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Australia

Date: Jan 14 2009

Themes: History, Romance

Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

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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.

When we think about Australia, we often think of funny-looking animals like koala bears, kangaroos, and wombats. But along with these fuzzy marsupials, Australia has produced quite a few actors who’ve made it big in Hollywood, including Heath Ledger and Nicole Kidman.

Now Kidman and fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman have teamed up in Australia, an epic, romantic adventure set in the wild Australian outback. But as Jason explains to Beren, Australia is more than just a typical love story with funny accents.

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.

Jason

Beren

Jason: Have you seen Australia?

Beren: No, but I kinda want to. That’s the new Baz Luhrmann movie?

Jason: Yeah, stick with it if you do.

Beren: Oh, you’ve seen it?

Jason: Yeah, and it starts out, and it’s kind of…It seems like it’s going to be really predictable, like it’s just a story of, you know, a civilized woman in an uncivilized land. But it’s really long and it keeps evolving after that. There’s a lot of stuff about the treatment of the aborigines in Australia, and then World War II happens, and it suddenly becomes really epic.

Beren: Woah. That’s the exact opposite of what I thought it was.

Jason: Really?

Beren: Yeah. I saw the preview and I was like, oh, boring love story set in Australia with two Australians. You know, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. But that actually sounds interesting. It’s kind of gotten mixed reviews though. One big criticism has been Nicole Kidman’s acting in the movie. But I think she’s a great actress. I haven’t seen her in a flop.

Jason: Maybe there’s a little bit of melodrama and that’s why people are saying that, but…

Beren: It’s interesting the movie talks about how the aborigines were exploited and mistreated, because I think that even if you go to Australia today, they’re second-class citizens.

Jason: That’s what I’ve heard.

Beren: Mmm-hmm.

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Discussion

Jason has just seen Australia, the new movie from the director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. He says that even though some parts of the story are pretty conventional, it also includes some exciting and interesting elements that make it worth watching.

Before talking to Jason about Australia, Beren wasn’t very interested in seeing it. She heard that Nicole Kidman’s performance wasn’t very good, and she thought that the movie was just a typical love story. But the story involves a lot more than the romance between Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It even deals with the mistreatment of Australia’s aborigines by the Europeans who settled the land.

Have you ever been to Australia or would you like to go there? In your country, is there a group of people who are sometimes treated like second-class citizens? How do you feel about that?

Comments

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MotherEarth

Canada

It’s a remarkable continent , Not only for actres .
Australia is one of the most amazing place that has longest incrediable coral reef .
It has magnificent specieses such as ; Australia green mamba (venomous snake ) , wadge tailed Eagle , and so on .
There is something that must mention it , it accupied by British royal family .
They destroyed aborigine tribes , this is kind privilege from British royal which did all around world .

ABHIJITAK

India

No. I have never been to Astralia. I have also not seen movie Australia. This is the first time I have got some reviews. But now I want to watch the movie.

In India, no one is treated as second class citizen. I personally respect each and every culture and keep faith on belief that each religion/culture is unique in its place.

kotlesya

Belarus

Movie abounds with beautiful sceneries. I enjoyed the beauty of Australia with this movie.

Good movie and good job of actors. :)

The movie tells about the very painful issue in the history of Australia.

I like Nicole Kidman as an actress:)

To visit Australia and New Zealand is my great dream.

Fortunately, in my country there is no group of people who are treated like second-class citizens.

I’m strongly against the racial discrimination. We all are people and we all must respect each other despite the country we live, despite the religion we have and despite the colour of skin we have.

Dark_Lex

Chile

Nicole kidman is so pretty even she has more than 40

IVONNE122

Colombia

i've never seen Australia

Ae_Waraporn

Thailand

I would like to go to Australia.^^

jos235

Poland

I don't like Beren's voice. It's so irritaiting:///...

derda2bsjtdr

Germany

Antonio J.

Germany

vioooolaaa :D

derda2bsjtdr

Germany

VioLa.'

Germany

halloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo was geeeht ?

-MichI_

Germany

Miss_gorgeous

United Arab Emirates

I LOVE AUSTRALIA SO MUCH ..

Marcelolic

Brazil

I want to know Australia,I until thought about living there,but today I have other plains,I want to live in Europe ;)

Marcelolic

Brazil

There are many cases in several countries of badly treatments with desadvantaged people…In in Brazil it is not different! For example,the Northeastern and Indians or Blacks are pleople desadvantaged! and sometimes they are badly treated or discriminated,this is so degrading!

sadegh.ghasemi

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I haven't seen more movies at Nicole Kidman , but I think she is very beautiful and atractive . Know I am thinking that why Nicole Kidman opted Austrailia instead of USA ?