Gladiator, which won five Oscars, tells the story of a Roman
general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, a favourite of Marcus
Aurelius, Emperor in the second century AD. The Emperor
wants Maximus (Russell Crowe at his best) to succeed him,
but Commodus, the Emperor’s weak and (1)_______________ (TREACHERY) son
((2)____________________ (WONDER) played by Joaquin Phoenix), has other plans.
Commodus kills his father and becomes Emperor himself, and
arranges for Maximus and his wife and child to be executed.
Maximus escapes, but cannot save his family. He is captured
and sold as a gladiator, and eventually makes his way to the
Colosseum in Rome, where he becomes a hero by (3)_________________ (ENGINEER) a spectacular victory against (4)________________ (OVERWHELM) odds. In this (5)_______________ (GRIP) scene, Emperor Commodus descends to the arena
to congratulate him – not knowing his true identity. Maximus
confronts the Emperor in one of the most (6)________________ (STIR) speeches
in modern cinema: ‘My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius,
commander of the armies of the north, general of the Felix
Legions, loyal servant to the true Emperor, Marcus Aurelius,
father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will
have my (7)________________ (VENGEFUL) in this life, or the next.’ And somehow, we
just know he’s going to get it!
B
The Darkest Hour is set in May 1940, early in World War II.
German forces are winning the battle for Europe, and British
soldiers are trapped in northern France. Winston Churchill,
the new Prime Minister, is faced with a (8)______________ (DESPERATION) decision – to
continue the fight against Hitler and the Nazis, or to (9)______________ (NEGOTIATION) a
peace treaty.
(10)_______________ (ABILITY) to decide what to do, and under pressure
from Parliament to reach an (11)_________________ (AGREE), Churchill decides that he needs
to find out what the people want. For the first time in his life, he
travels on the London Underground, where he asks his (12)_______________ (STARTLE) fellow passengers two questions. First, he asks, ‘What would you
do if the enemy (13)____________________ (INVASION)?’ and they answer ‘Fight!’ Then he asks
them, ‘Should I negotiate with Hitler?’ and their answer is a very
clear ‘Never!’ Churchill is inspired by their (14)__________________ (CERTAIN), and goes on
to use their words in one of his most famous speeches: ‘We shall
fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we
shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the
hills; we shall never surrender.’
This is the key scene in the whole film, but unlike almost all the
rest of the film, it has been criticized for its historical (15)________________ (ACCURATE) – Churchill’s ride on the Tube never happened. The director,
Joe Wright, has defended the scene as ‘a (16)__________________ (FICTION) of an (17)___________________ (EMOTION) truth’. Does it matter? Not to the awards committees,
who gave the film two Oscars and (18)_________________ (NUMBER) other awards.
KEY
1. treacherous
treacherous: that cannot be trusted; intending to harm you.
E.g.
He was weak, cowardly and treacherous.
lying, treacherous words
treachery: behaviour that involves hurting somebody who trusts you, for example by telling their secrets to other people; an example of this.
E.g.
an act of treachery
He was punished for his treacheries.
2. wonderfully
3. engineering
engineer: to make something happen by skilful secret planning.
E.g.
powerful enemies who engineered his downfall
Perhaps she could engineer a meeting between them?
4. overwhelming
impossible/overwhelming odds
making success seem extremely unlikely
E.g.
They face impossible odds simply trying to get an education.
They face overwhelming odds in their struggle to preserve the park.
to fight against overwhelming odds
Sp. luchar con todo en contra
5. gripping
gripping: exciting or interesting in a way that keeps your attention. Sp. apasionante
E.g.
a gripping story
His books are always so gripping.
The film was absolutely gripping.
6. stirring
stirring: causing strong feelings; exciting. Sp. emocionante
E.g.
a stirring performance
stirring memories
listening to stirring accounts of their heroic history
7. vengeance/revenge
vengeance
the act of punishing or harming somebody in return for what they have done to you, your family or friends.
Synonym: revenge
E.g.
a desire for vengeance
8. desperate
9. negotiate
10. Unable
11. agreement
12. startled
13. invaded
14. certainty
15. inaccuracy
16. fictionalization
17. emotional
18. numerous
