Zhang Ziyi

Intro

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

• co-opt
• broken English
• pitiful
• subtitles

• go-to
• martial arts
• flip through
• stunning

• bye
• presentation

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

It’s hard to say what causes a foreign actor to become famous in the United States. Sometimes it’s just talent for acting, but other times it’s a combination of things. Arnold Schwarzenegger was first known for lifting weights, then he became a world-famous actor, and now he’s the governor of California! Zhang Ziyi’s world fame might have more than a little to do her incredible fighting skills. Listen to Mason and Kevin talk about why they like Zhang Ziyi.

Dialog

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

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

Mason

Kevin

Mason:  You know, I can’t tell you why I’ve been thinking about this actress lately, do you know Zhang Ziyi?

Kevin:  Crouching Tiger...

Mason:  Yeah, Crouching Tiger, that was like her first film that I ever noticed her in but it was one of those roles that you’re just like, “Who was that person?”

Kevin:  Yeah, it was pretty amazing.

Mason:  But all of a sudden it kind of seemed like she became the go-to Asian girl. In American film, it was like, “There’s a role for an Asian girl, let’s get that Zhang Ziyi girl.”

Kevin:  So why have you been thinking about her?

Mason:  I can’t even tell you why. I’ve kind of been watching a lot of martial arts stuff. There’s a movie she was in called Hero that Jet Li was in…

Kevin:  I haven’t seen it but I’ve heard about it.

Mason:  Yeah, I haven’t really watched it lately, but I own it. It’s a phenomenal film. Maybe I was flipping through the channels the other day and Crouching Tiger was on. But she’s a beautiful woman…

Kevin:  Stunning...

Mason:  ...and I remember right around the time that Crouching Tiger came on, she was doing presentations at a lot of awards and you could tell she was just barely starting to learn English, and I kind of felt bad about my culture at that point. Why do we need to co-opt this person and make them come and present awards in their broken English?

Kevin:  Sure…and she struggles…pitiful.

Mason:  I don’t get it. You know? What is that? You’ve been abroad, is that just, “We like this, let’s make it ours”?

Kevin:  Well, she’s a very good actress, so it comes with the territory.

Mason:  I guess. I think that actors in movies with subtitles get, like, a bye for me because I can’t really tell if they’re acting poorly.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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