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Australia

Australia

Date: Jan 14 2009

Themes: History, Romance

Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

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.

When we think about Australia, we often think of funny-looking animals like koala bears, kangaroos, and wombats. But along with these fuzzy marsupials, Australia has produced quite a few actors who’ve made it big in Hollywood, including Heath Ledger and Nicole Kidman.

Now Kidman and fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman have teamed up in Australia, an epic, romantic adventure set in the wild Australian outback. But as Jason explains to Beren, Australia is more than just a typical love story with funny accents.

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

Jason

Beren

Beren

Jason:  Have you seen Australia?

Beren:  No, but I kinda want to. That’s the new Baz Luhrmann movie?

Jason:  Yeah, stick with it if you do.

Beren:  Oh, you’ve seen it?

Jason:  Yeah, and it starts out, and it’s kind of…It seems like it’s going to be really predictable, like it’s just a story of, you know, a civilized woman in an uncivilized land. But it’s really long and it keeps evolving after that. There’s a lot of stuff about the treatment of the aborigines in Australia, and then World War II happens, and it suddenly becomes really epic.

Beren:  Woah. That’s the exact opposite of what I thought it was.

Jason:  Really?

Beren:  Yeah. I saw the preview and I was like, oh, boring love story set in Australia with two Australians. You know, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. But that actually sounds interesting. It’s kind of gotten mixed reviews though. One big criticism has been Nicole Kidman’s acting in the movie. But I think she’s a great actress. I haven’t seen her in a flop.

Jason:  Maybe there’s a little bit of melodrama and that’s why people are saying that, but…

Beren:  It’s interesting the movie talks about how the aborigines were exploited and mistreated, because I think that even if you go to Australia today, they’re second-class citizens.

Jason:  That’s what I’ve heard.

Beren:  Mmm-hmm.

 

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Discussion

Jason has just seen Australia, the new movie from the director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet. He says that even though some parts of the story are pretty conventional, it also includes some exciting and interesting elements that make it worth watching.

Before talking to Jason about Australia, Beren wasn’t very interested in seeing it. She heard that Nicole Kidman’s performance wasn’t very good, and she thought that the movie was just a typical love story. But the story involves a lot more than the romance between Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It even deals with the mistreatment of Australia’s aborigines by the Europeans who settled the land.

Have you ever been to Australia or would you like to go there? In your country, is there a group of people who are sometimes treated like second-class citizens? How do you feel about that?

 

Comments

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passionforluv

Malaysia

Honestly this movie is a boom! I mean it's not just the romance that matter but the spirits and courages as well. I always think that Kidman and Jackman is a great actress and actor. Have you guys seen her in 'the others' Superb.

05:00 PM Jan 15 2009 |

stefrocco

Italy

i still haven't seen the film

11:39 AM Jan 15 2009 |

brownies

brownies

Thailand

Wanna see the movie. Yell

05:17 AM Jan 15 2009 |

uuchiang

uuchiang

China

WinkI haven't see the movie yet, i also thout it is a boring love story,after learn these lenson,i decide to see it.

04:28 AM Jan 15 2009 |

uuchiang

uuchiang

China

WinkI haven't see the movie yet, i also thout it is a boring love story,after learn these lenson,i decide to see it.

04:28 AM Jan 15 2009 |

uuchiang

uuchiang

China

WinkI haven't see the movie yet, i also thout it is a boring love story,after learn these lenson,i decide to see it.

04:28 AM Jan 15 2009 |

melika-ir

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i love nicole kidman.she is a great actressSmile

09:07 PM Jan 14 2009 |

Miss_gorgeous

United Arab Emirates

Hugh Jackman oh what an actor

so attractive..

i love australia and the movie..

thanks

08:22 PM Jan 14 2009 |

miffoo

miffoo

Slovakia

I haven't seen this movie yet, but I going to seeCool

08:00 PM Jan 14 2009 |

Green Alice

Russian Federation

I haven't been to Australia yet, but I dream of going there one day.

As far as I'm concerned, aborigine discrimination turned into the opposite social phenomena: nowadays rights of the natives are protected by very strict laws, which makes it possible for them to do almost anything they want with impunity.

For example: teenage natives get drunk and start a fight with non-natives. The latter can't even defend themselves, as the law will find them guilty, though they didn't start the fight. What is happening to the natives? – Nothing! They continue entertaining themselves.

 Another rumor is that natives in Australia always complain. They receive big allowances from the government just for being native. But it's not enough for them! They want big houses like whites have, they want DVD players, vacuum cleaners in their homes and many other things. But they don't want to work! They don't want to study, so they can't get a good job even if they want it.

 I'm not speaking about colonizers' guilt here, but only about presen-day reality. It is not correct to think that everyone threats natives like second-rate people today, nevertheless their behavior makes others think of them that way.

07:04 PM Jan 14 2009 |

matus123

matus123

Poland

Yes, I want to go to Australia one day…This country seems for me to be a country of great opportunities…I'm translating on Polish a book about Australians in WWII. I think that Australian contribution in that war is somewhat underestimated(similar to Polish)...

02:36 PM Jan 14 2009 |

christlve

China

what are you talk about?

11:38 AM Jan 14 2009 |

banmaixanh

banmaixanh

Viet Nam

yesterday one of my superiors taught me a new word: “echidna” which is the name of another typical animal in Australia. look it up!

10:43 AM Jan 14 2009 |

banmaixanh

banmaixanh

Viet Nam

oh man, it seems that the Chinese are  really the early birds today. haha

10:41 AM Jan 14 2009 |

branden

branden

South Korea

In our country , some people are treated like second-class citizens,,

i think that many countries have second-class citizens like our country.

but, world have to be fair…

05:55 AM Jan 14 2009 |

branden

branden

South Korea

In our country , some people are treated like second-class citizens,,

i think that many countries have second-class citizens like our country.

but, world have to be fair…

05:55 AM Jan 14 2009 |

branden

branden

South Korea

In our country , some people are treated like second-class citizens,,

i think that many countries have second-class citizens like our country.

but, world have to be fair…

05:55 AM Jan 14 2009 |

lanekey

lanekey

China

OK,Let me speak something.movie:i like eastwood's.stars:i like NICOLAS KAQI.TRAVEL PLACE:I LIKE MALDIVES FIRST,AND SECOND IS AUSTRALIA,AND SECOND IS ARGENTINA.GIRLs:i like long hair girl.it's very beautiful.my dreamlover.

05:21 AM Jan 14 2009 |

magic1015

magic1015

China

so bored to see the same type hollywood movies now …

no innovation so far

04:44 AM Jan 14 2009 |

lulu6151

lulu6151

China

i didnt get the second question . what is the mean?

04:20 AM Jan 14 2009 |

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