First of all let me introduce myself. My name is Taras. I'm seventeen years old. I'm at 11-th grade. There are two more kids in the family besides me my elder brother Oleg and my younger sister Marija

My Favourite Actors
My favourite actors are Mel Gibson and Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi Goldberg came a long way to her present international success. Her mother was divorced and poor. Whoopi chose a very difficult career for a black woman. She started as a theatre actress and did very well. In the end she had a show on Broadway. Film producers saw her show and a new career in cinema began. She almost got an "Oskar" in Steven Spielberg's film. Whoopi can be a very serious actress. But she can be very funny too. Mel Gibson, one of eleven children, was born in New York. But his family moved to Australia when he was twelve. He is a traditional Hollywood man of action in some ways; he is strong and handsome with bright blue eyes. But in his films he can be funny and shy like a little boy. Gibson became famous in the "Mad Max" film, made by the Australian director George Miller. Max lives in a desert after a nuclear war. People drive incrediable cars and lorries and wear strange clothes. It is a fantastic mix of past and future. Mel Gibson is now also a film director. His first film as director was "The Man without a Face".
Questions: 1. What are your favourite actors? 2. Was it easy for Whoopi Goldberg to become a star? 3. What films with Whoopi Goldberg do you know? 4. When did Gibson become famous? 5. Mel Gibson is now a film director too, doesn't he?


My Favourite Actor. Kevin Costner — Actor Come Producer
Kevin Costner, a famous american actor, was born in Los Angeles. He spent his childhood often on the move, changing schools frequently, owing to his father's job at the regional electricity company. As a teenager, he developed a keen liking for football, baseball and basket-ball and was also interested in singing and writing poetry. He married his college sweetheart Cindy wilst still at California State University and came out with a business degree in marketing. In his spare time he appeared in local theatre productions. Theatre became increasingly important to him and after having worked six weeks in a marketing company, he gave the job up to become an actor. He played in many small part roles before his principle role which was not a success. However Costner himself was given good reviews. In 1987 his starring role in "The Untouchables" and "No Way Out" really introduced him to international fame. Indeed, he won the Star of Tomorrow prize from the U. S. National Association of Theatre Owners. Then in 1988 came "Bull Durham" which was a huge hit movie in the States about baseball. His subsequent film "Field of Dreams" was also a success and touched baseball again. Then came the violent drama movie "Revenge" followed by his first directorial debut film "Dances With Wolves" in which he also starred and which won 7 Oscars. His movie "Robin Hood, Prince of the Thieves" was also a great success. I like this actor because the characters he plays are strong personalities, wise people who are worthy of my admiration. In my opinion, this is the reason of his growing popularity in many, countries. He is not only a talented actor, who's acting draws your attention from the very moment you see his face on the screen. But he is also a successful producer and continues working at his new films which are certain to amuse the people.
Questions: 1. Where was Kevin Costner born? 2. How did he spend his childhood? 3. How did he start acting? 4. Which film introduced him to international fame? 5. Which film was his first directorial debut? 6. What was his sweetheart's name? 7. Which film won 7 Oscars?