Adventureland

Intro

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

• low on the totem pole
• set up
• grunt work
• end up

• roller coaster
• amusement park
• in the meantime
• be set in

• buddy
• part time job

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

Amusement parks are great places to visit, as long as you don’t get sick from eating too much cotton candy before getting on a roller coaster. But working at an amusement park would probably be less cool. Especially if it involved cleaning up after all those people who ate too much cotton candy before getting on roller coasters.

Listen to Jason tell Beren why he’s so excited to see Adventureland, a new movie about amusement park employees. (Hint: she has lovely green eyes.)

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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

Jason

Beren

Jason:  I can’t wait for the next Twilight movie.

Beren:  Really?

Jason:  Yeah. But in the meantime, the next best thing I’ve got is Adventureland.

Beren:  Adventureland? I’m not sure I’ve heard of this movie Adventureland. What’s it about?

Jason:  Well, Kristen Stewart’s in it, the girl from Twilight, and it’s about an amusement park and a kid who has to get a summer job in 1987. A good year for fashion, by the way.

Beren:  I was gonna ask if there’s a specific reason why it’s set in 1987.

Jason:  I think maybe it was just a decision so that the t-shirts and jeans would look cool. But anyway, it’s set in an amusement park where this kid gets a part time job. And he’s like a genius in college, but he’s really low on the totem pole at the amusement park.

Beren:  That’s a good set up. He has to do all the grunt work.

Jason:  Yeah, exactly. But it ends up being this really rewarding experience for him, ‘cause he falls in love with Kristen Stewart. Just like, you know, the world. And then he has this buddy, Ryan Reynolds plays this guy who’s worked at the amusement park forever.

Beren:  Alright.

Jason:  I don’t know, it just looks like a good coming of age story to me.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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