EF C1.1 p 61. Spoilers. Word Formation

Spoilers actually enhance your enjoyment 

I am one of those people who can’t read a book without flicking to the end to check what’s going to happen. It turns out that, actually, I am very (1)___________ (WISDOM). Psychologists at the University of California in San Diego gave students 12 short stories, by authors (2)____________ (INCLUDE) Agatha Christie and Roald Dahl. Some stories were in their original form and others had spoiler paragraphs added at the beginning. And do you know what? The readers of ‘spoiled’ stories actually had more fun. 

According to the psychologists who carried out the research, ‘students (3)_____________ (SIGNIFY) preferred the spoiled versions of the stories. For instance, knowing in advance in an Agatha Christie story that Poirot will discover that the ‘victim’ of the attempted murder is, in fact, the real murderer, not only didn’t hurt the (4)______________ (ENJOY) of the story, but actually improved it.’ 

As a huge reader of crime and thrillers, this (5)___________ (DEFINITE) rings true for me. When I’m reading horror novels, I need to check the hero or heroine is still alive at the end of the book. And I usually take a (6)___________ (SNEAK) look at the end of a romantic novel, just to make sure who is going to end up with whom. ‘It could be,’ says psychologist Jonathan Leavitt, ‘that once you know how the story turns out, you’re more comfortable processing the information and can focus on a deeper (7)_______________ (UNDERSTAND) of the story.’ 

I will also admit that, even when I know full well what is going to happen in a book, either because I’ve read it a million times before, or because I’ve read the end, I often find myself hoping that, this time, it’s going to be different, that the sad (8)__________ (END) will turn into a happy one! Adapted from The Guardian

 

 

 

KEY

 

 

 

1. wise

 

 

 

 

 

2. including 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. significantly 

 

 

 

 

4. enjoyment 

 

 

 

 

 

5. definitely  

 

 

 

 

 

6. sneaky

 

 

 

 

 

7. understanding 

 

 

 

 

 

8. ending 

EF p 47. History Brought To Life. Word Formation

A 

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

EF C1.1 p 48. Ex 5c. Spartacus and Braveheart. Sentence Completion Listening

Generally speaking, to decide whether a film is too historically inaccurate or not is a matter of (1)_______. However, problems may arise if the viewer doesn't know anything about a certain historical event and the film becomes the (2)____________ of the truth. A case in point would be if a film is (3)_____________ irresponsible or fantastic, which could be controversial.

For instance, Spartacus's friends standing up shouting 'I am Spartacus, ' which (4)____________ for freedom of individual choices, may never have happened.

Incidentally, Spartacus is a film that has had a (5)_________________ in current times.

Another example is the film Braveheart, which some viewers thought was pushing (6)__________ . As a matter of fact, it was felt that it was dealing more with the (7)______________ of independence than with the genuine history of what really happened.

 

KEY

1. taste 

2. received version

received: accepted by most people as being correct.     

E.g.

The received wisdom is that they cannot win.     

They challenged received ideas about education.

 

 

3. grossly

grossly: /ˈɡrəʊsli/ (used to describe unpleasant qualities) extremely.

E.g.

grossly overweight/unfair/inadequate     

Press reports have been grossly exaggerated

 

 

 

4. stands

stand for:  to support or represent something      

E.g.

I hated the organization and all it stood for (= the ideas that it supported)

 

 

5. resonance 

resonance /ˈrezənəns/  the special meaning or importance that something has for you because it relates to your own experiences. Significance, relevance.

E.g.

a tradition that has little resonance in the 21st century  

His words will have resonance for many musicians

 

 

 

6. the limits

push the boundaries/limits:      ​to attempt to go beyond what is allowed or thought to be possible.

E.g.

We aim to push the boundaries of what we can achieve.         

She pushes her physical limits through various endurance challenges 

 

 

 

7. notion