Use of English PRO

Stereotypes are simple, one-dimensional (0) PORTRAYALS (PORTRAY) of people - usually based on sex, race, profession or age. Most of us stereotype people to some extent as we try to understand the world. Filmmakers relied (1) ............ (HEAVY) on stereotypes in the past because they were a quick and easy way to create a movie character’s (2) ............ (PERSON): for example, blonde women were dumb, foreigners were villains, Mexicans were lazy, and blacks were great athletes. Teenagers tended to be thrown into two categories, popular kids or geeks. The film industry today has become more (3) ............ (SENSE) to issues of culture and gender than it was in the old days of Hollywood. Many movies, however, still (4) ............ (COURAGE) common concepts about groups of people. The way Native Americans are shown in westerns is a good example of how negative stereotyping can distort the history and (5) ............ (UNDERSTAND) of another culture. Such oversimplified and (6) ............ (ACCURATE) characterizations can (7) ............ (DEEP) influence how we relate to one another. Because children have a limited experience of the world, they're particularly vulnerable to being influenced by media stereotypes, even in animated movies. The kindly grandfather in Pinocchio, the wicked stepmother in Cinderella, even the (8) ............ (HERO) male lion in the Lion King are all stereotypes known and understood by children.