousness se t in

,a t the age of '11 He ma y have natural gi ft s - his trademarkpliable 'rubber face', the ability to turn nondescript wordslike 'bag' into lumps of volatile comic explosive, aninstinctive knack for mime - bu t he claims that he needsan audience and the formality of staging or a camera

,,) before he ca n be somebody else, 'I must have a good scriptto disappear into,' he says, 'Any apparent spontaneity isdeceptive It is all entirely contrived:

Successful as Atkinson is, he still works hard to extractmaximum leverage from his talents, paying incredible

4S attention to detail, always terrified of th e risk of failure,'I constantly believe that there is a better performancejust out of reach That is quite a debilitating an d negativeexperience,' he says, So wh y doesn't he stop) 'The prospectof doing a role is fun. Looking back on having done it

;0 is fine. But th e reality of rehearsals and performance l 'he shudders visibly. 'Show business is a sandwich with avicious filling, But even though I hate the filling, I still liketh e sandwich.'Whether or not you find its silent slapstick funny, Mr Bean

55 is one of the most successful international exports in Britishcomedy; th e highest-rating comedy show on commercialTV in th e 90s, it ha s been sold to more than 245 countries.Atkinson's character communicates through an impressive

In th e first paragraph, we learn that Rowan Atkinson'sdesire to be an actor may have resulted fromA ,1 reaction against his conventional background.B a desire to follow up on his university studies.e a chance meeting with a well-known writer.D a lifelong ambition to perform in public.

2 Wh,lt is suggested about Rowan Atkinson in the secondparagraph?A He is an unusually shy man to be a comedian.B He shows no signs of enjoying the celebrity lifestyle.e His colleagues fear that he regrets his choice of career.D His true interests lie outside the world of

entertainment.3 What do we learn about Rowan Atkinson's childhood

in the third paragraph?A He studied the history of theatre.B He was more confident as a child than as a teenager.e He practised funny facial expressions an d ways of

speaking.D He made people laugh a lo t when he was a child.

4 What does Rowan Atkinson suggest about his comicskills?A He needs to be in character to make people laugh.B His success is largely due to the scripts he has written.

arsenal of facial expres

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VocabularySimilar meanings1 a Find words and expressions in the text on pages

152-153 that could be replaced in this context bythe words in italics.Paragraph Il never sl1id I1llything2 discoI'C1ed his future vocation I) ' c!/IJ/ICC3 developll1g a strong relationship4 provide (/ solid basis for his career

Paragraph 25 a passion that is so strong that he thinks of

little elseParagraph 36 easily recognised and widely known face7 very ordinary words8 apparent spontaneity that is in fact carefully

plannedParagraph 4

9 a harmful experience10 he shakes (because he thinks of something

unpleasnnt)11 a nast), nnd unpleasant fillingParagraph 512 insists t//lJt13 an 1.IIII/S/101 nnd impressive successParagraph 614 wio)'

b Complete the following collocations with thecorrect form of words from Exercise la .1 il/an achievementlincrease2 a/an satire/headache3 a/an suburban house/grey suit4 a/an .. story/comedy5 a/an interest/preoccupation6 an agreement/alliance7 a sound/name8 ....... at the thought/with embarrassment

c Look back through the text and note downany more useful expressions you would like toremember. Check their meaning in your dictionary.

Noun + preposition + noun phrases2 a Add the missing prepositions to these phrasesfrom the text.

1 his passion collecting2 a knack .. mime3 the risk failure4 attention detail5 the prospect ...... doing a role6 the key his appeal7 a target disdain

b Complete the gaps in the text with a noun andpreposition combination fro111 Exercise 2a,

Impressionists are people with a (1). . . . , copying thevoices an d expressIOns of others. Politicians are oftena ( 2 ) . , this type of comedy, an d few rehsb the( 3 ) . . being caricatured When an lmpresslOnllstt) (4) detal IScopies a weiI-knO\\'ll pep;onaII ' , . . . . . . . . .success is to exaggeratevery important. Tlle (5) .the person's outstanding features an d to pick up onsuch as food,anythlng that t1ey 1ave a (6) ...... ,football or music It's a difficult form of comedy, andthere is always a huge (7). failurec Complete the questions with the correct

preposition, then ask a partner.I Is there anything you have a special knack ?2 Would the prospect ....... becoming an actor

appeal to you? Why?f\Alhy not?3 Do you have a passion. , something? And

what things do you do as a result of that passion?Preflxes3 a 'What meaning do the prefLXes add in these

adjectives from the text?I The well-known comedy film writer,.,2 He hasn't been funny off-stage or screen since

adolescent self-consciousness set in .. .3 What he has seen of the low-key reality-based

comedy,.,b Which of the prefLXes in Exercise 3a call be Llsed

with the following words/adjectives?assured confident duty established guardimportant level line paid profile respectingroad risk satisfied tech track travelled worn

c Add two more words to each group.d Complete the sentences using a compound from

Exercise 3b.1 Atkinson is now a comedy actor.2 However, he is very modest and not at all3 An actor's career can easily go , if they

choose the wrong part.4 No . actor would appear in a shampoo

commercial.5 Acting tends to be a job, so actors

often need to find other work.6 Photo-journalists try to catch celebrities

....................... to get more natural pictures,7 Atkinson seldom gives interviews and prefers a

.......... , ..... lifestyle.e Which of the adjectives beginning with setf-

describe you?&[P10S)