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Syriana

Date: Dec 28 2005

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.

George Clooney has really come out swinging this year. His movie Good Night, & Good Luck got rave reviews, and his new movie Syriana is getting a lot of praise for its approach to the fiasco in the Middle East.

Listen to John and I talk about the movie.

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.

John

Dave

John: So, you saw Syriana last night?

Dave: Yeah, it was a good movie. It really lays the foundation for a discussion about what’s going on in the Middle East right now.

John: Yeah, how we’re basically running out of oil, you mean?

Dave: Yeah, pretty much. I mean, our gas guzzlers are taking up, you know, all the, all the, ah, reserves.

John: And it’s not only us, but other countries in the world, like China trying to go after it.

Dave: Right. I think that’s what’s interesting about the movie is it, it kind of shows how the U.S. and China are really vying for control over these limited resources.

John: Right. Which creates a lot of instability in the Middle East.

Dave: It does.

John: Because a lot of people are fighting over that.

Dave: Right. So, I think the movie does a good job portraying, um, power struggle in the, in the, ah, Middle East, and how businesses are manipulating the region.

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Discussion

Syriana ties together the multiple stories of how nations, corporations and individuals are fighting for power in the Middle East. The movie follows a Pakistani boy desperate to improve the condition of his family and nation. It shows how the U.S. and China, the world’s largest oil consumers, are trying to secure access to oil fields.

Matt Damon plays an oil broker – a person who buys and sells oil on the international market – who describes the situation when his character says, It’s running out, and 90% of what’s left is in the Middle East. This is a fight to the death.

While most oil industry executives say that there will not be an oil crisis in the coming five to ten years, many independent analysts say that hard times are ahead. They say that within five years the price of oil will double, causing a collapse of the global economy.

This is a very touchy issue. What are your thoughts?

Comments

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mshare

Saudi Arabia

i havent seen it yet ,actually i hope to find way for global crisis ,i dont know whether that movie discuss this issue or not , they should try to find solutions ,i think something must be done before its too late

miffoo

Slovakia

yeah, I saw this movie two years ago but I remembered very well what's bout it. I really good movie that describe things in the Middle East. When you want to see good movie you must see this.