Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
Russiaphobia

Russiaphobia English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Jan 06 2009

Themes: Friend

Intro

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

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

A few weeks ago, Devan and Amanda got pretty worried when Beren starting eating and drinking things that she usually doesn’t. Maybe they were overreacting. After all, it’s not all that weird to try a new kind of soda.

But you know what is weird? A sudden and inexplicable fear of all things Russian. Watch as Beren panics at the mere mention of vodka and ballet.

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.

Log in to Listen

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

Marni

Marni

Beren

Beren

Amanda

Amanda

Devan

Devan

Jason

Jason

Marni:  Oh my God. Guess what?

Beren:  What?

Marni:  I just got tickets for the ballet and guess who’s going to be here?

Beren:  Who?

Marni:  Mikhail Baryshnikov. Do you want to go?

Beren:  No! No. No. No. I do not want to…No.

Marni:  I’m in love with Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Amanda:  Shhh! I’m trying to read this book, Crime and Punishment, by Dostoevsky. Is that how you say it?

Beren:  I don’t know. I have no idea. I don’t know.

Amanda:  It’s so gripping.

Beren:  I don’t know.

Devan:  Hey guys.

Beren:  I don’t know.

Devan:  Look! I brought borscht.

Beren:  What? Are you kidding? No! It’s hot in here. I feel sweaty.

Jason:  Does anyone want a vodka tonic?

Beren:  Oh my God!

Jason:  I’ve had way too many of these.

Beren:  I am freaking out.

Jason:  You want some?

Beren:  No. No, no, no, no.

Amanda:  What do I have to do for some peace and quiet around here?

Jason:  What was that all about?

Devan:  What is her deal?

Jason:  That was so weird.

Marni:  I don’t know.

Devan:  Does she not like vodka and borscht?

Marni:  And ballet? Who doesn’t love Baryshnikov?

Jason:  Yeah. Who doesn’t love borscht and vodka?

Marni:  And Dostoevsky?

Jason:  A crazy person.

Amanda:  Oh, is that how you say it?

Marni:  Yes.

 

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

What was that all about? It just so happened that all of Beren’s friends showed up with different things from Russia at the same. Devan has a Russian soup called borscht, Jason has Russian alcohol, Amanda is reading a Russian book and Marni is going to a Russian ballet! When she heard all this, Beren got really scared, started hyperventilating and ran out of the room.

Why would Beren be afraid of all things Russian? Could it have anything to do with her crazy night in Vegas?

 

Comments

Log in to Comment

liushuixun

China

I used to be a acrophobia but I don’t fear of height.Some people are acrophibia but phobia to a place is quiet strange.

05:58 AM Jan 07 2009 |

chens027

chens027

China

hey ,

 

im Acrophobia~Sealed

05:19 AM Jan 07 2009 |

Christoph07

Germany

Cool – now we have a discussion about roots of Borsch?

The question is: Is Borsch coming from East or West of Ukraine and how old is that meal – I mean since when they did cooked it? Because Russia moved Poland after World War II in west direction in German territory and many polish people had lost her home. But this is only one reason why many Polish people can understand russiaphobia.

12:44 AM Jan 07 2009 |

dashka-sweet

Russian Federation

haha

It's very funny, but strange too.

I think there's no reason to be afraid of Russian things! I understand, you don't like vodka, borsch… But how can you fear that? Laughing

So ppl can have USAphobia, CHINAphobia, GERMANYphobia?

 P.S. I thought, that borsch is Ukranian soup and schi is Russian :)

11:00 PM Jan 06 2009 |

joe10000

Germany

I have a really russiaphobie and I have some reasons for that. I came from Hungary and the russian were there the occupying power for forty years. Everyone hated them. Furthermore we were as children forced to learn russian eight long years, so we hated the language too. It was in other communist countrys the same. End what is the outcome? For example when I hear some russian conversation in the bus I stand up and take seat somewhere else. In the big house where I live there are a lot of russian people and I always try to avoid them. (But when they talk german I like them at once as other nations people.) I consider russian for the uglyest language in the world. I know a lot of people feeling the same in my ex-fatherland.  I don´t like anything coming from Russia no objects, musik, food, literatur et cetera, nothing. I know its a noncense and it was because of the policy but I can´t help, it is in my blood somehow.

 

09:44 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Diomedes1990

Dominican Republic

the vodka is  a nice drink

09:17 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Christoph07

Germany

@pueo

Ive heard from this. Its an interesting theory and Prussia was a successfully kingdom in Germany because there education system. But they did not create vodka and Borsch Smile.

I want to take a look in different sources because I ve forgotten the other theories about the german kingdom Prussia. By the way: I think only in English its calling Prussia – or? We are calling Preußen (Preussen)

 

@ Artem123

Yeah you are right- the russian shortway missles are the answer for antimissle system of USA. But tell me- what do You think – less than 20 antimissle rockets only for flying targets vs. shortway missles. I dont understand this. Is Russian government thinking that these some rockets are getting a chance to cover NATO-states for these all weapon systems what Russia have? Your thousands of missles can find targets in NATO-states and these some antimissle rockets can't do anything. I think you know – lot of weapon technologies are tramping around the world and I think one day stupid bad people can launch one missle if they want. Thats the reason for the antimissle system. So why Russia put shortway missles at the boarder and why Russia is thinking like in times of Cold War? How much Russians are thinking that another state want to catch Russian territory today?

08:52 PM Jan 06 2009 |

pueo

Ukraine

Before Teutonic order in 13th century conquer the land around Kaliningrad this land belonged to acient slavic people. How do you explain why this land called "Prussia" before? Isn't it "P+Russia"? Only the languages keep the truth, people often write lies in historical books. We in former Soviet republics know very well about "rewriting of history".

08:40 PM Jan 06 2009 |

pueo

Ukraine

“Russiaphobia” is not correct. “Rusophobia” is correct, a fear of of things from Russia and Russian people. It is really sad that in Russia and Ukraine we know much more about foreign people that they know about us. This lesson had to start from episode where Beren read frightened article in newspaper about Russia… I always wonder why foreign people mention Dostoevsky more than other much better russian writers… Russian psychotherapists recommend to read Dostoevsky to patients as a part of therapy after their attempts of suicide…

By the way, we call someone as a joke “Dostoevsky” when you refuse to do something but he ask again and again, or he do something again and again although you asked many times “don’t do this” (russian idiomatic verb “dostal” means “make me boring, tired and angry”).

07:44 PM Jan 06 2009 |

pueo

Ukraine

“Russiaphobia” is not correct. “Rusophobia” is correct, a fear of of things from Russia and Russian people. It is really sad that in Russia and Ukraine we know much more about foreign people that they know about us. This lesson had to start from episode where Beren read frightened article in newspaper about Russia… I always wonder why foreign people mention Dostoevsky more than other much better russian writers… Russian psychotherapists recommend to read Dostoevsky to patients as a part of therapy after their attempts of suicide…

07:35 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Yuliana20

Yuliana20

Russian Federation

CoolPeople are foolish who against russian peopleTongue out and who doesnot read Dostoevsky is uneducated

07:31 PM Jan 06 2009 |

omar17

omar17

Saudi Arabia

lol         that was really funny video 

07:29 PM Jan 06 2009 |

artem123

artem123

Russian Federation

I can explain u why Russia deploys shortway missles. It's politics. Coz USA decided to make another one ring of anti missles system. And it's making Russia lose in power in Europe area and cutting it's defending forces so Russia has to make antimove agains this system. That's all

 borsh is russian and ukranian soup

05:31 PM Jan 06 2009 |

mintastic

mintastic

Germany

what is borscht …?

05:28 PM Jan 06 2009 |

sadegh.ghasemi

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Phobia is a good word for exhibit everything that fears you , Russia + phobia = fear of Russia .

05:15 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Christoph07

Germany

@myakushka, Anik and others: Russiaphobia in generally is stupid- thats true but its easy to understand. Its like with Germans. We did two big mistakes in last century (1914 and 1939) and many people had fear for Germans. And Russia has also black points in her history. Many people are remembering at Hungaria 1956 and Tschechoslovakia 1968 and other examples of unlucky influences. I think USA has also problems in some countries because they had a strange and bad influence in many countries of latin america (El Salvador, Panama, Chile, Argentina, Grenada, Kuba). But USA did it smarter mostly with intelligence services like CIA and not with millitaries like USSR with her Red Army. Today we dont have a real Cold War and USSR is Russia. But I am asking me why Russia want to put shortway missles at Kaliningrad???? Thats weird.

04:51 PM Jan 06 2009 |

artem123

artem123

Russian Federation

Laughingfunny lesson. Hehe i can say that the right writting of borsht is borsh:)

04:47 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Christoph07

Germany

Thats a funny lesson – I had a big smile in my face. Perhaps there is an analogy reason why Beren prefered Republicans at last election. A natural fear for all things who are left from middle in politically spectrum. But I dont care – I am just kidding…Laughing 

04:19 PM Jan 06 2009 |

sofiene

sofiene

Tunisia

The media and schools are easy ways to people's minds.

Unfortunately, only those who control them can use them to pass their ideas to people.

The American media and schools are the only responsible for creating russiaphobia among its people.

Only silly people believe everything that is said to them.

I don't think that any body wants to be silly.

                       NEVER TRUST MEDIA

 

03:37 PM Jan 06 2009 |

myakushka

myakushka

Russian Federation

agree with Anik :)

02:12 PM Jan 06 2009 |

Likes (43):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast