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Life of Pi
简体
Life of Pi
少年派的奇幻漂流

Learn English with this movies English lesson

Date: Dec 19 2012

Themes: Pop Culture, Travel

Grammar: You're vs. Your

Intro

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

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The bestselling novel, Life of Pi, has just become a movie. Directed by Ang Lee, the movie tells the tale of a very unusual journey across the ocean, featuring a young boy named Pi and a tiger. The tiger was created using special effects.

Sometimes turning books into movies is successful, and sometimes the result falls short. It may or may not be better than the book, but this movie will definitely be beautiful and exciting. Hear Marni and Greta’s thoughts in this movie English lesson.

畅销小说《少年派的奇幻漂流》 (Life of Pi) 刚刚被拍成电影。这部电影由李安 (Ang Lee) 执导,讲述了男孩派 (Pi) 和一只老虎经历的一段不寻常的海上奇幻之旅。老虎采用特效制作而成。

有时,将小说拍成电影会十分成功,有时结果却不尽人意。电影可能比原著好,也可能不如原著,但这部电影一定是令人惊艳的。在这节电影英语课上,听听玛尼和格里塔如何评价这部电影。

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.

Greta

Greta

Marni

Marni

Greta:  I heard that there is a movie adaptation coming out of the Life of Pi.

Marni:  Oh yeah. That was a novel back from 2001, I think, about an Indian boy who survives a shipwreck if I’m not mistaken?

Greta:  It is.

Marni:  And he’s got a Bengal tiger with him?

Greta:  He does. Yes.

Marni:  So that’s all I really know about it. I haven’t read the book and it sounds like you have, so please enlighten me. How does a boy get stuck stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger?

Greta:  The premise is that this boy and his family owned a zoo in India, and I think that they are traveling to America to start a new life, and they are going to sell some of their zoo animals to a zoo in the US once they get there. And there’s a terrible storm, and the ship goes down, and he, Pi, wakes up after the storm in a lifeboat, and realizes that the tiger is also in the lifeboat.

Marni:  Fascinating. So does it then become this, he’s trying to survive against the tiger in this boat? Or tame the tiger in some way?

Greta:  He’s trying to survive at sea.

Marni:  Sure.

Greta:  He can’t really be comfortable in the boat because there’s a tiger who is not tame at the beginning of the story. But he can’t leave the boat, because then he would drown.

Marni:  Right. It’s like the ultimate “What do you do?” I mean, you’re on a boat with a tiger, or you’re at sea with sharks. Either way, seemingly, it’s not a good situation.

 

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Discussion

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Greta says that she heard that a movie version of the novel Life of Pi is coming out soon. Marni has heard a few details about it, like that it’s about a boy and a tiger who survive a shipwreck, but that’s all she knows.

Greta fills in some more of the plot. The boy and his family own a zoo in India, and they are sailing to the United States to sell some of their zoo animals. On the way, though, their ship gets destroyed, and the boy ends up on a lifeboat with a ferocious tiger.

Marni points out that this puts the boy in a very difficult position. He must face the tiger on the boat, or the sharks in the sea.

Have you read Life of Pi? Do you think the movie sounds interesting? Have any of your favorite books been made into movies? If so, what did you think of the result?

 

Comments

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ola33

ola33

Japan

Leala, I liked Lord of the Rings too. We have Hobbit just came out on the screens in 3D. I won’t miss it!


Another one that is on TV right now I’m watching and that is based on the children’s book  is Polar Express – a computer animated fantasy film. What a beautiful story and movie!


But it works for those who believe;)

01:19 AM Dec 20 2012 |

yuminaga

yuminagaSuper Member!

China

I  hv seen the life of pi,it was fascinating,I am crazy about the special effects,  you know ,the tiger was not real ,it was created by it.its amazing , i cant believe  my eyes even though i knew its not real.On my recommendation ,you should give it shot

11:49 PM Dec 19 2012 |

Yuci

YuciSuper Member!

Japan

I have never heard this book. It sounds exciting so I’d like to read someday.


Sometimes my favorite books are remade into movies, but I think that books are books, movies are movies. Movies themselves are exciting but they have different appeals from their original novels.


I think that’s OK.

11:13 PM Dec 19 2012 |

Sajjad Monti

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I heard about this story here for the first time, sounds interesting, but I think childs like it more than adults

09:42 PM Dec 19 2012 |

cheer manal

Morocco

I’ve never read Life of Pi. but just reading about it makes me feel excited to read it or watch it either ways are preferable. I like the whole theme of this movie it really sounds interesting.


I read many novels that were made into movies in the past and the one that comes into my mind are:


king Solomon’s mines: Actually, i tend to like the novel more that the movie because there is something missing in the movie. and there is a huge difference between them.


Robinson Crusoe: there are some similarities in this novel and Life of pi. they both took place at sea and the characters in it survived the shipwreck…. i enjoyed reading the novel as i enjoyed watching the movie.


 


 


 


 

08:15 PM Dec 19 2012 |

ballin25

ballin25

United Kingdom

I wahit long time i dont know how long i have to wahit.

06:30 PM Dec 19 2012 |

kkannanbe

India

Alrfeady seen this movie…...


3D effects are awesome

05:56 PM Dec 19 2012 |

kkannanbe

India

Alrfeady seen this movie…...


3D effects are awesome

05:56 PM Dec 19 2012 |

GrammaristSuper Member!

United Arab Emirates

has been the movie released ?! I think this movie will be in the grand cinema at midnight.


it is quite interesting that the movie focuses on a terrefic situation !! while the sharks are waiting for a bait falling down deeply, the brute tiger is sitting in the same boat that the boy is in. 


Let’s imagine the same situation has occured to you, what would you do ?
will you throw yourself into the hungry creatures down to the sea ? or will you improvise a way or invent a plan to tame the fierce tiger ? make sure you have little time and any careless action might drag you to the hell.

05:33 PM Dec 19 2012 |

195854255

195854255

United States

I am going to watch this movie tonight

03:33 PM Dec 19 2012 |

rija ali

rija ali

Pakistan

sounds interesting!

03:29 PM Dec 19 2012 |

LAILA ALI

LAILA ALI

Malaysia

Baset , where is ur comments ? why didn’t u comment in this lesson ? i really like to read all ur comments !

01:54 PM Dec 19 2012 |

dreadslayer

Turkey

 their ship gets destroyed,and then he’s woken up with a tiger on the lifeboat sounds scary and he’ll barely try to survive again.because tiger is not tamed.we have no enough details about some information justas ‘who woke up first’ if boy wakes up first he should run away.even he would drown.otherwise tiger will make him drown with its teeth :).

12:58 PM Dec 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

friendlover

Turkey

I haven’t heard about this book before. It sounds nice. After reading this lesson, I started wondering the Life of Pi. I’ll see the movie, I like that kind of movies with wild animals. 


Books are better for me. Because while reading the books I imagine the heroes of the book in my mind, I create my own characters. That’s why movies disappoint me after books. But I watch the movie of the book because of curiosity. But if I watc movies first, I don’t read the books because after movies I cannot create my own characters. 


I watched “The Da Vinci Code” after the book and I couldn’t enjoy it. The book was much more better. But “Angels & Demons” was successful I think. I enjoyed it although I read the book before the movie.


goldenboy2011

Egypt

I like to read novels! Unfortunately, I’ve never heard about this novel “Life Of Pi”.


Hmm, seems to be an exciting novel, I’m gonna read it!!


I know “Oliver Twist”. It was written by “Charles Dickens


Have you ever heard about it?




=)

12:26 PM Dec 19 2012 |

sarinha.c.s@hotmail.com

Brazil

It’s a brilliant story, well It’s the first time I hear about PI. I want to read.

12:10 PM Dec 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

Englishty

Englishty

Egypt

Actually this is the first time i hear about this novel but i really like the idea that i  i can’t wait to know the end of it, how is he gonna survive? there are many of my favorite books have been turned into successful movies as Gone with the wind and many.

10:19 AM Dec 19 2012 |

korhansaresimge

Turkey

life of pi sounds interesting….when all you’re ever known is lost find your courage, a life of adventure,a life of hope


and a life of friendship….. ı like it :) ı’ll give it a shot

mojtaba

mojtaba

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I don’t see this movie even don’t read it before but purhaps I take it and whatch it.I thing book is better from filme beacuse you can imagining and grow your brian.did not?

06:36 AM Dec 19 2012 |

jibin jibu

India

Life of pi is a nice movie friends…must watch it…

06:32 AM Dec 19 2012 |

1 person likes this

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