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The Superficial

Date: Jan 31 2007

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.

Celebrity news is big business. Everyone wants to know the latest on Brangelina in Africa, or Lindsay Lohan in rehab, or whatever movie star has gotten busted for drunk driving.

Various TV shows and magazines specialize in Hollywood gossip. Another easy way to get the latest news is on the Internet.

Listen to Mason tell Amanda about a new gossip website he’s discovered.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

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.

Mason

Amanda

Mason: Amanda, I know, like, every once in a while when we’re sitting here talking, like, you kinda jump on some of the gossipier topics.

Amanda: I’m a pop culture queen.

Mason: Yeah, pop culture stuff, right? So, like, where do you get your information?

Amanda: The Internet.

Mason: Wha… like, what sites do you visit?

Amanda: Um, actually just MSN News and you go to Entertainment and it takes you straight there.

Mason: Really?

Amanda: Yeah.

Mason: There’s…

Amanda: Or E!.

Mason: OK. E!’s gonna be closer. I just found this new one and it’s called thesuperficial.com.

Amanda: OK.

Mason: And it’s like, kinda the best of the best gossip stuff. Um, you know, a lot of Britney Spears, lot of Paris Hilton.

Amanda: I love the URL.

Mason: Yeah.

Amanda: But you know what? Even typing that in would make me a little embarrassed…

Mason: Would it?

Amanda: ... that I was going there. Because of what it’s called.

Mason: I love the self, the self-knowledge…

Amanda: All right.

Mason: ... of it, you know. But, uh, it’s kinda mean too. Like, you definitely know whoever’s doing it has his pet peeves or his issues and it’s just…

Amanda: So is it a blog format or no?

Mason: Uh, what do you mean, like… ?

Amanda: Can you comment?

Mason: I think there can be comments, but that’s not, like, really the…

Amanda: That’s not…

Mason: ... it’s mostly just some place that you go to get the juice.

Amanda: OK. All right. I’ll check it out.

Mason: Do it.

Amanda: Thank you.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

When Mason says gossipier he is making up a word. He means the more gossip-related topics of discussion.

Amanda admits that she does like to keep up on celebrity news. She keeps up to date on the Internet.

Mason likes The Superficial because of its somewhat mean-spirited humor. He also likes the fact that the site doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It is superficial. So it calls itself superficial.

Do you follow celebrity gossip?

Where do you get your information?

Comments

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CatcheR

Iceland

I am not but my mom does, I don’t know it seems that women more like kinda stuff, it’s just like food, mostly TV keep you stay update. scary habit. just like gambling.

neunnt

Viet Nam

Ialways keep up news information on the internet. i feel happy when i get a wonderful things from mu team.a few player get over from injury,they stay in pitch. they create many fantastic goal to make spectaculor thrilled in happiness. i like read some information of actor and actress all over world. really , they want to be famous people. they make use of way to be celebrity. they create scandals, they love each other, but, not true. they pretend to love to draw attention from everyone