Black Swan

Intro

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

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• gory
• flick
• alter ego
• pit against

• stress
• buzz
• leading role
• rivalry

• sibling rivalry
• psychological thriller

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

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Professional athletes push their bodies incredibly hard in pursuit of perfection. Basketball players endure strains, sprains, and broken bones. American football players get hit in the head so often and so hard that they can end up with brain damage later in life. And dancers are no exception. The new movie Black Swan portrays the dark side of the ballet world.

In the movie, Natalie Portman plays a hard-working dancer with the New York City Ballet whose dreams come true when she is picked to be the star of a new production of Swan Lake. But the dream soon becomes a nightmare, as Portman’s character struggles to maintain her sanity while dealing with the intense emotional and physical stress of her new role. Hear Jeff and Devan talk about the film.

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.

Devan

Jeff

Devan:  So I’m not usually big on thrillers or suspense films, however, I really want to see that Black Swan movie that’s getting all the buzz right now.

Jeff:  Oh, the one with Natalie Portman in it?

Devan:  Yeah, because it’s about this ballet dancer that’s trying to prepare for her leading role, but she has this rivalry going on with another dancer. And it just…it seems really interesting to me because it’s more like a psychological type thriller, not like a gory horror flick or anything like that.

Jeff:  Yeah, doesn’t her rival kind of turn into a sort of alter ego?

Devan:  I think so, yeah, I think there’s definitely some sort of twist like that. But it kind of raises an interesting question, you know, like when does a rivalry go too far? And what’s healthy competition versus just pitting yourself against someone else and comparing yourself to someone like in an unhealthy kind of way?

Jeff:  Do you have any…like I know you have a sister, any sibling rivalry?

Devan:  Oh, we definitely had the sibling rivalry thing going on, always trying to outdo each other. And I’m sure that if she’d had some leading role in something when I was growing up, I would have been furious.

Jeff:  Sometimes it’s healthy, though, it keeps both parties motivated to better themselves.

Devan:  That’s definitely true, but I definitely don’t think that’s the angle on this film.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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