Unlocking the secrets to long life

Why do some people live so long? Is it their diet? Lifestyle? Watch this video and answer the questions below

1. Who told Eberhart he would live to be 120 years old? Has the prediction come true? (What expression is used in the video to convey this meaning?)
2. What does Eberhart attribute his long life to?
3. In the video we see Eberhart getting into a car. Where is he going?
4. Who's sponsoring the study on long life? What other ambitious project have they organized (for this question, you'll need to do a little bit of research - the full answer is not in the video)
5. How does Eberhart refer to the age of his wife?
6. What does Dr. Perls say about the influence of 'protective genes?'
7, According to Mr. Weiss, what is the goal of this study?

More moon missions? Or just a bunch of rhetoric?

Watch the video below and answer these questions in your notepads:
1. True to his profession, Gingrich is making a campaign pledge (promise) which he may have difficulty keeping. Compare this little speech with Kennedy's half a century earlier. Kennedy actually kept his promise (incredibly). Do you think Gingrich will, too?
2. Some might say to appreciate rhetoric like this, you have to be American. In what ways does this speech appeal to Americans' sense of patriotism (give three examples)?
3. Watch the beginning of the video again. When does Gingrich say he will make this project a reality? In what way is this presumptuous?
4. Is this guy a true visionary like Kennedy or is he just full of hot air?

Kennedy's ambitious dream

Here's a brief excerpt of Kennedy's famous moon speech, as well as footage of the moonwalk, in which you will hear the most famous phrase ever uttered by an astronaut. See if you can make it out.
Also, fill in the blanks in Kennedy's speech (below):

"I believe this nation should ____________ itself to achieving the goal, before this ___________ is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to _____________, or more important for the __________________ exploration of space, and none will be so difficult or expensive to ________________."
President John F. Kennedy, speech to U.S. Congress, May 25, 1961.
Discussion questions:
1. Can you find two instances in Kennedy's speech of politically incorrect language, by today's standards?
2. What percentage of the population do you think believed this was an achievable goal?
3. Can this be compared to a world leader today announcing his country's intention to send a manned mission to Mars? Or is Mars a much more ambitious and unachievable goal?

I don't know what to do with this video, pedagogically speaking, since there is no audio apart from the subtle music. But it's original, so I thought I'd post it for your viewing pleasure.

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

Here's a little public domain video, which I thought you mind find interesting to watch. Times have obviously changed...but perhaps not that much, depending on the country. Watch and answer the questions that follow. And don't worry if you think the video is a bit odd -- I do, too!

1. In what country do you think this film was produced and released? What clues are there?
2. In the beginning of the video, the narrator uses three verbs beginning with the letter "b" to describe the different phases of marriage. What are they?
3. What is the message or purpose of the video?
4. What organization do you think sponsored this video? Do you think it was a successful campaign? Were there (or are there today) similar campaigns in your country (Spain) or other country you have visited?
5. What are some of the challenges married couples face, according to the video?
6. In what ways would one say the video is "politically incorrect," by today's standards?
7. What clues are there in the video that the country in which it was produced follows a Judeo-Christian tradition? (What is the last thing the narrator says?)

The sky is NOT the limit

Here's a glimpse at what has to be Richard Branson's most ambitious project to date. This one goes beyond mere entrepreneurship, don't you think? I'll add some questions later on.


1. With what phrase does Faye Barker begin her report? What world-changing event is this a reference to?
2. Fill in the blank – ‘The world’s first passenger __________________ _________________ California
3. How does Branson describe his own aircraft?
4. What was Branson’s dream for many years?
5. How will the aircraft reach space?
6. What unique experience will passengers enjoy on their voyage?
7. Who will be among the first passengers?
8. What is the name of the craft, and why?
9. Fill in the blank – ‘Deep space needs ____________ ____________________¡
10. How much will a trip cost?
11. How is the title of this post being used?

Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson

In our most recent lesson we saw the word 'entrepreneur,' applied to the late Steven Jobs (what does 'late' mean here?).
Here's a short interview with 'Sir' Richard Branson, considered by many to be the entrepreneur par excellence, due to his ability to break into diverse markets successfully. His flamboyant air (by business standards), and extracurricular activities as world explorer extraordinaire, have also made him somewhat of a celebrity. Here he is in a promo event for Virgin, which will be sponsoring the London Marathon. Watch the video and answer the questions that follow (I am only interested in the second part of the video, starting when the interviewer asks him 'Do you have any advice for budding entrepreneurs?'):

1. Does Branson believe there are opportunities for budding entrepreneurs in this time of crisis? Why or why not? (He doesn't use the term crisis, by the way - what term does he use instead?)
2. What does Branson believe to be a sensible tax system? Why?
3. Will Branson be running the London marathon? Has he got much experience running?

Steve Jobs tells us a secret

Watch this video and answer the questions below:

1a. What 'secret' does Jobs disclose? Are you surprised? Why do you think this was secret?
1b. What expression (which we learned in class!) does Jobs use when he says he's going to reveal a secret?
2. What feature of the traditional computer did Jobs want to change? What expression does he use when referring to the keyboard?
3. What did Jobs do with the tablet project when he decided to work on a phone? Why?
4. Who made the first steps towards developing the iphone (apart from Jobs)?
5. How long did he and his team work on the iphone? When did he start working on the tablet?
Discussion Qs
1. Jobs has fetched a lot of praise, much of it posthumously. Do you think he is more worthy of praise than other computer industry entrepreneurs, such as Bill Gates? Why/why not?
2. Have you got a tablet? If so, what brand? Do you think tablets will eventually replace traditional computers with physical keyboards?

Blue pill or red pill?

Perhaps the most famous movie scene of the last two decades. Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne) speaks clearly and is refreshingly easy to follow, provided you know the vocabulary. This clip has subtitles in English, so that should make things easier for you - try to watch the scene without looking at the subtitles first. Then watch it with the subtitles and make sure you understand everything - I will give you a task to do relating to the scene on Saturday.