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New 007 Movie 'Skyfall' Premieres in London (25th October, 2012)


 

The latest James Bond movie premiered in London on Wednesday night in front of British and Hollywood royalty. "Skyfall" is the 23rd official Bond film and coincides with the 50th anniversary year of the first 007 movie "Dr No". The U.K. heir to the throne, Prince Charles, attended the glittering event with his wife. Also in attendance were stars from the film and a collection of actresses who have played the lead female role in the films over the past five decades. Daniel Craig, playing the part of the sophisticated British spy for the third time, was one of the first stars to arrive on the red carpet at London's elegant Royal Albert Hall. He was accompanied by French actress Berenice Marlohe, who plays Bond girl Severine.

Many movie critics are hailing "Skyfall" as one of the best Bond movies ever. Britain's "The Daily Telegraph" said the film was full of the usual Bond trademarks of fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech gadgets and vodka Martinis, which were of course shaken, not stirred. The paper said the movie was a "blistering comic book escapade" that will be "a stratospheric hit". Mr Craig told reporters: "It is just a real honour to be part of it." Director Sam Mendes said: "I just wanted to make a film that I would like to see.…I just wanted to channel my inner 13-year-old boy." The film is sure to add to the $5.1 billion grossed at the worldwide box office by the previous 22 films in the franchise.

WARM-UPS

1. 007: Walk around the class and talk to other students about 007. Change partners often. Share your findings with your first partner.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

 

James Bond / royalty / Hollywood / heir to the throne / glittering event / red carpet / movie critics / trademarks / beautiful women / high-tech gadgets / grossed / franchise

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. SPY: What would life as a spy be like? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Good points

Bad points

Travel

 

 

Private life

 

 

Money

 

 

Adventure

 

 

Romance

 

 

Technology

 

 

4. JAMES BOND: Students A strongly believe James Bond is the best movie hero ever; Students B strongly believe otherwise.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. MOVIES: Which are best? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the best at the top. Change partners often.

  • spy movies
  • horror movies
  • science fiction movies
  • period dramas
  • spaghetti westerns
  • thrillers
  • romantic comedies
  • car chase movies

6. HOLLYWOOD: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word 'Hollywood'. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.

Kings and queens from Britain and Europe watched a James Bond film.

T / F

b.

There were 22 James Bond movies before Skyfall.

T / F

c.

A collection of 007 bad guys from the past 50 years saw the premiere.

T / F

d.

The James Bond actor went to the premiere with UK royal Albert Hall.

T / F

e.

A U.K. newspaper said the movie was full of the usual Bond things.

T / F

f.

The paper predicted the movie would be a major success.

T / F

g.

The director asked his 13-year-old son for advice about James Bond.

T / F

h.

The James Bond movies have made over $5 billion worldwide.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.

latest

a.

glamorous

2.

in front of

b.

reviewers

3.

glittering

c.

adventure

4.

sophisticated

d.

before

5.

plays

e.

earned

6.

critics

f.

appears as

7.

hailing

g.

most recent

8.

escapade

h.

guide

9.

channel

i.

stylish

10.

grossed

j.

praising

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.

in front of

a.

British spy

2.

The U.K. heir

b.

escapade

3.

played the lead female

c.

on the red carpet

4.

the sophisticated

d.

worldwide box office

5.

the first stars to arrive

e.

to the throne

6.

the film was full of the usual

f.

British and Hollywood royalty

7.

a blistering comic book

g.

to be part of it

8.

a real honour

h.

13-year-old boy

9.

I just wanted to channel my inner

i.

role in the films

10.

the $5.1 billion grossed at the

j.

Bond trademarks


 
 

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The latest James Bond movie premiered in London on Wednesday night in front of British and Hollywood (1) ____________. "Skyfall" is the 23rd official Bond film and (2) ____________ with the 50th anniversary year of the first 007 movie "Dr No". The U.K. heir to the throne, Prince Charles, (3) ____________ the glittering event with his wife. Also in (4) ____________ were stars from the film and a collection of actresses who have played the (5) ____________ female role in the films over the past five decades. Daniel Craig, playing the (6) ____________ of the sophisticated British spy for the third time, was one of the first stars to arrive on the red carpet at London's (7) ____________ Royal Albert Hall. He was accompanied by French actress Berenice Marlohe, who (8) ____________ Bond girl Severine.

 

 

 

part
attendance
coincides
plays
royalty
elegant
lead
attended

Many movie critics are (9) ____________ "Skyfall" as one of the best Bond movies ever. Britain's "The Daily Telegraph" said the film was full of the usual Bond (10) ____________ of fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech (11) ____________ and vodka Martinis, which were of course shaken, not (12) ____________. The paper said the movie was a "blistering comic book escapade" that will be "a (13) ____________ hit". Mr Craig told reporters: "It is just a real honour to be part of it." Director Sam Mendes said: "I just wanted to make a film that I would like to see.…I just wanted to (14) ____________ my inner 13-year-old boy." The film is sure to add to the $5.1 billion (15) ____________ at the worldwide box office by the previous 22 films in the                (16) ____________.

 

 

stirred
channel
trademarks
franchise
gadgets
hailing
grossed
stratospheric

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The latest James Bond movie premiered in London on Wednesday night in front of British and Hollywood royalty. "Skyfall" (1) __________________ Bond film and (2) __________________ anniversary year of the first 007 movie "Dr No". The U.K. (3) __________________, Prince Charles, attended the glittering event with his wife. Also in attendance were stars from the film and a collection of actresses who (4) __________________ female role in the films over (5) __________________. Daniel Craig, playing the part of the sophisticated British spy for the third time, was one of the first stars to arrive (6) __________________ London's elegant Royal Albert Hall. He was accompanied by French actress Berenice Marlohe, who plays Bond girl Severine.

Many movie (7) __________________ "Skyfall" as one of the best Bond movies ever. Britain's "The Daily Telegraph" said the film was full of the usual Bond trademarks of fast cars, beautiful women, (8) _______________ vodka Martinis, which were of course (9) __________________. The paper said the movie was a "blistering (10) __________________ " that will be "a stratospheric hit". Mr Craig told reporters: "It is just a real honour to be part of it." Director Sam Mendes said: "I just wanted to make a film that I would like to see.…I just wanted (11) __________________ 13-year-old boy." The film is sure to add to the $5.1 billion grossed at the worldwide box office by the previous 22 (12) __________________.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'movie' and 'premiere'.

movie

premiere

 

 

 

  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

  • front
  • 50th
  • event
  • collection
  • third
  • accompanied
  • critics
  • full
  • comic
  • honour
  • channel
  • box

007 SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about 007 in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 

  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.


 
 

JAMES BOND DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the name 'James Bond'?

c)

What do you know about James Bond?

d)

What Bond movies have you seen and what do you think of them?

e)

Why is Bond so popular?

f)

Are you interested in seeing the latest James Bond movie Skyfall?

g)

How British is James Bond?

h)

What do you think it's like going to a movie premiere full of royalty, stars and red carpet?

i)

If you were in a James Bond movie, what kind of character would you like to play?

j)

Is there an equivalent of James Bond in movies from your country or in your language?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

Is it an achievement that a movie franchise has lasted 23 films and 50 years?

c)

Could James Bond be American one day?

d)

Do you think acting in a James Bond movie is different to acting in "normal" movies?

e)

How realistic is James Bond. Are there really spies like him in real life?

f)

What do you think of the fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech gadgets in James Bond movies?

g)

What do you think life as a spy is like?

h)

What kind of training would James Bond need to be such a good spy?

i)

What do you think James Bond likes and dislikes about his life?

j)

What questions would you like to ask James Bond?

LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE

The latest James Bond movie premiered in London on Wednesday night in front of British and Hollywood (1) ____. "Skyfall" is the 23rd official Bond film and coincides with the 50th anniversary year of the first 007 movie "Dr No". The U.K. (2) ____ to the throne, Prince Charles, attended the (3) ____ event with his wife. Also in (4) ____ were stars from the film and a collection of actresses who have played the lead female role in the films over the past five decades. Daniel Craig, playing the part of the sophisticated British spy for the third time, was one of the first stars to arrive on the red (5) ____ at London's elegant Royal Albert Hall. He was accompanied (6) ____ French actress Berenice Marlohe, who plays Bond girl Severine.

Many movie critics are (7) ____ "Skyfall" as one of the best Bond movies ever. Britain's "The Daily Telegraph" said the film was full of the usual Bond (8) ____ of fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech gadgets and vodka Martinis, which were of (9) ____ shaken, not stirred. The paper said the movie was a "blistering comic book (10) ____ " that will be "a stratospheric hit". Mr Craig told reporters: "It is just a real honour to be part of it." Director Sam Mendes said: "I just wanted to make a film that I would like to see.…I just wanted to channel my (11) ____ 13-year-old boy." The film is sure to add to the $5.1 billion (12) ____ at the worldwide box office by the previous 22 films in the franchise.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

royally

(b)

royalty

(c)

royal

(d)

royalists

2.

(a)

hair

(b)

heir

(c)

here

(d)

hare

3.

(a)

spluttering

(b)

spattering

(c)

twittering

(d)

glittering

4.

(a)

absence

(b)

attendance

(c)

transit

(d)

reference

5.

(a)

rug

(b)

carpet

(c)

flooring

(d)

mat

6.

(a)

as

(b)

on

(c)

by

(d)

in

7.

(a)

sleeting

(b)

raining

(c)

hailing

(d)

gusting

8.

(a)

benchmarks

(b)

birthmarks

(c)

trademarks

(d)

watermarks

9.

(a)

cause

(b)

cased

(c)

crease

(d)

course

10.

(a)

escapade

(b)

stampede

(c)

implode

(d)

delude

11.

(a)

inner

(b)

internal

(c)

inside

(d)

into

12.

(a)

cashed

(b)

valued

(c)

grossed

(d)

calculated

WRITING

Write about 007 for 10 minutes. Correct your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about the new James Bond movie Skyfall. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. JAMES BOND: Make a poster about James Bond. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. SKYFALL: Write a magazine article about the new James Bond movie Skyfall. Include imaginary interviews with lead actor Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to James Bond. Ask him three questions about being a spy for the British government. Give him three pieces of advice on how to save the world. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.


 


 
 

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

F

b.

T

c.

F

d.

F

e.

T

f.

T

g.

F

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

latest

a.

most recent

2.

in front of

b.

before

3.

glittering

c.

glamorous

4.

sophisticated

d.

stylish

5.

plays

e.

appears as

6.

critics

f.

reviewers

7.

hailing

g.

praising

8.

escapade

h.

adventure

9.

channel

i.

guide

10.

grossed

j.

earned

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

in front of

a.

British and Hollywood royalty

2.

The U.K. heir

b.

to the throne

3.

played the lead female

c.

role in the films

4.

the sophisticated

d.

British spy

5.

the first stars to arrive

e.

on the red carpet

6.

the film was full of the usual

f.

Bond trademarks

7.

a blistering comic book

g.

escapade

8.

a real honour

h.

to be part of it

9.

I just wanted to channel my inner

i.

13-year-old boy

10.

the $5.1 billion grossed at the

j.

worldwide box office

GAP FILL:

New 007 movie 'Skyfall' premieres in London

The latest James Bond movie premiered in London on Wednesday night in front of British and Hollywood (1) royalty. "Skyfall" is the 23rd official Bond film and (2) coincides with the 50th anniversary year of the first 007 movie "Dr No". The U.K. heir to the throne, Prince Charles, (3) attended the glittering event with his wife. Also in (4) attendance were stars from the film and a collection of actresses who have played the (5) lead female role in the films over the past five decades. Daniel Craig, playing the (6) part of the sophisticated British spy for the third time, was one of the first stars to arrive on the red carpet at London's (7) elegant Royal Albert Hall. He was accompanied by French actress Berenice Marlohe, who (8) plays Bond girl Severine.

Many movie critics are (9) hailing "Skyfall" as one of the best Bond movies ever. Britain's "The Daily Telegraph" said the film was full of the usual Bond (10) trademarks of fast cars, beautiful women, high-tech (11) gadgets and vodka Martinis, which were of course shaken, not (12) stirred. The paper said the movie was a "blistering comic book escapade" that will be "a (13) stratospheric hit". Mr Craig told reporters: "It is just a real honour to be part of it." Director Sam Mendes said: "I just wanted to make a film that I would like to see.…I just wanted to (14) channel my inner 13-year-old boy." The film is sure to add to the $5.1 billion (15) grossed at the worldwide box office by the previous 22 films in the (16) franchise.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 – b

2 – b

3 – d

4 – b

5 – b

6 – c

7 – c

8 – c

9 –d

10 – a

11 – a

12 – c

 

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