Page 121 - Think 4. Teacher's Book B2

Unit 11
Shoot for the stars Reading

Warmer Top four
NASA’s InSight’s thrilling touchdown on the
Ask: How many films about space can surface of Mars got me thinking a lot about
you think of? Divide the class into space. So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to
small groups and set a three-minute come up with a list of my four favourite
space films of the 21st century so far.
time limit to list as many space films It wasn’t easy choosing just four (and you
as possible. Invite the group who of the 21st century might not agree with me), but here they are.
came up with the most to read their
list to the class.
1 ARRIVAL (2016) 4 THE MARTIAN (2015)
Arrival isn’t exactly action-packed. Not much I’ve saved the best till last. Matt Damon plays
1 Set a two-minute time limit for happens, but it still leaves you thinking about it astronaut Mark Watney, who is part of a space
students to read and answer the for days and days afterwards. It stars Amy Adams mission to explore Mars. He gets caught up in a
as Louise Banks, a linguist who is asked by the
huge storm and the rest of his crew, deciding that
question. Tell them not to worry American military to try and help them communicate he must be dead, return home without him. Watney
about any difficult language at this with an alien spaceship. It is one of 12 ships that must now somehow survive everything the planet
can throw at him and try and find a way of making
have landed in various locations around Earth.
stage as this will come up later. Because of increased tensions between these contact with his base back on Earth. The plot
might seem a bit far-fetched, but scientists agree
countries, Louise must work quickly to decipher the
The Martian codes the aliens are sending and discover exactly that the film gets a lot right about Mars. The special
why they are here. It is a memorable film and was effects are amazing, and consequently, this film is
considered by many critics to be one of 2016’s best seen on the big screen. But even on a small
2 11.05 Check/clarify: linguist, top films. screen, this is easily the best space film of all time.
decipher, codes, aliens, mission,
base, consequently.
Before playing the audio, give 2 GRAVITY (2009)
students just two minutes to scan I saw this one in 3D on the big screen and it blew REAdING
the blog quickly. Encourage them me away. In a word, it’s stunning. The shots of outer 1 Read the blog quickly. Which film does the writer
space are so breathtaking that you spend the whole
consider to be the greatest space film of all time?
not to focus on every word for time thinking you are actually up there yourself. I
don’t want to give away too much of the plot, but
11.05 Read and listen to the blog again.
now but just to find the answers due to a run of incredible bad luck, the astronaut 2 Complete the sentences with the names of the films.
then listen and check. Ask them played by Sandra Bullock finds herself all alone in 1 is about someone faced
the International Space Station, with little hope of
to underline the parts of the blog ever getting home. Will she or won’t she? Watch with an impossible journey.

that support their answers. and you’ll find out. Gravity, which also features 2 on its audience. has a long-lasting effect
George Clooney – all too briefly – was a huge box
1 Gravity 2 Arrival office success, but also a hit with the critics. It won 3 takes place on another
a total of seven Academy Awards.
3 The Martian 4 First Man planet in our solar system.

5 The Martian 6 First Man 4 you cry. is mostly likely to make
7 Gravity 8 Arrival 3 FIRST MAN (2018) 5 should really be seen at
This one differs from my other choices because 6 the cinema. is about a real person.
3 Ask students to discuss the merits it’s based on a true story. Neil Armstrong is the 7 has won a lot of prizes.
First Man referred to in the title of this film: the first
of any films they mention and to man on the moon. He is played brilliantly by Ryan 8 involves someone trying
describe the plots of any films Gosling in this biopic of America’s most famous to understand a different language.
astronaut. It’s full of fascinating details and things
other students have not seen. you never knew. It’s very moving at times, especially 3 SPEAKING Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
SPEAKING
Monitor to help with vocabulary when dealing with the death of Armstrong’s young 1 Which of these films have you seen or would you
daughter. At times it does get a little sentimental,
like to see?
and ideas. During feedback, invite perhaps as a result of having Steven Spielberg as an 2 Which films do you think are missing from the list?
executive producer. A must for all space travel fans
students to share their favourite and highly recommended for everyone else. 3 Why does the writer refer to these films as space
films rather than sci-fi films?
space film with the class and 4 What do you think is the best sci-fi film of all time?
perhaps hold a vote to find out
the class’s favourite space film. 106
Culture notes
Science-fiction films, and particularly those about space, appeared very early
in the silent film era. Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), created by
Georges Méliès in 1902 and considered to be the first, used stop-motion and
other techniques that were ground-breaking at the time. The 1920s and 30s saw
many film portrayals of imagined worlds, while post-WWII science-fiction films
offered imaginings of alien invasion. Since the moon landings of the 1960s, travel
within space has been at the centre of the film industry with films such as 2001:
A Space Odyssey being held up as a masterpiece of science-fiction, influencing
countless other films such as Star Wars, Alien, Gravity and Interstellar.
Activity idea Extension
If you feel your students need extra writing practice, ask them to write a blog
entry describing a film of their choice. First, ask them to underline collocations
and expressions that they like in the blog on page 106, and to try to incorporate
more them in their own blog. They should include information on the lead actors, a
brief outline of the plot and their reasons for liking the film. This could either be
Workbook done individually or as a collaborative writing activity with students working in
Reading p104, Ex.1–4 pairs or small groups.

T106 Shoot for the stars | Unit 11