UNIT2

II. Listening Skills

1.?W: From what I can remember, the director asked us to rehearse this a hundred times.

M: One hundred times? Is the director out of his mind?

Q: What does the man imply?

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2.?M: Do you think we have made enough food for the party?

??W: The refrigerator is about to explode.

??Q: What does the woman imply?

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3.?W: She said she might become a famous movie star.

??M: Yes, and pigs might fly.

??Q: What does the man mean?

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4.?M: Although the man often plays a bad guy in movies, in real life he has a heart of gold.

??W: So does a hard-boiled egg.

??Q: What does the woman mean?

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5.?W: What a beautiful sunset!

??M: Don’t blink. You might just miss it.

??Q: What does the man mean?

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1. A?? 2.D?? 3.B?? 4.C?? 5.B

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III. Listening In

Task 1: Waiting for the New Harry Potter Movie

Amy: I’m so excited about finally seeing this movie!

Peter: Me too. I’m crazy about Harry Potter. Have you heard that J.K. Rowling has added another book to the series?

Amy: She’s already written Book Seven? I’m still waiting for Book Five…

Peter: I know. Who isn’t? At least we have the movies to watch in the meantime.

Amy: By the way, have you seen the trailer yet?
Peter: Yeah. It was great! I think the movie itself will be really scary.

Amy: It surely will! All that writing on the wall in blood… It scares me to death just to think about it!

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Both the girl and the boy are?excited/crazy?about the movie and the hero Harry Potter. The boy heard that the writer J.K. Rowling has written the latest?book, which is Book?Seven, though the girl is still waiting for?Book Five. The boy has been?the trailer?and believes the film will be?scary. The girl shares that view because of?the writing?on the wall?in blood.

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Task 2: A Great Actor

There was once a great actor who could no longer remember his lines. After several years of searching, he finally found a theater that was willing to give him a try. The director said, “This is the most important part, and it has only one line. At the opening you walk onto stage carrying a rose. You hold the rose to your nose with just one finger and thumb, smell it deeply and then say the line on praise of the rose: ‘Ah, the sweet smell of my love.’” The actor was excited. All day long before the play he practiced his line over and over again. Finally, the time came. The curtain went up, the actor walked onto the stage, looked at the audience, and with great emotion said the line, “Ah, the sweet smell of my love.” The audience exploded in laughter. Only the director was furious! “Ahhhhhh! You damned fool!” he cried. “You’ve ruined my play! You’ve ruined me!” The actor was puzzled, “What happened? Did I forget my line?” “No!” shouted the director. “You forget the rose!”

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1.D?? 2.C?? 3.D?? 4.A?? 5.B

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Task 3: Movie Reviews

I love movies! And after I see them, I?? ?like to comment on them. These are movies I saw this year I would like to recommend: Among comedies I highly recommend “Monsoon Wedding”. It’s an Indian movie. The story is about an Indian wedding. Preparations for the wedding bring out funny and sad situations touching on love and a past rape. This movie shows some of the wonderful customs ofIndia, and the importance of family and love. It’s great!

Among dramas, I like “Adaptation”. It is an excellent movie! But for me the first part of the movie was too fast to follow. I hope to see it again on DVD with captions.

“The Pianist” is set in the Second World War. It’s about a young Polish-Jewish pianist, who lives in Warsaw with his family. The Nazis sent his family to die in the concentration camps. He was safe, but would have died without unusually good luck and the kindness of a few non-Jews. This is a powerful movie with thought-provoking themes.

“Rabbit-Proof Fence” is set in the 1930s inAustralia, and it’s based on real events. It is about three native girls who are separated from their families by the racist police who send them to special centers. There the girls are taught practical skills, and the government tries to integrate them into white Australian society. They can away from the camp and walked 1,500 miles to find their mothers. This is a sad, touching story that you should not miss.

1.???????He likes to see movies and comment on them.

2.???????Four.

3.???????Three.

4.???????One.

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IV. Speaking Out

Model 1 Will you come with me?

John: Laura,?I am wondering if you’re free tomorrow night.

Laura: Well,?I guess I am.?Why?

John: I’ve got two?Star Wars?premiere tickets.?Will you come with me?

Laura:?Yeah, definitely!?Thanks for inviting me!

John:?It’s my pleasure.

Laura: I really wanted to see Star Wars on the opening night, but the tickets were sold out. How did you manage to get hold of them?

John: A friend of mine works at the “Pepsi” headquarters, which is a major sponsor of the movie. So he was able to get the tickets for free.

Laura: Wow, people are paying as much as $200 each on the black market.?I’m flattered you went through all this trouble just for me.

John: You’re welcome.

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Now Your Turn

SAMPLE DIALOG

A: Hi, are you busy this weekend?
B: Yes. What’s on your mind?
A: I’ve got two tickets for the car exhibition. Would you like to go with me?
B: Sure. Thanks for your invitation.

A: It’s nothing.

B: I’ve been wanting to see exhibition, but it was not at all easy to get a ticket. How did you manage to get two tickets?

A: A friend of mine works at the exhibition center. She was able to get three free tickets.

B: Wow, people are paying almost 100 yuan for a ticket on the black market. Thank you very much indeed for inviting me.

A: No problem.

Model 2 What did you think about the movie?

John: So…?what did you think about?the movie?
Laura: Well… I think this Star Wars episode?is an excellent piece of work, but not as good as the

??????previous ones.

John: Really? But I think this Star Wars episode?was incredible!

Laura: Why do you think so?
John: Well,?one of the most spectacular things about it was?the special effects.?State-of-the-art

special effects were the main reason for the success of the previous episodes.

Laura: You’re right. The special effects were amazing! And I like the fact that they created?so

many fantastic settings and other-worldly costumes,?weapons and creatures.

Now Your Turn

SAMPLE DIALOG

A: What did you think about?The Lion King?

B: Well… I think this cartoon was pretty good, but not as good as?Beauty and the Beast. It’s a killer flick.

A: Really? But I think?The Lion King?was unbelievably good.

B: I thought it was just OK. Why do you think so?

A: Well, it’s so interesting that the lives of the lions were similar to the lives of human beings.

B: You’re right. The murder in?The Lion King?was almost the same as the murder in the Shakespearean play?Hamlet.

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Model 3 The plot is first-class.

John: It’s kind of cool that they still used the same Star Wars theme song for this movie.

Laura: Yeah! It just reminds me of the previous Star Wars scenes.

John: I know exactly what you mean! Hearing that song makes me think of the past.

Laura: I think?the plot was first-class.?But I don’t think the character development was that strong.

John: Do you think that has anything to do with the casting of the movie?

Laura: No,?the casting was great; the actors are excellent, but I think?the acting was a little weak.?????They just didn’t have a lot of funny or meaningful lines.

John: Well, maybe, but I liked the little kid that played “Skywalker”.?I can’t imagine anyone else playing that part.

Laura: Yeah, I liked him too.?He’s soooo cute!

Now Your Turn

SAMPLE DIALOG

A: What do you think about the movie?

B: I think the plot was first-class. But I don’t think the character development was so strong.

A: Yes, the characterization was rather weak. Do you think it is because of the casting of the movie?

B: No, the cast was strong. But the acting was rather poor. And the lines are not interesting at all.

A: Well, maybe. But I liked the heroine of the movie. She is excellent.

B: Yeah, I liked her too. She’s adorable!

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V. Let’s Talk

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was a British director. His movies frequently show innocent people caught up in situations beyond their control or even understanding.

Hitchcock preferred the use of suspense in his movies. In surprise, the director provides the viewer with frightening things. In suspense, the director tells or shows things to the audience which the characters in the movie do not know, and then skillfully builds up tension around what will happen when the characters finally learn the truth. Hitchcock had a great sense of humor. Once at a French airport, a suspicious customs official looked at Hitchcock’s passport, which was marked simply PRODUCER. The curious official asked, “And what do you produce?” “Gooseflesh.” replied Hitchcock.

Alfred Hitchcock always managed to make a brief appearance in his movies: He was sometimes getting on a bus, or crossing a street, pr walking in front of a store, or across the courtyard in an apartment. However, for the movie Lifeboat in 1944, he was faced with a difficult problem. The entire movie was set in a lifeboat out at sea, and there were only a few characters in the boat. Originally, he wanted to float by as a dead body, but he was afraid he’d sink! His clever solution was to place a photograph of himself in a newspaper that one of the characters read during the course of the movie.

1. A?? 2.C?? 3.D

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VI. Furthering Listening and Speaking

Listening

Task 1: Only One Line

Peter has always wanted to be an actor, but never succeeded because he had a hard time memorizing lines. A friend of his told him about a small part in a play. He promised Peter that he could do it because he’s only have to remember one line. Peter decided to take the part. His only line was, “Listen, I hear the guns roar!” Peter practiced and practiced, “Listen, I hear the guns roar!” On the opening night of the play Peter was very nervous. Backstage, he practiced his line, over and over again, “Listen, I hear the guns roar! Listen, I hear the guns roar!” Finally came his turn, Peter went onto stage. He heard a loud BOOM and cried out in spite of himself, “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?”

1.???????memorizing lines

2.???????remember one line

3.???????I hear the guns roar

4.???????a loud boom

5.???????his line

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Task 2: An Interview with J.K. Rowling

Q: How did you get the idea for Harry Potter?

A: I was traveling on a train between Manchester and London and the idea for Harry just fell into my head. At that point it was essentially the idea for a body who didn’t know he was a wizard.

Q: Did you always plan to write Harry’s story in more than one book? If so, how many?

A: I always conceived it as a seven-book series because I decided that it would take seven years,?? from age eleven to seventeen, inclusive, to train as a wizard, and each of the books would deal with one year of Harry’s life at the school.

Q: Any clues about the next book?

A: I don’t want to i\give anything away, but I tell you that the books are getting darker. Harry’s going to have quite a bit to deal with as he gets older. Sorry if they get too scary!

Q: Of the many things you must have heard people say about Harry Potter, what are some of your favorites?

A: My very favorite was from a twelve-year-old Scottish girl who came to hear me read at the Edinburgh book festival. At the end of the festival, the queue for signing was very long. When the girl finally reached me, she said, “I didn’t WANT there to be so many people here, because this is MY books!” That is exactly how I feel about my favorite books. Nobody else has a right to know them; let alone like them!

1.T?? 2.F?? 3.F?? 4.T?? 5.F

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Task 3: The Secret of the Next Harry Potter Book

The Harry Potter books rapidly became one of the most in-demand book series among young readers and have earned large sums of money. Movies based on the books won several Oscar nominations. Readers are now keen to know the plot of the next book.

Harry Potter movie fans will get a long-awaited treat. The movie?Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret?is finally about to come out. This time around, Harry discovers a frightening secret at Hogwarts ?School. Eager readers of the first four Harry Potter books are also trying to discover a secret, the secret plot of the fifth book in the series. Because of the long wait since Book Four, they are guessing many things. Some think that Professor Lupin will die or that Harry and his friend Ron may be related!

J.K. Rowling herself has only said that Book Five will be shorter and scarier than Book Four. To make sure her readers hear only rumors, she locks all her ideas for the books in a hidden place. Since the next book does not come out until 2003, for mow Harry’s secret is safe with her!

1. D?? 2.C?? 3.A?? 4.B

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Speaking

Views on Movies

Interviewer: Hello, Robert and Richard, I’d like to ask you something about movies. Do you prefer going to the theater or watching movies on video at home?

Robert:??? I prefer, personally, going to the theater, because I believe there are certain movies that come over better when you see them in a large theater. The sound effect is much better.

Interviewer: What about you, Richard?
Richard:?? Just the opposite. It’s more comfortable to sit at home.

Interviewer: There’re many different movie genres, for example, science fiction, action, comedy, romance. What’s your personal favorite?

Robert:??? My favorite would be action movies.

Richard:?? And mine would be nice movies that touch me deeply.

Interviewer: How do you like the old black and white movies of the forties, and fifties compared with the modern blockbusters?

Robert:??? For their time, the movies of the forties and fifties were excellent. But try to compare them with today’s technology, and you’ll find there isn’t anything to compare. It’s so superior today.

Richard:?? I agree.