EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• protagonist: a story’s main character
• greedy: selfish, wanting more than you need
• charity: an organization that gives money to people who need it
• ominous: suggesting that something bad will happen
• vision: a type of dream caused by something supernatural
• Christmas spirit: feelings of happiness and generosity caused by the Christmas season

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

A Christmas Carol is a classic Christmas story written by English author Charles Dickens. The book’s protagonist is a man named Scrooge, who is bitter and greedy, and cares only about . At the start of the story, Scrooge’s personality is evident in his . He insults the people around him, forces his assistant to work during the , and refuses to give to charity. It is also clear that Scrooge dislikes Christmas, because he rudely declines his nephew’s to a Christmas dinner. That night, when Scrooge is in bed, he is visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The ghosts show him ominous visions that make him the way he treats others. By the end of the story, he finds his Christmas spirit and lets go of his greed.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19972″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. The main lesson to take from this story is to be generous rather than greedy. Why do you think the author wanted to express this theme in a Christmas story?

Transcript

A Christmas Carol is a classic Christmas story written by English author Charles Dickens. The book’s protagonist is a man named Scrooge, who is bitter and greedy, and cares only about money. At the start of the story, Scrooge’s personality is evident in his actions. He insults the people around him, forces his assistant to work during the holidays, and refuses to give to charity. It is also clear that Scrooge dislikes Christmas, because he rudely declines his nephew’s invitation to a Christmas dinner. That night, when Scrooge is in bed, he is visited by three ghosts: the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.  The ghosts show him ominous visions that make him rethink the way he treats others. By the end of the story, he finds his Christmas spirit and lets go of his greed.

Image: Thanks to Andy Mabbett (adapted)

Pre-listening vocabulary

• mysterious: unusual and hard to understand
• discontinue: to stop making a certain product
• curious: interested in learning the truth about something
• resident: a person who lives in a particular area
• tourist: a person who is visiting a place
• restock: to put in a new supply of products

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07 — 1.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More

Gapfill exercise

The Haunted Vending Machine in Seattle, Washington

For over 15 years, there was a mysterious vending machine on a street in the city of Seattle. The machine looked like it was very old, and no one knew exactly where it came from. Each on the machine was labelled “mystery”, and putting in the right of money would cause it to dispense a random can of pop. Some of these were drinks that had been discontinued for decades, which made residents and tourists very curious about where they came from. No one was ever seen restocking the machine. Two years ago, it from its spot on the street. In its place, there was a note that said “went for a walk”. The machine still has not been .

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19244″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Many people believe that this machine was operated by a ghost. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

Transcript

For over 15 years, there was a mysterious vending machine on a street corner in the city of Seattle. The machine looked like it was very old, and no one knew exactly where it came from. Each button on the machine was labelled “mystery”, and putting in the right amount of money would cause it to dispense a random can of pop. Some of these were drinks that had been discontinued for decades, which made residents and tourists very curious about where they came from. No one was ever seen restocking the machine. Two years ago, it disappeared from its spot on the street. In its place, there was a note that said “went for a walk”. The machine still has not been found.