26. Do you like a new movie theater being built in your neighborhood?

Many people consider our town a small provincial backwater, lacking both culture and the amenities of modern life. Building the recently proposed movie theater would be a step in the right direction, away from our backwards past, and towards participation in the larger world. It will create jobs, spark economic activity, and provide entertainment and culture for our young people.

Movie theaters are necessarily large-scale affairs, attract a large amount of customers, and accordingly need to employ a fairly large number of people as ushers, concession stand chefs and attendants, ticket sellers, and janitorial staff, as well as projection technicians, managers, accountants, and other higher-level professionals. The employees would be drawn from the local population, and considering the tight job market in the area, the movie theatre would provide much needed full or supplement incomes for at least thirty families in the area.

Going to the movies is usually an evening experience that either precedes or comes directly after eating dinner. For this reason many restaurants, cafes, bars, music shops, and other leisure and entertainment venues spring up around movie theatres. People who are going to the movies have disposable incomes and have already left their houses in search of a good time. This is an ideal market, and local entrepreneurs are certain to capitalize on the opportunity to open up new business ventures and develop the lucrative area around the movie theater, further invigorating the local economy.

In addition to providing jobs and developing the local economy, a movie theater will bring us a little bit closer to the outside world. We will be able to participate in popular culture. A movie theater is one step in this direction, and if we can successfully transform our sleepy little hamlet into a regional cultural hot spot, we will be able to keep our young people from migrating to larger cities that they consider more developed and sophisticated. Our young people are our most precious resource and we should do everything to keep them here.

译文

26. 你赞同在你家附近建一个电影院吗？

很多人认为我们镇是地方的一小潭死水，既缺少文化又没有现代生活的便利。建造最近提议的电影院便是向正确方向迈出的一步，它使我们远离落后的过去并迈向更广阔的世界。它将会创造工作岗位、鼓舞经济活动并为年轻人提供文化与娱乐。

电影院肯定是一项大规模工程，会吸引大量的顾客，因此也需要雇用相当多的人来充当引座员、小食品摊的厨师和服务员、售票员、门房里的人员，同样也需要放映技术员、经理、会计和其他高层管理人员。雇员将会来自本地人口，考虑到本地紧张的劳动力市场，电影院可以提供至少30个家庭需要的全部收入或补充收入。

看电影通常是晚间的活动，要么是在晚饭前要么是在刚吃完晚饭后。出于这个原因，在电影院周围可以建立餐馆、咖啡馆、酒吧、唱片店和其他很多休闲娱乐场所。去看电影的人是那些手里有闲钱的出来玩的人。这是一个理想的市场，当地的企业家肯定会利用这个机会投资建立新的公司来发展电影院周围的有利区域，进一步为本地经济注入活力。

最后一点，除了提供工作岗位和发展本地经济，电影院可以让我们与外面的世界更近一步。我们可以参与到流行文化之中。电影院是朝这个方向迈的一步，如果我们成功地将毫无生气的小村落转变成地区性文化热点，我们将能够阻止年轻人流向他们认为更发达更五光十色的大城市。年轻人是我们最宝贵的资源，我们必须尽全力把他们留住。

Word List

• backwater ［ˈbækˌwɔ:tə］n. 死水，停滞的状态或地方
• accountant ［əˈkauntənt］ n. 会计（员），会计师
• amenities ［əˈmenətiiz］n. 令人愉快之事物
• entrepreneur ［ˌa:ntrəprəˈnə:］n. 企业家，主办人
• usher ［ˈʌʃə］ n. 引座员
• invigorate ［inˈvigəˌreit］ v. 鼓舞
• concession stand 剧场中的食品摊
• transform ［trænsˈfɔ:m］vt. 转换，改变，改造，使…变形
• venue ［ˈvenju:］ n. 地点，场所
• janitorial ［ˌdʒænəˈtɔ:riəl］ adj. 门房的
• hamlet ［ˈhæmlit］ n. 小村, 部落
• disposable ［diˈspəuzəbəl］ adj. 可任意使用的