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Œ Warm Up What does the title mean?

 Reading Look at these words. Can you explain them to your partner?

HARMLESS HOAX FOOTAGE PHOTOSHOPPING POWERLESS FUEL (V)

Ž Reading Read the text. Fill in the blanks with a word from the list above.

"
W hen you look at the photos, you 1
know they're fake," explains Tom
Crossland. "Why can't you see any stars?
And in 1969, we definitely didn't have the
technology to send people to the moon." 5

Tom is part of an online group which

believes that the moon landings, starting
1
with Apollo 11 in 1969, are a ................. .
Surveys have found that up to 20% of
Americans believe that NASA faked the 10
2
.................. The figure is similar in the UK,
Many non-believers can find it hard to
with one percent of people surveyed also
understand why conspiracy theories are so
believing that Buzz Lightyear was the first
common. Scientists have suggested that the
man on the moon.
main reason people 'want to believe' is that
The moon-landing hoax is one of many well- 15
it gives a feeling of control. Terrible things 35

known conspiracy stories. A number of
events of recent times have been subject to
conspiracy rumours - especially on the
Internet. There are scores of books and
websites dedicated to Jack the Ripper (with
happen in the world, and most people are
3
................. to stop any of them. Blaming a
person, or group of people, is a natural
human reaction. While theories about Jack
4
20
the Ripper or JFK might be ................., there 40

possible connections to the British Royal is a danger that government policies over
Family), the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and global warming or international terrorism
President Kennedy (the mafia, CIA and could be affected by conspiracy theories.
more) and more recent events such as the
In the case of the moon landings, we might
9-11 destruction of the World Trade Center. 25
expect that recent high-resolution 45

Since the 1990s, surveys have shown that photographs of the landing sites would put
the belief in conspiracy theories has grown. an end to the rumours. However, it has only
5
Television shows such as the X-Files in the served to .................the online discussions,
6
USA demonstrated the growing lack of trust with NASA accused of ................. the
in the government. 30 images. It seems that little can be done to 50
stop the spread of conspiracy stories.

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 Comprehension According to the text, which sentence is true?

1. Twenty percent of Americans think that Buzz Lightyear is a real person.

are members of online groups about the moon.
think that NASA didn't send people to the moon.

2. Conspiracy theories aren't very common.

are only a recent phenomemon.
are often discussed on the Internet.

3. In the 1990s, people trusted the government more.

trusted the government less.
watched more television shows.

4. Belief in conspiracy theories might have bad consequences.

is very dangerous.
is always harmless.

5. New photographs of the moon landing sites have stopped the rumours.
increased the rumours.
made no difference to the rumours.

 Vocabulary Rewrite the sentences, using the word or phrase in brackets.

1. Keiko said the accident was Jim's fault. [BLAME]

2. Tony couldn't stop the runaway train. [POWERLESS]

3. Lots of people were injured when the stage collapsed. [SCORES]

4. Henri stopped the problem by resigning. [PUT AN END]

5. Derek said Sandy had stolen the money. [ACCUSE]

6. There are lots of websites that are just about the Harry Potter books. [DEDICATED]

‘ Discussion Ask your partner(s) these questions. Ask follow-up questions!

Ø Do you think the moon landings were faked?

Ø What do you know about any of the conspiracy theories mentioned in the text?

Ø Are there any conspiracy theories that you believe?

Ø Are there any conspiracy theories concerning your country?

Ø Why do you think so many people believe conspiracy theories?

Ø Your ideas!

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Target Structure: Reading and Discussion

Vocabulary: General
Level: Upper Intermediate and above
Time: 1 hour, depending on discussion
Preparation: None

Suggested Teaching Method

Did man really land on the moon? Why do millions of people think that the photographs were faked by
NASA? This worksheet looks at ever-popular topic of conspiracy theories.

Œ Students can work with a partner, discussing the opening question. Don't spend too long here: there are more
discussion questions at the end. Go through the answer with the group.

 You could begin by having students discuss the photograph. Have students explain who the person might be. (It's
Buzz Aldrin, rather than Neil Armstrong.) Ask students why there could be a photograph of the first moon landing
in a lesson about conspiracy theories.

Next, direct your students' attention to the words in the box. They should explain the words to each other. You can
either explain the other words, or have students guess from context when reading the text.

Ž Set a reading task before having students start on the text. The task could be:

- to make a list of the conspiracy theories mentioned in the text

Students should read the article at a brisk pace.

 Make this exercise communicative by having students work with a partner, discussing the options. Go through the
answers with the group.

 Students can work alone and check in pairs. Go through the answers with the group.

‘ Leave plenty of time for class discussion. To maximize student talking time, it’s best to put students in pairs, or
small groups. Students should read all the questions first, before beginning the discussion.

While the students are speaking, monitor the conversations, but try not to interrupt. When the discussion comes to
a close, ask a few of the questions yourself, and go through any points of English you made a note of while
monitoring.

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Answer Key (Other answers are possible for some exercises.)

 1. hoax
2. footage
3. powerless
4. harmless
5. fuel
6. photoshopping

 1. Twenty percent of Americans think that Buzz Lightyear is a real person.

are members of online groups about the moon.
think that NASA didn't send people to the moon.

2. Conspiracy theories aren't very common.

are only a recent phenomemon.
are often discussed on the Internet.

3. In the 1990s, people trusted the government more.

trusted the government less.
watched more television shows.

4. Belief in conspiracy theories might have bad consequences.

is very dangerous.
is always harmless.

5. New photographs of the moon landing sites have stopped the rumours.
increased the rumours.
made no difference to the rumours.

 1. Keiko blamed the accident on Jim. / Keiko blamed Jim for the accident.
2. Tony was powerless to stop the runaway train.
3. Scores of people were injured when the stage collapsed.
4. Henri put an end to the problem by resigning.
5. Derek accused Sandy of stealing the money.
6. There are lots of websites dedicated to the Harry Potter books.

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Updated 8/16/2013

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