【一起听英语】影院礼仪

 在电影院看电影需要注意自己的行为有没有对其他人造成影响，影院的礼仪你知多少？

Rob: This is 6 Minute English from the BBC. I'm Rob…

Neil: And I'm Neil.

Rob: Today we're talking about something we must all have an opinion on – it's

cinema etiquette 1. In other words, what is the right way to behave when

you go to see a film at the cinema?

Neil: Yes, the cinema, the movies or the multiplex. How we behave there is

different from how we behave when we’re watching a film at home – but

some people seem to forget that, don't they Rob?

Rob: Yes, some people treat the cinema like their own homes. They forget

other people are sitting around them. But I'll save my moaning for later

when I'll also be explaining some behaviour and cinema-related

vocabulary.

Neil: How about a question first Rob?

Rob: A good idea. This question is for you Neil. Most of like to take a box of

popcorn 2 into the cinema, but according to the Guinness World Records,

which country was the biggest ever box of popcorn served in? Was it in:

a) Finland

b) Croatia

c) The USA

Neil: I don't know but I'm going to guess that it's the USA because they like

things to be big in America!

Rob: They do don't they. I'll reveal the answer at the end of programme. Now

back to our discussion about cinema etiquette. When I go to see a film, all

I want is a comfortable seat and to be able to see and hear the film. I

don't want distractions 3!

Neil: You mean people who disturb your enjoyment 4 of the film – by talking or

moving about? People eating really annoys me – I hate the rustle 5 of sweet

wrappers and the crackle of a crisp packet. It's messy too.

Rob: And what's worse is people who turn the auditorium 6 – the place where

we all sit – into their own personal dining room!

Neil: Of course your munching 7 popcorn is fine, isn't it Rob?! But to really

appreciate the surround-sound and clear digital projection 8 you need a 

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2014

Page 2 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

well-behaved audience. Not like the audience that one radio presenter 9

complained about on his show.

Rob: This was the BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo. Here he is telling film

critic, Mark Kermode, about an annoying moment at a film screening he

went to. Can you hear what happened?

BBC presenters 10, Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode:

Simon: A new low was reached, as the women in front of me gets the phone out,

standard thing, so sending messages that kind of stuff, and then has an app on her

phone which turns her phone into a mirror, OK. And then with her colleague or member

of family's torch app on their phone, proceeds to do her makeup 11 during the movie!

Mark: That, my friend, is extraordinary.

Neil: Unbelievable! So Simon said that he sat behind a woman who, during the

film, got her mobile phone out.

Rob: Well that's quite common – lots of people now use their phones while

watching a film – we call it 'dual 12 screening' – looking at two screens at

the same time.

Neil: But the phone wasn't for texting or checking messages – but to use an

app to turn the phone into a mirror. Then, using the torch on her friend's

phone, she used the mirror to do her makeup!

Rob: A 'new low' in cinema etiquette! It's bad manners and I wonder why she

even bothered going to the cinema. I don't think mobile phones at the

cinema are a good idea.

Neil: The radio presenters would agree. They have already drawn 13 up a code of

conduct for moviegoers – a list of rules on how people should behave at

the cinema.

Rob: Well, according to this code, there's one disgusting thing that really

shouldn't be done. See if you can hear what it is…

BBC presenter, Simon Mayo:

No shoe removal. You are not in your own front room. A cinema is a public space, keep

your bodily odours to yourself!

Rob: Well said! Simon says don't take off your shoes – keep your odours –

that's your smells – to yourself. He says you are not at home! Amongst

their other big bugbears – or annoying things – are slurping 14 drinks –

that’s drinking noisily - arriving late, and talking during the film.

Neil: Yes, that's a big no-no for me – I really don’t like that. It really breaks

my concentration. And then there are parents who bring their noisy kids.

Rob: Well that's OK if it's a special child-friendly screening but not if the film is

unsuitable for children – the parents are just using the cinema as a

babysitter!

6 Minute English ©British Broadcasting Corporation 2014

Page 3 of 4

bbclearningenglish.com

Neil: There is one chain of cinemas in the UK that is offering child-free cinemagoing,

and another is trying out a ban on popcorn. Sounds like a good idea

to me.

Rob: Yes, especially if the box of popcorn is as big as the one I asked you about

earlier. According to the Guinness World Records, which country was the

biggest box of popcorn ever served in? Was it:

a) Finland

b) Croatia

c) The USA

Neil: And I said the USA.

Rob: You are wrong actually. The largest box of popcorn was made in Croatia

with a volume of 52.59m³ (cubic metres). It was filled in 1 hour and 57

minutes at an event to mark the opening of a new multiplex cinema. OK

Neil, before this Oscar-winning programme ends, there's just time to

remind us of some of the vocabulary that we've heard today:

Neil: Yes, we heard:

etiquette

multiplex

distractions

auditorium

surround-sound

film critic

dual screening

bad manners

code of conduct

bugbears

slurping

a big no-no

Rob: Thanks Neil, wonderful. Well, we hope you've enjoyed today's programme.

Please join us soon again for 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.

Now, do you fancy some popcorn?

Neil: Yeah I do actually. And this drink's great! (slurping his drink)

Both: Bye.