SPEAKING

unit 6
Dumbed Down?
SPEAKING PART II
PLEASE STAND UP AND FIND A NEW
SEAT THAT YOU HAVE NOT SAT
BEFORE
LISTENING EXERCISE: Listen to a candidate speaking about a TV
programme she enjoys and complete these notes. Use no more than THREE
WORDS in each gap.
ANSWER:
1. satellite (TV /television)
2. English subtitles/ subtitles in English
3. records
4. more sophisticated
5. less funny / not as funny
Which of these things did the candidate do? What was the benefit of doing or
not doing each thing? DISCUSS YOUR IDEAS WITH A PARTNER.

1 Described the format and the characters in detail.

2 Explained how watching the programme fits into her life.
3 Contrasted the programme with others in general terms.
4 Contrasted the programme with specific other programmes.
5 Contrasted a widely held opinion about the programme with her own.
Unit 6, Listen 1
Examiner: Can yon start speaking now, please?
Candidate: One of my favourite TV shows for a long time has been the Simpsons. It's very famous. but
I’ll describe it anyway. It's a cartoon sitcom about an ordinary family in am ordinary town in the
USA. There's a large cast of other characters, and sometimes famous people play themselves. It's
been running for more than 20 years. and it's one of the most popular TV programmes in the world.
I sometimes watch it on regular TV, which is dubbed. At the moment. it's on Sunday evenings. I
don't enjoy that so much. partly because I think the dubbed version isn't quite as funny as the
original version and partly because they only show old episodes. and five seen most of them before.
Last year, we got satellite TV and we get a channel which shows the original English version. I
much prefer that. It's quite fast, and I find it quite difficult to follow. but I usually watch it with
subtitles in English, which helps. I sometimes record it and watch it again, and the second time I can
usually understand it a lot more easily. The reason I like it is simple. It makes me laugh. The
humour is very fast, and it seems a little more sophisticate than most. sitcoms·. There are lots of
littleextra jokes which are easy to miss, but which you notice the second time you watch it. Some
people sayit isn't as funny as it used to be, but l disagree. I think it's as good as it's ever been.
Examiner: How much TV do you watch?
Candidate: It depends. in the winter, I watch quite a lot, maybe 15. 20 hours a week. But in the
summer. I watch a lot less. I prefer to be outside with my family or friends.
Please role play the recording,
one student asks as an examiner,
one answers.
Describe a film you enjoyed. You should say:

+ what the film was

+ where and when you saw it
+ what type of film it was
and explain why you enjoyed it.
Box-office hit: A successful film; a film that makes a lot of money.
Crowd-pleaser: A film that a lot of people like.
Cliffhanger: A dramatic ending to an episode, when you really want to know what happens next
Blockbuster: A successful film; a film that makes a lot of money.
Slow burn: The story starts off slowly but gains momentum.
Bomb: A film that loses a lot of money and viewers.
A-lister: One of the most famous of all famous people; a celebrity who is extremely famous.
Plot: The story of a book, film, etc.
Film buff: A person who loves films/movies and knows a lot about films/movies.
Crowd-pleasers: Film that a lot of people like.
Laugh riot: A very amusing person or thing.
Adrenaline rush: A physical feeling of intense excitement and stimulation caused by the release of
adrenaline from the adrenal glands.
Make one’s blood run cold: If you say that something makes your blood run cold or makes your
blood freeze, you mean that it makes you feel very frightened. 
Rom-coms: Same as romantic comedies.
Give someone food for thought: To make someone think seriously about something.
Sequel: A film that comes after the original film and depicts the actions that come AFTER the events
shown in the original film. 
Prequel: A film that comes after the original film and depicts the actions that came BEFORE the
events in the original book or film.
.
 
3 Minutes for PREPARATION
LET’S TALK TO A NEW PARTNER!
LET’S TALK
Hoàng Thanh
LET’S TALK
Long