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2012

2012

Date: Dec 16 2009

Themes: Pop Culture, Time

Grammar: Verbs with "-ing"

Intro

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Nothing says the holidays like a good old fashioned disaster movie. With Christmas coming up, you may be wondering what a fun movie would be to see with your family. Well, how about one that features the entire state of California falling into the ocean? If that sounds like a good time to you, then you might want to check out 2012.

The film 2012 is inspired by the “2012 phenomenon,” or the idea that a series of apocalyptic events, from mega-earthquakes to super-tsunamis, will take place on December 21, 2012. The special effects in the movie are sure to be impressive, but will this latest film about the end of the world be more than just eye candy? Find out what Marni and Beren think.

Dialog

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

Beren

Beren

Marni

Marni

Beren:  Three years from now it’ll be 2012.

Marni:  Ah, are you referring to the Mayan myth that the world might potentially end in 2012?

Beren:  Yes, the doomsday myth that…I’ve heard different things about 2012, like the aliens will come back and harvest us or spaceships will come out of the pyramids…

Marni:  Well there’s a new movie out called 2012, and it’s loosely based on the idea that the world is gonna end in 2012. What it is is that the Mayan calendar is actually ending in 2012. It’s like a little over a 5,000 year old calendar that’s ending. And so people have interpreted that to mean the end of the world, like you said, aliens are gonna come, floods…

Beren:  There’s all these different conspiracy theories.

Marni:  Exactly. And the film certainly is basically just a big disaster movie, and it’s of course, like all good disaster movies, it’s told through the eyes of a family, a family that’s struggling to get together and reconnect and survive against all the odds.

Beren:  I just don’t understand how they could make a movie out of that.

Marni:  It’s pretty…I mean, it’s definitely an eye candy movie.

Beren:  It’s a spectacle.

Marni:  You go in and you know you’re gonna see lots of explosions. The entire West Coast is wiped out and yet your cell phone is still working.

Beren:  It’s Hollywood.

 

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Discussion

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There are different myths associated with the year 2012. Some people think aliens will land on earth. Others believe that there will be major natural disasters. This is the year when the Mayan calendar, a 5,000-year-old calendar, will end. Some people think aliens will land on earth in 2012.

The new movie 2012 is based on these theories. Marni likes disaster movies, so she recently saw 2012. She says it was a big spectacle. There were a lot of amazing special effects, but the movie wasn’t very believable. As Beren says, Hollywood isn’t really known for making realistic movies.

Do you think anything unusual will happen on December 21, 2012?

 

Comments

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appletree8

appletree8

China

well , I think the Mayan myths are just translate from Mayan words. The scientists haven't know all the Mayan words so far. Maybe they misperceive the myth meaning . In otherwise , no evidence index there will be a disaster on Dec 21, 2012. 

However , the climate change should be paid more  attention to.

02:53 PM Dec 16 2009 |

rickymathew

India

it was not that nice what people say but it has some new type of innovation ideas with in itself if i sum up thn i thing its a good piece of work done at least we feel new…......... 

02:25 PM Dec 16 2009 |

fitzjerald

fitzjerald

Philippines

Absolutely amazing movie… I watched this movie three times believe it or not… awoof!!!

02:04 PM Dec 16 2009 |

gokuh

gokuh

India

I think, i read in a newspaper that scientists observed that sea level is increasing after going through research they did for last five years, due to global warming, emmision of airs into atmosphere, ice mountains r depleting very fastly n if it wudnt be controlled then its fixed that v r going to experience the disastereous situation like the film, they made.

01:23 PM Dec 16 2009 |

Zaid Yahia

Zaid Yahia

Yemen

I've not watched this movie, but I've watched another movie has a story like this one. which is " Dooms Day 2012 " 

12:23 PM Dec 16 2009 |

Juliny

Juliny

Russian Federation

I saw the movie, and it's making an impression as you're watching it, but as for the plot – Undecided

Actually there's too much of politics there. The bottom line is How do WE (our countries) need to cooperate to handle a possible (?) catastrophe.

Obviously, the main stars of the movie are the digital special effects wizards!!Cool

Still, 2012 is definitely worth seeing, esp. in the movies on the big screen, a DVD-version would suck.Undecided

12:17 PM Dec 16 2009 |

amicus

amicus

Ukraine

Stupid flim with pointless message…It's not so optimistick that only a pack of gyus that have 1 million will survive! Of course, effects are amazing, but the plot is trivial.

P.S.Come on!! Maya didn't say in their calender that we'll all die. The new epoch begins only, but it's a great  ground  for producing such films and earning money))

12:17 PM Dec 16 2009 |

amrosha

amrosha

Egypt

i watched the movie twice .i beleive on the domsday and it will come certainly …and the earth will completely destroy and all people will die and nobody will survive  ....then all the people will gather on specific ground to stop in front of the god to ask them about what they did through their whole life .. but i think it won't be in 2012 and no body knows when will it be …

11:38 AM Dec 16 2009 |

isef mert

isef mert

Turkey

ıt was an amazing movie..ı really believe that kind of things will come true but ı dont think they will be in 2012..and ı think we dont need a real doomsday..the world has been living its doom..

10:21 AM Dec 16 2009 |

giangson

giangson

Viet Nam

I watched this film ;) love it

10:00 AM Dec 16 2009 |

sunny8112

sunny8112

China

cherish the present time …

09:32 AM Dec 16 2009 |

rosendo

rosendo

Mexico

i believe doomsday will come asap , but not bcs the mayas calendar's said. it'll happen bcs we are destroying the world.

in my opinion , we have to change our attitude, our form of think , WE HAVE TO DO OUR BEST EVERYDAY.

saludos.
 

09:30 AM Dec 16 2009 |

sunny8112

sunny8112

China

the future is full of  suspense..

 

09:30 AM Dec 16 2009 |

ghostlove_153

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

I think no one in this wolrd will know any thing about future , only allah know every thing about the past , present and future

but we must to think about nature changes over world , whats the result for Pollution . because every thing happen in this world have reson . but any person maybe expect to happen any thing but no one know when . for examlpe : if person sicks by cancer the doctor tells him he will die after two months , but maybe this one will be alive for 5 years .

the result : the human expect any thing over the world , but don't know the Accurate time to happen .

09:06 AM Dec 16 2009 |

Zheng Kelly

China

I have watched it twice. at the first, I believe part of it. and after I have seen the news fm web, scientists said that humanity is not that strong as we thought,  the climate might changed by the earth itself… so maybe the earth has gone through part of it's life cycle in 2012, then there will be something different happen… 

08:16 AM Dec 16 2009 |

Mary_zaika

Mary_zaika

Russian Federation

Come on, guys! It's just a film that was produced to make a fortune for the director and some dudes around him. No real facts, just a parody of the Flood. Only one thing worth to see is a russian plane called Ruslan or An))) It's the biggest and coolest in the world and my mom worked at that plane plant ;p good luck!

07:02 AM Dec 16 2009 |

Fennyisme

Fennyisme

Taiwan

It doesn't matter if doomsday would come, living in now is really important!

 

Don't leave  regret for my life. :)

04:35 AM Dec 16 2009 |

glaciernew

glaciernew

China

i saw the movie yesterday and i was shocked by those disasters. though i believe 2012 is not the end of the world, it'll be reality someday if we keep on damaging environment severly. so it's the urgent time for us to protect our earth now, and i hope every country can make good measures to deal with climate change.

04:22 AM Dec 16 2009 |

fedorame

fedorame

China

I think the year 2012 is a special year due to lots of myths and science evidence.We all know that the stroy is based on the Mayan doomsday prophecy, but when we hark back to the history, Mayan calendar is so accurate that it indeed foreshadowed a series events that happened later.Scientists have also verified the fact that at that time there will be some unusual changes in terms of astrophysics.Look at the disasters now, dont you think they occur a little bit often?I dont want to scare you here, but we should admit the year 2012 will be an unusual time for all of us..

03:30 AM Dec 16 2009 |

weah44

weah44

Sudan

 i beleive on that event ..i mean domsday will come certainly …and the earth will completely destroy with all mountains will become like sand and water over the land and all people will die and nobady will survives  ....then all the people will gather on specific ground to stop in front of the god to ask them about their dead through their whole life ..that is not theory but it is true and nobady knows when it will happen…

02:47 AM Dec 16 2009 |

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