How to Use the Present Perfect Tense

Intro

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

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• premise
• values
• impending
• raised

• look back on
• black and white
• modern
• villain

• romanticize
• suite

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

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Does it ever seem like things just used to be simpler or easier in the past?

Some Americans look back on the World War II era as a simpler time, when questions of good and evil were more black and white. The modern world seems a lot more complicated. Sometimes, it can be tough to know who are the good guys, and who are the villains.

Captain America belongs to that simpler time. He became a superhero during World War II and helped fight the Nazis. The new movie Captain America: The First Avenger tells his story. Hear Mason and Dale 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.

Dale

Mason

Dale:  Alright, I’m a fan of Captain America, but I haven’t seen the movie.

Mason:  Oh, you gotta go check it out, Dale.

Dale:  So, highly recommended?

Mason:  Well, it’s interesting. I’ve seen all of the Marvel superhero movies that are leading up to The Avengers. And I don’t think it’s the best of all of them, but it’s a nice sort of addition to the suite. But you know the whole premise is that it’s set back in World War II era.

Dale:  Yes.

Mason:  So it kind of looks back on this different view of what a superhero was, and fighting for those American values. And then, I mean I don’t think I’m spoiling anything if you’ve read any comics, like he ends up in modern day, which is kind of at the end of the film. So there’s sort of this impending interesting conversation about, like, is someone who is raised in that era, what do they feel like in what America is today, and the modern world?

Dale:  Well, I can definitely see it. I know from the World War II era to now, America has changed completely.

Mason:  I don’t know, I feel like we over-romanticize it, but it definitely seemed like a simpler time. But we’ll see, you know, we’ll see what Captain America thinks about it when he is in the future in The Avengers.

 

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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