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.
Wouldn’t you love to suddenly become rich and famous? Wouldn’t most people love that? Rags to riches stories tend to be incredibly popular, because so many of us fantasize about our lives changing overnight. From classic fairy tales like Cinderella to modern films like Pretty Woman and Pursuit of Happyness, tales of people who rise from poverty to wealth have been inspiring audiences for centuries.
The new movie Slumdog Millionaire is no exception. It tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who becomes a contestant on an Indian game show and wins the top prize. Nobody expected him to win because he isn’t well-educated, so he gets arrested for cheating. As the police question him, he shares the story of his life with them and reveals how it’s possible that he knew all the right answers.
Marni thinks Slumdog Millionaire is an inspiring and beautiful film, but Amanda doesn’t want to see it. Listen to them talk about it.
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.
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Marni: Have you seen Slumdog Millionaire?
Amanda: I have not.
Marni: Oh! You’ve got to go. It’s fantastic.
Amanda: I’m not really into those independent films, I don’t know…
Marni: Oh please!
Amanda: Thinking, little action…
Marni: There’s a lot of action, actually.
Amanda: Really?
Marni: I’d heard about this film ‘cause I’m a fan of the director, Danny Boyle.
Amanda: Never heard of him.
Marni: Really?
Amanda: Yeah.
Marni: Trainspotting? 28 Days Later?
Amanda: OK, OK, yes. I’ve seen both of those.
Marni: Anyhow, I was intrigued, but then I heard the
Amanda: So it’s about a game show?
Marni: It is, but it’s about so much more. It’s really a portrayal of these children growing up in the slums of India, and what their lives are like, and like how certain things come to be, where he ends up being on this game show. And how life-changing that could be. It’s a total rags-to-riches story.
Amanda: OK, so it follows the life of the contestant, right?
Marni: Follows the life of the contestant and his brother and their friend… And it’s just tragic throughout, but it’s also interspersed with all these beautiful shots of India. And it’s very…
Amanda: I’m assuming happy ending, wins the game show?
Marni: Against the odds, yeah.
Amanda: Nice. I’ll check it out.
Marni: You definitely should.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Marni recently saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire. She strongly recommends that Amanda go see it. But Amanda is skeptical at first because she usually doesn’t like independent films. Indie films are often thought to be slower, more intelligent, but less exciting than major Hollywood films.
Yet even though Slumdog Millionaire is considered an independent film, Marni says it has a lot of action in it and is very exciting to watch. At first she wasn’t sure she would be interested in the plot about a young man who goes on an Indian game show. But she soon found out that the movie is actually about kids growing up in the slums of India. When one of the kids gets to be a contestant on a game show, his life changes and he goes from rags to riches. Marni thinks the film is sad, beautiful and inspiring. Amanda decides to go see it.
Do you think rags to riches stories are inspiring or unrealistic? If you won a lot of money on a game show, how would it change your life?
Comments
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wow, I'm the first person? Yes, I found this kind of stories are inspiring, cause usually the leading role of these stories are kind and beautiful but have a sad story, poor, uneducated, people hope them have an happy ending, but only in stories. In reality, people are who you are, where you've grown up, even you turn into rich overnight, it doesn't mean you can enjoy the wealth in a different way. That's an impossible dream, just because its unapproachable, it makes it a legend pusuited by generations. |
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