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The Truth About Devan

Date: Aug 05 2008

Themes: Health, Soap Opera

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Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

plasma
hood

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

If you’re just tuning in, Devan admitted that she smokes pot a few weeks ago. But Mason talked to her and she said she was going to quit. But Marni and Beren have caught her doing strange things and wonder if she is still using drugs. Jason agreed to talk to her about it, but it looks like he won’t have to. As he runs by, she flags him down and as they talk, the truth comes out.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Devan

Jason

Devan: Jason! Jason! Hey!

Jason: Hey!

Devan: Hey!

Jason: What’s up?

Devan: Oh, how’s it going?

Jason: Oh, just training for the Olympics, you know.

Devan: Oh, nice! This is your training outfit?

Jason: Yeah, yeah.

Devan: Nice.

Jason: How come you’re wearing this hoodie?

Devan: Oh, it’s kind of cold, you know.

Jason: It’s like 90 degrees!

Devan: Well, I’m not that hot.

Jason: Really? But you even have your hood on. How come you have your hood on?

Devan: It’s, you know, it’s only 90. It could be 100.

Jason: I mean, did you get, like, a bad haircut or something or what?

Devan: Uh, well, you could say that, I guess.

Jason: Let me see! It can’t be that bad.

Devan: Um, no, I mean it looks…

Jason: C’mon!

Devan: It looks…OK…OK. I don’t have any hair anymore.

Jason: What? Why?

Devan: You promise you won’t tell the rest of the gang?

Jason: Yeah. Is it a fashion statement?

Devan: Um, no. Actually, I have cancer.

Jason: You do?

Devan: Yeah, I just found out and I’m getting chemo so I don’t have any hair anymore. That’s why I’m wearing a hood. But don’t tell the others till I’m ready.

Jason: OK, I won’t. What kind of cancer do you have?

Devan: Uh, breast cancer.

Jason: Wow. Are you gonna be alright?

Devan: I hope so. I’m starting the treatment and I don’t have insurance so I’m trying to figure out how pay for it right now, but…I mean I was planning on telling you and I’m going to tell everybody else, but if I’ve been acting a little weird lately, that’s part of the problem. But this will just be beween me and you for now, OK?

Jason: Yeah. So that explains why you were all sick when Marni saw you on the street. You weren’t even donating plasma, were you?

Devan: No.

Jason: Do you have insurance?

Devan: Um, no, I don’t.

Jason: Wow. So that’s why you’ve been selling cans and all that stuff.

Devan. Yeah, yeah.

Jason: Oh my gosh.

Devan: So now you know.

Jason: Wow.

Devan: But it’s gonna be OK, right?

Jason: Yeah, I hope so.

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Discussion

It turns out that Devan hasn’t been doing drugs again. She was acting strangely because she has breast cancer. Since chemotherapy causes your hair to fall out, she can’t hide her secret anymore. Jason knows something is up when she refuses to remove her hood in summer weather.

Perhaps the only thing worse than cancer is cancer without health insurance. A lot of people in the United States don’t have health insurance and Devan is one of them. She and Jason hug and both say they hope it will be alright, though they both know it might not be.

Have you ever known anyone with cancer? How does the health care system work in your country?

Comments

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Jobee

China

yep.what's worse than cancer is cancer without healh insurance.Getting cancer is tough,however,cancer without health insurance just punch one down,leaving no hope at all.it's kinda lame.